Can't go wrong with this one.

First, a qualifier: Since there are already 3 other reviews of this player on Epinions (which I have not read yet, in order that my own review is not influenced), I will not be making a comprehensive review of this. Rather, I plan on concentrating on my own likes and dislikes, and the newly released firmware upgrade to version 1.01.29.

I originally bought one of these when it first came out late last year, but had returned it. As good of a player as it was, it had not suited my usage very well. My issue was that I listen to a lot of podcasts, but sometimes I also just want music. The Clip did not give me an easy way to separate them using drag and drop file loading, and would treat music and podcasts the same. I suppose if I used playlists that would be easier to implement, but I prefer the simplicity of drag and drop with my PC's file system. Firmware 1.01.29 solves this issue for me, by creating a podcasts folder that is separate from the main music folder and they only play when I select podcasts from the play menu.

Some other notable updates and enhancements include:

-Support for the open-source OGG Vorbis audio format. A feature that I expect will be applauded by both audiophiles and the open-source software community. (The MP3 format is actually a proprietary format that involves some licensing fees to the owner)

-Shuffle allows skipping to a previously played track without reshuffling of tracks occurring.

-Playlists now support up to 1000 songs. Not really a biggie for this 1 Gb model, but I can see this being of benefit for the higher capacity versions of the Clip.

-In the setting menu, you can see the battery percentage as a numeric figure.

To install the new firmware, the official method is to use the Sansa firmware updater from their support site. It is only available in a Windows executable. However, if you use a Mac, Linux or just don't like extra applications cluttering up your computer, you can still install the firmware. All the updater does is to place the binary firmware file in the root folder of the player, and it updates when you turn the player on. The update file without the Windows installer can be found in Sandisk's user forums at this address:

http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=clip&thread.id=6720

You will need to go into the settings and put the player in MSC mode, which will cause it to show up as a disk drive on your system. The update file can then be copied into the root folder of the player and will install when you turn it on. Simple and straightforward. I like it that way.

Note: Your players current firmware level can be found within the settings menu under "system info"

Note: There are two connection modes used by this (and other) audio players. MTP (Media Transport Protocol)allows the device it identify itself to the computer as an audio device, and allows applications to access and synchronize with it. MTP is also used by many cameras. MSC (Mass Storage Class) is the choice which causes the device to act as a disk drive and show up the same way a USB flashdrive does. The default of the Sansa Clip is MTP mode, but it is easily changed to MSC in the settings menu labeled "USB mode".

As far as the functionality of the separated podcast feature goes, it still needs some tweaking, but is usable. The main issue is it plays the podcasts in reverse order, newest first. A problem if you are listening to a series that depends on being listened to in order. I have also found that sometimes it will not go to the next podcast in the folder when one has finished. Sometimes it will. This may be some other preference setting I am making that is causing this behavior, but if that is the case, I have not determined what it is. I will update this review if I find that out.

Music playback is good. I can't comment on the audio quality, as I listen mostly in the car or on a cheap pair of external speakers. Not exactly high fidelity environments! The small 2 color OLED screen is about as easy to read a display as I think you could get on a device this size. Menus are easy to navigate, using the ID tag info within the audio files. As long as the files are properly tagged, you can navigate by artist, album, song, genre, all the usual.

Ergonomics:
A nice touch is a fingertip sized hole in the clip on the back, opposite the directional control pad. My middle finger falls naturally into this and it hold the tiny player nice and steady while using it. I do have some issue with the choice of where they located some of the controls on the units side, however. The headphone jack is located right above the volume buttons and since most of these plugs have a 45 degree bend in them, they frequently are interfering with access to the volume controls. If they had reversed the locations of the headphone jack with the mini USB port, which is above the power switch, I would have been happier. I find in the car that the volume controls are a little awkward to operate from a position facing the device. When I clip the player to a shirt pocket, though, it is clear that this is the usage that was in mind when it was designed. In that location, I have plenty of grip on the side buttons. (The headphone plug is still in the way, however!) To be fair, anything this small must have some compromises in component placement.

Looking over the review I just wrote, I think it may sound like I didn't like the product. Please know that this is nitpicking of an otherwise fine player, and I am now using the Clip on a daily basis.