SanDisk Sansa e250 2 GB MP3 Player with microSD Expansion Slot (Black) Reviews

• Excellent Nano Alternative

  
  By A24N79JNVNFSBV on 2006-05-02
  Since I have most of my music files ripped in WMA format, I've been looking for a flash MP3 player to compete with the IPOD Nano. After much research, I decided to take a chance on this newly released player.
  
  I'm very impressed to start. The player is small (just a bit thicker than the Nano), and fairly light. The screen shows excellent color- based on the menus. I'm not planning to use it much for video or photos, so I'm not very concerned with the screen size, which is expectedly small. The player in general is very easy to use. I looked over the quick reference guide and didn't even bother with the user guide (user guide is in PDF format on the cd-rom.) The overall appearance is excellent.
  
  You can load music by dragging and dropping, or using Windows Media Player 10. I prefer to use WMP10 to sync, since I have my music organized well. Syncing in this manner was very simple. I didn't encounter any issues with the first two syncs I've performed. If you have your id3 tags correct, the Sansa will display your music by Artist, Album, Songs, or Genere. There's also a "To Go playlist". The Sansa sorted my music just fine. The display is informative when playing music. The sound so far is excellent. I've used a few different headsets to test it and have no complaints.
  
  The center dial/wheel rotates and glows in a bright blue. It allows you to scroll through menu items and to increase/decrease the volume. The directional buttons around the wheel are a little difficult to use with only one hand. Because the center dial is raised so much, you end up needing to use the tips of your fingers to press the buttons that surround it. I suppose it will take a little getting used to- but it's not a dealbreaker for me.
  
  Following the precedent set by other companies. The USB connector is of course proprietary. This is currently the only way to charge the Sansa, so don't lose it. I don't see any wall/travel charges offered yet- even at the Sandisk Website. Since it's new- there aren't really any accessories offered. This isn't a concern to me personally- so I bought it anyway. I definitely would like a separate charging apparatus, rather than having to charge via USB- so I hope Sandisk offers such an item, sooner rather than later.
  
  It comes with a small velvet pouch. I'll be searching for some sort of "skin" to protect the player, instead of relying on the pouch. It's just not efficient if you want to protect and use the player at the same time.
  
  Pros:
  It looks beautiful.
  Plays WMA Files.
  Easy to sync.
  Drag & Drop available.
  Sounds great.
  Flash memory- so no need to wory about hard drive skipping.
  2GB of memory with models that go up to 6GB.
  Expansion slot for miniSD cards for more memory.
  Lots of features: Music, Video, Pics, FM, Voice Recording, etc.
  Price - $159.
  
  Cons:
  Buttons can be hard to use.
  Charging via USB only (at this time.)
  Not many accessories offered (yet.)
  Doesn't support many file types.
  
  Again, please understand when reading this, that my primary use is for music. All the other features are merely a bonus for me. So if you're looking for something to use regularly to play video, pics, etc- please do your homework to see if the player is a good fit for your needs. Most of the time when I read negative reviews, it's because the reviewer bought something that did not fit their needs. Companies are in business to sell their products- do your own research to determine if the product is right for you.
  
  

• i like it

  
  By A2W36OONSDMA03 on 2006-05-05
  When I finally decided to give in to the iPod craze, I went looking at Best Buy for them. At first I planned on getting a ipod nano, but then I noticed this little guy. My friend has a nano and honestly I think this SanDisk is way better. FM tuner, can accept pictures and videos. The record (voice or radio) feature is sweet and it will know what order to put songs in when you transfer an album into it (as well as give you the cover artwork). The menus and LCD screen are top notch as well.
  
  It can only be charged in a USB slot.. which might bug some people. I usually charge it in my Xbox 360 USB slot while i'm playing games.
  
  A really good MP3 player and great alternative to the ipod nano
  
  

• Useless if you travel without a laptop to charge the player

  
  By AWGBA9CS8RV19 on 2006-06-21
  I just bought a SanDisk Sansa e270, and deeply regret the purchase. I need a travel charger and a spare battery, but you don't sell either, and will not tell me what other chargers, if any are compatible with the e270. Your technical support representative's answers are absolutely useless - I have cut and pasted my questions and his responses below. Given the non-existent customer support, I will not buy another SanDisk product again.
  
  ===============
  Your Question/Problem: I want to use the Sansa e270 when I travel, but won't be carrying a laptop. How do I charge the battery since you don't sell a travel charger? Can I use the IPod Nano/mini charger brick and plug the Sansa USB into it? If not, what can I use.
  Also, I want to buy a spare battery since it is user replaceable, but you don't sell it either. Where do I buy one?
  ________________________________________
  SanDisk Response: (06/20/2006 08:09)
  
  Thank you for contacting SanDisk Technical Support.
  I understand how inconvenience the issue may be causing you.
  As of now there is no available wallcharger and spare battery for the Sansa e200 series. Also we do not recommend that you use the charger of the ipod player, considering that is not a product of SanDisk.
  If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this e-mail.
  Thank you for choosing SanDisk.
  Have a nice day!
  
  Sincerely,
  Michael Louie I.
  SanDisk Technical Support
  ________________________________________
  Your Response: (06/21/2006 08:03) My trips typically last 2-4 weeks, so I really do need to charge. Since you do not sell chargers and batteries, and recommend not using non-SanDisk chargers, that makes my SanDisk unusable after the charge runs out.
  The only alternative is to use the IPod charger - please tell me what the correct voltage, amperage, and polarity is to charge the Sansa e270. I am willing to use a non-SanDisk product even if it means voiding the warranty. Otherwise I have wasted almost $300. And when will you start selling spare batteries, since one of the reasons I bought the Sansa was because SanDisk advertised it had a replaceable battery - although this may be true in theory, it is not true if you don't sell one!
  ________________________________________
  SanDisk Response: (06/21/2006 08:03)
  
  Thank you for contacting SanDisk Technical Support.
  I understand how inconvenience the issue may be causing you.
  The ampherage, polarity and voltage are all proprietary information that we are unable to release at this time.
  You may try to do a search on a compatible charger for the Sansa e200 series player. However we do not guarantee that anything will work with it until we put a charger on the market. But we have no information when it will be out.
  If you have any further questions, please feel free to reply to this e-mail.
  Thank you for choosing SanDisk.
  Have a nice day!
  
