SanDisk Sansa c250 2 GB MP3 Player (Black) Reviews

• Very good MP3 player

  
  By A1X2MZWZOXJ32V on 2006-12-16
  I did quite a bit of research to get this one. and here are the reasons, I arrived at this decision:
  
  Pro:
  Size: It is pretty small yet not hard to use the controls
  FM Radio: That's pretty nice in such a small MP3 player. Top that iPod
  Expansion slot: The micro SD card makes this player future proof. Have more music to upload? get a card and you are done. iPod doesn't have it.
  Voice recorder: was not on my wish list, but nice to have.
  changable battery: battery goes bad, you can change it. iPod can't do this.
  If you hit a button by accident while listening to the music, the button just wakes up the device then you can tell it what to do. Small feature but saves a LOT of annoying moments.
  Sound is pretty good, unlike some reviews I have read. It is pretty much in par with other MP3 players especially iPod which is the benchmark these days.
  Price: half of iPod Nano.
  
  Con:
  The package only comes with a USB charger. I have seen some plugs that have a USB output, or you can get their optional AC adapter.
  Memory slot although nice, but there is no dummy card in it to avoid things getting stuck in it, so I just put a cheapy micro SD to fill the hole.
  The screen could use some more contrast or better color scheme to display the menu better. You get used to it right away, but I am being super crtitcal here.
  
  
  

• The Sansa C250

  
  By A4BKBO8E1SIFQ on 2006-10-28
  I've waited for this model to arrive on the market for a couple of months and it was well worth the wait. It is very small and compact but has everything you could want. The controls are easy to work and I have no problem using it without glasses on, the screen is uncluttered and clear.
  I would recommend it highly.
  
  

• one big fault -- otherwise quite great for the price

  
  By A2YJ1K8M0KPHMF on 2007-01-25
  The contrast level on the display is so low no matter how one adjusts the brightness and backlight that you will have a hard time seeing what feature/song you are selecting. Its genuinely bizarre that they used a very light-blue field against a white backround. Text is black so at least you can see that clearly. Other than that, the sound is good for such a cheap player and it has a built-in equalizer to adjust the sound to your own liking. It will operate in MSC mode, which simply means that you can load music files into the player directly from the My Computer icon. No software of any sort needed at all to load songs into the player. You lose the ability to make playlists in MSC mode but personally I prefer the speed and simplicity of MSC mode. You cannot use MSC mode to play digitally-protected music. Again not an issue for me. If you are looking for a cheap mp3 player, this is worth considering.
  
  

• Good for the money, but OS inferior to earlier units.

  
  By ABUDH8X1DNZWT on 2007-04-29
  My 3 year old 512k Sandisk developed a lose earplug mount so it was to upgrade. The store I went to was offering the C250 model for the same price as the C240 model so I bought it.
  
  The new unit is nice. The sound is better than my older model and the 64k color display is decent. You can view photos on it if you wish. It has a rechargeable lithium polymer battery which is a minus as they wear out over time, Sandisk makes up for this a bit by making the battery replaceable (although the kid at the Be-st buy store was wrong when he said it wasn't--maybe he was just trying to sell an extended warranty plan--bah). Still, I miss the flexibility my older player had with its AAA battery and the older one had a very similar battery life as my new one.
  
  It has a passable FM tuner with decent reception. It won't work as well as a home receiver but it works okay. Sadly, Sandisk still does not sell a player with AM capability, another minus.
  
  The unit has shuffle play but not random play. (By definition, shuffle play will potentially repeat a song already played, while random play will not). This is an OS weakness that would be easy to implement in the OS code, but most manufacturers don't bother.
  
  Sandisk no longer uses a true FAT32 file system so their newer players have lost an enormous amount of flexibility compared to the older units. Now, I can only play music by "Artist", "Genre", "Song", and "Album". You no longer can pick a folder of music to play so you are limited by the predefined categories.
  
  My old unit allowed the ability to play dance with pop by putting them in the same folder and simply playing from it. With the new unit that would be impossible without messing with the ID tags because now I can only select dance or pop but not both at the same time. It is "all" music or "one" genre, but not "some" genres. Clearly a big weakness.
  
