An MP3 player and much more! Support for MP3, WMA, and DRM WMA file formats. The built-in microphone allows voice recording, and the unit can be used as an external storage device for other data. 512MB of memory holds over 8 hours of music in 128kbps MP3 format or 16 hours of 64kbps WMA songs. One AAA battery provides up to 15 hours of continuous playback of 128kbps MP3 files. Create folders to organize your music, and create multiple custom playlists. Continuous, random, and repeat functions let you control how your music is played. High-speed USB 2.0 connection allows fast transfer to and from almost any computer. Plug-and-play; no drivers required. Indigo backlit LCD provides ID3 tag information (v.1 and 2). Includes MusicMatch Jukebox 9.0 (basic version), USB 2.0 cable, stereo headphones, carrying case, and battery. Minimum System Requirements: Windows 98SE, 2000, ME, XP Mac OS 9.x+, 10.1.2+ USB 2.0 connection required for high-speed transfer
1 Great item for the money.
I think it has worked out great. I was going to buy either this one or the shuffle and with this having the screen and the fm radio, it's well worth it. The earbuds are ok, but if you listen to the right bud in the left ear and the left bud in the right ear, IT SOUNDS SO MUCH BETTER. Almost 3-4 times better than normal. I don't think the controls are too hard to work or learn, most people don't want to take 3 minutes to read a manual. Try it out, you will be glad you did.
2 Holy cow is it durable!!
We bought this mp3 for our son, who is 14. As we all know, kids are not the most reliable when it comes to their things. This little thing has gone thru 2(yes 2) wash cycles and 1 dryer cycle and still works.
The kid says that the sound is of CD quality and works great for him during sports(wrestling and work outs).
For the amount of space and the quality, well worth the money!
3 A great Mp3 player with great price
I just got the player 2 weeks ago, and just read customer's reviews right now, i see many people agree with me.
Well as simple as some other people wrote already, this is jsut wonderful player, and his price is really compatiable to the product.
It beats the iPod Shuffle without even thinking, the SanDisk player has shuffle too, by the way. :)
Oh, can someone tell me about the FirmWire update from SanDisk's website, what is it giving to me? I mean what's the difference between this update and the FirmWire which built-in in the player.
4 Awesome MP3 player!
I love this mp3 player! It's so small and light, making it perfect to jog with. All the features are great, and the battery life is awesome! While exercising I prefer this over my iPod.
To the person who recommends the iPod: Not everyone has $300+ to shell out for an mp3 player. Have you even tried the Sandisk player (and how does buying it make you a dork? haha) Besides, you can't really jog with an iPod hanging from your arm or hanging on your pants. I've tried clipping it to my pants, and the weight of the iPod makes my pants slide up and down...so uncomfortable. It also freezes up after a while because of all the movement. Buy the Sandisk MP3 player if you're into exercising and want a player with some solid features.
5 Why is this a great player again?
I guess I just don't understand why this player is rated so high. I bought it for my wife to use for jogging... it's our 3rd mp3 player and somewhat of a disappointment. The armband is very skinny, which causes a lot of bounce. The bounce causes loud static when listening to the radio. The radio barely pulls in the strongest stations in the area. MP3's have noticable 'popping' noises during playback that do not occur on other players.
The controls are layed out for a left-handed person and are completely unintuitive (one button is labled 'A-B' for repeating a subsection of a song during playback from a marked 'a' to a marked 'b', but it's primary use is to switch between FM/Voice/MP3 modes... who knew?). I designed interfaces for a living, and had to read a sub-bullet of the manual to find out how to switch to FM mode. The design has a bulge in the back for the AA battery (this could have been a plus if it had been on the other side b/c it would allow you to rest it on a desk w/ the interface right-side up for viewing). Navigation is a pain (Especially with it on your arm). Controls have to be held for certain amounts of time to activate functions.
About the only thing that is better than the other players we own is that it requires no software to transfer the mp3's.
6 Awsome MP3 Player
I got my sandisk 512MB mp3 player yesterday, and it rocks. The sound quality is great and putting songs on the player is easy. But i got the thing about 8 days later that it should have come because it got delayed. My friend's mom got a book from amazon, and it also was delayed, so if you are need it to deliver on the shipping days it says, you might consider buyin it somewhere else. If not, amazon has a great price for it.
7 Good player, great value (4.5)
I was looking for something with a radio, decent storage and an attractive price. This unit has satisfied all conditions.
Pros:
-Size and weight are wonderful. Tucks into any pocket for casual use, and I don't even notice it while using the armband for a workout.
-Drag & drop loading & unloading are getting harder to find in mp3 players. This is amazingly hassle free, just like using a Sandisk USB drive. Mp3 and wma without a problem. It does come with jukebox SW if you like that, but I have yet to try it.
-Price is great.
-Storage is fine for my needs. Holds to have several 20-song mixes, books-on-tape, etc.
Cons
-The navigation isn't perfect. It's not that annoying, but it's not too intuitive after several weeks use. If you spend a lot of time moving through mixes, switching b/n radio & mp3 playback, etc, then this will be a bit annoying, esp while running/biking. If you just play, then it won't be much of a problem.
Par
-The battery life and radio reception are decent. Neither is wonderful, but both are par for current technology.
Reasons to buy this over an ipod (or why I did, and I'm happy)
1) Radio
2) AAA batteries, vs. proprietary
3) Ease of drag & drop loading and unloading.
4) I don't really care about the ipod peripherals or style.
5) Better size than ipod/ipod mini, and more display info/options than an ipod shuffle.
8 Good choice
If your looking for a excellent mp3 player for a good price, this is it. I wasnt looking to spend $200-$250 on the ipod, however, if it is a space issue, I can always delete songs. The only downside, which is very minor, is that you need AAA batteries, but overall, I would highly reccomend it for anyone who is looking for an excellent mp3 player at a reasonable price.
9 pure joy
i got this player today and i love it. transferring songs is quick and easy, the sound quality is good, and FM radio works great. i would reccomend this to anyone.
10 Very nice player with nice price
Nice little player... light weight, and uses one AAA battery...
Can display mp3 file names in Japanese/Chinese/Korean without any problem at all...
Transfering speed is pretty decent as well (USB2.0)
Only drawback...No neck strap!
11 This thing rocks!!...well sort of
Well first of all I have to say that it is amazing how much music this little keychain-like object can hold. I have somewhat corroborated several of the problems with it described in the other reviews but they aren't such a big deal once you understand how to get around them.
First off I have a macintosh computer and it seems to behave differently after conecting it to it. I know this because I first connected it to a PC. No surprises after having downloaded music from the PC. But after downloading from the Mac it added a new folder called "trash" (seeming to contain small garbage files that you can't delete for some reason). This folder would insert itself smack in the middle of my main music folder list, and whenever the folder right before it finished playing, instead of skipping over this strange folder the player would completely freeze up and I would have to take the battery out. I couldn't find why this was happening but I got around it by just creating sub folders within the five main folders. Apparently after five folders it starts placing the other folders below the "trash " folder. This weird problem only happened when I used it with my mac.
The menus are a little weird but it isn't rocket science. You will figure it out. The voice recording feature is cool but is not to be compared with professional voice recording devices. The quality is a bit scratchy but still good.