  Sincerely,
  Michael Louie I.
  SanDisk Technical Support
  
  

• Good Product, Poor Support

  
  By A1V4VVBQBFXRHC on 2007-04-12
  This mp3 player works great, BUT! I purchased two of these units for my daughters. They work great and hold more music than an average person could listen to in a month. The problem is that Sansa offers no accessories for them. You can't get a car or wall adapter to charge the unit. There are NO cases available that will fit properly. The plugs on Sansa products are NOT the same as Sony's, so don't waste your money trying. If you are not constantly near a computer with a USB port, you cannot recharge the battery. Because my daughters carry them in their purse and no cases are available, they get all scratched up. Until Sansa gets their act together, I would not buy any of their products. I even called them, whereas I was told accessories would be out by Christmas (2006). Here it is April of '07 and still no accessories. Most stores are now refusing to even carry this product. Bad, Very Bad company support.
  
  

• Excellent mp3 player for your money!

  
  By ABEX2Q0RXMQ8I on 2008-01-19
  At the end of last year, I was looking into purchasing an MP3 player. I did a lot of research into them and found that there were not many contenders that shine above all the rest. The two choices that I was left with ultimately were the Apple iPod and SanDisk Sansa.
  
  I purchased this item about 3 months ago and I must say that I could not be happier. I use it every day and no other words could help describe it except perfection. SanDisk truly thought of everything when designing this product. It has a beautiful sleek exterior that not only is very attractive, but also very durable at the same time. Many of my friends who have purchased and iPod complain about the touch-sensitive wheel and after a while certain buttons and functions cease to work from continued use. The construction of SanDisk Sansa far exceeds that of the iPod in that nothing is touch-sensitive and every function has its own button or wheel. I expect that my Sansa will outlive any iPod on the market!
  
  The storage capabilities of the SanDisk Sansa MP3 players are perfect for those people who do not wish to house their entire music collection. This item is so easy to move music back and forth onto the computer and my favorite aspect of all is that I do not need to use an additional program such as iTunes to manage my music; this really outshines iPod for this sole reason. The Sansa works very much like a USB flash drive and moving files is a cinch! There are so many options the user has in regards to cataloging the saved music and I actually love the way all of it is displayed with beautiful, full-color menus that are far more aesthetically pleasing than the menus of the iPod.
  
  The user has many options to supplement this MP3 player with accessories. Although the product line is not that of the iPod line, every accessory anyone would want is available. You will not be able to find the pastel or neon colors that many of the accessories for iPod feature, but rather, all of the accessories complement the sleek, contemporary design of the Sansa; most are either black or silver and some even have blue LEDs to match those found on the wheel of the player itself!
  
  I love the fact that I got a product that far exceeds that of the iPod for a fraction of the price! I am very happy with my decision to go with the SanDisk Sansa and know that it will be with me for years to come!
  
  If you are looking into purchasing an MP3 player that will give you everything if not more than what an iPod can, I highly recommend this product as your choice! Its durability and flexibility puts it in a class above all the rest! You will not be disappointed.
  
  
• The Benchmark for MP3 players
  By A39D8QM2YZ9QDW on 2006-05-10
  PROS: Fantastic quality, functionality, and price. Durable
  
  CONS: Lack of accessories
  
  
  In the world of MP3 players, it seems there exists two categories; I-Pod and everyone else. As an employee of a major retail electronics outlet, the sheer volume of customers coming in requesting I-Pods (for no other reason than they saw it on TV), is a testament to Apple's overwhelming marketing success in the industry. However, while I-Pods account for about 60% of all sales of MP3 players, they constitute a larger than average share of our MP3 repairs and service. Additionally, the sheer over saturation coupled with the fact that consumers are forced to use I-tunes to interface their songs encouraged me to think outside of the I-Pod empire, and research various competitor models.
  After comparing several models of MP3 players I decided to purchase the Scandisk e250, it has proven to be a great choice. The design is slightly similar to an I-Pod, however its' dark colors and sophisticated design distinguished it from other run of the mill handhelds on the market. The most impressive feature on this unit is its' display screen. While similar in size to some of its competitors, the vibrant display is bright, clear, easy to read, and is advertised as scratch resistant. Best of all, a 2GB model (about 500 songs) cost twenty dollars less than a comparable I-pod.
  In terms of overall functionality, I can't praise the e250 enough. A very easy interface by way of USB will load any file format of music and mpeg video for easy organization and storage. The FM tuner provided, delivers a strong signal for radio fans, and the unit also stores digital photos and movie clips. The menu is very well organized and easy to navigate when you're on the go.
  In terms of durability, I've owned this player for about a month and it has shown almost no sign of wear and tear, it has gone with me virtually everywhere in various conditions indoors and outdoors. I tend to take care of my gear, but as a 21 year old college student, the e250's durability is tested daily, and has surpassed any MP3 player I have previously owned. Perhaps the only drawback to the e250 is the sparse selection of cases and other accessories for this unit. However, as popularity of the brand increases (which it hopefully will when others learn of its quality value) availability of accessories should follow suit. Overall, the e250 delivers outstanding quality and value for the money.
  
