Product Review - Sansa C200 MP3 Player

When deciding whether you'd like to purchase an iPod or a MP3 player, consider the great MP3 players that are out there on the market. The Sansa c200 costs roughly $100, hold 2 Giga Bytes of music (roughly 500 songs), and includes both a voice recorder as well as a FM radio tuner. It is frighteningly easy to use, and has amazing sound. There is also the option to upload videos. However, the viewing screen is small. For me personally, a smaller screen is better in a MP3 player. There is no need to watch video on such a small screen.

Now that I described the functionality of the item, people might wonder why they should choose a MP3 player over an iPod. It is really a matter of economics. Now that the days of free downloadable music are coming to an end, if they haven't already, it is necessary to keep the cost of music in mind when choosing a player. Unfortunately, the formats that each player plays are incompatible.

Now it is well known that Apple iTunes currently cost $.99 per song. What aren't as well advertised are sites that offer the MP3 format, websites such as Napster.com. Currently, you can get a Napster membership for roughly $10.99 a month. Their offerings are extremely diverse and you can listen to a lot of music without paying anything other to the $10.99. However, there are some items for which you will be charged the same $.99 per song.

Now that the basics are on the table, let's examine this for a minute. If a person happens to enjoy the musical offerings of Napster.com, he or she will automatically be in the market for a MP3 player over an iPod. On the other hand, once someone has purchased an iPod and invested several hundred dollars in a legitimate iTunes music player will not want to convert to MP3. Sadly, there appears to be no compatibility in sight.

Therefore, as things stand now, it is important to make a decision: iTunes or MP3? If you make the decision to go with MP3, check out the Sansa line of players. You simply can't bet the price or the sound. What more could a music buff as for in a player? As it turns out, there is plenty more.