  From what I can tell, the unit uses the contents of the ID1 tags, so you need to have them properly populated. It does use playlists but I tend to not use them. I read that this unit only supports 1 playlist but I have yet to confirm that. If it allows multiple playlists then I could mix dance and pop but it would be pain to create a playlist for that.
  
  In addition, the OS has been greatly dumbed down. You no longer can select the playback, display, or search speeds. You can no longer change the display orientation from right-handed to left-handed. You can no longer set left or right balance. You can no longer delete files from the device unless you are connected to a PC. The display no longer shows how much time is left on a song as it now only displays elapsed time, and you can no longer display what file name.
  
  It is unfortunate that the newer units have been dumbed down as they have lost a number of very useful capabilities. Still, I like the new unit overall and I will adjust to the differences. It's a good unit for the money and the Sandisk quality is still there--my last one lasted 3 years under heavy use (3-6 hours a day) so I can't complain. If this will be your first MP3 player you probably won't be disappointed.
  
  

• Small product large sound

  
  By A8AZN1UCYIMHL on 2007-02-17
  I was hesitant about buying an MP3 player because I am relatively inept when it comes to electronic devices. After researching different MP3 players I decided to take a chance on the SanDisk because of its reasonable price plus I had read that it was compatible with Windows Media Player (WMP). I had downloaded dozens of CDs onto the WMP and now needed something small and pocket sized that was inconspicuous to use at work. My profession affords me with occasional down time so I wanted a small MP3 player with ear plugs that would help me pass the time by dusting off a few musical neural networks encoded in the 60's. First of all I was surprised at how simple transferring songs was using the WMP and the Sandisk. You first open up the WMP and once the computer recognizes the "device" you click on the icon, which allows the WMP to connect with the SanDisk. Then you can either right click on selected songs and select "add to synch" or you can right click on the CD title and add the entire contents of the CD to the sync list. The WMP shows you how much room you have left on the Sandisk after each input. Pretty simple. The real surprise occurred when I placed the ear plugs in and listened to my old archaic music. I'm not crazy about ear plugs (can't use headphones at work), but the ones that come with the player are not uncomfortable. The sound quality of the SanDisk is extremely impressive for such a small device. Although the player comes with an equalizer I did not even find it necessary to adjust the sounds. I give this product 5 stars for the musical portion of the SanDisk. I cannot comment on the other options that this product has, but I am obviously impressed enough to leave a review on this item. I should mention that the device comes with a CD that I downloaded and it appears to assist in using the other features of the SanDisk MP3 player, but as mentioned I bought the player solely for listening to music and am simply commenting on the musical portion of the SanDisk Sansa c250 MP3 player. I hope that this helps you in deciding which player to buy. I am very satisfied with this product.
  
  
• Ipod Nano, eat your heart out...
  By AI8ADFDMB9D1H on 2007-06-19
  OK. I've seen some of the other reviews for this product, and a few people have mentioned problems with the backlighting and contrast, but I don't have that problem. I have now owned my player three weeks, and I LOVE IT!
  
  This player has incredibly simple menus to follow, the display is adequate for most people who will only use this to listen to music. I've had no problems with the display which does a fairly good job with the photos I've loaded onto it. The song text is in black against a light blue field which makes it easy to see at all times.
  
  Straight out of the box, my Windows XP systems instantly recognized the device and installed the appropriate drivers. I did have a problem (at first) with getting my laptop (running Vista Home Basic) to recognize the device, but I realized that this was due to the fact that I had the player set in the wrong USB mode (it needs to be in MSC mode for Vista to recognize the device) Once I changed the mode to MSC (through the player's settings menu), all of my systems recognize it every time - without a single problem.
  
  I like the fact that you can change the battery in the player quickly and easily, unlike an Ipod, and that it has an expandable Micro SD slot, which the manufacturer says you can only upgrade by 1 GB. If you buy this, go ahead and spring for the Micro SD card so that you prevent dust and dirt from getting into the slot; you'll also expand the room you have available on the player. I just received my $20.00, 2GB (that's right - 2 GB) expansion card from NewEgg.com today, and again, I popped it into my player, which connects to desktop/laptops through a provided USB cable, and it was instantly recognized by my work system as a separate drive.
  