I have to say that while I was dealing with the freezing issue I almost wanted to return the device. It took alot of figuring out for a problem that better compatibilty engineering could have fixed.
Also, despite me having fixted the issue, now every single file in the player for some reason appears twice. Only the name though. It is very annoying to have to go back and delete the "fake" files, which don't show up when I want to delete them from my computer, forcing me to do it in the device.
Overall I am satisfied with my buy, but I am the kind of person that won't give up and will try anything to make his buy worthwhile. So many others out there may not want to deal with these issues. For me though, I am glad I got this instead of the overpriced iPod. If you have a PC you probably wont't have these problems.
And if your unit just freezes up at the title screen forever, that means you have to hook it up to your computer and delete absolutely everything. This will solve that. I hope this helps.
12 It is not as good as what I expected
When I order it from Amazon, the price was around $84, which was much lower than in other stores. Plus shipment is $91 in total. I was excited that I got a good deal; however, Amazon did not ship it, and just e-mail me that the order was delayed with no reason on it. It was weird that when I took a look the product page again, the price was raised to $96.99. I don't know if there is any relation between their delay and the price raise. I had been waited for 11 days, and eventually I cancel the order.
The reason that I gave 3 stars is that the playing and recording quality is OK, not good enough.
1. The quality of sound is OK, lower than I expect, but is acceptable with its price. The sound is clear like playing CD, but power output is weak. (Sandisk is cheaper than other famous brand, such as iRiver, Creative in 512MB flash memory level)
2. easy to transfer files. Just connect to PC. Drag and drop or copy and paste files from computer to it.
3. Remember to download the firmware from its website. It works better with the new version firmware.
4. Recording quality is better with the new version firmware, but still has noise that should be from programming problem. The reason I said that is that the noise is less with the new firmware.
13 great little player
Wow I love this mp3 player. It is easy to use. I like that I don't have to run special software to transfer the music. Bought one for self and one for my husband. I also have a Lyra 1070 that I love but this is better for exercising. I don't use the headphones that it came with because they don't fit my ears and I prefer the ones I have but my husband love them.
this player also sounds great when used with a fm transmitter in the car. YOU WON'T REGRET THIS MP3 PLAYER!!!!
I love it
14 Good sound, you get what you pay for
I do really like this unit as a whole, but I'm debating returning it, read on...
First of all the sound is really crisp, although on recommendation I did buy some of the $10 sony ear buds and they sound great.
The USB 2.0 file transfer is super and I mean SUPER quick.
As others have pointed out, navigating through the menus and such is not intuitive at all, read the manual and you'll get the hang of it. (ex. you must press the "play" button to select a song to play from the folder list when you'd normally expect to press the "select" button which actually takes you back to play mode without selecting anything)
The display is a decent size, just don't turn the scroll speed up to 10 it'll blur a bit, but not too bad, and you can always turn it back down.
Now the big downfall, which may be a bug or defect, but is the reason that I'm considering returning this. It seems to be slow overall. On my old creative muvo tx(which stopped working after about 14 months) I could press fast forward and it would immediately advance to the next song. On this unit when I press FF, the sound drops out and you hear silence for about 30 seconds before the next song plays. At first I thought it wasn't going to advance at all. It behaves simillarly at the end of a song also and I get periods of silence between songs(about 10 seconds or so). The first time I turned the unit on I got the "Sandisk: Welcom" message and it just sat there. After about 10-20 seconds I tried pressing some buttons and nothing happened I pulled the battery and tried again and it did the same thing and I was starting to think it was DOA, but I decided to leave it and see what happened, after about a full minute on the welcome screen it advanced to the play mode.
I did upgrade the firmware before I even tried the unit because I'd read about it fixing some static problems that others were having. Hopefully the speed/silence issue is just a bug that can be remedied else I'm sending it back.
15 Great MP3 Player, Great Price
I would highly recommend this MP3 player, good quality, great battery life, very good display in a reasonable price.
Using various button might take some efforts, but you can get started using basic functionality almost immediately. Transferring files is seamless, just connect and copy paste as you do between folders.
Display a folder tree for easy browsing of folders. Good sound quality (few people have reported issues with the sound quality but I don't see any problem, might be if you are a pro and can tell minute differences, there might be something, but for normal listing there is nothing noticeable)
UI is great, tabbed menu, graphics equalizer, almost all the stuff you need.
Few Negatives:
1. Earphones are not great, little hard on ears.
2. User guide can be more informative, should include screen shots of all the menus and options (You can figure out w/o it also, but it will be good if they include all the details)
3. No Neck Strap. (A wrist strap is provided, but the player is small enough to hang in a necklace, so neck strap would be a good option.)
4. No Play lists. (you can create one using the folders, but no direct option.)
From my side, it is a best buy in the range.
16 No direct USB capability
Important to note about this item - it does not plug in directly to the USB port on a PC. In a player / USB drive of this size, I consider this to be a big drawback. Is a user really expected to keep a USB cable on-hand for file transfers?
I'm returning mine without even putting the battery in.
And I do wish amazon.com were more clear with descriptions. This player says "Hi-Speed USB 2.0 port for fast and easy transfer of files." It should say "cable required" so you know you'll only be easily transferring files at the PC your cable is plugged into.
If lugging around a cable and/or not transferring on-the-go is acceptable to you, this does seem to be a good buy, which is why I gave it an average rating. I'm returning it without even powering it up, so I can't vouch for sound quality, ease of use, etc.
Until Amazon gets more clear with their descriptions or adds photos of package components, I'll be buying (or at least previewing) my digital media devices in physical stores where I can look at the box art.
17 Pretty cool little....and I mean little, device!
This is my first MP3 player... I had it up and running with songs on the thing in about 15 minutes...that included the time it took to take it out the box. It's hard to imagine where all of the songs go on this little thing... yeah, the buttons are not too user friendly, but you'll get used to it... I'm still amazed that all of these songs are on this little bitty gadget... I'll probably be replacing the headphones, but other than that, I think this toy is awesome!
18 an AWESOME buy, you won't regret it!!
About 2-3 weeks ago, I bought this new MP3 player, and it rocks!! I was going to get a Mini Ipod, but I love this one SO much more. The Ipod is close to 3 times as expensive, and it can hold a lot more songs than anyone should be listening to at the same time. xD
This player is absolutely TINY, compact, and amazing. Though there is a bulge in the back to put in the battery, but when you put the case they provide on, it's unnoticable (I keep the case on the entire time, it protects my player really well!). I also love the colors, the dark metallic blue combined with the silver also makes it eye catching and fit for flaunting. :)
The stereo earphones work amazingly well. I tried testing them with the earphones that came with the player, and some cheap earphones I had gotten, compared to the stereo earphones, the music coming from the cheap earphones I got was light, tinny, and it had no bass sound. While the earphones are slightly bigger than normal, I don't find that aspect much of a problem at all (maybe I just have big ears). The leads are different lengths, the left is short and the right is super long. I believe it's to cut off the slack when wearing the armband, but I'm slightly annoyed that the makers assume that we WILL be wearing the armband. However, it doesn't really make much of a difference anyway, because the leads are long enough for my liking, so that's ok.
