This is a really great review! Im getting this for Christmas. My mom and I were at Best Buy and it was either this or a 4 gig Ipod nano and the sales guy (there and at circuit city) suggested this one. Im worried though because Ive seen a number of reviews saying they're player froze up a lot. Have you had anymore problems with it? What is firmware?
If you could email me (wishfulthinker37@aol.com) that'd be great! Thanks!

Andrea

Personally, if you're not going to go the iPod route, I'd go with a Samsung YP-Z5AB. After playing around with various 2-4gb mp3 players, I much prefer what Samsung has to offer.
Then if you want to go the smaller storage space route (512mb-2gb), iRiver's are awesome.

But I'd still purchase an iPod over anything else. I heart Apple :)

I believe all you need to do is go to SanDisk's website, under Downloads, then download the Firmware Updater: http://www.sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1...

After installation of Sansa Firmware Updater
* Please make sure your Sansa player is in MSC mode before plugging it in.
* Plug in your Sansa player and it will automatically check for updates.

Common questions about the Sansa Updater

Q: What does the Sansa Firmware Updater do?
A: The Sansa Updater is an application that checks for the latest firmware updates then downloads and installs the firmware to your Sansa device. The Sansa Updater is NOT a firmware.

Q: Why do I need to install the Sansa Firmware Updater to download "firmwares"?
A: Once you install the Sansa Updater, you don't have to worry about which firmware to download for your device. Sansa Updater downloads and installs the right firmware for your Sansa device.

Q: Do I need to install the Sansa Firmware Updater everytime there's a new firmware?
A: No, once the Sansa Firmware Updater is installed, future firmware updates are done by just plugging in your device.

Q: What does a "firmware" do?
A: Firmwares contain miscelleneous bug fixes and enhancements.

Q: Which Sansa players is the Sansa Updater compatible with?
A: The e200, c200 and m200 series

Q: Should I "Open","Run" or "Save" when i click on "Download Sansa Firmware Updater"?
A: "Open" and "Run" would automatically start installing the software,. "Save" would save it to your computer and you can run it in the future. We suggest you "Open" or "Run" the installer.

Q: How to change to MSC mode:
A: On your Sansa device, press "menu" and go to "Settings" then "USB" choose "MSC"

Q: How to check for firmware version?:
A: On the e200 and c200, press "menu" and go to "Settings" then "Info"/ "System Info". For m200, press "menu" then "Information".

i've been using the e260 about every day since the review was posted and it hasn't locked up on me since. i think it locked up 2 times when i first had it. i did use the firmware installer/updater and everything seems to be good so far.

that said, iriver does make good stuff too. it depends on your personal preference. iriver tends to have more aftermarket stuff like car chargers, FM transmitters and the like. the sansas have a few cases and aftermarket chargers and FM transmitters on the way, but they aren't available just yet.

i like the e260 just fine. i don't use windows media player to sync the player though...i found that to be too annoying. i just drag and drop my songs using the windows explorer file tree.

I just bought an iPod Shuffle, and I must say...they're pretty friggin' sweet!

For only $79, I love this little thing. It works great for when I just want to take a single playlist with me instead of my big ol' 60G iPod. The clip is a pretty cool idea as well.

I have had my Sana e260 for about a week now and have not experienced any lockups yet. It works fine. I do disagree with one of your comments. You said it only works with Windows. WRONG. I and running Ubuntu Linux and it works and integrates perfectly. I have loaded 450 songs and a bunch of pictures on it. The only thing I cannot do from Linux is video but I don't care.
I have one issue. I installed a 2GB micro SD card and cannot access it. In info it says it is there but no access.

To Radiobob: I was having the same issue. I read some fragment in an old CNet review that clued me in to something that may help you, too. The unit has to be in MSC mode to access the storage slot. Having said that, I can only say I have gotten far enough to add content to the microSD card, but am still playing around to see if there is anything special you have to do to use the content.

Pros:

Well priced
Long battery life

Cons:

Unit freezes
Difficult to delete multiple songs
Weak secondary market for add-ons

Evan Glueck

Sansa players are quite good. Though there's always space for improvement. I've Sansa e260. I like it because I can store lots of music and my videos

Thanks for the USB MSC mode hint to upload files to the microSD card !
I couldn't find my additional 2GB memory.

I have a Sansa e260. It is giving me a lot of trouble lately. I bought it refurbished, but I have not had any problems until now...

A couple days ago it started not letting me delete certain songs even when I reformat the songs are still there, but they are not when I try to listen to them. I can only access them through my computer. Then, I decided to leave those there and I tried to readd the music that I wanted on my MP3. I spent 30 minutes. When I tried to listen to the music that took forever to sync, my MP3 said there was no music on it. But again I can see it when I look at the device using my computer. Then today I tried to reformat it and readd the songs. Again it seemed to have "ghost" files. Then when I tried to add my music again the screen went black with white vertical lines through it and stayed that way until the battery went dead.

I got on to try maybe update the firmware to see if that would help. Apparently my MP3 is in MTP mode, but there is not a "USB" option under settings to change it.

Please Help!