People who listen to audiobooks more than podcasts or music might find that an iPod offers more than they need. To use an iPod, you need to use iTunes and be willing to pay Apple's price tag, and there are other options for people who want a simple, inexpensive mp3 player. If you download audiobooks from Amazon or Audible, you need to have an audible-ready mp3 player. If you download audiobooks from public libraries, you need to have an mp3 player that will work with OverDrive. The Sansa Clip+ mp3 player from SanDisk can play enhanced Audible files and works with OverDrive, and it is easy to use.
SanDisk Sansa Clip+ Overview
If you are not familiar with the Sansa mp3 line, you might be surprised at the small sizes of the devices. The Sansa Clip+ is slightly larger than George Washington's picture on a one dollar bill. The mp3 player charges through a USB cable, and the battery will last for 15 hours, according to the Sansa Clip+ documentation. There is a power button at the top, and a main menu button that controls navigating the device menu and playing options. There is a micro sd slot to add more storage memory to the device. The Sansa Clip+ has two internal memory options, 4GB or 8GB.
It is not necessary to use the Sansa installation disk to add audiobooks to a Sansa Clip+. WIndows Media Player will automatically recognize the device, and you can add files to the mp3 player through the Windows Media console.
How to Download and Transfer Library Audiobooks for a Sansa Clip+
Before you can listen to audiobooks from the public library, you need to download the OverDrive Media Console and install it on your computer. This free software is what libraries use to transfer books to mp3 players. The Sansa Clip+ can play mp3 and WMA audibooks from the library.
After you have installed the OverDrive software, check out books from your library and download them to your computer. You are now ready to transfer books to your device.
- Connect your Sansa Clip+ to your computer with the USB cable.
- Open the OverDrive program. Under "File" (in the top left corner), click "Open".
- You will now see a window to browse for the file you downloaded from the library. When you find it, click "Open".
- After you see the title in the OverDrive library, click the "transfer" menu button. You will see your device listed in the "player" menu.. Check the box next to the book to move it to your Sansa Clip.
If your book does not appear in your OverDrive library. It may be necessary to update your Windows Media Player, which can be done through the series of prompts on the OverDrive console.
How to Download and Transfer Audible Books to a SanDisk Sansa Clip
If you are new to Audible.com, you will need to download the Audible Manager to transfer books from your account to your device. After you have downloaded the Audible software, you will need to attach your SanDisk mp3 player and authorize the device.
- In the bottom left corner of the Audible Manager, click "Add Device".
- Choose your mp3 player, which is categorized as SanDisk Sansa.
- Connect your Sansa to your computer with the USB port and authorize it with your Auidible username and password when you are prompted to do so by the Audible Manager.
You only need to authorize the device once. When you attach the mp3 player to your computer, you can download and transfer books from Audible Manager software to the Sansa Clip+ by dragging them from the Audible list of books to the player.
When you add new books and disconnect the mp3 player from the computer, the Sansa screen will read "refreshing your music" until your device is ready to go. To get to your audiobooks, start at the "Music" menu.
- Press the right button, which has the ">>" symbol.
- Press the bottom button (which has a series of lines because it is also the menu button) to scroll down to the "Audiobooks" option .
- You will see a list of your audiobooks, and you can start the audiobook by pressing the middle button.
- You can pause the audiobook by pressing the top button, with the ">" symbol.
To get back to the main Music menu, press the home button, which is the button with the little house symbol. Navigating to books on the SD card is a bit tricky because the screen defaults to books on the device memory, because instead of going to "Audiobooks" you need to go to "Folders" and find the micro SD card.
The Sansa Clip+ 4GB retails for $50 and comes in several colors. The Sansa Clip+ 8GB comes in black and retails for $70.The earbuds that the Sansa comes with are fine, but it accepts other standard earbuds and headphones. The sound quality is excellent, especially with the Audible "e" files, which are the enhanced quality. The device also plays Barnes and Noble mp3 audiobooks through the same OverDrive console that is used for library audiobooks.
Alex Sharp - Alex Sharp is a teacher who has been keeping Suite101 readers up to date with the latest in audio- and e-book gadgetry since 2008.
