My main MP3 player is the 5th generation 60 gb iPod. It's been great and still going strong. I wanted a backup MP3 player, primarily for the gym, but also something small to keep in my purse.

So I wanted was something basic and small, but still with a screen, i.e., something a little bit more advanced than the iPod Shuffle. It didn't have to be a complicated screen, and I didn't need pictures or video. Just something that lets me navigate the songs.

I tried the Zen Stone Plus - and found that the battery charging was iffy, the navigation features were limited, and that the menu lagged and got stuck. Then I tried the Samsung YP-U3 - and found that the design was excellent, and the features were impressive, but the touch controls just didn't fit my needs.

Then I tried the Sansa Clip - and found that it is almost perfect.

Using the Sansa Clip

The Zen Stone Plus looked like a giant Chiclet, and the Samsung YP-U3looked like a stick of gum. The Sansa Clip happens to not look like an edible treat of any kind.

Having used two compact MP3 players in a similar price range, I am really impressed with the functions and menu structure of the Sansa Clip. The Sansa Clip not only gets FM radio like the others, it can even record it. And it's got a "sleep" function. You can also create one playlist right on the player ("GoList").

I'm also quite impressed with the sound. It sounds pretty good. I don't use fancy headphones with my MP3 players, but I do use the same set of Sony earbud headphones for all of them, so I can at least tell the difference between one unit and another.

The battery is supposed to last 13 hours, and it did last about 13 hours for me after the first full charge. (I timed my usage by using the "sleep" function.)

Aside from the extra features, I also liked the menus. There was nothing fancy about the menus, but they just made a lot of sense, and made it easy for me to figure out all the functions.

Adding the songs was also very easy. Like with both of the previous compact MP3 players, I was able to simply plug it in, and drag-and-drop my files within seconds. And the Sansa Clip can be used as a storage device if I needed it. I was also able to use Windows Media Player 11 to set up playlists. Like with the Samsung YP-U3, the Sansa Clip can sort songs by Artist, Album, and Genre using the ID3 v2 tag.

Despite being a very good player, there are some things I would change about the Sansa Clip:

- There is a blue ring of light that illuminates the controls. It looks cool and I like it, but I wish there was a way to turn this off.

- When I have the Sansa Clip plugged into my computer to charge, the screen stays on the whole time. I like that the unit lets you know exactly what it's doing - e.g., "writing" or "charging." But I don't think it's necessary for the screen to stay on the entire time it's recharging. However, the screen shuts off after a while if I have it plugged into an AC charger.

- Both the Samsung YP-U3 and the Zen Stone Plus had a shortcut key you could program. The Sansa Clip doesn't have one.

- I wish there was a little loop for a lanyard somewhere on the unit. There is a little loop on the removable clip, so I have to keep the clip on to use a lanyard.

- The 2 gb Clip only comes in Black, Blue, Hot Pink, and Red. I wish it came in a few more colors. (Green? Purple?)

- The main control is a typical 4-way dial, but the Play/Pause button is on top, while the Menu button is on the bottom. This is the opposite of an iPod. I don't think an MP3 player has to mimic the iPod to be considered a good design. But the fact is that I am used to the iPod, so I find myself pushing the wrong button all the time.

- And lastly, the buttons - they're so noisy. The clicking is just really loud, and I'm not sure why. It's a good thing that the buttons are tight, rather than loose, but it makes a surprisingly noisy, popping sound each time I push it. It almost makes me miss the touch controls on the Samsung YP-U3.

So there are some things I would change about the Sansa Clip. But they are pretty minor and easily outweighed by the good stuff. Despite these complaints, I would still give the Sansa Clip 5 stars.

Conclusion

I really like the Sansa Clip. It has more features than the other two players I've tried, but at around the same price. Aesthetically speaking, the Sansa Clip has the least flair, design-wise. But it's not a shabby-looking player at all. It just doesn't have that Super Cool! or Super Cute! factor.

In fact, the Sansa Clip is plenty cute, simply because it's very small. And it packs a lot into this small package. I think it has the best set of features for this price. In almost every way, the Sansa Clip is just what I imagined I would, and should, be getting for around $60 - something simple and small, but with as many useful features as you can get in such a small package. If you spend more, you're getting the next level of MP3 players, which feature video, pictures, etc. - and are consequently bigger.

If you want a compact MP3 player - around 2 gb, and something that just plays songs but also has the ability to navigate to a specific song, the Sansa Clip is a great all-around player.

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FYI - There's apparently a 4 GB version that will be released soon.

http://www.amazon.com/SanDisk-Sansa-Clip-Player-Silver/dp/B00126V8WU/

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Check out my other MP3 Player Reviews:

MP3 Player Review #1: The Zen Stone Plus - A Very Cute MP3 Player

MP3 Player Review #2: Samsung YP-U3 - A Very Cool MP3 Player

MP3 Player Review #4: Latte Communications M1 (2 GB)

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 59.99
Recommended for: Athletes - Lightweight and Portable, Perfect for the Gym