  
  
• love it
  By A1LCO3C4LIJANB on 2007-04-24
  I bought this for my wife. She doesn't listen to a lot of music, so I went with the 2GB. She loves it and uses it everyday at the office. And if she does need more room, it has the slot for a card. She also has an IPOD, and doesn't use it anymore after getting this.
  
  
• Best mp3 Player
  By A13HFOUQ05D9AJ on 2006-05-05
  Wow! I just got my Sandisk Player and it's really cool. It has lost of features such as subscription compatibility, an FM tuner/recorder, voice recording, and photo and video playback into a compact and durable device. I love the tactile navigation wheel.
  
  And unlike the ipod you can actually remove and change the battery. Another cool bonus is that I can store mp3 on Micro SD cards, then load them on the player as I see fit. Hence, this give this player unlimited storage capacity. Great player
  
  
  
• First mp3 player
  By A24J11R2I75RFV on 2006-04-30
  This is my first MP3 and so far I like it.
  I've copied some home recordings of speeches from a cd (WMA file type) and also some music downloads from Rhapsody with out any problems, Downloads are fast And easy to make using windows media 10. The micro SD slot is what really makes the unit stand out Capacity is no longer an issue with the $ price of mem cards coming down and the size of cards going up.
  Very easy to operate controls and user interface well designed.
  
  The computer USB port charges the battery so make sure you have a good USB port to charge this unit with.
  
  very sleek design ,small size, very good sound quality happy with it so far.
  
  
• The way it mangae your files is a a PAIN
  By A37HB7PSP6FDEQ on 2006-08-20
  It is the reading of this posts that brought me to buy this Sansa E250 player. I had it for more than two months, here is what I found.
  
  This player can't organize your data in folders. While plugging into the computers, you can save songs in different folder, but when it is plugged out, then all the songs were listed alphabetically, just imagine how annoying it is to scroll down 150 songs to picking up the one you want to play. You can use the function of album, however, it won't work as you expect. Some albums will not show up. If you delete an album, it will still be shown on the window, and it has one song left there, but that song just has a name, can't be played, I call them ghost files, very annoying. I am not able to view those ghost files even you select to show the hidden files after conneced to a computer.
  
  The payer was dead once, I hold the menu bottom for a long time to restart, fortunately it worked.
  
  The ear bud is uncomfortable, with mediocre sound quality. The rubber ring of the ear bud is easy to fall off.
  
  Reviewing and moving forward is also a pain. If you want to go back to listen to some segment again, it is very inconvenient. If you go fast forward, most probably it jumps to the next song. The speed to review back or go forward varies from time to time, not sure how to control it. Not good to listen to books on cd.
  
  The FM radio works along the lakeshore drive in Chicago, but not while crossing the downtown streets or in Naperville that is 40 miles away from Chicago.
  
  Do I recommend this to my friend, No. The way it manages your files is such a pain.
  
  I have used 4 mp3 player before coming to this one.
  
  
  
• Well Worth the Wait
  By A1N2STNIG7DNQ7 on 2006-05-06
  I've been reading about the Sansa e250 since it was launched at the CES in Las Vegas in January. I'm glad I waited until it was finally available; it's a feature-rich package at a great price that really does give the iPod Nano a run for it's money.
  
  It's true that the controls take a while to get used to - but let's face it, it's always going to be hard to beat iPod's click wheel for ease of use. I have no real complaints and set-up for me was very easy - I was listening within minutes.
  
  I did consider the c140/c150, launched at the same time, but they feel really flimsy and I have seen reviews questioning sound quality. No such problems with the e250 - I'd recommend it without hesitation.
  
  
• Best mp3 player i ever had
  By A33H1K1SSV8MG3 on 2006-09-03
  i had a lot of mp3 players, i switch them every about two months and this is the best yet.
  
  this is like a supped up version of nano, even thou its like 3 mm wider
  
  pro'a
  -music is outstandably loud
  -songs continue from where you left off
  -equalizer
  -fast prosesor
  -scratch resistant (cary it my pocket all the time and not a scratch)
  -easy to switch songs and go throu/make playlists
  -YOU CAN WATCH MOVIES ON THIS
  
  CONS
  - the video conversion can be a little fast, a full length dvd took about 15 mins to convert and transfer
  - sandisk coulda provided better headphones.... look cheapish but feel good
  - video quality is great, but not to great for widescreen movies
  - the buttons smudge a bit
  
  overall this is a very good product and is worth every peny and more
  
  
• Great mp3 player, and awesome value
  By ARTEBG4476RHV on 2007-11-30
  The Sansa e250 isn't the greatest mp3 player ever made, but its the perfect one for me. It had all the features I wanted, and didn't have all the features I didn't want, thereby saving me a ton of money. Here are some overviews:
  
  Design:
  
  Its not quite as responsive as the iPod, so it doesn't feel quite as smooth when you're navigating throughout the interface, but its really not a problem, its a no frills mp3 player. Its very small, and lightweight, but feels quite durable. The scroll-wheel (like an ipod) isn't quite as sleek as anything I've ever seen, but it works well. Around the wheel are 4 buttons. One toggles pause/play, two of them skip to the next track or previous, and the one below goes back to the menu, so you can browse your stuff while the music is on. There is also a power button and a voice record button on the side. The screen is good for browsing through music and good enough for a few pictures. I wouldn't watch videos on it, so if you're really big on videos, not only does this thing not have enough space to have too many vids, but also really the screen is too small. One last note, there's a button in the top which effectively acts as a screen-lock. If the white is showing, its unlocked. Otherwise, if the orange is showing, its locked.
  