The armband is nice, but I personally don't like it that much because I can't reach the player when it's strapped to my arm. I prefer using a neck strap (unfortunately, they don't provide one with the player, but it's easy enough to go and get a piece of string to tie around), but otherwise I don't mind.
The battery power is ok, though I expected more. It only lasts around 7 hours, at the most, for me. I run through the batteries so quickly now. One flaw I find with the Sandisk is that you could accidentally press the play button if it's squished in your backpack or whatever, and then the player could be playing music the entire time without you noticing, running down the batteries really fast. I assume that's what happened with my player, because the last time I checked the battery level was full, then suddenly it was almost gone the next time I wanted to play it.
Contrary to one of the reviews I read on this player, there IS a way to fast forward through the music. All you need to do is press and hold the fast forward button and it'll start going through the song really fast, and vice versa for the rewind button. I found the controls really easy to master, if you just experiment a little it's real easy to figure out, and the basic play and stop and scroll is so basic it's hard to imagine anyone having a hard time with it.
One word of advice, however: Make sure you have the right type of files, 128kbps for MP3 and 64kbps for WMA. I had 128kbps WMA files and it won't play that way. My dad and I had a tough time trying to convert the files with programs, just to learn that they were protected (which I had stupidly done automatically when copying songs from my cds). Finally we had to resort to RECOPYING the songs again into my computer. It's annoying and messy work, so be sure you have the right files first. ^^
Anyway, I hope this review was really helpful to you, and if you buy this player, you won't regret it! It's the best thing ever!! :)
19 A runner's perspective
I bought the Sandisk 512 MP3 player for use while running. If you are a runner, you probably already know that the jukebox-style (e.g. Ipod) and CD-style MP3 players don't work well because the constant jarring makes it impossible for the player to read its media. Memory-based units like this one don't have this problem because there are no moving parts to jar. Weight and a rugged case are also considerations. I compared this unit to others made by Apple, Rio, Creative, and iRiver breaking the units down by size, price, capacity, and features. With few minor differences, all of these players look pretty much identical with the exception of the Apple (No display? Are they kidding?), iRiver (AA battery instead of AAA = more battery life), and the Sandisk because it is the least expensive of the bunch.
So I bought it, and here's what I've found thus far. I'll break this up into three categories:
1. The Player -
+ It's small and light. I can run with this in my hand and barely notice that I'm carrying it.
+ Nice sound for an MP3 player.
+ Good user interface - some people didn't like having to learn it, but I found it quite useful. Particularly since I can listen to the music and adjust the equalizer at the same time.
o The construction of the unit does not speak of durability. It is so light, however, that I am not sure if there is enough mass to cause it to break if dropped. I will update after I drop it for the first time - whenever that happens.
- Bump for battery in case makes it more difficult to fit into my existing arm-band holder with my cell phone. OK, that sounds like whining. Probably is whining.
2. The Headphones -
+ Nice sound - great bass response for earbuds.
+ Comfortable to wear.
o Cable is shorter for left earbud than right earbud. This kind of assumes that you will be wearing the unit on your left arm and operating it with your right hand. I did not find this to be a plus or a minus, but it might annoy some people (i.e. lefties), so there you have it.
- The earbuds have these big bits on the outside that serve no function that I can figure. The problem being that when I go to wipe away sweat, I knock the earbuds out of my ear because I bump the big Frankenbolts sticking out of my ears. For now I am using my old buds from my last player and thinking about taking the bits off with my Dremel. I will update if I ever get to doing that - or if my old buds die.
3. The Armband/Cover -
+ The band is lightweight and relatively comfortable.
+ The band is made of a fabric that is remarkably breathable.
o The band itself, while breathable, seems like it may not hold up to a lot of sweat. I'm holding judgement on this and will re-post if it self-destructs.
- This is probably the cheapest construction that I have ever seem in an MP3 cover bar none. The cover for the player is made of thin vinyl which will not protect the player from anything but scratches. I would've preferred neoprene or silicon rubber to help the player stand up to being dropped.
UPDATE: A few people have suggested the ROM update - I have to agree. The player was refusing to take any more songs on it after only filling to around 200 MB. The ROM update is trivial - just another file that you download to the player and then turn it on. Availble at the web page (http://www.sandisk.com/retail/dap-firmware.asp).
20 Love it!
First of all Mr. Cranky HAS to work for Apple. I read his other review regarding another MP3 player and he basically said the same thing. Anyway, I bought this player after comparing it with the Ipod. After research of reviews from critics and consumers alike, I noticed that the Ipod was lacking compared to San Disk and even Creative Muvo. For $10 cheaper with the SanDisk, I get a digital screen, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and a usable flash drive. With the Ipod, you pay $10 more and don't get the aforementioned features. I installed the Music Match software and found that Windows Media Player 10 is MUCH better. It's easy to drag and drop music files that you rip from regular CDs. I don't see myself downloading music for now. I'm too busy archiving all the existing CDs I own. Overall, I love this player. I can run with it. It's hardly noticeable. I would appreciate some kind of neck lanyard when I want to lift weights instead of placing it in my gym shorts pockets. I paid $90 through Ebay at the time.
21 QUIT complaining nothings perfect
I got this Mp3 player for christmas and i chose it and bought it the day after thanksgiving and got a really good price. I really like it and enjoy it thouroghly i have not had a real problems
little inconviences
-------------------
+has no playlists
+for the name on the player it uses the file name that you have
on your computer so if you burned the song onto your computer
from one of your cds make sure it doesn't name them like artist:album name: track number: song name because it takes
forever for it to scroll through but thats a easy thing to fix
+menu a bit confusing at first but it gets easy once you understand it
other than that i really like it
22 this thing is AWESOME!!
The first one I ordered for my 10 year old son had an issue with the FM tuner, but the replacement one works really well. He has had it for 2 weeks now, he uses it every day and is still on the original battery. The sound quality is very good. Once you get the hang of it, it is very easy to use. I would highly recommend this item.
23 Awesome MP3 player!!!!!!!!
I've had this player for around 4 months and I love it. Its built great and has a FM radio and holds just the right amount of songs for when your on the go. Its way better then the Ipod shuffle 512mb caus it has a screen and it has a fm radio! Great overall buy.
24 Best value currently on the market!
I was tired of running and working out with my hand held CD-player, so I decided to buy a mid-range MP3 player. For the price this MP3 player offers more than any other currently on the market.
PROS:
- Can hold a decent amount of songs - about 8 hours (roughly 125-150 songs). If you are using this to workout, you really don't need any more.
- FM tuner picks up a nice range of stations
- Extremely light
- Comes with armband, clear protective case, and USB cable
- Just plug it to your computer and transfer the files. No need to install any software.
CONS:
- The included headsets are ok, but remember the included headsets, at this point, is just an added extra.
- The navigation system is a bit tricky, but after looking at the online manual I was able to navigate through it within minutes. So if you are really computer savvy then no sweat.
I have used the voice recorder and it works fine. Remember folks, it's an MP3 player not a dedicated voice recorder. Don't expect the best recorded audio on this.
