Is it true that this is a disosable player? I read that the battery can’t be changed, so when it dies the player has to be thrown out. How many years should the battery last?
Lithium batteries can last 5+years if properly maintained. I.e don’t leave out in the sun, extreme cold, in the washing machine etc.
Is the battery replaceable or not? And if it is, can it be replaced by consumers or does the Fuze have to go to SanDisk?
The battery (Lithium-Ion) IS replaceable in the e200 series players.
The battery (Lithium-Polymer) IS NOT replaceable in the FUZE or the CLIP (by you, SanDisk or anybody)!
Here’s the poop, the whole poop, and nothing but the poop.
This battery is designed to out-last the Li-ion type. Just to give you an idea of the life expectancy; I have a cell phone with a Lithium-Ion type battery. It gets used everyday, much more than anyone’s mp3 player would (well . . . alright, more than _ MOST _ people’s mp3 player would). This phone is 8 years old and still has the original battery! Yes, the charge isn’t lasting quite as long these days, but I think 8 years is pretty darn good. By contrast, my daughter is on her 4th phone in the same amount of time (of course that really doesn’t have anything to do with the battery). It depends a lot on how you take care of it. 
By the time your battery runs out, there will be a new Sansa product!
My phone is 4 years old, and I still only charge it once every 2 days. (Sometimes 3)
Battery life another discussion on this. bdb said his other player, after 3 years was down from 12 hours to 2, and Fuze start out at 24. So that gives you an idea of how long this can last. And by then you will probably want a new one anyway (maybe).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lithium-ion_polymer_battery
Message Edited by bobletteross on 09-04-2008 08:12 AM
