SanDisk Sansa m230 (512MB)

Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp. Part number: SDMX3-512-A18

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CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 55 reviews

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Accessories; Manufacturer info

Bottom Line:: With its many features as well as its compatibility with audiobooks and subscription-based music, the SanDisk Sansa m200 series is an overall great value.

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CNET editors' review

SanDisk Sansa m230 (512MB)

price range: $19.98 - $21.95

Reviewed by: James Kim
Edited by: Jasmine France
Reviewed on: 10/31/2005
Updated on:11/04/2005
Released on: 10/04/2005

The good: Available in up to 4GB capacity; solid value; includes FM tuner and voice recorder; compatible with WMA DRM 10 (Janus) and Audible files; decent controllers; on-the-go playlists.

The bad: Bulky (but lightweight); no line-in recording; poorly backlit display; only one quality option for voice recording.

The bottom line: With its many features as well as its compatibility with audiobooks and subscription-based music, the SanDisk Sansa m200 series is an overall great value.

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SanDisk MP3 players hit the scene in a big way with the 2004 launch of the Digital Audio Player and later the Sansa e100 series. With a motto that could be "Lots of features for less!" the memory giant's flash-based MP3 players appeals to the masses of thrifty consumers looking for deals. Now, the deal gets sweeter with the arrival of the SanDisk Sansa m200 series, which is jam-packed with features such as an FM tuner, WMA subscription compatibility, and up to 4GB of flash-based storage. If you don't mind a budget build, you can't go wrong with the value-rich m200 series. If you want to test out subscription-based music, the m200 is a good budget choice.

At 3.1 by 1.7 by 1 inches, the SanDisk Sansa m200 isn't the sleekest flash player around, but it's feathery light at 1.3 ounces with a AAA battery installed. Though the buttons are made of cheap-looking plastic, and the body feels flimsy, the overall presentation is solid. The Sansa m200 series has an ergonomically correct shape that flares in; you want to clutch it so that your thumb is on top of the five-way player controls, which include an A/B-repeat button and a center Select key. These buttons are big and tactile. Holding the Sansa m200 horizontally, you'll find the dedicated volume and power/menu buttons on the top and the hold switch and built-in pinhole microphone on the bottom. The headphone and standard USB jacks appear on the m200's true topside. Bundled accessories include passable earbuds, a carrying case, an armband, a battery, a USB cable, and software.

The SanDisk Sansa m240 (1GB) next to the Apple iPod Nano (4GB): The Nano is much thinner.

The only noticeable difference between models is the color. The 512MB SanDisk Sansa m230 ($80) comes in blue, the 1GB Sansa m240 ($120) in silver, the 2GB m250 ($160) in black, and the big daddy 4GB m260 ($200) in slate blue. As you can see, list prices are extremely attractive, with the 4GB version costing less than the 4GB iPod Nano. Street prices will be even less. While the Nano is clearly more attractive and can display photos, it lacks the Sansa m200's FM tuner, subscription compatibility and voice recorder.

The Sansa m240 (1GB) with its bundled earbuds.

The m200 plays MP3, WMA, DRM WMA (including subscription-based music), and Audible file formats. The only major feature missing is line-in recording, and you can make voice recordings in only one mediocre quality setting. The FM tuner has 20 preset stations and an autoscan feature. You can browse the m200's music library by title, artist, album, genre, spoken word, and recordings, and it supports playlists as well as an on-the-go Favorites playlist of up to 30 songs. The main menu includes Play Music, FM Radio, Recorder, and Settings, and overall navigation is logical and easy, thanks in part to the big controller buttons. The blue-backlit LCD shows artist, song, and album info as well as file format, bit rate, and elapsed time, but the blue backlight could be a bit brighter and provide more contrast. We'd also like to see a bookmarking feature for audiobooks. You also get a stopwatch, though.

The SanDisk Sansa m200 series' screen is basic and useful, but we'd prefer better backlighting.

Sound quality is similar to that of past SanDisk players and definitely not the best we've heard, but most people will be satisfied. The equalizer settings (Pop, Classical, Jazz, Rock, and a custom five-band EQ) help shape the sound to your liking. The SanDisk Sansa m200 cooperates well with Windows Media Player 10 and subscription-based applications such as Napster To Go; it works without a hitch via drag and drop in Windows Explorer, even automatically organizing your files. Though there are other low-cost flash options for subscription services, the m200 series offers the best deal so far. Also, the m200 series shows up as a drive in Mac OS X. Battery life from a single AAA battery is rated for 19 hours, which is decent but not great for a flash player; remember to stock extra batteries. CNET Labs was able to coax only 18.5 hours out of the m200 series. Transfer time over USB 2.0 was on the poor side at 1.1MB per second.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 55 reviews
My rating: 0 stars

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 55

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10 stars

A great product

by homer773820 on December 5, 2005

Pros: size, weight, price, navigation, fm tunning, voice recording, compatability with nabster

Cons: battery life, no presets for fm tuner, screen is a little hard to read

Summary: This is an excellent flash player, especially considering that I got it for $40. I can fit all my "favorite songs" which is enough, plus, you can drog and drop ...