  Basic Overview:
  
  -Charges through USB cable to computer-2GB Flash Memory: for people who don't need all of their music on their player at once, this is actually enough. You're going to have to plug it in to the computer to charge anyway, so how hard is it to drag and drop a few files? Also, this player comes with a MicroSD slot, so you can upgrade the storage. Additional 4GB of space costs about $33 on amazon, so you can have a 6GB mp3 player for not too much more if you're not happy with the 2GB it comes with.
  -Around 1.5 inch screen diagonally measured
  -20 hours of battery life: I actually cannot verify this personally, but I have used it probably for 12 or more hours and it has not died (it actually has not died on me ever)
  -Voice recorder: Its not like one of those things where you can leave it on a desk and it'll record a conversation 50 feet away, but if you hold it near your mouth and talk into it, then you can make voice notes with no problem.
  -FM Tuner: Self explanatory, its a good quality FM tuner which lets you listen to FM radio
  -Advanced features such as playlists: I have not used playlists because I swap music all the time but the feature is there
  -Shuffle/Loop modes
  
  Getting Music On:
  
  -There are two USB modes that this mp3 player supports. I don't quite remember their names, I think the acronyms were MSC and MMC or something like that. The difference between these is, one of them requires you to syncronize your mp3 player using some included software. I found this quite pathetic and instead switched to the other mode (you can consult the manual for more specifics, but its an option in the 'settings' and I think its MSC) and that way when I plug in, it finds my mp3 player, and I can open it in "My Computer", and simply drag the files into the "Music" folder. Now, I can either sort these neatly by making folders for each artist and album, or I can just throw the tracks in there and the Sansa will sort and arrange them.
  
  RockBox:
  
  This is the most important section! If you know whats good for you, you'll upgrade the firmware of this mp3 player to use RockBox software. Just google it, and follow the instructions, and you can totally upgrade your sansa. There are HUGE advantages to this, some of which include a better interface, custom themes you can download, much much more customizability and options, Last.FM support (if you have a last.fm profile, you can enable it, and it'll write your tracks into a file, and you can take that file and upload it somewhere and it'll sync it with your last.fm profile). Also, RockBox enables you to resume playback and all this funky stuff, and gets rid of the minor complaint I have (see "problems' section). RockBox is great, there's even a mode where it'll read the settings out loud to you. But the absolute best part of RockBox are.......the games! RockBox comes with about probably 30-40 great games which are fully playable, including pacman, tetris, chess, bejeweled, and a lot more. But my personal favorite is, Doom! Yes, you heard me right, the full 3D version of Doom (Freedoom) is on this thing, and its really playable and quite fun. Sort of amazing that top of the line computers barely ran Doom, and now a cheap mp3 player can run it?
  
  Problems:
  
  This was the hardest section for me to write about this sansa, because there are so little problems with it, especially after upgrading to rockbox. But, after much effort I have come up with two.
  
  1. The "Database Bug" as I have coined it. If you use software to shuffle music to your mp3 player until its full, such as the feature in Windows Media Player sync option, it'll totally fill up the drive. The problem is, when you copy all your songs over and turn the drive on, it'll search all the tracks for their information, and make a database out of them, enabling you to sort them by artist, album, songs, etc (as on all mp3 players). This process of creating the database takes well over a minute, and in the end, it'll work, but won't be able to save it because you filled up all the space on it. So each time you turn it on, it'll have to create the database for over a minute. The solution for this is, either try RockBox (although I haven't tried it yet and am not sure how it'll work), or just delete some songs off of it, which leads me to #2
  
  2. If you delete a song off your mp3 player AFTER the database has been created and saved, chances are, especially if you're shuffling your music, you're going to bump into that track information, and your player will look for it, see its gone, and an annoying "corrupted file" error will come up, and then it'll automatically go to an arbitrary song, which is the same everytime, so you have to press skip twice. I deleted an artist from mine which was about 1/8th of my total collection, and it drove me nuts since I skip tracks a lot when shuffling as is, and after every song or two I'd bump into that error
  
  3. When you stick rockbox on this, while you're syncing, if something goes wrong or you turn off your device improperly (I'm not sure exactly how it happens), the blue wheel will be illuminated, and then you can't turn on your player and it can't syncronize. This really worried me the first time it happened, and it is a problem with RockBox. The solution to this is to press the power button for probably 15 seconds (yes it really takes that long) and it'll do a "hard-reboot."
  
  The Competition:
  
  I started off this long-winded review by pointing out why I think the Sansa e250 is not the perfect mp3 player, but its the perfect one for me, so let me explain why.
  
  I paid $35 for this (got it used, but in great condition [refurb]). I could have paid $250 and got an ipod, but I paid almost 8 times less for this. And here's what this has which the ipod doesn't:
  
  1. Smaller, more lightweight, more portable
  2. FM Tuner
  3. Voice recorder
  4. Custom themes (an assumption I guess)
  5. Lots of games, and fun ones
  6. I can play Doom on it!
  
  The only downside is, its not enough storage, (oh and it isn't white, oh no), but I can buy a microSD card and throw it in a can of bleach, so problem solved!
  
  So I hope this review helped you, and hope you decide to get this great mp3 player.
  
  
  
  
  
• Firmware Issues
  By A1AVVV2K5O13Y0 on 2006-08-23
  Watch out -- this player's firmware does not, at this time, support the playing of Audible Audio Books. Sandisk has in the past eventually provided firmware upgrades for their other players to support AA format, but have not yet done so for this one. So, it is a real pain if you buy this player with using Audible in mind. (There are file coverters and splitters out there, but the legality is doubtful and it is a real inconvenience.)
  
