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Sandisk Sansa MP3 Player ReviewThe portable MP3 player market really got started when flash memory chips became available that could store enough music to make it worthwhile. I got my first MP3 player in 2000 or 2001, and it had 64MB of flash memory. The flash memory is just computer memory chips that can store data, reading and writing it, and maintaining it even when the power is turned off. How many songs fit on a 64MB player? Assume the average songs takes up about 4-5MB of disk space, so a 64MB player held about 10-12 songs, making it comparable to a portable CD player in terms of usability. The big difference was that a flash memory MP3 player had no moving parts, so it wouldn't skip if you were jogging or exercising with it, and batteries could last 10 hours or more, and it was smaller... As these flash memory chips got bigger and cheaper, bigger and better MP3 players appeared, moving up to 256MB in storage, and then 512MB, and then breaking the 1GB barrier, meaning you could now carry about 200 songs in your pockets, or the equivalent of about 20 CDs. The latest portable players can hold up to 8GB of songs. So who makes all these flash memory chips that are being crammed into these MP3 players? SanDisk. SanDisk was the original player in the flash memory space, and they are the biggest producer of flash chips used in cameras, MP3 players, and many other consumer electronic devices. So it was a no-brainer that SanDisk should get into the MP3 player market, and start making their own devices. This has worked out well for them, as they have emerged in the last year or two as the number two player in the market after the world famous and world dominating Apple iPod and Nano. While Apple has a huge market share and a huge lead, SanDisk has upped the ante recently with some hot new designs, like the Sansa e280, their sleek 8GB model. Below, we will take a look at the various Sansa models.
Early Sandisk Models - Sansa M230, M250, C140, C150The most basic MP3 players made by Sandisk are called the Digital Audio Players, available in 256MB, 512MB, and 1GB sizes. These are very basic players in terms of design, they look alot like a thumb flash drive, and that is almost what they are - just some simple audio electronic wrapped around a flash thumb storage drive. They come with an FM digital tuner and can handle MP3, WMA, and DRM files, and include a microphone for voice recording. They are very small, at just 2.96" x 1.28" x .82" in size, weighing 29 grams without battery. Chances are you may no longer find these on store shelves, as Sandisk moved onto bigger and better things. The e130 and e140 were the first models in the Sansa line, with 512MB and 1GB of storage respectively. They included an SD storage slot for adding more memory if you wanted it, a good, economical way to increase your players capacity without having to upgrade to new hardware. Jump ahead to the next family in the Sansa line, and you find the m200 series, with the Sandisk m230, m240, m250, and m260. Capacity was boosted up to 4GB on the m260 model, but the m200 line continued with the plasticky looking white and blue design that started on the e series. You can still find these MP3 players on the market - the M260 4GB model sells for about $150, while the simple M230 512MB version goes for just $45.Sansa c140, Sansa e260Sandisk re-designed their MP3 players starting with the c100 series, featuring the C140 and C150 models with 1GB and 2GB capacities. These players were now black, like their infamous competitor, the iPod Nano. They come with a compact color screen and still carry the voice recorder and FM tuner from the earliest Sansa products, along with high-speed USB 2.0 data transfer. They can be purchased for about $75 for the c140 Sansa, and $100 for the C150. They are powered by a single AAA battery which gives about 10-15 hours of battery life. The Sansa C250 and C240 were minor upgrades, with better color screens and an SD memory expansion slot, but pretty much the same everything else. And that brings us to their most recent models, the e200 series. The e200R models are optimized for the Rhapsody digital music store, and come as e250R (2GB) up through Samsa e280R 8GB model. The e250 sells for about $100-$120, while the e280 Sansa sells for about $185. The e series also comes with a micro SD expansion slot so you can add additional storage, up to In comparison, Apple sells their 2GB Nano for $149, while the 4GB model sells for $199, and the 8 GB Nano sells for $249 (that's what the original top of the line 4GB Nano sold for one year ago).The Sandisk Sansa e280 comes with a 1.8" TFT color screen and was the first 8GB flash memory MP3 player on the market, before Apple upgraded the Nano to 8GB as well. When you buy the retail package, you get the Sansa e280 player, a travel pouch and neck lanyard strap, stereo headphones (decent), a Li+ rechargable battery, a USB cable, and a quick start CD with User Guide on it. The e series has given Apple a real run for the money in terms of design. Sandisk has come up with an elegant, clean design, following the crisp black design Apple pioneered. The color screen is bright and attractive, and the menu system of accessing images, music, and radio is easy to learn and use. What's the best Sansa MP3 player to buy?It's gotten to the point that the Sansa is a serious competitor to the iPod nano. At about 2/3 the cost of a comparable iPod, you can get a very good looking, good sounding Sansa. True, you won't get the iTunes interface that many people enjoy for organizing, transfering, and purchasing digital music online, but the interface for the Sansa works fine, allowing you to create playlists, transfer files back and forth, and everything else you need to do when working with digital music files. For pre-teen kids, we recommend the low-end models like the m230 or the c140. For most younger kids, 512MB of storage is plenty, allowing them to carry around over 100 songs. These cheap models can be picked up for just $50 or so, making them semi-disposable if your child should happen to damage them. Little kids also don't need fancy color screens, so they won't be missing out on much. If you're looking for a jazzier model, we'd skip the earlier versions and go straight for the new e200 series. For just over $100 the e250 is a sweet little player, with great sound, easy to use. The 2GB of storage gives you almost 400 songs in your pocket - more than enough for most of us. You can buy the Sandisk Sansa players at almost all electronic retailers and online sellers - BestBuy, Amazon.com, Circuit City, Costco, GameStop, Office Depot, PCMall, Staples, Sears, etc. You'll also find a decent line of accessories for the Sansa -- sleeve covers and protectors, wrist and arm bands, etc.-- just not as many as for the Nano. So unless you have your heart set on an iPod, stop and take a second look at the Sandisk players - you may just be surprised at what you find, and the extra $75 in your pocket is nothing to sneeze at either!
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