Strengths:Affordability, Equalizer, FM Radio, Sound Quality, Stopwatch, Firmware Updates, Backlit Screen (nice blue), Uses non-proprietary batteries, etc...
Weaknesses:Back light stops working when battery is 3/4 empty, but really not a big deal.
Posted Feb 24, 2006 - I did a lot of research on this product before purchasing as I mentioned. I have several Sandisk Compact Flash Cards that work great including an Ultra II 1 Gig, so I knew the quality was good from the company already, so I gave them a try and found the unit at a great price from Amazon.com.
Bottom Line about the M230 (M200 series):
The unit is very user friendly and works great. Some positive notes about it are: Affordability, Equalizer, FM Radio (20 Pre-sets), Sound Quality, Firmware Updates, Backlit Screen (nice blue), Uses non-proprietary batteries (big plus in my book), comes with a protective case and arm strap that works. Others have stated the arm band is not any good, but I disaggree totally. I use my unit at the gym several times a week and running on the tread machine, it stays put and never skips a beat (literally). I've never used the recorder, but it is good to have as a memo option if needed on the go. Being I go to the gym regularly, the stopwatch feature is very handy to have also. The equalizer settings (Rock, Jazz, Classical and Pop) are good right out the box. The unit also gives you the option to manually set the equalizer sound which is what I use and improves on the already great sound that the preset equalizer gives. One of the things that really sold me on this unit was that you aren't limited to just one computer to load and delete songs with the unit. I can use any computer with a USB plug (1.1 and 2.0) and add new songs and then instantly play them unlike some Apple products which must have the same computer to be able to play a song. Another key feature is that the m230 uses a single AAA battery and not a proprietary type or IMO, worse an internal type which can't be repaired/replaced easily or cheaply. When your internal or proprietary battery runs out of power, that's it. You can't run to the local drugstore and buy some AAA batteries to continue use. The proprietary type must be recharged before reused. I use 900 mA NIMH rechargeable AAA batteries. The battery life is about 24-30 hours (depending on if the backlight is used a lot) of continuous operation which is great. A regular Akaline battery in this unit last for 15-19 hours. I have used it that long cleaning around the house or plugged into the home stereo.
The only minor issues are that the the supplied USB cable is on the short side (9"). If you do not have a front USB port, this can cause a small problem, however, I am able to use my Canon Digital Camera cable for the camera and the Sandisk M230 which works prefectly and gives plenty of length. The other small issue is the back light stops operating when the battery reaches 3/4 empty which is really understandable being it takes a lot of power to run a backlit screen on a single AAA battery. Some MP3 players in this range don't even have a screen nor many other features the M230 has. This was a great buy and I highly recommend it.
Overall, this was a great investment and I highly recommend it to anyone on the market for an MP3 player.
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Rated 
Recommend SanDisk 512MB MP3 Player
Comment about this review
Good for playback
Good player in general...
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