  Another problem is that the Sansa seems to be confused about rights management. It won't play some music that I have downloaded from MusicMatch over a year ago. Media Player does so, and says that I have unlimited rights to the music. (It is not subscription music.) But Sansa says that I have to "synchronize" to get them to play. No matter how many times I do so, it still won't play.
  
  Otherwise, it is a pretty good device. The spinning, glowing dial is pretty cool, but its movement feels a little bit rough/cheap.
  
  For some reason, when you try to view the Sansa's directory structure on your PC, when connected by USB, the "MUSIC" folder is hidden, even though the other folders (Vid, Photos, etc) are visible. Have to adjust your folder properties to see it and thus to copy music into it manually.
  
  So, I'd suggest that this thing is too quirky. Wait six months or a year for better firmware.
  
  
  
• Everything I could ask for & more - PLUS excellent file organization
  By A1RTKZKYWD1134 on 2006-09-02
  After reading Mark Butts review below, I wasn't sure if I would be happy with the choice of this device.
  To the contrary, I discovered (after calling SanDisk support twice) how I could easily create Playlists in Windows Media Player and transfer (synchronize) each named Playist independently to the e250. Problem is that there's one IMPORTANT step that MISSING in the user manual! Once you've created a Playlist in WMP, you MUST check "automatic" synchronize for the list to make it over to the e250. Otherwise, the songs will transfer to the ONE default folder, in alpha order and while they nicely populate the several sorts provided, alpha sorting only (as Mark described he was getting), would be unacceptable to most anyone.
  I find the player pleasingly smaller in size than expected based on photos, the earphones work well, just not as comfortable as others I have and will use, the user interface takes a bit of playing with, but is quickly mastered.
  There were questions about resuming after turning the device off:
  Music resumes where you left off - however, Voice recording works differently, it starts by displaying the list, allowing you to select which recording you want to hear.
  The features of this device are outstanding. I have transferred pictures, modified the EQ settings to my listening preferences, set up the date/clock, backlight, etc.
  Just recently tried capturing voice, sounds fine, see my note above. I've yet to try video from my camera to it.
  Support from SanDisk has been very good. The documentation is only fair and I suggest that you read the instructions on screen from the PDF as it's much easier than trying to strain your eyes with the paper docs.
  As SanDisk had none to offer, I purchased an Irocks 1050 usb/ac charger/adapter for 9.99. About the size of a large walnut, it supports 100-240V (good for international travel) and it too works well for me.
  All in all, an excellent value - Happy with the purchase!
  
  
  
  
• Sansa Wipes The floor w/ iPlod
  By A348N0ZE5OXZZY on 2006-08-13
  I purchased my Sansa e250 (2GB) on Thursday August 10th, it arrived the very next day, and I've spent the last 2 days enjoying it!
  
  Setup was a breeze, the sound is very good. (And I have trained audiophile ears, have worked in audio recording studios since the 80's.) I was actually quite surprised at how good the included earbud headphones were.
  
  After charging the battery, the first thing I did was check out the FM radio feature. Very nice. Easy to program presets. Reception was excellent. My only beef would be that the order you insert your station presets, is how it will search them. There's no way to arrange them to go numerically up the frequency bandwidth from 88.1 to 108.
  
  Later on I loaded up my first 60 or so songs in WMA & mp3 file formats. A snap in the "drag & drop mode" . One thing I must caution people of... Make sure all your meta-data is correct on your song files. I found one or two of my song files hadn't had all the meta-data filled in, so the Sansa player displays "track 8" instead of the song's title. My fault, not the Sansa player.
  
  All in all, the Sansa e250 is an amazing media player! Great sound, plays all my music files, I'm not forced to buy songs from only one source, like Apple's iPod, ( I'd say this player wipes the floor with crud like the iPod Nano...) And this is about $50 cheaper than a 2GB Nano. which doesn't play WMA files, or video files, like the Sansa... It's really no contest! This is definitely the better player of the two!
  
  The only way this could get better? On Thursday, I paid $137. on Amazon for it, on Friday, the price dropped to $120. Oh well, still a better price than if I had walked in to Best Buy.
  
  
• SPC Jason LaGow
  By AU2ZOWXXUKB0Z on 2006-08-21
  I Love this mp3 player It has held up to the environment of Iraq very well!!! No matter where I go it is up to the challenge great amount of storage, the video screen has great resolution all-in-all if it can handle the sandstorms in Iraq it can handle any environment.
  
  
• highly impressed
  By A3Q6GL7WQJG5XF on 2006-11-15
  When I went to visit my friend in LA, he told me that he bought one of these. I played around with it, and found it to be a lot better than the iPod. The reason being it has more options, and isn't as pricey as the 2gb version of the Apple counterpart.
  
  I decided to buy one myself, and I am extremely impressed. It was a very user friendly interface. It's kind of similar to the iPod, in the sense you have to rotate the round thing with your finger. Unlike the iPod tho, this one actually spins when you rotate it.
  
  This player allows users to listen to music (of course), watch videos, view pictures, listen to the radio, as well as voice record.
  
  The music can be in either mp3 or WMA format. Videos and pictures need to be converted into a special format for the player to recognize. Luckily, the player comes with software which you can use to convert the files into recognizable formats.
  
  Video quality is quite amazing. I was expecting videos to have those blurry squares that you see when video quality is relatively low. However, it's not like that. The video quality will be pretty much the same as how it is when you watch it on your computer.
  
  There are a couple things which I find wrong with this player:
  
  -let's say you decide to transfer a full movie or something big on this player, it basically won't open. I tried opening a 700MB file on this player, and it ended up freezing. So as a recommendation: if you decide to transfer a large file, convert it to several smaller files, and you should be fine.
  -the only way to charge the battery is when you hook your player to your computer through USB. Once the player is connected, it will automatically start recharging your battery. As I know from cell phones, charging the battery too often will decrease the life of it, so unfortunately the only way of avoiding it is by listening to the music you have on there until the battery is close to dead, or is completely dead
  
  Those cons won't decrease a star for me.
  
