SanDisk Sansa e250 2 GB MP3 Player with microSD Expansion Slot (Black)

I have owned the Sandisk E250 mp3 player for almost 1 year. This is my 3rd mp3 device: #1 was a Sandisk Sansa m250 which still works ($50 refurbished), #2 was a Toshiba Gigabeat 40GB ($140 new) that died within a few months of purchase and caused me many headaches. I did a lot of research on Amazon with reviews and specifications before deciding on this. I wanted something reliable, of great quality, and easy to sync songs. My biggest problem was finding something affordable since most mp3 players with these features are Ipods and I didn't want a computer, I wanted a song device. I finally purchased this for around $38. I later received a $5/5-song music credit from Amazon and was able to download 5 free songs. It was very simple to redeem since I already had an Amazon account.I purchased a wall charger for this separately for $5 from an Amazon seller b/c I didn't want to rely on the usb charger only. That was one of my biggest concerns about this particular device but the wall charger has worked flawlessly as an alternative. The charge lasts for maybe 15-20 hrs each time.It's very easy to sync songs to this device. I've had issues with the Toshiba Gigabeat and a lot of other devices are very temperamental on this as well. I am a Windows Media Player person (b/c it's easy) so I am thrilled that all I have to do is select the songs, add them to my sync list, and hit "Sync list." You have to have at least WMP version 10 which is free to upgrade to. This device also comes with its own sync software. I do use the software to transfer pictures though there may be another way. I'm not fond of this software b/c it's not particularly user friendly but there's nothing specifically negative about it either. I think you can also drag and drop files from your computer right into the device location folder.This holds up to 500 songs but that decreases as you add pictures and video. It is also capable of receiving local radio stations and voice recordings. I have some photos stored on there for fun and they're easy to access but I mostly keep songs on there. I currently have over 275 songs and 20+ pictures stored and the device has a quick response.Aside from using this on the go, I regularly plug it into my car stereo and my elliptical machine b/c both have mp3 ports. The mp3 player itself came with a special cord that plugs into the device and any mp3 ready machine so this was a huge perk.It has a go list function, a favorites functions, random, repeat, etc. I think it may even have some sort of genius random function because I constantly have it on random and it seems to play similar genre songs together. The rotating wheel can be a bit tricky because it is so fast. It can take a little time getting used to maneuvering your way around the device b/c it's setup as 4 main menus: video, photo, music, and radio/voice? Each main menu has a subset and your listed files. The back feature can be a pain b/c it goes all the way back to a main menu rather than your previous folder/location but it's nothing worth changing my overall opinion on this device.I've had no problems with this device and I couldn't be more impressed with it. My money was definitely well spent. I recommend for anyone who wants an Ipod alternative and a great bargain.

Sandisk shot themselves in the foot with their documentation on this one. The specs would have you think Windows XP and Media Player v10 are required; this turns out not to be the case. The e250 has two data transfer modes -- Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) mode, which is set up to work ONLY with XP and the hideous Windows Media Player v10; and Mass Storage Class (MSC) mode, which makes it look like any common removeable flash drive. Using MSC mode I had no trouble getting both Windows ME and 98SE (with USB drivers loaded) systems to recognize it and transfer files/folders with no problem using Windows Explorer. Also, MusicMatch versions 9 (ME/SE) and 10 (2000/XP) had no problems finding and syncing with the e250. I suspect it would work equally well with Mac and Linux systems.MTP mode's only advantage is to sync with Media Player, otherwise it is really awkward; you can tranfer files but not rearrange folders nor rename files. OTOH, in MSC mode you can transfer files bidirectionally, create folders, move files among folders, rename files freely, etc.Otherwise, the e250 is a nice iPod work-alike at a much lower price. I bought it to replace a Sansa e130 I destroyed by dropping one time too many. The two are similar but the e250 is better in most respects. The screen is larger and a sharp true color compared to the e-series' blue monochrome, and on startup it scans the files and builds a database faster. Both read MP3 tags and will let you sort and select music by artist, album, date and genre. It will also let you make one "Favorites" list. Plus the e250 will display JPEG's and has FM radio and voice recorder function.Only drawbacks I've found are [A] the four cursor arrows are not prominent enough to find easily in the dark, and [B] you have to charge it through a USB connection, which means you have to buy a USB charger device if you are going to travel away from computers.