Finally, I would recommend upgrading the firmware. I DID NOT experience any of the static that previous users had but I upgraded the firmware by visiting the SanDisk website.
Other than that, it's a great product!
25 Great product but controls need soem experience
It is a great product. I wanted a light mp3 player that does not skip when I jog. My other options were ipod mini and ipod shuffle. I dont think I would have liked them. Mini is bulky and both of them dont come an armband.
PRICE AND VALUE
---------------
It is a little expensive but I am using it a lot for jogging and working out. I think its worth it because it helps me to be fit. I am happy I bought it.
In shuffle and other ipods accesories cost a lot. This player come swith a carry cas and arm band.
It does not hold too many songs (100-150).
HEADPHONES
----------
Clumsy headphones that dont fit in my ear. They keep falling off when I jog. I should get some nice ones.
CONTROLS
--------
It took me more than a week to figure out the controls. Hardest part was the file browser. Now I figured it out. You need to click the joy stick (if you will) and a list of folder will appear. You can browse using by clicking the joy stick left and right and when you find the file you want to play press the play button. I stilll have to fugure few more controls.
Th default mode mode in the Playeris "Shuffle" mode so change it using the menu (click the joy stick for 2 seconds).
FEATURES NICE TO HAVE
----------------------
FM Radio - FM channels + gym televisions on FM.
Voice recorder - I havent used this yet.
FEATURES MISSING
----------------
Playlists
CARRY CASE AND ARM BAND
-----------------------
Someone said the arm band is too huge. They did not assemble it very well. My arms are very thin and it fits perfectly. It took me sometime to run the arm band through the carry case but after that I havenot even taken it apart.
The carry case has openings for battery and USB cable so I dont need to take the player out at all.
I use the armband and jog outdoors and ona tread mill. However I don't use it when I lift weights because it stretches the armband (muscles expand).
BATTERY
-------
I use rechargeable ons. I have not tested the performance but it works well. I change it every 2-3 days. I hate to lose the player when I am in the middle of a workout.
26 I bought it only because I need a MP3 now,,,
Although I like this MP3, I still think the price is too high. Amazon mark up five dollars more and w/o free shipping after I purchased this item, so I won't recommend this to anyone.
Pro:
1.Compact and light weight
2. Sound quality is good (subjective, and I use my own $30 Sony headphone which bought 4 years ago)
3. Easy to figure out the buttons and the menu
4. Can display foreign lanugages song names
5. Not power hungry.
Con:
1. Price -- should worth $70 only. Period.
2. Hope it provide a clip instead of waist band.
Others:
1. For the battary compartment you need to look at the quick start guide first, otherwise don't feel sorry if you break it.
2. Download the latest firmware from Sandisk website to fix the voice recorder problem.
27 Bargain Player - With Good Sound, But Somewhat Buggy
Pros: Price vs Competitors, good sound, easy to get started.
Cons: Occasionally buggy operation even with upgraded firmware, Pops with some MP3 files
I have had this little player for one week, and generally, I am impressed. It fits 10-12 CDs worth of music with decent fidelity (128 kbps), is easy to tote around, and gives you more for the money than its competitors. The display is easy to read, and the basic controls are easy, although custom configuration controls are a bit arcane.
It has not been without hick-ups, though. MP3 files encoded using the LAME encoder can have pops if certain compression options are used. If you aren't into tinkering with your compression options, you should probably stick with the bundled encoding software. Also, I had the player lock on the start-up screen, having to remove the battery to shut it off. This even happened with the new firmware download I got from the Sandisk website. Through trial and error, I found that I could get the unit back by removing all music files and reloading them. I await feedback from Sandisk on what the root cause might be.
28 A ask for all!
Can I use the SanDisk like a pendrive too ??? or like memory card, that can I put some files like .doc???
Thanks a lot fo all
29 It may be good if it works.
Got this one as a birthday present. Looks not as good as an iPod at my first glance. But it can play wma DRM which I can get the song cheaper than iTunes. And it use AAA battery so I can use a rechargeable NiMH without worry about when the built-in battery will die someday. The whole package feels like a cheap crap. And it really is. Mine never woke up, it's a DOA. Totally CRAP!!! Got to return it to Sandisk, not the reseller. What is the hell I need to wait for shipping?? Feel very very unhappy about this product. Go to get a new iPod mini now.
30 Good deal for the money
Yep, I looked at the iPod Shuffle and considering that this one has a display, song folders, FM tuner and a voice recorder for the same price it really wasn't much of a decision. I like being able to play/shuffle music within its genre.
It does take some serious reading of the manual (which you can download ahead of time) but if you're familier with file folders in windows then organizing your music on the Scandisk is easy. Finding and setting all the options to your particular taste will take some work.
The earphones that come with it are decent but the armband didn't work well for me at the gym. I'll just get a cord and hand it around my neck.
31 this player just doesn't work
This has been one of the worst products that i have ever owned. I purchase this product in 2/14. I loaded a bunch of mp3s on it. I play the songs, all of a sudden the player would freeze. I thought it was something wrong with my mp3, so i deleted all of them on the player and tried to reload them. However, after like 121 mb, my computer keeps on tell me that it's full.
the customer service supports sucks too. They told me to reformat the player, now the entire player is write protected. lovely huh,
oh and the part i love the best is this statement from teh customer service support staff.
"What types of files are you trying to play? The player will only play MP3 files (128kbps bitrate) and WMA files (64kbps bitrate) if they are unlicensed. Make sure your files are not licensed and the bitrate is correct. To increase the supported bitrate, you may go to http://www.sandisk.com/retail/dap-firmware.asp to download and install the firmware for your player."
where was that statement on the product specs? This is my second sandisk product. But i don't think i'm going to purchase another one again.
32 Versatile gizmo that will amaze you!!!!!
I am a first time DAP buyer and after reading some of the comments I decided to buy sandisk. I didn't want to shell out higher price for an ipod as I wasn't sure if I will use it often. It now seems that I will use it a lot. I am thrilled with my Sandisk 512MB DAP. I found the product robust, user friendly and versatile. Nothing in the unit displeased me.
I was amazed at the speed with which songs can be transferred. I also like its voice recording ability. I was not sure how long the recordings woould be - its turns out that with around 100MB left on the DAP, I could record for over 7.5 hours!
I found some of the comments provided in earlier reviews not applicable to my unit. I did not read the maual carefully but it seems that you can doa lot with this player.
- Both MP3 and WMA files can play at the same time
- Sound quality is very good (at 96kbps)
- COntrols are not cumbersome but very easy to follow - In fact they are so easy that I dont even need to pull out the player from my pocket to use several of those controls.
- Resume function works! I was worried about the audio book comment in another review. When you switch back the player, it starts from exactly where you left the song. If it doesn't work, one needs to turn on the resume setting.
- I did not find any problems with the functioning of the unit
- Voice recording gives a little low volume sound but it is good enough to follow
Other features I found included
- folders can work as playlists
- Looks sleek (it is really tiny)
- The earphones are good
- Battery life is amazing
- I couldn't figure out how to use the armband so I keep the DAP in my pocket
- I could use windows media player or direct method to transfer files.
Now, when I step out of my car, the music does not stop!