  Other reasons to like this player is the fact that it features a voice recorder, an FM tuner, an adjustable equalizer with presets (I set mine with a custom setting which sounds better than the presets)and it lets you record FM radio. Try THAT with an Ipod... Did I mention that it will let you plays songs downloaded from the most popular services (another thing Ipod can't do), in addition to .wmv and mp3 files?
  
  A couple of people in other reviews have mentioned investing in a new pair of earbuds, which I would agree with if you're a serious audiophile, but again, for most people, the earbuds it ships with should more than fit the bill.
  
  The only thing this player really lacks is the storage capacity that some other players on the market have. That's ok though, because at bit rate of 128 kbps per song, you can fit up to 1,000 songs. I doubled my 2 GB capacity with the Micro SD card, giving the player a total capacity of 4 GB. Since I use only high bit rate (160 kbps and better) audio, and I have about 450 songs - with plenty of room left over for my work files and photos.
  
  If you're looking for an economical, sturdy mp3 player this is the one. The price makes this a great gift for any occasion year-round, and for the money, you're not going to find a better value anywhere else on the market.
  
  
  
• Fantastic form factor and excellent Mp3 performance
  By A2EDGRA4DSZPS0 on 2007-01-09
  I bought this unit to supplement my 40gb 4th gen iPod.
  
  My iPod is fantastic, but it is not easy to take everywhere due to its larger size.
  
  I wanted a smaller MP3 player I could take and listen to at work, gym, and when shopping at the stores/running errands.
  
  After weeks of research and some earlier purchases which were returned, I think this unit is going to fit the bill perfectly.
  
  This unit has a lot of nifty features:
  -mp3 player
  -FM radio
  -voice recorder
  -photo viewer
  
  The MP3 player and FM radio sounds excellent, very close to my iPod with decent headsets. I didn't use the standard headsets with the unit - instead I purchased Panasonic necklace fashion headsets with better frequency response.
  
  This unit hangs unnoticed from my neck with the Panasonic headsets, and the sound quality is fantastic.
  
  The FM radio reception is pretty good, although it does not pick up some stations as strongly as a dedicated radio with antennas.
  
  The voice recorder has excellent clarity, but the menu could be better. Once you record a quick note, you have to switch back to the main menu, click to music, then voice recorder, then select the recording to hear the recording. And there is no way to delete the recording except on the computer. I wanted the voice recorder to record reminders and to-do's but this voice recorder is not as easy to use as my dedicated digital audio recorder.
  
  The photo viewer seems no better than the photo viewer on most camera cellphones, and I doubt I'll be using it much. The main purpose is to play music and listen to FM radio.
  
  The unit seems very sturdy and the buttons seem to be very sold. Overall it has a high quality construction feel, and the compact dimensions of the unit lend it to being taken everywhere to be used.
  
  I love my iPod, but I think I will be using this unit a lot more than my iPod simply because it easier to carry around, has FM radio, and excellent performance for the sub-$100 price.
  
  My friends strongly recommend I buy the Sansa e250 unit over this one. But after much research, playing with the e250 unit in the store, I decided that I like the form factor of this unit better than the e250 unit with the awkward click wheel. The click wheel felt quite stiff and not very smooth when I tried the demo unit in the store. I'm used to the slick wheel of the iPod, and didn't want a unit that poorly duplicated the wheel. The buttons on the c250 work perfectly fine without a wheel.
  
  The e250 is also wider and longer than this unit, making it a bit less suitable as an alternative to my iPod.
  
  edit: I also discovered that this player does not have a clock.
  
  Due to a recent sale, I switched to the Sansa e260 player, which has 2 very important (to me) features: date / clock, and the ability to delete voice recordings.
  
