SanDisk Sansa m240 1 GB MP3 Player (Silver)
by SanDisk
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Our Price: $99.95 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $39.99 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Sansa m240 1 GB MP3 Player (Silver)
Customer Review: EXTREMELY Disappointed!
Summary: 1 Stars
My wife got this player last year, and after borrowing it, I really started to like it. She bought one for me as a birthday gift in April, and I was really excited to finally have an MP3 player of my own. I noticed immediately that on my player, there was a delay of a couple of seconds between the time I pushed the buttons to select songs and when the songs actually changed... quite inconvenient when driving. (There is NO delay on my wife's player, which must have an older and better version of the firmware, and she absolutely loves hers.)
Even though the delay was annoying, I decided to enjoy my birthday gift. All was well for a week, until it stopped playing music because I needed to synchronize. This is normally not a big deal and should not occur more than once per month. I synched it, but then it stopped playing music and told me to synch again the next day. After that, it just totally stopped working. The screen began to show odd characters and it made a weird noise. We sent it back (the return process at Amazon was flawless) and got another one.
The second one has lasted me a month. It still had a delay, but I decided I'd be able to live with it. I didn't want to make my wife feel any worse than she already did because the first one didn't work right. Last week we synched it with Napster, and I thought it was fine... but today it started saying it needed to be synched again. I got a sinking feeling that this MP3 player was going downhill like the first one. We hooked it up to Napster, but it said there was a problem with the clock in the device. Thinking it might be a problem with Napster, we plugged hers in and it worked perfectly. The problem is obviously with this newer version of the device. I don't know what the clock-reading error means and I don't want to bother, as these devices have caused me so much frustration already. This device simply does not do what I need it to do when I need it to do it, so this is the end of the line for me and the Sansa M240. This one's going back, too. My poor wife feels awful for getting me such a crappy birthday present, and I feel awful for being unhappy with it because I know she wanted to get me a birthday present I'd love. Unfortunately, it just doesn't work. That's the bottom line.
Customer Review: Between a Shuffle and a Sansa
Summary: 5 Stars
I had a weeklong experince with the IPOD shuffle - and was horribly dissapointed with it. The Shuffle is like a Yugo - while the Sansa - I guess is like a Toyota - great value with smooth performance.
Pros -
1) You get a 5 band user adjustable graphic equalizer - and there are presets too.
2) It can be set to connect as a mass storage device (in settings) and after that - simply use Windows Explorer to move songs in and out. It updates library automatically (within a second or two) after USB is disconnected and is then ready to play your tracks. What could be simpler?
3)Clear and sharp display - with plenty of pixels to display needed information. The display is backlit but the backlight seems to be disabled automatically when battery is low. Works for me! I see no need for a power guzzling color display in a device like this.
4) The headset was better than expected (surprise).
5) Great Radio (better than the Creative Zen) - it is set to Mono in Settings - but you continue to get good reception even after changing it to Stereo. I am really surprised at the quality of the radio - and it has 20 presets to boot - all very easy to program in.
6) Sandisk gives you a clear case and an armband - no need to buy one separately.
7) For a small device - the buttons are relatively easy to press.
8) Works as a flash storage device for moving files around.. no problem. And costs almost the same as one!
So darn easy to use - have not had to read the manual yet.
Sound quality is pretty good.
Cons - minor really
Battery cannot be charged inside the device (this would have been most convenient).
The "Sandisk" "Sansa" names are written vertically - the device is supposed to be used horizontally. The industrial designers at Sandisk weren't thinking.
I don't like its rounded profile at the back. I think a dinky box makes for a better looking and easier handling device.
Cannot delete songs directly on the device - only possible using Windows Explorer.
Between a Yugo and a Toyota - what would you choose?
Customer Review: Great little MP3 player
Summary: 4 Stars
I finally decided to invest in an MP3 player after getting tired of having to lug my CD collection with me everywhere. (I also wanted to join the 21st century! :) )
I researched the options on Amazon. I'd considered getting an I-Pod, but wasn't ready to spend that much money. I'm quite happy with my little Sansa. It's quite small, I'd say smaller than one of those big packs of gum. This is a good thing as far as I'm concerned-- I can tuck it in my pocket or purse easily. The controls take some getting used to, but aren't difficult. It also didn't take me long to figure out how to download songs from my computer onto my player.
The batteries seem to last surprisingly long-- although I haven't used my player a LOT, I've used it often and am still on the original batteries.
This little player also holds a pretty decent number of songs-- I don't have mine full yet. I'm glad I went with the one gig.
This player also has an FM radio, which I know I'll be grateful for the next time the power goes out. Another feature is a voice recorder, which I haven't tried yet, but would probably be useful for taking notes and reminders for oneself.
