- Includes stereo earphones, 1 AAA battery, belt clip, CD software
- Plays MP3, WMA, and WMA DRM
- Stores over 4 hours/60 songs of MP3; 8 hours/120 songs of WMA music
- Digital FM tuner with 20 preset stations
- Compatible with Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP; Mac OS 9.2x+, 10.1.2+
The player comes with a clear plastic snug carrying case that not only provides screen protection but also can be worn on a thin belt or on the provided stretchy armband. It also comes with the USB cable and headphones that are too short for my liking, but then maybe you don't want long cords when it's attached to your arm. It takes one AAA battery and I haven't done any form testing or anything, but my original battery has lasted several days now with several hours playtime each day. The battery meter is flipping between one bar and no bar so it is getting low. There is a quick start guide, but the manual is a 29 page PDF on the CD. The CD also has Musicmatch and 98SE drivers.
This player has been compared to the iRiver series of MP3 players, and I would have to agree they are very similar except that the iRiver takes a AA and is triangular while the SanDisk player takes the AAA and reminds me more of a thick cigarette lighter both in shape and size. I was also told the iRiver is bit pricier. I like the finish and look of the player, which shows through the case. The red and silver is very sharp and the whole look of the player is very clean. It has the USB port, which has a rubber door on one side of the player and the headset port, microphone and neck cord hole on the opposite side.
The actual operation of the player is also very good although it has a lot of features and functions that are only accessed by the joystick and three side buttons. With so many features, it takes a little bit getting used to navigating around the player and of course the manual does not go into great detail about the features, although it does have an exploded menu diagram which is nice. This is probably why I only gave it four stars. I might have actually done 4.5 stars if I could have, because once you have the chance to play around with things and read the manual it isn't a big deal.
There are three modes: player, FM radio and voice recorder. I am most impressed with the radio as this was a minor reason why I bought the player. The radio actually does a decent job of picking up the stations here in the Phoenix area and the reception and sound quality is fairly good. Considering how small the player is, I was surprised I am getting as good a sound as I am. The player will automatically scan available stations and add them to the presets and you can tune manually and add presets manually as well. You can also choose if you want mono or stereo mode, although I don't know why anyone would want mono, unless it saves on batteries. I don't see myself using the radio too often, but it's nice to know it's there if I needed it. I haven't really played around with the voice recorder either, but it records at 32kbs and 8Khz so not the greatest of quality. Again, voice recording is not the reason I purchased this for so not a big deal.
So, as far as the Audio Player mode, it is a great! A few minor quibbles, but for the most part, I think both my wife and I will be very happy with this player. I have uploaded mainly 192Kbs music files and 64kbs spoken word files and they all sound excellent. As a non-audiophile, the sound and volume are quite good for me. Maybe even better with a quality pair of headphones. I can't even get past 32 (of 40) on the volume scale before my ears are hurting so I know the volume should be just fine while working out at the gym. The display is blue backlit and somehow they manage to put a lot of info on the LCD without cluttering everything up. And supposedly,It does read the ID3 tags and displays them. I am not going into all of the features here, but it is packed with them: sleep, hold, repeat, shuffle, playback speed, A->B play, equalizer. One feature I will go into detail about is Resume. I am a big fan of the audio book and my previous MP3 player did not have resume so when I had a long file playing and I had to stop the player, it would not pick up where I stopped it but at the beginning of the file. Not this baby. It picks up right where it left off when you power it down. Whoo-hooo!! No more fast-forwarding to find my spot on an audio book!
The joystick on the player is a multi-function device that navigates the file browser and the menu system. This is the only part of the player I am not thrilled with. The file browser can be cumbersome to navigate with joystick and sometimes I end up hitting select or the wrong direction and end up a different place than I thought. The other thing that seems counter-intuitive to me is that rather than selecting a directory or file by pushing select, you need to select the file or directory by pushing right (or left, the display is rotatable). I keep forgetting this, and I end up back at the currently playing song. But other than that, I really can't complain about it. I can easily see folders and files, and files that are too long for the display scroll to the left to see the entire file name. These minor things are the other reason I did not give the player a full five stars. Just a matter of getting used to it and someone else might not even agree that it's a problem.
The joystick also is the way to get into the main menu of settings and functions: Audio, Display and System. From here you can customize just about anything on the player including: display orientation (useful for righties or lefties), backlight time, ID3 tag scroll, display info, auto power off, sleep timer, FM region, FM scan sensitivity, resume control and a ton more. You can see the memory usage, firmware and format the player as well. Full featured and well designed. The other three button, A>B, Rec, and Play/Stop/Power also do multiple functions depending upon if the player is playing and the mode it is in.
Windows 2K and XP both recognized the device as a USB drive no problem and I used both Media Player and drag/drop to add music to the player. Although I did notice today that if you build folders or add files via drag/drop, then Media player will not do anything with those particular files and you will have to change them via the directory listing in Windows. Haven't bothered with the included Musicmatch as my media is already set up in Media Player. According to the instructions it will play MP3, WMA and WMA DRM files. Voice recording is in ADPCM format.
