MP3 player saga: c150, e240.

The Apple iPod, as everything Apple does, is aggrandized iCandy, and you don't need an iExam to notice that the prices are a bit higher than the competition. Though the billions of people sporting an iPod right now think they are different and technologically discriminating, there are still a few who like products that work well without the "get mugged on the street" appeal (though the iPhone is the new product to be mugged for).

So I've been looking around for the simple alternative. Nothing wrong with the iPod I suppose, but I don't want to spend that much, and I don't care for being forced to use iTunes and proprietary file conversion. (I also like an FM tuner and the option to record voice notes). Not to mention that when the iPod battery goes south in a year or so, it's an expensive repair. The Sansa E240 seemed like a perfect fit. I wrote an article on it in Jan. 2006. Problem is...


Yeah, a cracked screen put an end to that party within the first week of ownership. I must admit that Sandisk sent me a new one that is working fine today, but I carefully shroud it in an expensive leather case and gingerly play music when needing some gentile relaxation. I don't think I would sumo wrestle with this player though it is advertised as having a rugged titanium back--the screen is fragile

Now my other (lost then found) cheap Sandisk 512mb player is about unbreakable. I paid $60 for that one and it has proven more hardy than my $130 Sandisk e240 which was the intended replacement. So now I have two Sandisk players. The little cheap 512mb one that is rugged and very easy to drag and drop media to quickly; and the larger more feature rich, but seemingly fragile 4GB player. I suppose I'm satisfied with this combo, but it has taught me that maybe less is more. I loan the 4GB player to Angela, and it holds most of my music collection, and I am constantly swapping podcasts to my 512mb player for running and toting around.

But I'm still on the lookout for new solutions for versatile players that could fill the cheap, sturdy, iPod alternative niche. The Creative Stone Plus is worth a look. It's sturdy, very small, drag and drop, and inexpensive. I like it because it will support mp3/WMA files, has an FM tuner, a voice recorder, is extremely small, 2GB of memory, has a screen, and looks and feels sturdy. That's all good really, but the price is the same as the 1GB iPod shuffle which lacks a tuner, recorder, and screen. So with several useful features, twice the memory, and a price of $69, it's quite a deal. Of course it comes in various color options.

Could be a good first or auxiliary mp3 player. Creative also makes a Stone without a screen at 1GB for $39 which is as good as the iPod shuffle which cost's $74. The extra price of the Stone Plus is worth it in my book just for the screen and extra 1GB of memory.