current state of the firmware - is this player stable yet?

[Smiff]

Hi all,

I am considering the Sansa Express as an xmas present for someone, because on paper it's almost ideal.
however, i am very nervous that i'm going to give a present that will break almost immediately. There are a lot of negative reviews, including here on this site. I expect this type of product to last about 2 years.

i would like to ask please:

1) if there have been further firmware updates recently, and if the current firmware is stable? by this i mean for example no more than one reset required every few days at a maximum.
1b) has sandisk given up on this player or is it still being updated/fixed?

2) anyone in the UK had experience trying to warranty claim on one?

3) are there any serious bugs remaining? I can buy a sandisk microsd card so the kingston issue hopefully won't matter.

this person will be using Macs and therefore won't have access to the updater themselves (and nor will they want to use it). it will be used for file transfers in a business situation so this must, MUST be reliable as a memory stick!

having read the stickies, I am expecting to keep a MicroSD card on hand to fix that fail-to-start bug.

any advice much appreciated. the other contenders btw are:

- Creative T100 4gb (no screen)
- Samsung YP-U3 - ruled out because no Mac compatibility apparently?
- iRiver - no suitable players
- your suggestion here please?!

requirements:
- Mac compatible/UMS mode
- 2gb-4gb
- USB plug
- around £30-£40

the Sansa Express is still my #1 choice right now but it won't be a confident purchase.. i find it bizzarre that at the end of 2007 there arent more products on the market that fit these (very ordinary) requirements.. maybe i'm missing some?

[Smiff]

just saw from another thread
"SanDisk hasn't released a firmware update for the Express since the 4th of July, 2007."

looks like this player has been abandoned. shame.
at least i hadn't bought it yet!

any suggestions on alternatives with similar features? (upgradeable memory notwithstanding, so it needs 4gb internal ideally).

alternatives:
Creative T100 4GB (no screen)
Creative v100 2GB (slow transfers, max 2GB, kind of cheap looking)
EMTEC C210 4GB MP3 Player (never heard of this before?)

[Suleeto]

July 07 isn't very long.... and from everything I've read on this forum section, it's still a very solid player.

If you're dead set against the Express, then I suggest the Sansa Clip. 1GB and 2GB available, FM tuner, voice record, superb sound quality for a player in this class, and fully compatible with XP, Mac, and Linux:





$40 for the 1GB and $60 for the 2GB, you can find them well-stocked in Best Buy (1GB and 2GB) and Wal-Mart (1GB only).


Really though, I passed on the Clip because the Express has the mircoSD expansion slot, and I'm doing my best to promote a Rockbox port that will (hopefully) allow more than 2GB microSD cards.

[Smiff]

thanks but no USB plug on that! it's the main limiting factor..
How come the firmware is good on other sansa players yet apparently terrible on the Express? you'd think they would all be roughly similar

it comes down to this Sansa Express or the Creative T100 4GB. they are the same price. Express has a screen etc.. but Creative players i've always found very reliable. it's a diffificult decision!

I am in the UK btw. So we don't always have as much choice as the US.

[Smiff]

is there a list somewhere of the remaining issues in the latest version for the Express please?

[Suleeto]

Gee for me having a screen, however tiny, is a requirement, not an option. That's why I scoff at people who by iPod Shuffle.

I won't get mine from my parents until christmas, but as far as I can tell from reading here and around the net, the newest firmware resolves the previous issues.

[Smiff]

yeah a screen is important but for me it comes under "player works at all"
i'm fairly confident a T100 (which is basically a 1st gen shuffle clone) will keep working.. not so sure about the Express.

[Suleeto]

Well I can't wait to get mine for xmas. Sandisk is a pretty solid company, puts out a pretty solid product. I'll update the firmware first thing and I'm sure I will be fine.

But as far as features goes, I'd choose a screen over a built-in USB connector any day of the week. That was why I suggested the Clip to you, the mini-usb standard is so common, you will always have a cable or two lying around. I'd rather have that then no screen, I suppose.

[Smiff]

thanks for your input and good luck with the express!
i should have made clear the #1 use is as reliable memory stick, mp3 player being more of a bonus.
the reason I was tempted by the Express is it's the same price, and as I said on paper better.
without more reassurance from owners that this player is reliable i won't risk it.
the T100 probably makes more sense for me

[edoovel]

Dont buy express,my advice.
Not stable,horrible,terrible. You will end up with regret.

Consider others sansa model such as fuze and clip.