  For those on the fence about buying a Sansa cXXX player or a eXXX player, I think the eXXX is the better player, despite its slightly larger size. There are more accessories available for the eXXX than the cXXX, and the clock / voice recorder are more useful.
  
  
• Very nice, and easy to use.
  By A15UHDGZDU7XKR on 2006-12-13
  Very nice and light. I bought this for my neice, but was drawn to keep asking to see it again, and again just cause it's such a cool little device. I like it better than my ipod video (hardly use the video), due to the sound quality matching...maybe surpassing it. The addition of the picture player is nice...although a small screen is nice for album art. It supports the mini sd chip to transfer data to/from...which threw me for a loop. My cellphone also supports this format, but haven't tested the compatibility of pictures taken from my phone to the unit. Still, it seems you can upgrade the units storage with this option. I think she loves this unit...I know I do.
  
  Pros - It's less expensive/smaller/lighter than the apple alternative...and does more. The sound quality is nice due to quality earbuds (my opinion). The built in mic is a nice feature (stereo recording), as well as the FM radio (great reception).
  
  Cons - I don't see any cons at this time. For the price, this unit is just awesome!
  
  
• No Audio Books
  By A3IWAFSLN2BSF on 2007-01-15
  I like this player with one MAJOR exception: it is not supported by Audible.com so you cannot have your audio books on it. All the comparable Sansa players are supported, so I bought this with the expectation of being able to listen to Audible content like any other SanDisk product. However none of the c200 series players are supported and Audible says this is because SanDisk has not provided them with the tech specs necessary. SanDisk was non-responsive to my inquiry as to when they would get this done like their other products - a generic thanks for your inquiry but no info.
  Bottom line - if you want just music this is a great choice. If you need versatility of also having audio books, buy something else.
  
  
  
• Is NOT supported on Vista
  By A2ODAQ3NVMCOHV on 2007-03-31
  Note that Sansa provides no support for this player on Vista, even though (as I write this in March) Vista has been available to customers for 5 months.
  
  You will not be able to update the device's firmware (which is several versions behind as shipped), and Sansa provides no guidance as to when they might (if ever) they will support Vista.
  
  (And they wonder can't compete with the iPod?)
  
  
  
• Don't Waste Your Money
  By A1QCJMCN1DQ2J2 on 2007-10-05
  This is a device with a lot of glitches in it. Combine with the poorest of customer service, and you get a piece of junk.
  
  1. The interface is overly sensitive. Any little movement can cause a change or a skip.
  
  2. The backlit screen is blue based, and a little blue dot rather than a highlight bar indicates which song you're on. The problem is that the blue dot blends in with the screen. Sometimes you're not sure where you're at.
  
  3. The manual that comes with it is a sheet that really tells you nothing. If you want a fuller manual, you have to go online and download it.
  
  4. There's a lot of skipping for no apparent reason. Call customer service and they'll tell you nothing's wrong. Most of the reps sound young, in a hurry, and rude. They'll resychronize your gadget, tell you that should do it, and then it goes right back to skipping. You can make a million calls, doesn't matter.
  
  Sandisk's HQ is very polite and professional, but there is a big disconnect between their corporate offices and their workforce.
  
  5. Their connectivity cable is proprietary to Sandisk, can't be bought elsewhere except online at their store. Except now they're out of it, and will be for more than a month. So if you lose your cable or damage it, then what?
  
  
  I wish I had bought an iPod.
  
  
  
• I'm returning this player and getting Iaudio U20
  By A65AKXY2OMXME on 2007-06-02
  I'm returning this player because
  -- It only arranges music by id tags. It's really bad if you have music from different sources, and ripped without tags. I'd like to have access using normal folders.
  -- Almost impossible to create playlists on a computer... I've tried for hours using different scripts.
  -- No support for international characters in mp3 tags
  
  Other features are pretty good, e.g. you can connect it as a flash drive, read/write, use sd card, resume after off, etc...
  
