SanDisk Sansa m250 2 GB MP3 Player (Black)

• Lightweight flash memory digital audio player--weighs just 1.5 ounces
• 2 GB memory holds 32 hours of MP3 and 64 hours of WMA audio
• Microsoft PlaysForSure support for compatibility with wide range of online stores and subscription services
• Integrated FM radio with 20 presets; built-in microphone and voice recorder
• Powered by single AAA battery, for up to 19 hours of usage

I've seen several reviews for this player (a couple comments here, but mostly on other review sites) that have basically stated that it's "just not an iPod". Well, yeah..it's NOT an iPod. I don't think SanDisk is trying to be an iPod with this player, and I'm thankful they're not.

I wanted an MP3 player so I could listen to music while running. I needed something small, lightweight, easy to operate without having to break pace especially when on the treadmill and something that could take the bounces and jostles associated with running. I didn't care about the iPod brand, being able to watch TV/video, color screens, or having double-digits worth of GB memory.

This little SanDisk player is great for me. Within hours of it being delivered to my front porch, I had several CD's worth of music loaded on and I was listening with no problems. It was super easy to load music on it using Windows Media Player. It did take some reading to figure out how to work all aspects of it, but that rings true for almost any electronic device. I did the various functions while reading the instruction manual the one on the included disk, not the super brief quick start guide and was able to figure things out the next time with no problems. And with 2 GB of memory, I have plenty of room for my music. I've loaded probably 10 CD's on it already, and I have plenty of room to spare.

As for using it for my intended purpose while running it's wonderful! I used the included plastic cover and armband and off I went. I'm able to skip songs and change music while maintaining pace. The sound is great even with the little foam earbud covers, even despite the noise of the treadmill. It's definitely much easier than trying to deal with a discman and one single CD. I've used it for probably 3-4 hours already, and the battery indicator has dropped just one section.

A tip for the instruction manual pop in the little disk and use Windows Explorer to find the pdf file, then copy it to your computer. This makes it much easier to come back and look something up, rather than having to wade through the disk's contents.

If you want a very nice and perfectly functional MP3 player and don't need/want the iPod brand and price then this player will easily meet your needs. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone.

Buy SanDisk Sansa m250 2 GB MP3 Player (Black) Now

This is a four star player out of the box. However, with a free Mediamonkey download, you can make this a five star player. First, let me start off by saying that I have owned an Ipod and other popular mp3 players in the past. I have probably gone through four different music players in the three years. And in the course of dumping my money into both music and hardware, I found this Sansa player to be a diamond in the rough. Why? :

Pros:

1. Removable AAA battery You can get the fanciest mp3 player but in about a year, expect to shell out another hundred bucks (or so) for a new battery. You can also do it yourself, but that's not the real problem. How about when you want to listen to your player all day at work, while commuting, or while camping? If you use your player on a regular basis or where a power is scarce, battery life is the limiting factor. It doesn't matter how many songs the player holds if it doesn't hold a full charge or the battery can't be changed on the go. This Sansa will have an excellent battery for the life of the player. Just buy another four pack of rechargeable AAA batteries. It only takes one to power this baby. No getting stuck with a player and only one battery. The people who review audio players on Amazon rarely do so six months later when their battery only holds half the charge. Do you really want to pay for a new player next year because of the battery?

2. No special adapters needed Guess what? All you need is a USB cable (which is included) to transfer files. I lost my adapter for my IAudio player a few months ago and I couldn't charge it or transfer files for a week. I had to wait for a replacement to come in the mail. Yet another way some other companies make a killing off the consumer (you). They'll make you buy proprietary cables. Not here.

3. No DRM I like my files to travel with me. No restrictions on what computer I can use my player on or what I want to do with my files. It also support subscription services and windows files. It also comes in handy as a flash drive for presentations and files. Apple forces you to use only ONE computer with your player.

4. Flash Based No more waiting for an internal drive to find my song. I hated the lag with my Ipod and Iaudio player when selecting a song. Being flash based, it also helps the battery life if you like to skip through songs. Being a guy, I like to skip through my songs like I do my TV stations. With a hard drive based player, this type of skipping will drain the battery quickly.

Cons:

1. Poor software This is why this player only receives four stars. Don't even waste your time using the installation disk or Windows Media player with this thing. It will cause you to lose your mind. Instead, download Mediamonkey for free. It will index your player and Windows will install your files for you. ***Important*** Even though the manual and Sansa website shows that playlists are supported, it may be a mystery as to why they don't appear on your player. Here's how you do it. Using Mediamonkey, Right click the Sansa Player --> go to Properties --> go to Synchronization Properties --> and ensure that copy playlists is checked with " \Playlists\ " in the destination directory. The player also needs to be in MTP mode while this is done. Settings --> USB --> Auto Detect. This will solve any headache that you may have in automatically entering playlists onto the player.

