I bought the Sandisk 512 MP3 player for use while running. If you are a runner, you probably already know that the jukebox-style (e.g. Ipod) and CD-style MP3 players don't work well because the constant jarring makes it impossible for the player to read its media. Memory-based units like this one don't have this problem because there are no moving parts to jar. Weight and a rugged case are also considerations. I compared this unit to others made by Apple, Rio, Creative, and iRiver breaking the units down by size, price, capacity, and features. With few minor differences, all of these players look pretty much identical with the exception of the Apple (No display? Are they kidding?), iRiver (AA battery instead of AAA = more battery life), and the Sandisk because it is the least expensive of the bunch.
So I bought it, and here's what I've found thus far. I'll break this up into three categories:
1. The Player -
+ It's small and light. I can run with this in my hand and barely notice that I'm carrying it.
+ Nice sound for an MP3 player.
+ Good user interface - some people didn't like having to learn it, but I found it quite useful. Particularly since I can listen to the music and adjust the equalizer at the same time.
o The construction of the unit does not speak of durability. It is so light, however, that I am not sure if there is enough mass to cause it to break if dropped. I will update after I drop it for the first time - whenever that happens.
- Bump for battery in case makes it more difficult to fit into my existing arm-band holder with my cell phone. OK, that sounds like whining. Probably is whining.
2. The Headphones -
+ Nice sound - great bass response for earbuds.
+ Comfortable to wear.
o Cable is shorter for left earbud than right earbud. This kind of assumes that you will be wearing the unit on your left arm and operating it with your right hand. I did not find this to be a plus or a minus, but it might annoy some people (i.e. lefties), so there you have it.
- The earbuds have these big bits on the outside that serve no function that I can figure. The problem being that when I go to wipe away sweat, I knock the earbuds out of my ear because I bump the big Frankenbolts sticking out of my ears. For now I am using my old buds from my last player and thinking about taking the bits off with my Dremel. I will update if I ever get to doing that - or if my old buds die.
3. The Armband/Cover -
+ The band is lightweight and relatively comfortable.
+ The band is made of a fabric that is remarkably breathable.
o The band itself, while breathable, seems like it may not hold up to a lot of sweat. I'm holding judgement on this and will re-post if it self-destructs. NOTE: after 6 months the band is still going strong - so perhaps I was wrong on this.
- This is probably the cheapest construction that I have ever seem in an MP3 cover bar none. The cover for the player is made of thin vinyl which will not protect the player from anything but scratches. I would've preferred neoprene or silicon rubber to help the player stand up to being dropped. NOTE: after 6 months, the problem has not been breakage of the player due to bashing, but the snaps have begun to rust from sweat. While they're still functional, it doesn't look very nice.
UPDATE: A few people have suggested the ROM update - I have to agree. The player was refusing to take any more songs on it after only filling to around 200 MB. The ROM update is trivial - just another file that you download to the player and then turn it on. Availble at the web page ([...]
UPDATE #2: After a couple of weeks worth of use, the unit stopped talking to my computers and was tagged as defective by Sandisk tech support. I sent it in (they pay for FedEx shipping) and after some wrangling (UPS shipment of new unit #1 disappeared from my front porch - perhaps it would be better if they didn't write on the outside of the box what was inside the box?) I received the new unit. This has a different style of headphones (no "frankenbolts") and a version of firmware not currently available on their web page (2.0). Going without the player for a while was a hassle, but they did try to make it less painful by at least paying for shipping and sending a brand new unit as replacement.
Update #3: Player #2 stopped talking to my computer just as player #1 did. This time, rather than to waste time with their tech support, I troubleshot it myself and came up with an answer. Turns out that if you re-format the filespace on the device you HAVE to use the FAT (FAT16) filesystem type. Selecting FAT32 is what causes this problem. Here is my solution that I offer completely without warranty for a WinXP system. If you are at all uncomfortable reformatting disks, you should avoid this or get someone who is knowledgable to perform it. If you reformat the wrong disk on your computer, you will definitely break something/lose your data so DO BE CAREFUL:
1. Connect the player to the USB port.
2. Click on Settings->Control Panel->System Properties
3. Click on the Hardware tab and launch the device manager.
4. Click on the + icon in front of Disk Drives to expand the selection.
5. Right-click on the drive corresponding to the MP3 player and select the Properties menu item.
6. Click on the Volumes tab, and then press the Populate button to determine the drive letter.
7. Start up a command prompt (Programs->Command Prompt) and enter the following command to reformat the filesystem on the MP3:
format <drive letter>: /FS:FAT
8. Click on the Safely Remove Hardware icon in the system tray, select the MP3 player, and click on the stop button.
9. Unplug the MP3 player, power it off, and reconnect it to the system.
10. MP3 player now appears in Windows Explorer.
Customers also search
Page 1 of 1Page 1 of 1
