SanDisk Sansa M250 MP3 Player

The SanDisk Sansa m250 MP3 player boasts good sound quality and excellent battery life in a less expensive package than an Apple iPod Nano of the same capacity. The AAA battery, FM radio, and voice recorder make up for some minor annoyances in construction and file organization.

The Sansa m250 is one of several SanDisk MP3 players in the 200 series, with storage capacities varying from 512 kb to 4 GB. The m250's 2 GB size, at half the suggested cost of the 4 GB, provides plenty of room for songs and podcasts.

Sound of the SanDisk Sansa m250 MP3 player

Sound from the Sansa m250 is not tinny, and the included earbuds produce music that's loud and clear enough to hear outside among traffic. The SanDisk MP3 player also performs well when hooked up to a speaker. The equalizer has presets for several types of music from classical to rock, and can also be customized.

In addition to playing back MP3 and WMA files, the SanDisk MP3 player can receive FM radio signals and record voice notes. The radio reception is surprisingly good -- the USB cable can be attached as an antenna for better reception but rarely seems necessary. Voice recordings, made with a built-in microphone, are clear when played back, even when recorded outside.

Design of the SanDisk Sansa m250 MP3 player

Unlike an iPod, the SanDisk MP3 player runs on a single AAA battery, which is more convenient than remembering to plug in a charger. The m250's battery lasts a few weeks under moderate use; turning on the backlight or using the radio decreases the life.

The SanDisk MP3 player has some drawbacks in its construction and design. The USB cable included with the Sansa m250 is annoyingly short, and the plastic cover over the battery compartment is flimsy and seems at risk of falling off. It is held on by the clear vinyl cover that protects the screen from scratches.

Although the vinyl cover does seem to keep the screen from getting scratched, it traps dirt and dust, which makes the screen cloudy. Also, the cover must be removed in order to replace the battery, and wrestling the MP3 player back into the cover can be a struggle.

One nice touch to the design is the placement of the controls: the Sansa m250 is easy to operate with one hand, without looking at the buttons, making it an excellent choice for use while jogging or even driving. Its light weight also makes it good for exercising.

While the SanDisk MP3 player can play back files by genre, artist, album, and other categories, browsing for files can be troublesome. Because the screen is small, track names scroll, making it difficult to find one file among several with similar names, such as a particular episode of a podcast.