19. SanDisk Sansa C200 MP3 Player

In today's crowded digital music landscape, there are hundreds of MP3 players to choose from, in sizes ranging from the miniscule to the massive. Why did we settle on the SanDisk Sansa c200? Four words provide the start of our answer: cute, cheap, color and accessories. A quick look at the photo should lend some credibility to a couple of these assertions, after which we will dig into all of them.

This compact MP3 player also includes a 1.4" 64,000 color LCD screen, an FM radio, plus voice and FM recording.

The c200 takes the form of a basic but sensible candy-bar design, with dimensions of 3.1" x 4.0" x 0.6". It has a volume toggle, a proprietary USB connector, record button, hold switch, headphone jack, and a microSD memory card slot interspersed around its four edges. The screen is nothing special, but it is reasonably readable, and the FM tuner works pretty well. There's even a built-in mini-microphone so you can use the unit to take voice memos.

The 2 GB c200 can handle basic audio files, including WAV, MP3 and WMA files, and is also compatible with PlaysForSure music services such as Napster, Yahoo and Urge. It's easy to transfer files from a Mac or a PC to the c200, either user drag and drop or other methods. Those other methods don't always reliably transfer album art or playlists, and may require users to run the latest versions of Windows XP plus a media player such as Windows Media Player, MonkeyMedia, WinAmp or similar. Controls are pretty intuitive and easy, and buttons are well-enough placed and spaced to let you learn how to run the unit without having to watch what your fingers are doing every second.

The battery is user replaceable and no special tools are required to make the swap. Though battery life is rated at 15 hours, most users report playing times more in the 12-13 hour range. The microSD slot can accommodate memory cards up to 2 GB in size, which doubles this unit's storage capacity. Be aware, however, that a microSD card stores only music on this unit; any photos you wish to house on it must be stored on the built-in RAM. The image quality on the tiny screen is a little blurry, and colors can be somewhat off, so you might want to forgo this dubious privilege. Sound quality is good, but not audiophile grade.

You can find this unit for under $100, and sometimes even under $90, so it's definitely not a budget buster. Available accessories are legion, including car mounts, external speakers, armbands, so-called "bulletproof shields," high-end earbuds, and lots more. Anybody who likes music on the go will be able to make good use of this little player, and it seems unusually well-suited for the peripatetic student lifestyle.

For more information about the Sansa c200 series, please visit the SanDisk product listings for this product family.