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Summary: This is an excellent flash player, especially considering that I got it for $40. I can fit all my "favorite songs" which is enough, plus, you can drog and drop your files in a matter of a couple minutes. I put 100 songs on this device in about 5 minutes, which is pretty speedy. The music sounds great, and I can bring it anywhere, knowing that if (1) it drops or (2) the battery runs out, I know (1) will not break or skip (flash), and (2) I can run to the store and get a AAA battery. What more can you expect from a product that costs $40.

Homer

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7 out of 7 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

I like it; it's a decent player for the money

by akamsnikki on December 5, 2005

Pros: It's compact; easy to use

Cons: Only stores about 100 or so songs; armband could be better; USB could be longer

Summary: I got this as a gift and considering this is my 1st mp3 player, I like it. I like the fact that I can easily transfer my .wma/.mp3 files ...

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Summary: I got this as a gift and considering this is my 1st mp3 player, I like it. I like the fact that I can easily transfer my .wma/.mp3 files from my PC to my player.

The only real issue is not realy being able to load the 240 .wma songs as stated on the package.

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3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
6 stars

Its decent but could be better

by llenod on November 30, 2005

Pros: Small, Compatible with several services, easy to use

Cons: The shuffle option is not random, short USB cord, memory for playback

Summary: This is my first MP3 player. I did not buy into the hype of the IPOD. The arm strap is useless, and the earbuds are nothing special. I would have ...

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Summary: This is my first MP3 player. I did not buy into the hype of the IPOD. The arm strap is useless, and the earbuds are nothing special. I would have preferred to have a strap hook to put on a keychain or around my neck, but it doesn't. I normally listen to it on my way to work using one of the old cd/cassette deals as my car has a dual cd/cassette deck. When listening to music, the shuffle hardly shuffles. I have heard the same song 3 times before it goes to one it hasn't played, and that is not every now and then, it is everytime. I constantly have to forward to the next song until it finally picks a song I haven't heard in the past 20 minutes. Also, I will download talkshow programs which may be about an hour long. If the MP3 player turns off, and then you power it back on, sure it remembers the last track, but you have to restart from the beginning and skip to wherever you left off. It takes roughly 3 minutes to skip 20min of content. That is a pain. My wife got the free deal from napster for signing up. Hers is exactly what I do want. It remembers where you left off, shuffles just fine, and has a neck strap. I gonna see if she wants to trade All in all, it is a decent player though. Just a few kinks I am sure will be worked out in either firmware updates or later versions.

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3 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Awesome!!!

by kickassdude01 on August 26, 2006

Pros: Great Durability, price, usability

Cons: nothing. it is perfect

Summary: Okay. I think this is a really good mp3 player. it comes at a great price. and it is very durable.

I have dropped it so many times, i even

...

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Summary: Okay. I think this is a really good mp3 player. it comes at a great price. and it is very durable.

I have dropped it so many times, i even accidently soaked it in water, and sat on it. and it still works even today! I've had it for 8 months now and it has never dissappointed me.

get it. it will take a lot of beatins and torture and still come out strong. i also own an ipod shuffle (read my reveiw) and this is an excellent back up! so in conclusion.

if you want an mp3 player, that is durable, strong, reliable, and immune to dropping and other fates. and price get it! you will be happy you did!

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2 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Awesome player for price

by RTH on November 29, 2005

Pros: no proprietary software needed, price, FM receiver, easy to use, easy to find buttons

Cons: cheap armband and case that comes with it

Summary: I picked this player up at Best Buy for $39 (Black Friday Sale). I currently own a Sony NW E505 but have put it away to use this one. No ...

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Summary: I picked this player up at Best Buy for $39 (Black Friday Sale). I currently own a Sony NW E505 but have put it away to use this one. No proprietary software needed and very easy to use. FM receiver picks up more stations than my Sony player. Sound quality is good enough, can't really tell a difference between my Sony and this one. Very pleased with this purchase

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2 out of 3 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

Good Player, Good Price, Crappy Directions

by vmcbain on September 1, 2006

Pros: price, armband, requires 1 AAA battery

Cons: Crappy Directions

Summary: This MP3 player is great because you can play both MP3 and WMA, as well as audio files and FM radio. I loved the included armband and holder. It has ...

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Summary: This MP3 player is great because you can play both MP3 and WMA, as well as audio files and FM radio. I loved the included armband and holder. It has good quality sound and works well.

The only problems I have had with it are the setup. The directions didn't explain the difference between the "subscription service mode" and the "music transfer mode" for copying files from your PC. I couldn't get my music to play because it was in the wrong "mode" and I had to delete all the files and redo it again in the correct mode.

Also seting up the presets for FM radio weren't in the directions either, just said it was available...not very helpful!

