I picked up an MP3 player yesterday, the Sandisk e140 ($81). It has 1GB of onboard memory and has an SD expansion slot.
Combine that player with a 2GB SD card ($67.99) and you have a total 3GB of music/storage!
Save $8.10 - Sandisk Rebate (expires 4/30)
Save $20 - Corsair Rebate (expires 4/30)
Obviously, you could pick a different player, but from my research, I felt this was the best player out there for the money that had an SD expansion slot.
MATH
--------
$81.00 (MP3 player)
$67.99 (SD card)
-$20.00 (SD rebate)
-$8.10 (Player rebate)
-----------------
$120.89
EDIT: Amazon has the player for $75 shipped if you don't mind a longer shipping time.
Mini Review - Using updated firmware (easy to do, available on Sandisk website)
First Impressions
The retails package is one of those blister packs that you need to be careful opening to not mortally wound yourself, but I just used scissors to cut around the edges and open it. Inside there was the player itself, a worthless user guide, some offers from Rhapsody and Audible, a software disc (which I didn't use), a AAA battery, headphones, a 6" USB cable, and an armband. Overall a complete package to get you up and running.
Turning on the Player & Interface
You hold the menu button to turn on the player, and to turn it off. Pressing it instead brings up the menu for the player. I'll not get into great detail, but in my impression the UI was pretty simple and straigtforward. It could use work in spots, but chances are that if you are reading this, you'll have no problems. My only gripe is that you can't use "Random" without selecting it in the menu, while repeat can be enabled on the front buttons.
Sound Quality
First thing, TURN OFF SRS. I have no idea who actually uses this, but it makes my music sound like crap. Once it was turned off, my music sounded great. I think SRS might also reduce battery life (if you need another reason to not use it).
The included earbuds are the type that fit inside your ear, effectively blocking outside noise. Having not used this type of earbud before, I'm certainly impressed. Cutting out background noise meant I could turn the volume down to a reasonable level, but still be able to hear the music without problems. I imagine everyone is picky about headphone, but I have no reason to replace these ones. They include 3 different sized earpieces, and I was most comfortable using the smallest size. At 6'0", I'm curious who uses the largest of the three earpieces... Dumbo?
Expandable Memory
I also purchased a 2GB memory card, and plugging in the card to the player it can act as a card reader. The player picked up music on my 2GB card without problems. When using this player for storage, note that you can only access the 1GB internal memory OR the expansion card. So, you won't be putting any single 3GB files on the player without breaking them up. Not an issue in my opinion, but worth noting.
Gripes
The player has an affinity to put EVERYTHING in alphabetical order. I have my music organized by folders according to the CD album I'm listening too, so instead of playing music in order from folder to folder, it plays ALL songs from ALL albums in alphabetical order by their track title. You can skip this by playing a specific album/folder, which plays music according to track number, but then you have to select another album when it's done. I found this annoying because I listen to techno albums that blend from one track to the next within a folder. Skipping around different folders doesn't work for me! There is also a slight delay in switching tracks or using the front buttons.
Fast forward and rewind don't work! I'm using VBR MP3's encoded at a high quality, maybe that's why? Still, a player that doesn't have FF or RW working is kinda silly.
Would I Recommend the Player?
Yes.
I use the player while working out or running, so it suits me fine, issues and all. The included armband wasn't fastastic, but gets the job done.
Combine that player with a 2GB SD card ($67.99) and you have a total 3GB of music/storage!
Save $8.10 - Sandisk Rebate (expires 4/30)
Save $20 - Corsair Rebate (expires 4/30)
Obviously, you could pick a different player, but from my research, I felt this was the best player out there for the money that had an SD expansion slot.
MATH
--------
$81.00 (MP3 player)
$67.99 (SD card)
-$20.00 (SD rebate)
-$8.10 (Player rebate)
-----------------
$120.89
EDIT: Amazon has the player for $75 shipped if you don't mind a longer shipping time.
Mini Review - Using updated firmware (easy to do, available on Sandisk website)
First Impressions
The retails package is one of those blister packs that you need to be careful opening to not mortally wound yourself, but I just used scissors to cut around the edges and open it. Inside there was the player itself, a worthless user guide, some offers from Rhapsody and Audible, a software disc (which I didn't use), a AAA battery, headphones, a 6" USB cable, and an armband. Overall a complete package to get you up and running.
Turning on the Player & Interface
You hold the menu button to turn on the player, and to turn it off. Pressing it instead brings up the menu for the player. I'll not get into great detail, but in my impression the UI was pretty simple and straigtforward. It could use work in spots, but chances are that if you are reading this, you'll have no problems. My only gripe is that you can't use "Random" without selecting it in the menu, while repeat can be enabled on the front buttons.
Sound Quality
First thing, TURN OFF SRS. I have no idea who actually uses this, but it makes my music sound like crap. Once it was turned off, my music sounded great. I think SRS might also reduce battery life (if you need another reason to not use it).
The included earbuds are the type that fit inside your ear, effectively blocking outside noise. Having not used this type of earbud before, I'm certainly impressed. Cutting out background noise meant I could turn the volume down to a reasonable level, but still be able to hear the music without problems. I imagine everyone is picky about headphone, but I have no reason to replace these ones. They include 3 different sized earpieces, and I was most comfortable using the smallest size. At 6'0", I'm curious who uses the largest of the three earpieces... Dumbo?
Expandable Memory
I also purchased a 2GB memory card, and plugging in the card to the player it can act as a card reader. The player picked up music on my 2GB card without problems. When using this player for storage, note that you can only access the 1GB internal memory OR the expansion card. So, you won't be putting any single 3GB files on the player without breaking them up. Not an issue in my opinion, but worth noting.
Gripes
The player has an affinity to put EVERYTHING in alphabetical order. I have my music organized by folders according to the CD album I'm listening too, so instead of playing music in order from folder to folder, it plays ALL songs from ALL albums in alphabetical order by their track title. You can skip this by playing a specific album/folder, which plays music according to track number, but then you have to select another album when it's done. I found this annoying because I listen to techno albums that blend from one track to the next within a folder. Skipping around different folders doesn't work for me! There is also a slight delay in switching tracks or using the front buttons.
Fast forward and rewind don't work! I'm using VBR MP3's encoded at a high quality, maybe that's why? Still, a player that doesn't have FF or RW working is kinda silly.
Would I Recommend the Player?
Yes.
I use the player while working out or running, so it suits me fine, issues and all. The included armband wasn't fastastic, but gets the job done.