  Overall, this product is definitely worth the money. It has more features than the iPod Nano, and definitely isn't as expensive. I, honestly, have never been a big fan of the iPod, and it seems as if their price is constantly the same, no matter how many newer products they release.
  
  If you are looking for a player which will allow you to, not only listen to music, but watch videos and view pictures, this player is definitely what you're looking for.
  
  
• Has potential, but is buggy
  By AZ9B51OE3FOYW on 2006-12-27
  I bought a couple of Sansa e250s for Christmas for my kids and have found the units have some great capabilities but they are buggy to some extent. My original intent was to have the kids save videos onto their units and not just songs, and the results on that side have been quite good. Also, the flexibility of having a micro SD slot to store more music was particularly attractive. The other upside was the price: At about $100, this unit provides tremendous value.
  
  The feel of the unit is quite good. It is thicker than an iPod but it is not much larger. The wheel takes some getting use to, but it works wonderfully. The metal backing makes it feel a little more sturdy, and the little extra weight makes it seem less fragile than the iPod.
  
  The unit plays videos quite well. The converting software must be used which is fairly slow and hogs resources on the computer. Also, the only supported format is .MOV which is not the most efficient in terms of size. However, for the price, this unit does deliver video, and while the screen is small, it offers fair quality.
  
  One of the unit works quite well but the other gave me some problems. It often locked up and it was necessary to reboot it literally by removing the battery from the unit. I updated the firmware and it didn't help much. I believe the cause may be pressing a button while the wheel is turning, or some other unexpected button combinations. However, my belief is that this should not halt player operation.
  
  In one case, one unit fell and there were corrupt files in the system! Luckily, I went to an online forum where they mention that setting the unit to a disk-like mode allows one to use chkdsk drive /f so the corrupt files can be deleted. This is extremely important because if you don't do this some memory will be permanently unusable!
  
  On the whole the Sansa e200 series are an excellent value, but they are not perfect. My own experiences have been somewhat mixed, but if I had to buy them again, I would. They offer quite a lot of bang for the buck although they may put some users through a few moments of frustration.
  
  
• So far, not so good
  By ATDE9JYCPI0L1 on 2007-12-16
  We bought one of these in October, and it's already died. Fortunately, we also purchased an extended warranty, so the item is currently in the shop--and my guess is it will have to be replaced.
  
  The problems--
  
  Within the first 4 weeks, the item lost two screws holding the back on. They were either poorly installed, or stripped. Screws should never fall out like that, much less within a month.
  
  The battery did not hold a charge, even after being reset.
  
  After six weeks of play, the mp3 screen went green and black. That is to say, one could not read a menu, or anything else.
  
  We were very disappointed, as we were told that this is one of the sturdiest mp3 players on the market. But until we get back the replacement and experience some of the promised good results, the jury remains--out.
  ________________
  Update Jan 7, 2008: The unit was not replaced, no doubt because it was beyond repair. That is a rather pathetic statement about this item. Do NOT buy Sansa. Recommended as a "study, durable" item at the retailer, we'd have to say it's one of the worst electronic items we've ever purchased. Junk.
  
  
• iPod Nano Killer
  By A2NFP1KBCD0SQF on 2006-06-07
  Before I start, I do agree that this is a iPod Nano rip off. But this player adds so much more and has value for the buck.
  
  I just bought this player after a lot of research about this product. Read video reviews on gizmodo and engadget before I got this. I'm extremely impressed by all the things that this player can do namely
  1. Music
  2. Video (1.8" screen)
  3. FM
  4. FM recording
  5. Photos
  6. Voice recording
  
  I got this for $150 and it is surely worth every penny. The mechanical dial can look and feel little ugly but once you get used to it, it is not that bad.
  
  Also this player has same length & breadth of Nano but is almost twice as thick as the Nano. It is also heavier than the Nano but somehow this feels more sturdy than the Nano. It comes with a lanyard and I wear this all day without any problems with weight.
  The screen is very bright and the interface is very very intuitive.
  
  The software (Media converter) that comes along with player is simple and easy to use. It converts videos to .mov format to be played. Music can be transferred by just dragging and dropping mp3s. Sandisk also provides firmware upgrades on their website which worked fine. FM recording was great though the FM receiver isnt really good. It also has a micro SD card slot that can be used to add more memory to the player.
  
  Overall, if you are looking for something that can do way more than the iPod Nano and costs $50 less, you SHOULD buy this player. If you want to follow the crowd and cant think out of the box, then you should buy the iPod Nano.
  
  
• BETTER THAN NANO!
  By A29ILZCRH5ZUID on 2006-06-13
  ***The person who's title is "DO NOT BUY,DEFECTIVE" is a total idiot. I had the exact same thing happen to me! Guess what I did! I unlocked the hold switch and PRESTO! It magically started working!***
  
  Anyway...this is BETTER THAN THE IPOD NANO. Both of my sisters have a Nano and after I got this and played with it for a while, I looked at my sisters nano and laughed at it! It wasn't near as good! The E250's screen is probably twice the size of the nano, and the bright color screen is mouth dropping. AND YOU CAN HAVE VIDEO! YES VIDEO! It can't hold A WHOLE LOT, but it can still have videos. I am more than satified with this product. Some more awesome features are FM Radio and Voice Recordings. I'm not sure if this is mentioned in the description already but YOU CAN RECORD A SONG STRAIGHT FROM THE RADIO SO YOU CAN HEAR THAT EXACT SAME SONG ANYTIME!!!And you can still listen to that song while you're recording it. Also the Voice Recorder, doesn't sound like a big deal, but mannn is it fun to toy with! haha! Another neat little feature is you can "see into the future". You press a the middle button once or twice and it tells you what song is next! Here, let me break it down for you!...
  