  
• Worked for 2 weeks, then...
  By A271MZ1HTSMV1J on 2007-06-16
  Had the player for 2 weeks and was great, but then the left audio decided to stop working. I thought it was the headphones, and tried another pair and had the same problem, but then it worked again. I see that other reviewers have had the same issue.
  ***UPDATE***
  I am updating this review because I found out that the head phones that I owned stopped working (on the left side!). I tried them in my laptop and the left audio would not work there either. I used other earphones, earbuds - and they work fine. So, can't say that it is the Sansa's fault.
  It won't let me change the star rating. I would give it a 4 out of 5.
  
  
• Not worth buying, even if it's cheap
  By A3RU2P4FAACQ1J on 2008-03-09
  I really wanted to like this mp3 player. I was trying to replace my 1G Shuffle, which has been kind physically contorted with superglue since the cheap Apple armband snapped off the USB connector. My main purpose: to use it at the gym and to be able to listen to some podcasts when I'm walking around Downtown (I was in Seattle at the time).
  
  I kept trying to defend its problems, but the last straw was when it broke in under 6 months. The right channel of sound just stopped working altogether. If I was an electrical engineer I might take it apart and try tightening whatever was loose to cause this problem, but I honestly didn't even feel that it was worth doing that.
  
  Let me list all the things I hated about it:
  
  -I'll start with the issue of crashing. It crashed a few times a week. It would just be playing a song, and then it would freeze. Or it would be choppy in playing a track. That was especially irritating.
  
  -The navigation was completely unintuitive on it. It was not easy or enjoyable to move around in it or select tracks.
  
  -No one mentions this, but it's a huge problem: you CANNOT make playlists on the computer! I tried all sorts of things to try to make one and put it on there, but none of my attempts worked, and the manual only explains making playlists on the device. You have no idea how frustrating it is to have to make playlists for the gym on the device, which would take me at least 5-10 minutes for a 5 or 6 hour playlist. I much preferred using iTunes.
  
  -The radio receiver was really bad. I'd have to be in the right place at the right time to get clear reception of anything.
  
  -The screen quality so not as good as it may appear in the pictures. Looking at photos on this thing is not worth trying.
  
  -If you stop listening to your playlist to just play normal music, it doesn't remember where you're at.
  
  -It's a little bigger than it looks, especially in a neoprene case for working out.
  
  -It didn't come with any special software, you just use Windows Media Player.
  
  -The battery life was not that great. It may have lasted 7-10 hours. My 1G Shuffle was a lot better than that.
  
  I really can't think of any reasons to get this device. The armband I bought from DLO for it worked a lot better than the Apple armband for my shuffle, but that's about it. Even for just working out, this device isn't worth it. You could pay a few more bucks and get a 2G Shuffle if you're looking for a low-end device; the new one is actually easier for workouts.
  
  
• Nice little mp3 player with decent FM reception
  By A1ZX66VG2MRWD0 on 2007-11-10
  Originally, I bought this unit for my kids who wanted an iPod Nano. They're pretty young, 7 and 10, so I didn't feel like spending the money on an iPod only to have it lost or broken shortly after they received it.
  
  They both love the c250 and I really like it as well. It's got decent sound, handles wma as well as mp3 files, has a great little FM radio, and has very respectable battery life. Overall, a nice little unit!
  
  
  
• Finally, a winner!
  By A391KXVQH22CM0 on 2007-04-10
  I've tried I-pod ...didn't work right... Tried aother brand....wouldn't recharge sooooo... tried this one.. a home run!! Good price, works as advertised, good sound etc... the only neg I could find is the display is a bit difficult to see in the bright sunshine outdoors.
  
  
• MAJOR DISAPPOINTMENT
  By A177UEUBQCAOPF on 2007-05-14
  Prospective buyers should be aware that if they receive a defective product as I did, they will have a very difficult time getting SanDisk to resolve the problem. The SanDisk Online Customer Service is a tricky maze to navigate, and the questions and challenges from the SanDisk Rep are more intense than Homeland Security. I received my SanDisk Sansa c250 MP3 Player at the beginning of April, and I am still waiting for a replacement installation disk at mid-May. I am unable to get a refund, so my only recourse is Small Claims Court.
  
