Hasta La Gadget!

Sandisk’s Shuffle-killer just got an upgrade. The Sansa Clip is now the Clip+. The biggest change here is the addition of a microSD slot, giving the player expandable memory and allowing it to play Sandisk’s slotMusic and slotRadio cards. The company left the device’s formfactor largely intact, changing up the wheel for more of a square shaped trackpad.

The Clip+ has a one-inch OLED screen, a built-in microphone, and an FM tuner. It can play MP3, WMA, WAV, FLAC, Ogg Vorbis, and Audible Files. It comes in 2-, 4-, and 8GB capacities for $39.99, $49.99, and $69.99, respectively.

The Clip+ is available now from BestBuy.com and Sandisck.com. More retailers will follow on September 13th.

Satellite radio-lovers will have two new options this fall, as Sirius XM just announced two new “dock & play” radios. Both use something called “PowerConnect” technology (italics theirs) to work through your car’s power system. That already sounds complicated to me, but the company promises that installation is easy.

The Sirius model, the Stratus 6, supports the company’s much-hyped but little used a la carte option, which lets subscribers get only the channels they want for a lower monthly fee. It can also receive the “Best of XM” package for an additional monthly fee. The Stratus 6 can store 10 favorites and has a one-touch feature for calling up traffic and weather in one of 20 cities. It also includes a universal docking connector for use in the home, office, or a second car. It will go on sale this fall for $69.99.

The XM onyX offers 10 presets and a one-touch feature for calling up traffic and weather in one of 20 cities. Besides XM programming, it can get the “Best of Sirius” package for an additional monthly fee. It can be used in the home or office with an additional connector. Look for it this fall for $79.99.

It certainly looks like the Sirius model has been given more love: it’s $10 cheaper and has more features. That seems par for the course, since Sirius acquired XM in the recent “merger.” Still, I’d take the XM onyX any day, since it offers Opie & Anthony without an additional “Best Of” fee. Priorities, people.

Maybe I’ll start a new feature on Gearlog, “Fish-in-a-barrel Fridays,” where I’ll take easy potshots and poorly thought-out new tech products. Many thanks to editor-in-chief Lance for passing along the press release for the Waist Band MP3 Player with Remote Control, brought to us by USBfever.com.

This attractive wearable is like a small boom box you can strap to your midsection. The product description says it’s great for hikers who would like to listen to their favorite music. Finally, a way to listen to music outside the home.

The Waist Band MP3 Player apparently has no onboard storage, and users need to supply their own SD card or flash drive. The flash drive will stick up into your midsection if you’re wearing the player. The product page cautions that you can’t have both a card and flash drive inserted at the same time or the player won’t work.

No portly people, please, because the included waist strap is 40-inches long. If you have trouble reaching the player strapped around your waist, it comes with a helpful remote.

Perhaps the greatest terrible thing about the Waist Band MP3 Player is that while it seems to have a radio, the radio doesn’t actually work. “Radio is a dummy,” the description cautions twice. It’s not alone.

So how much would you pay for small, poor, wearable speakers, no storage, and a non-working radio? USBfever is hoping $32.99 sounds right.

Sony and Best Buy announced Tuesday that they will partner on a new line of audio products, dubbed Altus.

The Altus line will include wireless music systems, as well as speakers and home theater products, the companies said. Most of the products are currently available for pre-order on sonystyle.com and will be in Best Buy stores in September.

They will include two iPod docking systems.

The $700 ALT-SA31iR will include an iPod/iPhone docking station and two high-output wireless speakers. It will also feature an AM/FM tuner, and an S-AIR remote control with LCD display. That display will show album, artist and track information.

Its smaller counterpart, the AIR-SW10Ti, will include a compact docking station with two built-in speakers and a wireless subwoofer. It has a maximum output of 60 watts RMS and includes an infrared remote control and FM tuner. It will also be able to transmit wireless audio with other Altus and S-AIR products. It will retail for $400.

Both products are available for pre-order and will be in Best Buy stores in September.

On the wireless PC front, Sony is introducing two multi-room packages.

It’s got to be difficult to stand out in the competitive world of iPod and iPhone speakers, but Logitech has a reputation for style and quality. Today, the company announced two new portable solutions. So how do they stand out?

The Logitech Rechargeable Speaker S315i (shown above) can play music for 20 hours (in power saving mode) when fully charged. It looks like a great solution for cookouts or camping, anytime you’re outside and away from an outlet for a long time. Besides working with iPods and iPhones, you can connect any other music player through the 3.5mm audio jack. It’s available for preorder for $129.99, and will ship this month.

The Logitech Portable Speaker S125i is a smaller model, but it still offers a big sound thanks to the one-button bass boost. It doesn’t have an internal battery like the S315i, but requires four AA batteries (for 10 hours of playing time) or an AC outlet. It works with iPods, not iPhones, and offers a 3.5mm audio jack for connecting other types of music players. Preorder it for $69.99 and it will ship in September.

PCMag‘s own audiophile, lead analyst Tim Gideon, says he’ll likely be reviewing both in the near future, so watch for that.