SanDisk Sansa m250 2 GB MP3 Player (Black)

I have several of the Sandisk Sansa in the style listed here. I know there are many other MP3 players on the market with much more storage capacity and I just have to say POOH on that. This little player is easy to use I have one full of my audible audio books others filled with music and no charged 1 simple triple A battery and I have at least 20 hours of play. For the price it is a great starter for those still unsure of what to buy. Although I do recommend the 2 gig version simply for the storage space.My only negative comment is that the removal of items from the player isn't always easy it will show you it has been removed but the space won't be open.Like I said 1 complaint isn't bad at all. The worst thing I have found is I misplace mine a lot:) But that's on me.Trust me, I bought a very expensive Memorex Mp3 and it was the worst mistake of my life needed to charge constantly and the menu was a nightmare. My parents being parents got me an RCA MP3 for Christmas last year. Like the Memorex since both are charged via USB the battery never stayed charged as it should have.I do not mind products such as the Sandisk Sansa that use actual batteries. They are reliable and easily replaceable some last several days if I use it a lot. My only wish was I could get one with about a 10 gig HD or better.This little player has my love it fits all my needs and is easy to use, navigate, load and run. I love Audible and can say easily that I currently have one of my 2 gig Sansa's loaded with 15 unabridged books that is a lot of listening for my money. When I get a chance hopefully I'll be able to pick up a few more I love having these in my life small, portable and I can use it with computer speakers, mp3 speakers and no problem.So if you are just starting out give this little guy a try:)

I didn't know if I'd use an MP3 player much when I bought this device and I didn't want to spend too much. I've now owned it for over a year and I cannot live without it. I use it for listening to audio books, news and podcasts. I used to read about 12 - 15 books a year, but now -- because I can take this on walks, listen to it while I'm driving and traveling and doing errands -- I "read" about 50 books a year and have a more active lifestyle. It is easy to download books from Audible, or using the Playfor Sure technology I can download books from my local library. I chose this device over the more expensive iPod and other MP3 devices both for the Play for Sure feature (which means free books from my local library) but also because it uses a single AAA battery so I don't have to lug another charging device when I travel or try to remember to charge it before I go somewhere. I just have to carry a very small extra battery.It has excellent quality and features for downloading and listening to books including the ability to flip through chapters, easily rewind or fast forward or hook up to speakers when I want to free myself from the earbuds.I don't worry about damaging it or losing it becaue it's so inexpensive to replace. I don't worry about it getting stolen either. I have dropped it, banged it, gotten it wet, accidentally smeared lotions and cosmetics on it and I just throw it in my purse whereever I go. It's scratched and worn, but it still works like a charm. If I did lose it or break it, I'd probably get one just like it as a replacement because it works so well and 2 megs is plenty to carry 5 or 6 books, a few newscasts and podcasts, even some music.There are two features I'd like to see on this device and I'd pay extra for them. 1) Bookmark feature so you can save a place (or preferrably multiple places) in a story electronically, and: 2) Sleep timer so the device goes off in a preset time - say 10 - 15 minutes. Given the reliability of this device, I'm confident those features will be available on this device or a similar one by the time I need a replacement.

This was delivered today, and I've already filled it up with 2G's of my music. I bought this just to take to the gym, and I'm pleased with the size and weight. It is also easy to use, and I don't think it will be a problem while on the treadmill. I didn't even try the arm band and case that came with it because, well, it's cheap plastic (looks like a kid's toy). I bought the gel case when I purchased the player, so I went ahead and put that on. (And I'll be heading over to give that five stars of its own momentarily...)I took it out of the packaging and plugged it in to my laptop, which is running Vista, and held my breath... it recognized the device and installed the drivers with no problem. Drag and drop songs is super easy, and all went smoothly.I tried using the ear buds that came with it, but without the foam covers they hurt my ears and with the covers they won't stay in my ears, so I'll be using different headphones. Though I will say that these ear buds were pretty good quality sound if you can tolerate them.My only complaints so far are that (1) there does not appear to be a random or shuffle function. I see a repeat loop, but no shuffle. That sucks, because I don't want to listen to things in the same order each time. That's just silly! Which leads me to (2) the EasyStart CD (which I'm assuming contains the full manual) will not run on Vista. [Hey, I know I should be happy it recognizes the player at all...] If I want to fully research the possibility of a random feature or figure out the playlist feature (the "Quick Start Guide" was a bit lacking in explaining that aspect), I'm going to have to explore the website, and I'm not in the mood for that headache right now. I'm all for saving trees by including manuals on disc, but they should be in a .pdf format or something, and not some program file that can only run on XP.I'll revise my rating if the player decides to freeze up on me or crash like others have. But so far, it's doing great. Way cheaper than an iPod, and I love that it uses a single AAA battery, which is easy enough to keep on hand in my gym bag. No more remembering to recharge batteries!!