Whether you listen to music for pleasure or as part of your job as a multimedia professional, an mp3 player is a great device to use whilst at work, commuting or simply chilling out. Listening to music, audio books and podcasts during commutes can greatly improve knowledge and productivity.
As a music lover and and avid audio book and podcast listener, my iPod and iPod shuffle have been very valuable in recent years. However, now disillusioned with several iTunes problems and DRM issues, I find myself declaring that my Sandisk MP3 Player & Sansa Clip have become my must have MP3 players.
This review gives my honest, personal take on the Sansa Clip.
Drag & Drop
As soon as I got my Sansa Clip, I plugged it directly into my laptop via the mini USB cable that came with it. It was instantly recognised by my Windows XP and Vista machine and shows up as an external device with its own icon.
From here, you can simply drag and drop your mp3s into the music folder. Likewise, you can drag mp3s out of the player on to your computer. The player also supports WMA, secure WMA and Audible audio file formats and has the ability to read play lists.
Being able to move tracks off the player is due to the fact that there is no DRM issues and is a great plus point for me! The iPod only allows you to send tracks one way… on to the iPod but not off it!
To avoid DRM issues completely, I would suggest buying mp3s from a DRM-free music seller. I highly recommend Amazon Music. No DRM, prices from 59p per track and £3 per album.
Back to the review…
Navigation / Features
Once the Sansa Clip is charged and loaded with audio, you can navigate through a simple menu via a bright, four-line screen. From the music menu you can select: –
- Artists
- Albums
- Genres
- Songs
- Top Rated
- Audio books
- Recordings
- Play lists
You also have have the following music options: –
- Add a song to your go list (play list)
- Rate song
- Shuffle
- Repeat
- Music EQ
- Clear go list
- Delete song
If that is not enough, you also get : –
- A built-in FM Radio
- Recordings – A tiny microphone enables it to be used as a Dictaphone
- Settings – includes EQ, Power setting, screen brightness etc.
In Use…
I have used this daily now for about 6 weeks. I have lowered the screen brightness a little, but find that battery time lasts easily over 10 hours, although I don’t know the exact time. Also, the sound quality is really good and the earphones that come with it are adequate. Obviously, using more expensive earphones gives a better result, but for a MP3 player less than £20, the included ones are great. The clip feature is good for clipping to your lapel, edge of your pocket or belt and can be removed if not needed. I had initial concerns about the durability of the clip, but now having used it for weeks, I think it will be fine as long as I don’t do anything silly… like stand on it! The volume slider is sizeable and easy to access and there is a hold button to help avoid skipping tracks accidentally.
Gripes…
None really at this price. Just wish I had discovered Sandisk sooner. But, I guess the icing on the cake would be if the Sandisk Clip had an off-timer function. There is a timer on my iPod, which is very useful when there is a chance of nodding off and running the battery flat. Again, not really a gripe more of a wish list.
Conclusion
For the low price of this product, starting at £19.99 from Amazon UK, the Sansa Clip is unbelievable value and a great little device. It is pretty simple to use and has a good level of functionality. As an additional player for use when walking or exercising, the clip is ideal. There are no limiting DRM issues to worry about and the drag and drop nature of this mp3 player makes it highly useful.
The low price tag makes it an affordable gift and would be perfect for your first mp3 player or even as an additional spare player to travel with. They also come in a variety of Mine is the black 1GB player.
The screen and functionality of the Sansa Clip have made my iPod shuffle redundant. I suppose you could argue that the iPod shuffle is more aesthetically pleasing, but for me, I am more interested in its ease of use and overall functionality; being able to select my favourite tracks quickly whilst doing my exercise. Personally, I am considering getting another so that I can have one for podcasts and audio books and the other just for music.
I highly recommend it! Go and treat yourself today!
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