I love MP3 players that plug directly into my USB ports – with no wires or connectors to keep track of.

And I love a player that is tiny enough to slip into my pockets, instead of cluttering my waistline with a gadget overload that looks like an imitation Batman utility belt.

And I love a player that doesn’t cost a fortune – mainly because I hate that constant worry of drowning an expensive smart phone when I listen to tunes along the beach.

So those are the reasons I’m excited about the Sansa Express, It is really an elaborate USB stick, with 1GB (gigabytes) of flash memory and a MicroSD expansion slot for more memory. It also comes in a 2 GB version for about $20 more. That is a choice I would always grab to guarantee myself lots of diverse music to listen to. (More information on how many songs you can expect for different memory size).

At a time when other product lines seem to be abandoning the convenient USB plug, the Express has the classic plug right on the end -- complete with the familiar cap (the kind I usually lose right away!) Stick it into your PC to recharge and transfer files by drag-and-drop. (This device is not designed to be compatible with Macs (and people who try to download from their Macs have mixed experiences.)

This player sells for about $60, and is about the size of a pack of gum (for easily dropping into and OUT OF any shirt pocket). And despite its size, the Express really is more than a “shuffle” style device: with a small but usable screen, a Play/Pause button, and menu button.

I’ve heard people complain that its OLED screen is tiny, but I really don’t expect to view full color, photos or album covers on every device I use.

It plays FM radio (using an autoscan and an ability to do presets on your favorite stations). And one other feature I like is the record capability – it has a built in microphone and can be used for interviews (which I do as part of my job).

Like other Sansa players, the Express It supports MP3, WAV and WMA (including subscription).

The included headphones seem fine (but not great) to me when I tried them out. And I was able to enhance the sound quality by using EQ settings for major music types (normal, pop, rock, jazz, classical and custom).

• User Guide


• High Rez Photos