SanDisk Sansa c250 (2 GB) Digital Media Player

The SanDisk Sansa c250 is a unique entertainment device that comes with a built in FM radio and expandable memory. The 2 GB player saves more than 500 songs as well as photo-thumbnails slideshows. The built-in equalizer of this MP3 player allows you to adjust sound levels as per the music styles of your preference like Rock, Jazz etc. The SanDisk Sansa c250 comes handy when you want to record interviews, presentations etc. Just speak into the MP3 player�s built-in microphone and record your voice on this 2 GB player. The SanDisk Sansa c250 easily syncs to your computer for data transfer using USB 2.0 connection.

Technology lovers, be warned! When you come across the Sandisk Sansa c250, run far far away! There are some serious flaws, and this unit is seriously over priced.

First off, my biggest issues is with why I bought this MP3 player. I was needing to do some recording off of FM radio from a local symposium that was broadcasting it's program over short range FM radio. I really wanted to record several talks, so I bought this little bugger.

Yes, the FM tuner works just fine. However, the FM recorder is horrid. The sound quality is easily cut in half for recording. Ok, no biggie. It's still a tolerable recording.

Move to the music folder using the awefully grainy, poor contrast screen. So, I did a test recording of the FM broadcast, to ensure that the unit was working right. I simply delete it from the music folder, right? Guess again! There is only 1 delet option that you can use within the player: Format Device. Thats right, you get to kill off all of your music, photos, etc. just to erase 1 song while on the move. Big no-no, Sandisk!

So, you fire up the computer to add and remove songs. That's not cool. So, you now install the software drivers, and boot up the software to add and remove songs. Easy, right? Nope!

The player has to be off (which it turns on automaticaly when you plug it into the computer) to add/remove songs, pics, recordings, etc. Can you use the included software for that? NO! You have to use microsoft explorer to remove songs, and Windows Media Player (or equivelent) to add songs, as they must be converted first. You can use the included software for this, though.

Through all of this, your battery has crapped out. It's late at night, you shut down your machine and go to plug the player in.... except you realize that it's sole way of charging is via your computer USB port. Simple, plug it in, and your done, right? Nope. Your computer has to be on, or in standby to charge the device. Thats it, toss this junk out! Worst of all, the sound is under powered, with muted highs and lows. I know that MP3 players give off bad quality sound compared to pc 5.1 pc surround speakers with a top of the line sound card... but really, the music shouldn't sound like compressed junk.

Ok, so I was very critical. But I DEMAND high quality in my electronics. Even more so from a reputible company such as SanDisk.

Not all is bad. The volume goes up a good way (much better than players operated with just normal replaceable batteries), and I love the idea of a MicroSD card slot. But all in all, I just don't like this device.

It's going staright back to the electronics store in the morning!

This is an mp3 player with special features, priced comparable to other mp3 players with far fewer features. It has 2 Gb of flash storage, but if that isn't enough, there's also a slot for a Micro-SD or TransFlash card. It has an FM radio, and when you hear something you like, you can record it on internal memory. It has a color LCD screen for navigating menus, but you can also display photos. The one thing I don't like about this unit is that the highlighted item on a menu isn't clearly enough distinguished; it's just a little lighter than the other items. In sunlight outdoors, you can't tell what you're selecting. Oh, and there's another thing I'm still trying to figure out. I hooked it up to my computer with the USB cable and loaded some mp3s onto it. And I can play them on the Sansa, but when I hook it back up to the computer, they don't appear in that directory. Maybe the device moved them to a hidden file or something. It just means I'll have to format the memory when I want to delete those songs. All in all, it's a great unit for a very reasonable price.

Pros:
- Nice design and not too big
- Extra MicroSD slot
- Records Voice and FM

Cons:
- Navigation is not intuitive
- Color display is poor
- Special USB connector type
- Bundled earphones are awful

For its price, this player has a lot of capabilities. Bought red one - it reminds me of some famous Korean phones :). Looks great. It's charging quickly, you can send your files to player either manually or using media player. On the disk provided with player there is a tool for converting images that you may view on the player (there is a slideshow option, wow), though display resolution is small - 128x98. About the display, you may change its brightness, set auto-off etc.
Player supports album graphic - in the playback mode, press central button - this is it).

Thus, if I was a little boy (or girl) seeking for my first player - that could be my choice. Otherwise - if you got a bit more money - you'd rather look for other players from acknowledged manufacturers like Sony or Apple.

Recently purchased SanDisk Sansa c250. It is an older model of Sansa and was under $50.00. Plays great, sounds well. Ear buds are a little inconvient and wouldn't mind investing in a wireless pair. Have no problem going between other medias and really enjoy being able to pick up radio stations. Can get my favorite station in crystal clear and sounds great. All in all have had no problems with product and am in the process of purchasing accessories to play in our car. Have downloaded over 100 songs already and download was super easy to do. Just plugged into USB port, computer recogized right away and was able to drop and drag very easily into player. Another great feature that I really lik is that it has a hold switch that prevents the keys from getting accidently pushed if in a pocket, etc. I love the fact that I can put in a sd card to add more available space. It is also very compact. The only real complaint I have is not being able to stop a song, unless I switch to another song or radio. I can pause it, so really it is a small thing and overall is not a reason for not buying. I can't really say anything about the video or pictures since I have used neither and may not ever use them as it is not something I really needed but it came with, view box is small so I can't think pics or videos would be that great but can't really say that they would be that terrible. Does come with recorder and tested it. Voice sounded flat when played back but need to do more trial runs in various situations to really have a more honest opinion. About the size of a snack size candy bar(maybe a little longer) and about 1/2 inch thick. Fits very nicely in a pocket. All in all, it is a great player and would recommend it to anyone. Really great for a first mp3 player or if you really don't have incredicably picky taste or more money then you know what to do with.