I've used a number of MP3 players over the years and have yet to find the perfect one - one that's small, has plenty of space for music and offers lots of choices for what to listen to. The Sansa e200R has become one of my favorites, simply because it offers so much for a competitive price. Just a few highlights: it includes an FM radio which is great for gym workouts when you want to watch TV, offers up to 8 GB of space and unlimited access to hundreds of songs and music channels. It's also compact and perfect for the accident-prone exerciser (like me).
The Details
SanDisk offers a variety of MP3 players and the e200 series (which includes 2, 4, 6 or 8 GB players) is part of their Rhapsody Series. The e200 series works with Rhapsody software (which offers a subscription service $9.95 - $14.99 a month) with unlimited access to songs as well as a number of other features like digital music channels and the ability to create your own channels and playlists. I don't want to belabor all the features here, since others have done a much better job of breaking it down (such as CNET's Review), but want to focus more on the features most beneficial to exercisers who use their MP3 players for workouts:- A digital FM tuner. This is one thing I always missed with my iPod. It's great to be able to watch TV at the gym and tune in so you can hear what's going on.
- FM recording. I used this feature to record my favorite morning radio show and listen to it later at the gym. What a great way to change things up.
- Continuous music channels. This feature is also very cool. You can choose a music channel based on genre (such as rock/pop or country) or you can browse through different Rhapsody channels like 60's Rock or Acid Jazz and listen to them, add them to your own channels and add them to your player, if you have the Rhapsody To Go subscription ($14.99 a month).
- Unlimited access to music. This is by far the best feature for exercisers. By paying a monthly fee, you can listen to any song and, even better, transfer it to your Sansa without having to buy individual songs. For an exerciser who wants new music frequently, this is fabulous.
Other Pros and Cons
A few other things I like about the Sansa include:- It's size. Just 3.5 inches high, 1.73 inches wide and .51 inches thick, it easily fits in your pocket or your hand.
- It's functionality. It's set up like an iPod (a dial in the middle and buttons surrounding it for various things), but you can access menus easily. For example, you can easily shuffle songs within a playlist and while listening to a song, you can repeat the song, buy it, rate it or add it to your on-the-go playlist without having to go through a bunch of menus and clicks.
Conclusion
Overall the Sansa e200 series offers a great experience for exercisers and, in fact, was ranked as one of the Best MP3 Players Under $200 by About's MP3 Guide. It has great functionality, offers a variety of music choices and is so small and light, it's perfect for workouts.I think where the question will come in for many people is the subscription services. You can download Rhapsody for free and use it just like any other music service (pay for songs, upload your own music to the player, etc.) and it would be comparable to iTunes. Where the difference comes in is with the premium services like Rhapsody To Go ($14.99) where you can transfer music to your player and Rhapsody Unlimited ($9.99).
Even without the subscriptions and music options, I'd probably choose the Sansa e200 over the iPod simply because it has more features and a very competititve price ($139.99 - $249.99, depending on which one you get) for all it has to offer. Be sure to try the free trial to figure out of it's right for you.