33 Sandisk 512 vs. iPod Shuffle
I wanted a flash mp3 player for working out. When the 512 mb shuffle wasreleased, it looked like the perfect match. 512 mb for under $100 was my target. Those considering products above $100 might add the Creative Muvo to their list of candidates.
Before comparing the Sandisk to the iPod, let me tell you what you get with the Sandisk. The blue plastic case is lightweight and powered by a single AAA battery. Not shown in most pictures is a small bulge out of the back to accommodate the battery. The package itself is slightly larger than a pack of gum in every dimension. If your hands are large, you will be able to hide it in a clenched fist.
Included in the packaging is some documentation, a battery, the 512, a USB cable, a CDROM, headphones and the arm band. Conspicuously absent is a lanyard to wear this around your neck. I visited the sandisk website and downloaded a firmware upgrade that supposedly eliminates a slight crackling sound that would occassionally occur. The upgrade is as simple as described on the website and I have had no issues with noise from the player.
This player will play MP3, WMA and WMA-DRM formats. I use the iTunes software to create my MP3s, but beware: iTunes defaults to MPEG-4 as its format, which is compatible with iPods, but as far as I know, nothing else. The sandisk plugs into the USB and is seen by the computer as another memory location. Loading it up with music is as simple as dragging and dropping files or folders to the player. One complaint here is the need for the USB cable. This player could serve as a thumb drive, but you need the cable to plug into the USB. It would have been better to have it plug directly into a USB port, even if the player were slightly larger.
The included earbuds are decent, but probably not a good match for those using the player while running or working out. Maybe you have better luck with this type of earbud than I do, but they tend to fall out of my ears. They have thoughtfully made 1 of the leads longer than the other to minimize cord slack when using the arm band.
Sound quality is excellent but dependent on the fit of the earbuds. The player has preset and custom EQ settings that allow you to change tone settings. This is a great feature, in my opinion.
Using the player takes a little time to get comfortable. The controls are intuitive, but there are a lot of features to get used to. The display is very good and communicated information well. The blue backlight comes on any time a button is pushed. The player also has an FM receiver and voice recorder built into it. Nice features, but I have not yet used them.
How does this compare to the iPod shuffle? Well, it is $5 less at the moment. Size advantage goes to the iPod, though the Sandisk is small enough that I wouldn't expect size to be an issue. Feature set goes to the Sandisk, with the most noted differences: the LCD display, the equalizer, the fm tuner, the voice recorder and the arm band (which is a $30 accessory from Apple). The iPod does play MPEG-4, which seems to be a slightly smaller file size than a 160kb MP3. After living with the display, I'm glad I went with the sandisk. I would rather have the display and not use it than not have it and wish I did. If nothing else, it keeps me from creeping the volume upwithout realizing how loud it is getting. I can always see if I'm going higher than my usual listening levels.
You probably can't go wrong with either player. The sandisk uses removable batteries as opposed to an internal rechargeable on the iPod. If that battery fails, the shuffle goes in the trash. At least you can replace the battery, or keep a fresh supply on hand for the sandisk. The shuffle charges through the USB port, so you need a computer handy and 4 hours to complete the charge. Not an issue for some, perhaps a concern for others.
In summary, for $95, how can you go wrong with this player? If the features aren't selling points for you, the iPod shuffle will be perfectly adequate, and perhaps simpler to live with. As far as performance value, the sandisk has put a lot in this package at an extremely attractive price point.
34 DAP: How I Chose
Having to first wipe and then reburn a CD-RW just to hear a few new songs on my MP3-CD player was an inconvenience I wanted to be rid-off -- plus the inability to fast-forward to a certain point in a track made listening to audio books a pain. So began my hunt for a MP3 player.
Since I didn't plan on having my whole collection with me (simply 40 songs, if not less, at a time), a 1gb+ player would be overkill. True portability, plus not having to wait for a recharge and potentially having to send the player back 3 years later to pay x amount to replace the battery, meant that I was looking for something that runs on AAAs or AAs. I might also jog with it and a read through the on-line forums showed mixed results for micro-drives in this capacity which placed me in the market for a 512mb or 256mb flash DAP.
Examining the reviews and user opinions on CNET, Amazon and various on-line, audio forums, the companies to consider were Apple, CreativeLabs, iAudio, iRiver and SanDisk.
Apple has a great reputation and everyone seems to agree that the quality (both finish, ease of use and sound) of their players are excellent. The only controversy was with the short life of the lithium ion batteries but all players with this energy source will have this problem. (According to Battery University, if the user leaves the battery at 100% charge at 77 degrees Fahrenheit, at the end of 1yr, the total charge level will only be at 80% which means that if you were able to get 20 hours of play, a year later, you'll only be able to get 16 hours)
The new iPod Shuffle didn't appeal to me because it lacked a LCD screen (try navigating a CD-RW with 107 songs and you'll know what I mean) Also, I heard that the Shuttle was binded to your home's iTunes so the only way to transfer files from your office was to first format the thing. It doesn't have a FM tuner, runs on lithium with ~12hr life, and doesn't support WMA but is the only player to support AAC. You can only have 1 playlist. So it wasn't for me. However, if you have a large iTunes collection, have an iPod and just want a excellent sounding player with familiar controls to workout at the gym with, this player is for you.
CreativeLabs, the guys who brought us the awesome sound blaster cards ( I have the Audigy 2 ZS), offers a wide array of DAPs which have just as much mind-share among the enthusiast as Apple. Their most popular models are Zen Micro followed by Zen Touch. The major issues were: 1. bad firmware update for the Micro and 2. the headphone jack on the Micro seems to degenerate too quickly. Sound quality-wise, vox poplui is that Zen Micro and the iPod 4gb sound about the same.
Among the flash players, only the Muvo N200 and Muvo Tx FM have a FM tuner and run on AAA batteries with ~15hr life. Both are exactly the same but the Tx FM can act as a USB key without having to use a small adapter like the N200 -- this also means that the Tx FM is slightly larger. Reviews and discussions suggest that both have pretty good sound quality but not on the level of a iAudio or iRiver. I favored the Tx over N200 because the former can be a true USB key but ultimately decided not to go neither because the LCD was so small. (Went to J&R to see one).
Of interest, the original Tx FM could not fast-forward to the middle of a song, however, a firmware update has fixed this plus added support for Audible.com. I have also read the manual and found the controls (jog wheel that can be depressed to select and volume + & -) to be as intuitive as Apple's. Overall, the N200 & Tx FM are for people whose willing to sacrifice a bit of sound quality in order to get a small LCD screen. Both have FM tuners and so-so voice recorder ability but has no playlist support and you can only have 1 subfolder (C:\Level1\Level2). They support MP3, WMA and Audible.
iAudio is a company that appears to be quite popular in Korea. They don't seem to have as big a following in the states due to fact that their players, before the recent price decrease, were rather expensive and had limited distribution. Their most popular models are the U2 and iAudio 4 (there is a 5 out now, different look, same insides). Both had FM tuners, excellent voice recording ability with playlist support and fast forward ability. They support MP3, VBR, WMA, WAV, OGG and ASF
Since there wasn't too much on the forums about them, the CNET reviews were the main source of information and the U2 was rank the top flash player with some of their other players also taking top spots. The U2, with its extremely small form factor, had excellent sound, on par with the iPod Shuffle and a beautiful design. The only problem for me was that is used lithium rechargeable batteries. The iAudio 4 used AAA batteries and had the same sound quality as the U2 but didn't navigate via joystick. Both had about a ~15hr battery life.
