I got my first MP3 player!
The SanDisk Sansa m260 MP3 Player 4GB is completely GNU/Linux friendly. It is basically a sophisticated USB drive. You can move files on and off of it using whatever file management tools you use for anything else. It only took me about 5 min to install an extension on Ubuntu so that Sound Juicer would rip into MP3 instead of OGG files. Another 5 minutes to install EasyTag so that I could edit the ID3 tags MP3 players use to read and ( more importantly ) list MP3 files.
The controls are very easy to learn, you can get 85% there with 10 min of playing around. Nice size read out with no glare. Controls are nice and big for people who have real hands ( think about that Apple engineers! ).
It has a built in microphone. I can make recordings. I can listen to FM radio. It even has a stop watch mode. I wish I would have gotten an MP3 player sooner. I was so amazed that this thing that looks like a desk toy given away at a business conference has the sound and feature set of expensive stereo systems that typically take over a corner of a room. I’ve used Sony Walkman’s in the past and portable CD players. This MP3 player is so much less awkward. Wow.
All of this and it only cost me about $50. I got it refurbished. The Sansa m260 was over $200 new. Life is good if you can wait until you have the latest technology.
I remember a few years ago I wanted a key chain USB drive when they were new. There were so many choices I procrastinated about buying one. They went from $200, down to about $70, and I finally got a 1 GB USB key chain drive for *FREE* as part of a tech store promotional.
Sometimes it pays to wait.
I’m sure someday MP3 players will be found in boxes of Cracker Jacks 🙂
Similar Posts:
- None Found
I see refurbished ones on Amazon for 48-49 bucks… Is that where you got yours?
I am so going to be your annoying copycat little sister and get one in pink nows.
(I have an mp3 player that I bought in 200, for $300 bucks….it works…barely…but is a ugly & heavy pain in the ass to use….)
PW
Be warned. Read the specs on the dimensions. It is fine for me, but it is thicker than it looks. It feels completely comfortable in the pocket of a pair of snug jeans, but if you are looking for a wafer thin model this isn’t it.
Like I wrote, it is totally Linux friendly and has a totally friendly interface.
It’s cheap (well the refurbished version is) and is like WAAAY smaller than my current MP3 player….
Remember what the old portable CD players used to look like? My current MP3 player is bigger than that. And the battery compartment doesn’t work anymore so I always have to keep it plugged into the wall. And it sucks up a hella lot of energy.
I was reading the specs on the one you bought, it seem like it uses much less power…
PW
It uses one dinky old fashioned AAA battery. Of course you can get rechargeable versions and I hear that battery chargers have improved a lot.