The shaker is a rather novel concept from sansa, (and after their audiophile-grade Sansa E2xx series), both a disappointment and a delight. One look at it will delight, but after hearing it perform we were a little disappointed despite the fact that it’s supposed to be a fun music player and not a real music player! The shakar is dressed in funky wear-bright blue and white and looks like a salt dispenser, complete with the holes on top (loudspeaker). It features two 3.5 mm jacks. There are two white bands running around the top and bottom of the player. Both twist left and right-the top one controls the volume, the lower skips tracks. There’s a large, receded play/pause button built into the body. Build quality is top class, and a classy aluminium clasp allows it to be belted on.

Sound quality via the 3.5 mm jacks isn’t its forte. Music sounds muted across the spectrum. Highs and lows weren’t defined at all, while the vocals and midrange were barely tolerable for someone really into music. If you aren’t the discerning type, you could give it a try. The loudspeaker sounds much better though, and actually made tunes bearable. When we think shaker all we envision is the average urban kid whose mom and dad don’t want to buy something with a breakable LCD screen. At Rs 1,899, the shaker is good enough to introduce your fresh-in-their-teens kids to the world of PMPs; others might want to give it a pass.

Specifications:
512 MB Flash memory
SD expandable slot
Music formats: AAC, MP3, WAV
Dual 3.5 mm audio jacks
Lanyard with aluminum ring