  
• Trouble being read via Windows XP
  By A1O08DG1SMHTK8 on 2008-01-25
  I own another Sansa player (older model - 4GB version). It's worked perfectly for over a year.
  
  This one cannot be recognized on my home computer running Windows XP. I've gone through multiple workarounds and nothing has worked. It is recognized fine on my office PC. So, I was able to load music there, but it is a pain as the home computer is where my music is.
  
  I emailed "support" via their website. Two weeks - no reply. Emailed back -- calling attention to zero replies. Four days -- no reply.
  
  
• don't expect for Christmas!
  By A23SRZ3P85XVDN on 2006-11-25
  I ordered this item November 15. I discovered today, November 26, that even though this item is in stock it will not be shipped until February 1st, 2007. So why does it take nearly three months to mail if it's in stock? The customer service people were no help, I'm sure it's a great prodcut but don't get it here!
  
  
• Prefer the e-series Sansa
  By A2M3NXH644U378 on 2006-12-26
  I purchased this as a gift for my mother for Christmas but had to return it because it did not function properly. It was unable to charge or display anything on the screen. I can't speak to its menus or software since I didn't get it to work but instead of replacing this c250 with the same model I switched to the e250 (2 gig).
  
  I already own an e260 (4 gig) myself but I thought this c250 would be a better size for my mother to use. After we tried it I was not impressed with the way the buttons are laid out...it seems like it can only be operated with two hands. Unlike the e-series which has a scroll wheel, the c series has buttons to the far right of the screen. You hold this unit so that it is wider across. These buttons are difficult to access if you try to hold it in one hand and use your thumb. Right-handed they are too close to your hand and left-handed you have to reach across the display screen. I also felt like the hold switch was flimsy and the unit itself is not as solid. It just didn't feel as good in the hand as my e-series sansa.
  
  I really like my e260 so since I had to return the c250 due to a bad unit I decided to just get the 2 gig e250 for my mom. She compared the two and agreed. I'd recommend paying the extra $10-$15 and going with the e-series sansa. Sansa has easy to use menus and with micro cards you can easily expand the capacity of either the c-series or the e-series. I've had my e260 for over a year without a problem so I would say Sansas are very reliable and the bad unit I got was not typical. I'd recommend Sansa but prefer the size and shape of the e-series.
  
  
• Great MP3 Player
  By A2FPBA29KN6YHY on 2007-02-16
  This is a great little MP3 Player, as long as your main usage consists of listening to music. The sound is fine, and it even has an expandable microSD card slot with which you can add up to 2GB (for now at least). The battery lasts at least 8 hours, but I haven't had the chance to test it further.
  
  
• Works Fine
  By A3117XHRQ89N7 on 2007-02-22
  I bought this looking for an inexpensive mp3 player I could use while jogging. It works fine, the sound quality is good and I like the fact it has fm radio and that it supports secure WMA's. The photos on this were completely useless so if you want to use this mp3 player to show off your pics don't buy it because you won't be satisfied with the results. I gave it 4 stars because the battery only charges through your usb connection, unless of course you buy an extra accessory, and because it could have come with better earphones (had to use a different pair to jog).
  
  
• I love my little player!
  By A3HYIZREGU5XS1 on 2007-02-28
  My boyfriend bought me this player at Radio Shack so I can use it when I go on vacation next month and I'm already in love with it. It can only be charged via your computer's USB port, though. To charge with an outlet, you have to buy the Powerduo from Griffin. It comes with a car charger too. I don't use the FM radio very often, but I like that the option is there for whenever I feel like it. The voice recorder is useful as well. This is my first MP3 player and I was relieved at how easy it was to figure out. It also accepts WMA files. I highly recommend this player if you don't feel like spending an arm and a leg on an Ipod. I also recommend it for people who are looking for their first MP3 player. Very great for the price.
  