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 stars

Great product

by trax2x on June 27, 2006

Pros: recorder is great,plays most formats, EZ to use,great batery life,plug and play

Cons: small storage space

Summary: i give it 2 thumbs up if you dont need alot of space.. great for recording classes or speaches.also great to keep spare files on.

Summary: i give it 2 thumbs up if you dont need alot of space.. great for recording classes or speaches.also great to keep spare files on.

1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

Fabulous! Don't be misled by looks.

by Desertcat on January 22, 2006

Pros: Great sound. Exellent for running / gym. Runs on AAA battery. Lightweight.

Cons: Not a lot of memory.

Summary: After suffering with a Creative Zen Micro that had one hardware or firmware problem after another, I decided to get a flash player so I had something reliable for running ...

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Summary: After suffering with a Creative Zen Micro that had one hardware or firmware problem after another, I decided to get a flash player so I had something reliable for running and the gym. I bought this player for only $60. The sound is fantastic, it never skips, it's great for running and the gym, and it runs on a triple AAA battery.

I recommend that those of you that subscribe to Rhapsody or a subscription service get the 2GB memory size so that you can take advantage of the extra memory.

As far as looks, if you want an Ipod, get one. If you want something for an active lifestyle, this is a great, affordable choice.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
7 stars

cheap and the sound is great

by dudeflops on November 8, 2005

Pros: puts out a lot of sound, holds about 100 songs, cost me $69.99

Cons: gets broken when you use windows media player to synch the device and change the bit rates

Summary: I would strongly recommend this to someone who doesn't want to follow in the ipod trend and doesn't need a large storage capacity. plus you can always upgrade ...

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Summary: I would strongly recommend this to someone who doesn't want to follow in the ipod trend and doesn't need a large storage capacity. plus you can always upgrade to the higher memory if needed. it fits in my pocket fine and has a nice feel for my hands. I was very happy with this purchase.

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1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 stars

this is my first one so i really didnt have any expecttaions

by ah36s91an on November 26, 2005

Pros: fm radio, ser replaceable battery, easy buttons, simple interface

Cons: recorder kinda sux, u have to keep on buying new ones everytime u use the player for 19 hrs, cd n guide were put in a hard finding place

Summary: this is my 1st player so i really didnt have n e expectations,
the battery has good sides n bad
the good is it is user-replaceable
the bad is that

...

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Summary: this is my 1st player so i really didnt have n e expectations,
the battery has good sides n bad
the good is it is user-replaceable
the bad is that u have to keep on changing the battery every 19hrs u have used it
i like the armband n case
but player is a lil hard to put in case , i playing some songs n then the player jus froze on me so then i took out the battery n started the player again
the usb cable is like 1 foot long wayyyyyyyyyyy too short,
the guide & the cd werent really helpful
the fm radio is extremely good except wen ur in a car,
I LOVE THE CLICKING SOUND OF THE TACTILE BUTTONS

THE END

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1 out of 2 users found this user opinion helpful.

Showing opinion 1 to 10 out of 55

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Specifications

Manufacturer: SanDisk Corp.
Part number: SDMX3-512-A18
Description: The Sansa m200 Series MP3 players add to SanDisk's growing line of products for the audio market. Created by the leaders in flash memory, this flash-based model provides high-quality digital music playback at an affordable price. As a replacement to SanDisk original Digital Audio Player line, this improved look also includes Sansa's excellent navigation: songs sorted by title, artist, album, genre as well as play list support. The Sansa m200 Series MP3 players are one of the first to provide Microsoft PlaysForSure Subscription support.

General
Product type Digital player / radio
PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
Color Blue
Flash memory installed 512 MB Integrated
Included accessories Carrying case, Arm band
Packaged quantity 1
Radio
FM station preset qty 20
Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
Station preset qty 20
Tuner bands FM
Tuning display LCD display
Digital Player / Recorder
Digital player supported digital audio standards WMA, Protected WMA (DRM), Audible, MP3
Digital player playback modes Repeat all, A-B repeat, Random play / shuffle
Digital player ID3 tags support Yes
Battery
Form Factor AAA type
Included Qty 1
Technology Alkaline
Battery 1 x Alkaline AAA type Standard battery
Mfr estimated battery life 19 hour(s)
Battery Life Details MP3 playback Alkaline 19 hour(s)
Audio System
Sound output mode Stereo
Additional features Voice recording, FM radio recording capability
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
Cable(s) included 1 x USB cable -
System Requirements
Min Operating system Microsoft Windows XP

Connections
Connector type 1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x USB
Built-in Display
Audio system built-in display LCD
Backlight display Yes
Display illumination color Indigo
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty
Equalizer
Equalizer factory preset qty 4
Equalizer factory presets Classic, Rock, Jazz, Pop
Equalizer user preset qty 1
Microphone
Microphone type Built-in
Headphones
Headphones type Binaural Ear-bud
Sound output mode Stereo
Connectivity technology Wired

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SanDisk Sansa m230 (512MB)

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Digital Player / Recorder

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Audio System

Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)

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