My only two complaints so far are that the headphones that came with the player didn't work well for my ears (they were uncomfortable and kept falling out), but that goes for any earphones of that style for me. The other complaint is that I can't group my songs into playlists once they're downloaded into the player. There is an option to create a list of "Favorites", but that's the only choice. I'd at least like to be able to do "fast songs" and "slow songs" and "workout music", things like that.
I did get some new headphones and solved that problem quite easily. If "earbud" style headphones work for you, these shouldn't be a problem. They did sound pretty good. I also bought a kit to play my Sansa through my vehicle's cassette deck, which is a nice addition to consider.
Overall, I'm very glad that I bought the Sansa SanDisk player. I'd definitely recommend it to anyone that wants a basic, inexpensive, compact MP3 player that can still belt out a tune.
Customer Review: Great for the gym! Better than iPod!
Summary: 5 Stars
[...] It's also great because it comes with a floppy plastic holding case and armband- Apple would charge fifteen bucks for an accessory like that.
PROS:
PRICE- just a fraction of the iPod.
SIZE- it is small, portable and lightweight.
FM RADIO- Nice to be able to switch and listen to TV shows broadcast on FM in the gym or listen to programs broadcast on the radio.
THE CABLE- if you lose your cable, most electronics stores carry this universal kind which is commonly used for digital cameras.
STORAGE ABILITY- it holds a lot, and I'm betting you can take this player to a friend's computer and swap songs since it doesn't have the same restrictions as the iPod does with iTunes. You can just drag and drop if you prefer, or use another media player to sync.
AAA BATTERY- it's nice to have the versatility to just pop in a new battery instead of having to recharge at a computer, or pay $30+ for an AC adapter. iPod batteries also need to be replaced about once a year, and they're a pain to replace so this feature is good for longevity. Battery consumption on this model is quite good.
MICROPHONE- Haven't used this myself, but it's nice to know it's there.
CONS:
FILE TYPES- This player only takes .wma and .mp3 formats, so files you download off iTunes (.m4p format) won't work, along with other file types, depending on how you got your music. You may be able to get a media converter off of CNet to fix this problem.
CONNECTIVITY- This player gave Winamp fits. The media player couldn't always recognize the device. Transferring files with Windows Media Player was pretty error-prone too. Crashed if there was an unsupported file type. Transferring seems slower than with an iPod. Many files had artist listed as 'unknown' despite already being defined.
SCREEN SIZE- Pretty small. Doesn't let you browse files easily
ACCESSORIES- Many iPod accessories (like the iHome collection) won't work for this puppy, but I'm still planning on using my cassette adapter for long car trips.
Overall, a well-engineered device. Great for working out. Connectivity and file support issues can be solved if you run into them!
Customer Review: One of the most economical and useful devices I have ever owned
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned several units of this Sandisk player here. Some have met unfortunate ends such as being crushed. (Not their fault.) However, I keep buying this device, the Sandisk solid state MP3 device because it is the most robust, useful, economical electronic gadget I have ever owned.
Allow me to elaborate. The Sansa offers a huge advantage over the ubiquitous and dubiously popular iPod in that you can simply DRAG AND DROP files (WMA, MP3, Word documents etc) onto the Sansa using the normal Windows desktop interface. A USB cable is supplied and no proprietary garbage "synchronization" software is required like some other MP3 players. The Sansa automatically puts your files in the right place when you use it as a part of the regular Windows interface that we PC users all know and may or may not love.
Music playback quality is very good; can be plugged into high quality fixed audio system that I have with a Y-cable and I can tell that the Sansa is reproducing MP3 music at as high fidelity as the bitrate of whatever compression format allows. (i.e. 128kbps mp3 music is played by the Sansa as well as 128kbps can be played given the parameters of this format at such a bitrate. That said, 128kbps suits me fine although I like to rip CDs I own at about 190kbps or so)
I have already described the Sansa as a fantastic, robust, easy to use mp3 player. I would give it five stars alone if it were just an mp3 player. But with only cursory examination of the instruction manual, you'll find that it is easy to make the Sansa do some other tricks as well: for instance, it can serve as a voice recorder as well as simply store/back up your data... and the Sansa automatically is programmed to place the files in their respective places (folders) within the Sansa.
All in all, this is a marvelous device both in its utility and in its economical price. My only complaints having had three of them are that there appeared to be a bug in one, which caused the player to shut off if you rapidly browsed through 15 or so music files. Also, the output of the headphone amplifier is certainly adequate but you will need fairly high efficiency earphones if you want to hear your music loud.