  
• Great player, with a few drawbacks
  By A3SFMOWUBFQZ9Y on 2007-03-08
  Sound quality is excellent, easy to download music on to it and it has all the standard features for playing songs such as, shuffle, repeat, making a playlist, ffwd and such. You can listen to FM radio, which is great. What this can do that an iPod can't is record voice and radio. The only drawbacks are, you have to hook it up to the computer in order to charge it or delete songs. You can only have one playlist at a time. In order to hook it up to anything other than a computer, you'll need to buy a different cable. But overall I love my SanDisk Sansa MP3 player.
  
  
• Great Product!
  By A3ELE0KIRRRG9Q on 2007-03-20
  This is my first MP3 player and I'm very happy with it. I've read several complaints that the sound quality isn't very good with the earbuds that come with the player, but everything sounds great to me. Again, this is my first player so I have nothing to compare it to.
  
  I have Windows 2000 and Media Player 9 so I can't sync my music, but I can still transfer everything over very easily from Windows Explorer and with the player in MSC mode. And I can't have playlists (other than the default GoList), but I found something else that works for me. For example, I have 3 or 4 CDs by different artists that I like to fall asleep to, so I just changed the Genre data (before copying them to my computer) in WMP9 for those CDs to "Sleep". When I turn on the player, my new genre shows up and I can play all the songs, just like in a playlist. It works perfectly for my purposes.
  
  I do have a couple of complaints about the c250--the lowest volume setting is too loud for my liking. Also, when you power the player up again it remembers the song you were listening to, but not the volume level--it starts out right in the middle, which is pretty loud. Hopefully some future firmware updates will fix that problem.
  
  All in all though, I love my Sansa c250 (especially for the price) and am very glad I bought it.
  
  
• Basic Mp3 Player, limited function
  By AQ27PNANUHDDU on 2007-05-11
  Strengths: THE MOST SHINING point of this product is that it could insert extra MicroSD card. Expend its capacity to external large memory.
  
  Weaknesses: BAD SOFTWARE come with the machine, must be upgraded. VERY Limited functions than non-brand product.
  Details: I bought two different kinds of players at the same time. One is Sansa C250 another is a non-brand product, no experience on other brand. I would give Sansa C250 4 star originally. However after compare the other non-brand product. I could only give it 2 stars.
  
  Here is the fact of comparison.
  
  Another one is a MP4 PLayer from China (KEO)( possibly distrubited by iceTechUSA?).
  
  
  (1) Value/Function : Santa C250 is much more expensive than KEO,but function is much less;
  
  (2) Function: KEO has MUCH MUCH more functions than Sansa, it is MP4 player which will play most of the media format wy plays several formats; Sansa C250 FM radio is weak and hard to tune, as an expensive player, it loses it value at this; KEO has triple size of Sansa C250 screen and higher resolution, while Sansa's photo function is only a symbol, could not be used at all in practical meaning;
  
  (3)Sound quality:I compared sound quality with another expensive monitor headphone; they should be at the same level in my view; KEO comes with an inferior earbud,Sansa has a average earbud. However, most of the people will upgrade earbud after purchase to persue extreme sound, this should be not a big issue;
  
  (4) Appearance: KEO is half thickness of Sansa C250, but a little bit wider and longer;itis metal body, beautiful shape, looks solid and VERY well built, could compare to any SONY MP3 machine in my view; Sansa C250 definitely loses at this;
  
  (5)Expandable: Sansa will beat any other brand at this A MOST SHINING POINTING FOR MP3 player; KEO does not have expendable slot;
  
  (6) Accessories: Sansa C250 comes with very little accessories , no charger, no protection cover, USB cable is bulky and clumsy ; However KEO has USB charger, and a becautiful soft silicon protection cover, delicate ans presise cable; Simply do not understand why such a famous brand comes with so meager accessories?Sansa C250 definitely loses at this point;
  
  (7)Software: KEO will immediately work on all me three XP box( I do not know MAC) no need to install driver even. Copy music and photo all fully easy and automatically runs well.FULLY support worldwide language (include Asian area) It also shipped with CD ripper and other applications; While for Sansa, the software comes with original machine is garbage, it ALMOST not works at all (Connect problem, duplicated copy, not support world language), in a word , it can not work if no firmware upgrade. I WAS VERY suprised why a FAMOUS BRAND manufacturer will pass quality ensurance to issue to market with such an inferior software, after struggle whole night , I finally upgraded with version 1.1, afterwards it could accomplish basic work. A pain.
  