2. Clicking Sound when scrolling through playlists, you will notice that the music breaks up slightly during playback.

3. No Alarm I wrote to Sansa asking for an alarm feature in their next firmware update. It would be nice to wake up to some music.

Both good and bad:

1. Armband: The include armband is thin and functional. However, it's not that attractive. I spent an additional $ on the silicone liner. Now sexy's back.

2. Thick and light: This player is ideal for runners. The controls are strategically placed with large navigation buttons. It can also sustain much more wear and tear than an Ipod or a hard drive based player.

3. Monochrome screen a color lcd screen would be nice but by having a simple interface with no frills, the battery lasts much longer and it lowers the production cost.

4. Small memory size Even at 4 gigs, the largest Sansa m200 player can only store 5% of my music collection. However, I found that after buying this player (to hold me over until my 60 gig player was serviced) that I really don't need all of that music with me all the time. I began to discover my songs all over again with a smaller capacity player.

5. Backlight I think the backlight is bright and the screen is very clear. However, when using rechargable batteries, about 15 hours into playback, the backlight turns off. This tells me that I only have a few more hours of playback left.

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I just got one from CC for $115 less $13 for refund of a Rolling Stone subscription allowance. For a little over $100, it's a very good value. The sound is pretty good (not great) using a set of Sony Fontopia MDR-EX51LP ear buds. Did not even try the phones packed with the player as they look pretty poor. The unit is made of modest-quality and thin plastic, especially the battery cover. (They actually give you an alkaline battery, not a cheap zinc, by the way.) You need to be careful when changing batteries to not break the locking tab. It comes with a clear vinyl (like a cheap rain-coat) cover and an arm band with Velcro. Both are adequate, but no better. The controls are easy to use with no instruction needed. For "books-on-tape" transfers, when you turn the unit off, it remembers where you were on re-start a good thing, as Martha would say. They have you use either drag and drop in Explorer or Windows Media Player to upload music and near as I can tell any play lists you create in W MP become albums on the player, not playlests. I don't know how to create a playlist on the player as there are no instructions, but there is a playlist category on it. Go figure. W MP is not all that easy to use, for that matter. Given that a 2M flash drive will still cost you almost $100, a little over that for an mp3 player with a servicable FM radio and voice recording capability is not bad at all, even with its warts. I doubt that other brands at that price level are any better. I'd buy it again.

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This is a good little player. The menu is not as appealing to the eye as an iPod but just as easy to use. In addition to playing music it also plays FM radio and takes voice memos.

The battery life is good and on top of that the battery is replaceable. The FM radio reception is also excellent; my house gets poor reception for many FM stations but they all come in cleanly on this player.

The main downsides here are the fact that to transfer music you have to use Windows Media Player (Napster, Musicmatch, etc. can also bu used). By default WMP transcodes MP3s to WMA and changing this setting is buried in a location wihtin the player that isn't the first that most people would look. The player itself, without a case, feels a little fragile.

One big beef I have regards the playlists for the player. The documentation that is available for the player (either the paper one that accompanies the player, the one available online or any help files on the SanDisk site) is very incomplete. It only outlines the basics, and not very completely at that. There are two access modes for the player and those modes control how music and playlists are stored on the player. If you want to have playlists created along with music added to the player then you have to have the player in Auto Deetct mode. The player will stay in this mode but can be switched out automatically by the likes of the Audible player when it transfers tracks and will stay in MSC mode until switched back manually. How to work with this has been posted on my blog (which is a reposting of the response I received from the SanDisk tech support).

http://crichton007.blogspot.com/2006/01/sandisk-sansa-m200-series-mp3-player.html

I recommend this player, especially if you're looking for an alternative the more expensive iPod but be prepared to sacrifice some intuitive enhancements that you would get with an iPod for the money you will save.

This is a great little MP3 player especially if you want to be moving while using it. Unfortunaley, there is a known problem with the player that Sandisk has not been able to fix with new firmware. At random times the sound will emit a crackle and skip (remember what a scratch did to your LP playback?). Sandisk customer support tried to help, but finally advised me to return the player if I was not satisfied. I used it for Audible books. I've tried two of these and both had the problem. Luckily Amazon is most gracious with returns.