Since this is to be my wife's player, the real test was if she was going to like it and at first look, her comment was ""Ooooh, look how cute!!" And she liked the weight of it as well. So, now I just have to instruct her on how to use it. I ordered the 512MB model for myself, which was probably a good move since both of us will have the same player and I can answer any questions she has since I will have the same way to do things. I highly recommend these players for anyone looking for a flash based player with all the basics of today's digital audio player and a few bonuses as well and a great price.
Buy SanDisk 256 MB MP3 Player Red Now
We bought this player for my husband to use while jogging and while he is working in the yard. We didn't want to spen a fortune on constantly upgrading technology and at 256mb we figured he would have plenty of music for the reasons we bought the player. We loaded 4.5 CDs onto the player, 2 of which had 14 songs and some of those songs were as long as 6-8 minutes. It is awesome. The volume is very loud, loud enough to be heard over an old riding lawn-mower that is VERY noisy. The arm band is handy, it't useful for holding the player while doing dishes and chopping wood, jogging or working in the yard. It is very easy to organise the music on your computer by copying/pasting or dragging/dropping. I never even bothered with the software, I found Windows Media Player and my own music folder much easier to use. It took less than a minute to put an entire CD onto the player and I simply disconnected the USB cable and we were ready to go. It is so simple to add and remove music that I could care less about the smaller memory. In addition to the MP3 part there is the FM radio. This is great. Since the Sandisk has a small memory, you can go to the radio if you are sick of your music selection and the reception is great. We also used it to burn my son's books on CD when we went on road trips, the grocery store and the doctor. It is so tiny, much better than a CD player or radio walkman. The controls take a bit of getting used to but the light makes it easy to see what you are doing. Many of the players in this range did not have a light which I think is an absolute must. This player is not an iPod which I think is in its favor. At the price we paid, I would not freak out if it got destroyed the way I would over an iPod. I could easily afford to replace it and I also can be assured that I won't spend a fortune and then have an equally expensive new and better model come out mere months later. This is a small and simple player for a great value. I highly reccomend this purchase!Read Best Reviews of SanDisk 256 MB MP3 Player Red Here
If you're here, you're probably trying to figure out whether you can live with 256 MB with all the "bigger fish" in the sea. What features you can live with, and what you can't. Maybe even how much a brand name like iPod is worth to you. But if you're like me, you have your eye out for value, too. With this in mind, I can heartily recommend this little player to a good number of (though not all) prospective listeners.Let's be clear here. SanDisk's 256 MB player in particular is designed for a specific niche of users. It's not for audiophiles, nor is it for people who want to take a ton of music with them all the time. You're probably a good match for this player if you need some portable music during a task the gym, the library, a bike ride, a morning's commute and don't intend to be jamming non-stop to fresh tunes the entire day.
Here's what you'll get: a sleek little red player that scores solidly across the board. We have mainstream support for the old (MP3) and the new (WMA DRM), a suprisingly readable screen, a pretty good form factor and some little extras here and there. Yes, this comes at the expense of space. But you get everything that you'd expect on an MP3 player. And consider how much your money gets you here, compared to the competition. Without question, the going price of this 256 MB player is one of its key strengths it's not a serious investment.
With that said, if you're willing to invest more, there's a few issues to bear in mind with this player. The menus and controls, while quickly grasped with a bit of experimentation, may be confusing to users who don't intend to read the manual (which, unfortunately, is not very extensive). Sorry, you only get one color choice here. And the plastic sleeve that comes with it is functional, but feels like a cheap afterthought. But hey. That's what I'm trying to get at with this review. The player is functional AND cheap (in the good sense).
Many people have been complaining about the radio. But I think it's fair to say that nobody's buying this player primarily to listen to the radio. It's just there for value. Think of it as a supplement to your space if you were to play through all 256 MB of your stored music, the radio's there in case you need it. I'd say the same about the voice recorder just in case.
If you were thinking about the iPod Shuffle, as I was for a while, consider: this is still definitely pocket-sized; the screen is there to help you navigate; you don't need to install iTunes; you can change your own battery. On the flip side, you'll be carrying around less music, and you'll need to keep a USB cable handy at your computer.
In the end, you just have to weigh your options. Know what you want, and find the best player for your needs. For the gym, this was the best choice, and I'm happy with it. SanDisk's little player is going to give you your music, when you need it, without cleaning out your wallet. Best of luck in your search.
Want SanDisk 256 MB MP3 Player Red Discount?
I've had the sandisk for a month now. I have not had a single problem. Don't waste your money on anything else. This is the BEST MP3 player on the market. I researched for months and this was the best buy for the buck. If you really want an MP3 player, BUY SANDISK.PROS
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1) cheap
2) easy to use
3) tons of storage
4) long lasting battery
5) great style
6) lightweight
7) FM radio works great
CONS
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1) no expanable memory
2) head phones are junk
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