Taking a look at the manuals, the i4 did not appear to be as intuitive as the CreativeLab Muvo or Apple iPod. The U2 is good for people who want excellent sound with an easy to read LCD and navigation plus small footprint. The iAudio 4 is for those who are looking for everything in the U2 but is willing to trade slightly larger form factor and navigation to have a non-lithium battery. I have ordered a iAudio 5 512mb (The i5s are gorgeous!!!) and am waiting for it to arrive. An interesting note is that you can change the short boot-up screen for the i4. Just download the software from the company's site and it makes converting a moving gif for the start-up screen a snap.
iRiver is iAudio's rival in Korea and it seems that both have about the same sound quality (which means excellent sound and on par with the Shuffle). iRiver is also known to have elegant designs and their iFP-799 is no exception - this player looks very similar to the U2. The review on CNET and elsewhere were very favorable to all their players however, it seems that quite a few users in the forums have quality problems and report the units breaking about a few months later. I was going to get an iFP-799 which supports MP3, OGG and non-protected WMA but didn't want a lithium battery (these things are everywhere) and the fact that it doesn't work as a UBS key killed the deal. You have to install iRiver's software in order to transfer anything onto the player but you can't save songs from the player to your computer - perhaps done to please media companies. Battery life, at ~40hrs, was the longest of all.
SanDisk has been in the flash memory business for awhile and it was a logical step to create more value-added products like a MP3 player. Their entry seems to have forced prices of flash players down. I have brought 2 of these (gave one to my youngest brother who loves it) and found the value, relative to price, to be the highest among all the flash DAPs. It supports MP3s and both protected and non WMA files. There is no playlist.
The sonic quality of the item was a bit worst than your average CD player and the included headphones sounded mono. Switching to my Sennheiser HD 457s, gave the sound a better range (lows were lower and highs were higher) but it came with a slight decrease in volume.
The FM tuner had trouble auto-scanning but you could manual select and I found the reception to be no worst than a standard walkman. I have not tried the voice recording but heard that it was only good for personal messages. Don't expect to record lectures like the iAudio and iRiver DAPs. The unit itself only supports one folder level (no subfolders) and couldn't seem to handle more than 10 of them. My brothers and I found that the navigation wasn't a problem for us. Reading the manual, however, was required in order to get all the options. How can someone know that holding down the select button for 3 seconds while in any mode will bring up the systems menu?
The LCD screen was a decent size. With a blue backlit, there were no issues reading it. Since you could just drag and drop your songs via Windows Explorer, I have not tried the included software. You can also create your folders via Windows Explorer. The small form factor meant that you could place it in any pocket and not notice it there. No problems were had connecting to our 4 PCs via the included USB cable. File transfer was very quick. A reviewer complained that file deletion was difficult but that was not the case. Just select the song and hit Rec, press the Play/Stop to confirm. We had been using the 2 units for awhile now and the 15 hour stated battery life appeared to be correct.
This DAP is definitely good for those looking for a ultra portable device. It's not much bigger than your thumb. The sound wouldn't blow you away (audiophiles would be better serve with a iAudio, iRiver or iPod Shuffle) but the low price will surely impress. SanDisk looks to be a strong contender in low-end flash player market.
General note about what storage size to select. Besides, the SanDisk 1GB, non of the other 1GB items could be recommended. Often times a 4GB unit can be had from the same company for just $25 to $30 more which means that the user should choose between 256mb or 512mb. Assume 6mb per song, you can have around 42 and 83 songs, respectively.
35 best mp3 player i have ever owned!! A MUST HAVE!
I bought this mp3 player pretty much on a impulse. my old rca lyra RD1070 had finally died on me.
this mp3 player has a built in equalizer, fm tuner, and a nice, compact lcd screen so you can view what song is playing, etc. even includes an armband for all you joggers out there.
i have windows XP home and i didn't have to install anything! just plugged in the supplied usb cable, and i dragged and dropped my tunes directly to this player. i suggest that you convert all your Mp3's to wma's because wma's are smaller and take up less space than mp3's. (i didn't know about this until i read the reviews) battery life is excellent, and if u don't use the backlight, your battery will last alot longer.
i have no complaints with this player other than that the battery door is a little hard to open and the menus do take some getting used to, but that is true with any new compact device nowadays. also you can create folders on this player and store your music according to genre. (which is really cool).
and, if you wanna delete a song, simply plug the usb cable to your pc, attach cable to player, and simply navigate to the folder/song and delete it! it's that simple! way to go sandisk! i really wish all devices were this user friendly.
36 if you are an audio book listener this one is not for you!!!
This player is probably wonderful if you are using it to play music. It seems to have a very good sound. It is lightweight and very snazzy looking. Has a cool armband, but...I bought it to listen to audiobooks. Its terrible for that. There is one audiobook site that many libraries subscribe to called "netlibrary" that puts a whole audiobook in one wma track. This player cannot handle that, because while it does have resume it has no bookmarking function. It also has no speedy fastforward, so imagine if you lose your place and have to fastforward 4 hours. As for transfering book cds to the player. It plays in the order you transfered it, no other order is possible so if they get transfered on the player in the wrong order, you will have to fish for them. I am very disappointed, but if I ever get back into listening to music again, I think it will be nice. It is extremely light weight for athletic endeavors.
37 Why settle for an inferior IPod?
I did a lot of research for a flash MP3 player and narrowed it down to the Creative MuVo, IPod Shuffle and this Sandisk. I rejected the IPod due to its lack of a screen, and I rejected the MuVo because it uses an internal battery.
I think anyone who buys the IPod Shuffle over the Sandisk isn't thinking. The Sandisk has a screen that the IPod lacks and you can play all songs on it randomly (exactly like the IPod). But, you can also play only the songs in a specific directory or you can randomize the songs in a directory. When you note that the price between the two units is about the same, the Sandisk wins easily.
Battery life is good (about 12 hours) and it uses common AAA batteries. I simply pop in an NiMH AAA and I'm good to go. This is a big advantage over the units with an internal, rechargeable battery because the internal batteries eventually wear out and you're left with a useless piece of ex-playing MP3 plastic. Also, you don't need to be near a computer or have to buy an AC convertor to recharge the Sandisk.
The unit is pretty solidly built, and the screen, although small, is readable. What's more the sound is decent as long as you encode MP3's at a reasonable bit rate (I use VBR and I can get songs the same size as a 128 CBR that average around a rate of 160--not the 256 rate I used to archive but fine for a small unit such as this.
The FM tuner works quite well--unless you are in a large office building--not surprising. At home I can pick just as many stations as any full receiver I've ever owned.
All is not perfect with this unit; however. Opening the battery door takes a bit of practice, so be careful until you "figure it out". The ear buds are too big and become very uncomfortable after a little while--typical for an earbud--although the sound is pretty decent. Also there is no AM tuner--a big disappointment to Rush listeners and news junkies. Sandisk dropped the ball on this and should have produced a player with an AM tuner and offered a feature that I haven't seen any other manufacturers implement.
