SanDisk Sansa c250 (2 GB) Digital Media Player

Edit 2.0 (3/2/201).

To update my review I must state that I have 2 (a 1g and a 2g) of these now and use a 2 gig card which I switch between them. This player is phenomenal!!! With this who needs a 30 gig iPod or Zune (I sold all mine after I got my second Sansa for FREE). One thing to know is that the batteries are INTERCHANGEABLE between the 1g and 2g. It's also a good idea to buy a few extra batteries if you use it more than often for those "just in-case" situations. In addition: the newer C200 series with the 3.0 firmware can hold a larger Micro SD card (16 gigs) while the 1.0 firmware can only go up to 2 gigs. They both look identical so look under settings. If the first number is a 1 you have the older firmware. It is NOT upgradable. I tried.

I bought this because I need to record, sift, and trade ideas for a music project. For that I needed a digital recorder. I can always convert the wave files to MP3 files via a different program which is fine by me since it's for ideas. I had an old Sansa m240 and it was perfect placing it across the room. Same with this. No problems there.

The MP3 section is as easy as it gets. Drag and drop. Open "My Computer", then "Sansa C250", then" "Fixed SD" and then the "music" folder and drag 'n' drop songs. It's some work but easy enough. Many MP3 player make you use other prompts and programs. Not Sansa. When you plug the player in automatically a menu (Windows Explore... I have XP) will pop up and ask how you want to open the player. Select "open file" and it should be easy from there. You don't need a media player program like others have said, but there is one (I forgot) that manages the music on the C250. If you need to add pics you must install the bundled disk to convert the pic media.

It could also be used as a data drive! I forgot how. You have to put it in some other mode. You could also get a 4 Gig USB stick for waaaaaay much cheaper... but the option is there incase.

The menu is super intuitive! Button scroll. Push forward to access the menu's options. Why some say it's not easy I'll never know. I'm not fond of the "golist" feature. It's no where near as quick to set as iPod's is.

As for the screen, you must read it lower than your eye or you'll just see blurriness. I tried to adjust the contrast but it was not as effective as tilting the screen down to read it. I do suggest lowering the contrast to it's 3rd weakest setting. For some reason my 1g player does not have this issue. Maybe it has to "weaken" a bit.

The player is loud and perfect for drowning out the subway or an annoying bus ride.

The FM recorder is ok. Nothing special. Who records off the radio anymore... really? Independent stations, maybe. I did work in a studio and we recorded the broadcast for preservation... but using this? Maybe people who want to do so should invest in something that is truly an AM/FM recorder with good fidelity.

Get this little thing, it's worth it. GET IT! They are cheap and sound great!

My nine year old wanted an Ipod for his birthday because he likes music and his older brother got one for his birthday. I didn't really want to get my younger son an Ipod because of inflexibility of having to use the Itunes software to edit the music. With the Sansa, my son can go around the house and copy and paste a song or two from everyone's music library. This player has a radio which is great because my son hasn't quite settled on a particular music genre that he likes. Also, I like the fact that you can increase the 2gb capacity by using a memory card. This is also great for easily adding files without having to use the cord.

I did a lot of research on MP3 players prior to buying the Sansa c250 and I can tell you the information is overwhelming. There are so many different brands with numerous features. Almost too many to chose from. I have been using the Sansa now for several days and I love it! It is very easy to use, the sound is great and it's a sharp looking little player. The only negative, is that it's not compatible with iTunes. I already have tons of music downloaded on iTunes, but I'm sure if I read a little, I can figure out how to transfer the music over. Otherwise, I can use Napster for new music. The unit works with Windows Media Player and it's very organized. One of the reasons I chose Sansa is for the external memory option. I have a phone that takes an external memory card and I think it's such an inventive feature. You're not stuck with 2GB, you can upgrade! Sansa is affordable and you get all of the options that iPod offers. Why would you want to spend more money than you have to? I was thrilled to get a MP3 player here on eBay for half the cost of retail! I highly recommend this product for technologically challenged people like myself who want music on the go. All of the support information is easily accessible at the Sansa website and if you are unsure of which model is for you they have a comparison page to better choose for yourself. I love my player!

Has a good menu, and good interface, the only difference between this and the nano is the orientation of the screen and slightly different options, but still a user friendly one. The one downfall with this product is the navigation through this menu, it takes some time to get used to how to go back, how to play a song etc., especially when dealing with the recordings feature. Not the best screen for viewing pictures, however it works.

The expandable memory is a huge plus, MicroSD cards will be up to who knows 5GB or something by the time you run out of memory on this thing, unless you just have a TON of music already. If possible convert songs down to .wma(Windows Media) format because they take up much less room than MP3 and have very comparable sound quality.

Great product if you don't feel like splurging to buy a nano which I also have.

Its a great MP3 player, has radio (FM only) decent 2GB with microSD slot, supports wma, mp3, aac, has a mic for recording, also the price is great! here in eBay its around 20-30dlls!

But wait.. here comes the best, you can change the firmware (technically add a loader) with the Rockbox one!
(Check for the correct version, V1 player can be rockboxed "The v1 firmware is named 01.xx.xx, while the v2 firmware begins with 03." )

You get an excellent functionality, support for microSDHC (I've have a 16gb stick) a lot of formats! flac, mediamonkey, aac, mp4, mp3, wma, flv (audio) about 15 formats, also the apps are great, a metronome, instrument tuner, calendar, lighter, USB HID for presentation mode or media player control and a lot of plugins/games/settings, but I mean a LOT!
I didn't expect all this, for 25dlls its a great buy, recommended for all, you cant go wrong.