  
  THE GOOD...
  
  ~BRIGHT & COLORED BACKLIGHT MAKE IT MORE THAN EASY TO READ SONG TITLES,ETC...
  ~SCROLL WHEEL IS VERY EASY TO CONTROL AND VERY ATTRACTIVE
  ~THE OVERALL LOOK IS VERY ATTRACTIVE
  ~SOUND QUALITY IS GREAT
  ~MORE THAN ENOUGH FEATURES (MUSIC,VIDEO,PICS,RADIO,RADIO RECORDER,VOICE RECORDER)
  ~VERY LARGE SCREEN
  ~NICE PICTURE QUALITY!
  ~THE 2GB CAN ACTUALLY HOLD 1000 SONGS IF FORMATTED TO WMA.
  ~AND MORE!
  
  THE BAD...
  
  ~SOMETIME YOU MIGHT HAVE TO PRESS BUTTONS TWICE
  ~CAN SMUDGE EASILY
  ~HAS TO CHARGE BY A COMPUTER
  ~UPLOADS MUSIC IN A "WEIRD WAY" BUT THAT'S NOT A PROBLEM
  ~AND THAT'S ALL I CAN THINK OF!!! (SO WHAT DOES THAT TELL YA?)
  
  
  OVERALL : GREAT PRODUCT - I HIGHLY RECOMEND IT!
  
  
• Works with non-XP systems after all
  By A3W2KVNS24GIKA on 2006-10-14
  Sandisk shot themselves in the foot with their documentation on this one. The specs would have you think Windows XP and Media Player v10 are required; this turns out not to be the case. The e250 has two data transfer modes -- Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) mode, which is set up to work ONLY with XP and the hideous Windows Media Player v10; and Mass Storage Class (MSC) mode, which makes it look like any common removeable flash drive. Using MSC mode I had no trouble getting both Windows ME and 98SE (with USB drivers loaded) systems to recognize it and transfer files/folders with no problem using Windows Explorer. Also, MusicMatch versions 9 (ME/SE) and 10 (2000/XP) had no problems finding and syncing with the e250. I suspect it would work equally well with Mac and Linux systems.
  
  MTP mode's only advantage is to sync with Media Player, otherwise it is really awkward; you can tranfer files but not rearrange folders nor rename files. OTOH, in MSC mode you can transfer files bidirectionally, create folders, move files among folders, rename files freely, etc.
  
  Otherwise, the e250 is a nice iPod work-alike at a much lower price. I bought it to replace a Sansa e130 I destroyed by dropping one time too many. The two are similar but the e250 is better in most respects. The screen is larger and a sharp true color compared to the e-series' blue monochrome, and on startup it scans the files and builds a database faster. Both read MP3 tags and will let you sort and select music by artist, album, date and genre. It will also let you make one "Favorites" list. Plus the e250 will display JPEG's and has FM radio and voice recorder function.
  
  Only drawbacks I've found are [A] the four cursor arrows are not prominent enough to find easily in the dark, and [B] you have to charge it through a USB connection, which means you have to buy a USB charger device if you are going to travel away from computers.
  
  
  
• Sound and view screen are great, controls are horrible
  By A1PKF30WAUHPRB on 2006-08-17
  I recently purchased a sansa e250. I mainly use it to listen to FM radio or recorded talk programs (NPR etc.) The files I make are large, usually about 1.5 - 2 hours in length. Here is what I hate about my Sansa:
  
  1. It takes 1 minute to advance 14 minutes into a recorded program. It takes over 4 minutes to scroll through an hour long program.
  
  2. The fast forward and reverse buttons are really stiff. And since the fast forward is so slow your hand starts to cramp after holding the button down after 4 minutes or so (to get atleast 1 hour into the track)
  
  3. The buttons are inaccurate and you have to hit the "sweet spot" just right to get them to function making this thing almost impossible to use while jogging or cutting the grass unless you stop and hold the thing with two hands.
  
  4. The FM performance is marginal when compared to my 3 year old iAudio cw300. To get the best FM reception you have to attach the usb cord. Who wants to walk around with a usb cord hanging out?
  
  I am going to ditch my e250 on eBay so now I am looking for a replacement. Here are qualities (ranked in order of importance) that I am looking for in a DAP:
  
  1. Controls that are easy to use.
  2. Fast forward that starts out slowly and then accelerates.
  3. A screen that is easy to see. (I don't view pictures on this or watch movies so even a basic screen would be fine so long as it's easy to see)
  4. Great FM reception
  5. Decent battery life.
  6. Bookmarking ability.
  7. 1 gb or more. (preferably 2)
  8. I would prefer that it have its own have a built in battery.
  9. Ability to browse by folder.
  
  
• Comparable to Nano, for sure
  By A8JDR1UG0D9O5 on 2006-10-13
  I have had the e250 now for a few weeks, I mainly use it to listen to audio books in the car using the auxiliary input to my car radio. Here are my impressions:
  
  The Good: The sound is real nice, even with the included earbuds. I think that the media player interface is just as easy as iTunes for my wife's Nano. It plays video, it records voice very well, it has a decent FM tuner that get's better reception than I expected, The grey silicone case I bought for $5 protects it very well (compared to the $35 case I got the wife)and it has a microSD slotfor extra storage.
  
  The Bad: There is no way to turn off the screen during USB charging, which is the only way to charge it (That's why I only gave it four stars, its annoying). The price of the MicroSD cards is a bit high still. As others have said, the buttons are a bit small but manageable.
  