In short, this is a great player. For the money its the best of the flash players curretnly available.
38 SanDisk: I like the price and the performance
I have had this SanDisk 1gb since November last year.
So far this is a great MP3 player. It's easy to put songs, and any other files.
Very, very nice price for MP3/VR(Voice Recording), EQ(Equalizer), FM (Radio), USB 1.1 and 2.0, ID3 Tag, and Lyric Support features.
I have dropped couple of times, but still going. I just feel 1gb is a little bit small these days, but I will not go for HDD DAP since there are many who had a HDD crashes.
I also used mine with Etymotic 4P earphone when I was in a plane for 14 hours. It's awsome. (good music, good sound isolation, I can't ask for more.)
39 best mp3 player ever better than ipod!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This very very small mp3 player is only 1 inch high and 3 inches long!!!!!!!!very lightweight and records up to 160 songs!!!!!!!!Plus it's better than ipod because it's got voice recordings up to 2 hours!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Plus fm radio with preset scan and click stations, and you can save your favorite 20 stations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!It's the best mp3 player ever!!!!!!!!!!especially for the price : $99 !!!!!!!!or only $72 with amazon.com acount!!!!!!!!!!The only problem is you have to go online for instructions:(
but its still the best!!!!!!! IT works for up to 17 hours with a single rechargeable or nonrechargeable AAA battery!!!!!
40 Small, but packed full of power
I got this up and running within minutes of walking out of the store. No need for the enclosed software. Click your mp3s on your computer, click copy right in windows and paste them into this powerful player with the enclosed USB cord. Couldn't be easier. Great to move mp3s from one computer to another easily too.
Sound is great. I haven't used the record feature but I think it will come in handy with some of my absentmindedness. Great to leave myself messages of things I have to pick up at the store, calls to make, etc.
Comes with battery so you are set to go right out of the box. LOVE this thing.
41 This is good !
This is my first mp3 player, its very compact, sounds great, file transfer is fast using simple drag and drop and the FM is good. The controls do take some time getting used to. Overall its worth the value.
42 Love it!
I just started training for a half-marathon and due to weather, I have to train on a treadmill. The SanDisk 512 is perfect for making the run not seem too horrible while being on the treadmill. It's lightweight and easy to change songs and volume. I also like the ease of dragging and dropping songs - this makes the player well worth the money.
The only complaint I would have is the earphones. And it could just be a defect with the pair I got....but the cords coming out of each earphone are not even close to being even. The left one is super short and the right one super long. It still works ok - but I am more inclined to use my own. Other than that....I am happy with the purchase. You can't go wrong if you want a lower priced MP3 player.
43 Lovely little thing
I received the Sandisk 512 MB player for X-mas and like it alot. So far I've found nothing to complain about. I rarely use it though, because I also got an iRiver H320 for x-mas, which I use constantly. But when I know I have a test or a lecture at school, I slip this little bad boy in my pocket and enjoy some tunes.
If you aren't looking for a player that will store your whole music library, this should be it, cuz it's compact, durable, and looks good too.
44 Very nice little Digical Audio Player plays mp3 and wma
I am surprise by how good the sound is with this unit. I bought the 512mb version but I think it is the same for other sizes. It is VERY easy to load songs into this unit. plug the USB2 cable in and drag and drop! Only problem is the ear plugs are too darn big and hurt my ears. I sub that with my own Quiet earhead phones in order to get comfortable but the sound seems get depressed and not as loud.
45 Sweeeet
After reading a million reviews, I finally decided on the SanDisk 512. I was considering Creative, Yupp and Sandisk. 512 was a must for me because I am planning on using it while skiing and mountain biking (all day events).
My main concern was durability. After reading reviews about creative, many said it was made of very cheap plastic and was afraid of breaking it. This player feels very solid but I think the battery flap will prolly break off but its no big deal. I can care a less about the arm/neck band debate but the arm band does look like a quality product.
The CD that the SanDisk comes with is worthless! The player is drag and drop making it amazingly easy to use without any software.
At first the player's options can be a little confusing. Although it is very basic, it took me a few minutes to figure out how to change folders but once u get used to it, its a breeze.
I am totally satisfied with this product and it is worth ever penny! I will write another review if the player breaks.
46 The best value - skip iPod shuffle
I recently bought this and it's totally awesome. FM stereo with automatic presets, equalizer settings, plus a custom setting. Quick drag&drop your tunes to your player. Music Match works perfectly with player. It's also just like having a flash drive. You can transfer any file type to any PC. I change my tune selection often and it's easy as pie to delete and add songs or folders. I love the fact that it randomly selects songs from all your folders - you never know which artist is in que.
The sound is great and the battery lasts a long time. No need to wait for recharging - pop in another or use rechargable AAA's.
I see iPod has entered the small MP3 player market. I say don't waste your money. You have to buy additional accessories for up to $30 each to match what this baby does on it's own. Don't hesitate, if you're in the market for a nifty MP3 player look no further. Go for the 1G player if you need more space.
47 It grows on you
Wow, great product. Build quality is good with obvious chinese origins to be expected in this price range. Sandisk however has done a great job of making the player look stylish with a good overall design and effective use of chrome accents, this player has a big "how cute" factor and everyone I have shown it to comments on this. The display quality is excelent, its a bitmapped display not merely a fixed display like the ones you see on most low end players.
Here are the things I really like. Great looks and perfect size for me. It is just like a USB drive and can be used for data storage just like you would use a USB drive. Sound quality is superb (lots of equalizing controls with preset setting and configurable settings). Single AAA battery lasts 8-10 hours, using a standard battery means you dont have to wait for a battery to charge. But if you use it a lot, you can use a rechargeable NiMH battery, this is what I do. I bought a set of four 850mAh rechargeable AAA batteries and a 4-channel charger so I can charge one battery at a time. I get 10 hours of use per battery on a single charge. I am so unconcerned with batteries that I sometimes dont bother turning it off and leave it running for hours.
The things I dont like. Headphones sound good but are not a good fit for me, however I went to the local store and looks like this style of headphone is whats common now and I could not find a better replacement, I miss the headphones with the foam inserts, much more confortable. The arm band thing doesnt really work for me either, I think I will find another solution.
The things I wish for. Being able to record from the built in FM radio (actually its my sister's wish as she is too poor to pay 99 cent a pop). Line out connector. I have an FM receiver in my garage, it would have been great if I could hook up the player to it and listen to MP3s.
Overall I have to give this product 5 stars. I got a lot for my money and I have to admit that it has grown on me after using it for a while, and after buying an early model MP3 player quite a while back I think flash MP3 players have come a long way. The only problem is your whole family is going to want one. I bought one for my sister for christmas and soon everybody in my hose wanted one, this got expensive real quick. Hope this helps you, I'm quite certain if you buy it you will agree that this is a great value. (I actually bought the 256MB, and 512MB version but am posting this review for all 3 models as they are identical except for capacity)
48 Small with lots of space
What a great little player! I love this mp3 player! I bought it for just over $100 at ebay.com. It came with a cd (manual and musicmatch software that you don't need), USB cord, velcro stretchy arm band, ear bud phones, and one cheap battery.