  
  Conclusion: I leant a lesson, brand product is not necessories best product, possible just an above average product.
  
  
  
  
• Barely Works
  By A2GV8QBIYSD3XP on 2008-02-26
  Good:
  -memory appears like a flash drive and will hold songs from WM Player
  -a single song will play on this player
  -battery lasts about 6 to 8 hours
  -Windows Media Player can convert song files to Sansa; if you don't have WMP, there is no software from Sandisk that will load them.
  
  Bad:
  -Beyond playing a song, player can't do much more
  -Playlists can only be installed on the fixed 2GB memory, non-removable
  -Added micro SD card appears as another player, not additional memory
  -Added memory is limited to 2 GB Micro SD (NOT Micro SDHC)
  -Total memory cannot be more than 2 GB plus 2 GB, always separated
  -Playlists cannot play from both memories, only the fixed internal 2GB
  -If two playlists contain the same song, the song will be added twice
  -Sound quality is minimal
  -Sound volume at max is about medium compared to other players
  -Available operator's manual/website has little or no information
  -Player is physically very weak, won't play at temperatures below 50 F
  
  Overall, if you are looking to play more than 500 songs or if you want to have multiple playlists without duplicate songs in memory, this ain't it!
  
  
• Great player especially for the price.
  By AG7M52LFZ5KZ4 on 2007-02-09
  I bought this for my wife for christmas. she's not really all that techy but even she can figure out how to put her songs on this one. Works super easy with WMP 11, I like the interface better than that of my iPod.
  Build quality is a little cheap but for the money you can't beat it. It also locked up a couple of times and had to be plugged in in order to reset it. I have updated the firmware (highly recommendable) and haven't had a problem since.
  For those with charging complaints, the iPod style charger works just fine with the USB cord for this guy.
  
  
• Poor firmware
  By A77761J0W6T5O on 2007-05-11
  The c200 has some very good features (its replaceable battery is probably the feature I found most attractive). I enjoy listening to recorded books on long journeys, and this activity highlights its major failings:
  
  It cannot keep track of its position in a long WMA file. It resets if it is charged, or if you play another audio file.
  
  Its fast-forward function hardly qualifies. I have resorted to using a spring clip to hold the FF key depressed for about 20 minutes at a time to resume a story somewhere in the middle(most books are about 10 hours) and the chances of resetting are very high.
  
  It really needs a firmware upgrade to address these problems. If all you want to do is listen to music then it is fine as is.
  
  
• Handy
  By A1OZN3KVKN0NQC on 2007-07-28
  This MP3 player works very well, but it's difficult to navigate through your stored MP3's. It seems that it would be easy, based on genre, title, artist, etc...put in practice it's harder than it looks, and the screen is very small, making it that much harder if using it in the car. The only other complaint I have is that there is no way to FF or REW a playing track, for music this isn't such a big deal, but for podcasts or audio books it is a pain in the but.
  
  So, my overall recommendation is that if you are primarily looking for an inexpensive MUSIC player this is a good choice....for podcasts or audio books you may want to consider another player.
  
  Overall, I am satisfied with my purchase though, it's a good value for the money.
  
  

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• SANDISK SANSA Premium Black Travel Wall A/C Charger for SanDisk Sansa c100 / c200 / e200 Series
• SANDISK SANSA Premium Black Car Auto Mobile Vehicle Charger for SanDisk Sansa c100 / c200 / e200 Series
• DLO Action Jacket Case with Clip for SanDisk Sansa c200 MP3 Players (Black)
• Macally USB AC Charger for SanDisk Sansa MP3 Players (Black)
• 2-Piece Value Combo Pack Of Brand New Home Wall Travel Plug in Ac Charger + Vehicle Cigarette Lighter Power Car Charger with IC Chip For SanDisk Sansa e200, e250, e260, e270, e280, e200R, e250R, e260R, e270R, e280R MP3 Music Player