  (Update Jan. 4, 2007: I finally got a microSD card for the unit and find that now any time I turn it on it has to update the database, which takes way too long. Still a better buy than a Nano though. SG)
  
  [...]
  
  
• Not an iPod killer - just a very solid MP3 player
  By A1TXAURUUFMHEH on 2006-09-13
  I picked up my Sansa e250 right around the same time as a good friend of mine was getting married. One of his father's wedding gifts to the newly married couple were matching 60Gb iPod Videos. And let me tell you: they are eminently desirable consumer items. You just can't deny that Apple's design team struck pure gold. Nevertheless, when I was shopping for an mp3 player, I decided to take a bit of a chance. My criteria were primarily affordability and longevity (given the iPod's seeming 1-2 year lifespan). After three months of use, I can confidently report that you won't be let down by this sleek little player, but don't expect the seamless experience Apple's offering with every successive iteration of the iPod.
  
  For an ever-diminishing investment, Sandisk is offering a full array of features, and this is where their e200 line shines. Audio, video, FM broadcasts, and photos - all at a price well below the Nano. I have no complaints about the sound quality of mp3s, which is all I use my Sansa for. Quality encodes will sound delicious. For my purposes, I thought the 2Gb player would suffice, but for what these players are retailing for these days, I suggest you pick up a 4Gb model. The Micro SD expansion is a nice touch, however, given how affordable that format is becoming.
  
  Bottom line: a very good player that just doesn't have the "buy-me" feel of an iPod... but don't let that stop you. Sandisk seem to be behind their horse, and this is a long and lucrative race for all parties involved. That will hopefully lead to, as other reviewers have noted, continued firmware updates in the foreseeable future. Chances are you'll be pleasantly surprised at the deal you're getting with this series.
  
  Pros:
  Very affordable price point for all models
  Drag and Drop file uploading (no need for any proprietary programs)
  Intuitive & friendly GUI
  Unit design
  Video quality
  Expandable w/ Micro SD
  Thumbnail photo sharing
  Resets volume on Power-down
  
  Cons:
  Only powers up when plugged into a USB device - no AC adapter
  Battery life could be better (between 10-12 hours a charge)
  Non-customizable GUI
  FM Radio does not pick up signals very well
  Must play a song to add it to a playlist on the fly
  EQ - only 6 presets, none of which are great
  Scroll-wheel feels a little chintzy
  Overall user experience not as elegant as iPod
  
  
  
• Ipod Killer!!!
  By A7PX11CJU10RE on 2006-09-13
  Well first off I am very impresses!! this little player has it all. I was just like almost every one else on the planet that got caught up in the ipod frenzy untill I actually saved my pennys and bought the ipod nano. I liked it ok but honestly was more happy with the Iriver I had before. I am always on the go so anything with a hard disk was not what I was looking for. the nano came out with alot more storage that I was wanting. I had it for a total of 2 weeks when my buddy got a new sandisk e250. it was the same storage that my nano had but it had more features, was easier to navigate and in my personal oppnion better looking. he let me play with it and in just the short time I was hooked. I sold my nano and got one.
  loading files was easy, (wich is a plus for me) and it has a radio, (a big plus for me)and the center dial wheel makes it very easy to crank it up in a instant. it is a little thicker than the nano but, it also has a battery you can change on your own. not like the ipod that has to be taken in to have changed. the screan is very clean, wich makes it easy to share your pictures. I honestly cant say anything about the video option on it becouse I have not used it. the price is lower than the nano. The only thing I have to say bad about this little player is there are few accessories for it (yet). I will be looking forward to them when they come out. all in all I give is a 10 out of 10.
  
  
• Poor product quality
  By A1J9CXWFUTTW65 on 2006-10-25
  I am not impressed with this product. I updated the firmware and followed the directions exactly. It then rebooted itself just as the instructions stated to only show "load main image failed". Now it does nothing.
  Also, prior to this upgrade it would freeze or just not allow you to turn off. In addition, if it is hooked up to your computer to charge you can not turn it off.
  
  
• SanDisk Sansa MP3 Player
  By AKUW7O7PSNM7G on 2006-11-03
  We were very disappointed with this MP3 player. After having it for only about 2 weeks, the screen stopped working properly. In addition to being disappointed with the MP3 player itself, we're STILL waiting for a full refund from Amazon.com for this MP3 player (it was returned 5 weeks ago & still no refund). So, we're also disappointed with Amazon.com in regard to their return & refund practice.
  
  
• Do not purchase this item! - it freezes!!!
  By A2YHGACMZAAOOU on 2006-11-10
  I was so excited when my brand new Sansa 2Gb was delivered a couple of days after I bought it, and I even got free shipping!. The reasons why I decided to get it (instead of the Nano, which was my other alternative) were that it was cheaper, nice looking, 2 Gb is enough for me and all these good reviews in Amazon (yes, it's true, there were some bad reviews as well that I should have listened to), so I decided to take a chance on it, and I was so happy about my decision.
  Well, I have to say that I am totally disappointed by this item and I will be returning it.
  I've had it for about two weeks and it freezes at least twice everyday if I am lucky (I consider myself electronic savvy, so I would not assume I am doing something wrong), it freezes all of a sudden, when a song is playing, for instance. It freezes when I want to change a song, it freezes when I switch it on and when I switch it off or when I go to the main menu. It freezes even with the sample songs that were already in when I bought it!
  And, besides, the users guide is not really user friendly.
  This item has a bunch of excellent reviews in Amazon so maybe my product was damaged or I am the only one with the freezing problem, I don't know. But in any case, I want a mp3 that works, this is why I am returning it and getting the Nano...
  
  
  
  

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