This is my second mp3 player. I had an Evolution MTV 128 player, and had several issues with that player. 1)I had to use the stupid software to load music, 2)It had a non-standard battery with a short life, so I always had to carry the charger when travelling.
SO when researching players, I wanted 1) More space, 2) Drag and drop loading, 3) AA or AAA battery, 4) Arm band for running. And I wanted to find something not very expensive.
I chose the Sandisk because of all of those reasons. I have not been disappointed. It is easy to load music. I can keep albums in the same folders I have set up on my computer. This unit is very small and lightweight. I have used it for running and the strap is comfortable and small (not thick or bulky).
I actually had to read the manual to figure out a few features - things aren't as self-explanatory as one might expect. The buttons are small, but I'm used to that and it doesn't bother me at all. It is really cool-looking for those of you who are into appearances. The FM radio goes through batteries pretty quick, so if you plan to use the radio, you might want to invest in some rechargables.
Overall, this was a great deal! Even my techie husband (and audiophile) has been impressed with it.
49 Good MP3 Player and Radio...controls could be better
I really, really like the Sandisk 512MB MP3 player!
I bought this a couple of days ago because I've started running on the treadmill. I was using the old yellow Sony sport armband model that was just a radio, and it was driving me crazy when commercials came on (or a slow song -- death during a workout!).
The MP3 player allowed me to load much of my music (ripped to the WMA format to fit more) and the shuffle allows me to start the music and just go, never knowing what's coming next, but always knowing it will rock!
The radio is also very nice on this unit. The reception is clear and there are more than enough preset slots to save my stations.
Contrary to an earlier comment, I find the size of this unit is just fine for a workout. The unit is also VERY light; I barely noticed it was there.
Also, echoing another earlier comment, when copying to the unit, I treated it like a hard drive and just set up folders with my music sorted into the approprate spot. That created playlists.
The one issue I have with this MP3 player is in the area on controls, more specifically while I am running.
The controls while setting up the unit are actually pretty good (if you have the manual handy...they are not intuitive, but the manual lays it out OK)! They crammed a lot of features into a little package and it has all I need.
However, if I want to switch from radio to recorded music or back the other way WHILE running, it is very difficult. That's not usually a big problem though: I'll probably use one method or the other during a workout, so the switch is not a huge issue.
Overall, I am very pleased with this player. It is more than worth the significantly lower price I paid for it (vs. say, the iPod). Go for it, you won't be disappointed!
50 sweet(....)
it is da bomb (...). it is so cool and its better than that expensive ipod. actually it is better because most dont listen to that much music. 125 songs is enough (512mb=125 songs). plus you can always buy more memory for cheap prices if you need it
51 Important workaround for scrolling issue
Evidently, the player scrolls the MP3 filename (with occasional popping sound) if the ID3v2 fields are unavailable. Setting those fields seems to help quite a bit. I have had success using Winamp to set the ID3v1 and ID3v2 fields on my MP3 files. Now if only I could get the player to remember its saved settings. Every time I power it up, it goes back to default values.
52 Pleased with the SanDisk 512
I received the SanDisk 512 for Christmas. This product is small enough for me to use at the gym and on extended hiking trips.
It did take me some time to learn how to efficiently copy wma files to the product. I found that treating it like a removable drive, manually creating a folder and then copying individual files directly from Windows Explorer was much better than trying to copy using Windows Media Player. Didn't try MusicMatch.
Overall, once I got the hang of it, it went pretty smooth. I did not have the "crash" problem that one of the reviewers experienced. I'm running XP Pro on a Dell notebook.
This is really a good product. I'm not sure of price comparisons with other products - my wife bought this for me for Christmas. My son did go with her, so she had some "expertise" during the purchase process. I'm not being chauvinist here - I rely on him too for some technical guidance.
53 Great Product
I bought this player for my sister and she loves it. The reason I purchased SANDISK was I know the brand is quality. I have purchase a few SD cards and a card reader from SANDISK and I have never had a problem with them. Another reason I puchase the SANDISK player was due to the low price. The price was 1/2 as cheap as similar products. SANDISK makes their own flash so they can charge much less to consumers.
54 Piece of expensive crap!!
This mp3 is total junk!! I got it as an early Christmas present and was psyched since my husband had just gotten the Sandisk 1gb. I saw how easy it was for him to download blah blah blah. Well unfortunately mine turned out to be crap. It would start to download about 3 songs and then a window would pop up saying I had to insert a disk in drive E. I would have to unplug and replug to get it to do something. Finally, after about 2 hours it only downloaded 4 songs. We thought there HAD to be something wrong with this one so we took it back and got a 2nd one. Same old thing happened. Customer support was useless because they were closed. The user manual on the one sheet of paper and the manual on the disk were completely useless. We finally got fed up and took the worthless piece of junk back to Best Buy. I went over to Circuit City and bought the RCA LYRA 256mb. I am so happy with my new mp3. BUYER BEWARE, STAY AWAY!!
55 This Player rocks!
Nice little mp3 player, solid and small. I got mine from Amazon for $108, Newegg didn't have it in stock at the time:-( Anyway great little mp3 player, I was considering the Creative Muvo N200 and the Muvo TX FM both 512MB models, both have radio also and cost about the same as the sandisk, the N200 has a line in, the TX FM doesn't. The Muvo TX FM can also be used as a flash drive for moving files of any type and does not need a cable to connect to a pc. They are nice products, but after I saw them in a store I realized that they were too small and the screens were microscopic.
I have perfect eye sight but I am so accustomed to my Iriver IMP-350's nice remote with good display size( a CD MP3 player). I looked at the manuals of the creative Muvo's and the sandisk SDMX1-512 and was able to see that the interface and menus of the Sandisk player was superior to the Creative Muvo's. [...] I also considered the Iriver flash players, but they were too expensive(still are). I have only used my Sandisk player for 2 days now and it has given me no problems.
The file transfer is very fast and the battery life seems pretty good so far. The battery is at 3/4 bars after 2 days of use, and it's the cheap alkaline battery that came with the player. I have one complaint, I wish it came with a neck strap like the creative Muvo's. I used a strap from an old pair of sun glasses. It comes with a nice clear plastic protective case and a set of cheap air phones, plus a nice velcro arm strap for all you joggers. The quick start manual is ok, the full manual if on the CD or the website. It's got a nice backlight and clear screen, sound quality is excellent and radio reception is very good, better than my Iriver IMP-350's reception.
The CD comes with musicmatch jukeboox version 9, I didn't even install it, it's crap, stick with winamp or media player. You don't have to install any drivers for windows xp. The entire screen flashes when transferring files, which is super fast. Voice recording is ok, I wish it had radio recording like the creative models though.
This player is great and cheap, go for it, you won't be sorry:-)
Tuki
56 Much larger than I expected
This is not meant to be a full review. I considered this player when also considering some of the Muvo series, and when I went to look at all of them in person, I was quite surprised at how much larger this player is than I expected. This may not be an issue for you, but I work out and wanted it on an arm band, and the Sandisk would have been too bulky.
