SanDisk Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with MicroSD Expansion Slot (Black
by SanDisk
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Our Price: $259.96 Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $53.00 (click here) Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with MicroSD Expansion Slot (Black
Customer Review: Great Buy!!!
Summary: 5 Stars
First of all I would like to say that this was probably the best mp3 player I have ever owned. Much better than the Apple iPods. Putting music onto the player was as easy as pie. You can either drag and drop the file or sync it to Windows Media Player 10 or many other programs.
The image quality of the pics and videos are amazing. It's almost like owning a mini HD tv. All you have to do is drag and drop the pictures. For videos you need to convert them into the right format. If you buy it new, it comes with the software it won't download whole dvds. I would really only recommend this to people whose sole purpose is to use it just for music. Personally I think it is just too much of a hassle to convert videos into the right format on any device.
For parents, I think that you should consider buying this product before buying any of the iPods. This is a great mp3 player for younger children and much less expensive to replace if it gets lost or stolen. It is also easier to get music downloads for it as well.
When I got it, I had to go and buy new headphones for it because the ones that it came with were too big for my ears though they were comfortable. I liked the fact that the player has a high volume. I like to listen to my music at somewhere close to sonic boom and this player went above and beyond. For the first time, I didn't have my player up at full volume. So this is definitely something that kids would like.
There is one small problem that I had with it. When you hook it up to your computer to charge, you cannot listen to music at the same time. I found out though that if you turn on your computer and don't log into your account, you can play music and charge at the same time. But really. What's the point unless you're going to hook it up to a stereo or something? Nobody's really going to just sit there listening to music while it charges.
This player is also durable. I have sat on it, dropped it, and drowned it. When I accidentally dropped it in a toilet, all I had to do was open it up and air it dry. Afterwards I just screwed the back on again and it worked beautifully.
So the downsides are the video converter hassles, the fact that music cannot be played while logged into your computer, and the headphones were a little too big. The upsides were the how easy it was ot get pictures and music onto the player, the durability of it, and THE PRICE! I'd reccomend this to any of my friends.
Customer Review: Superior product
Summary: 5 Stars
This is likely the best mp3 player on the market. I owned a previous SanDisk player, but didn't like the fact that it was AAA battery powered. Wasn't in too big a hurry though, so I took my time looking around.
The most obvious first choice was iPod. I took a look at several offerings, and found them to be pretty varied. The cheaper models looked good, but they seemed a bit expensive for the functionality available. Additionally, I was put off by the fact that you can't use the player as a USB storage device. This is actually one of the major things I use these for, having it double as a media player and a flash drive. Next on the lineup were offerings by Samsung, Creative, and even Microsoft. Zune looked and felt too big and clumsy in general, as did most of the hard disk-based Creative players. I wanted the thing to fit in my pocket, not fill it. The Samsungs were small and cheap, but didn't have much storage space and all but the top-end ones had very small screens.
Then there was SanDisk again. I must say, despite the fact that my old player didn't have what I wanted in terms of battery life/type, it still did work. Checking out the selection, I saw this player and settled on a mid-range 4 GB size. I'm pleased with the choice.
Pros: Very nice screen.
Good software that's pretty straightforward to use (just be sure to run the updater).
One-touch voice recording.
FM tuner with pretty good reception.
Very long battery life, fast charging.
Lots of storage space, and additional available via Micro-SD. Holds all my files, and then some.
Very easy to sync with Windows Media Player.
Battery is removable/replaceable.
Just plain looks cool- on par with iPod Nano in my opinion.
Cons: The included earbuds are lousy. Bought myself some new ones.
Some buttons are a bit small.
USB charging only with proprietary cable; requires a PC that's turned on (not a big deal in most cases).
Can't seem to play directly from player while plugged in, though of course you can play from the PC.
Relies on Windows Media Player for sync, file ID, playlists, etc., so if you don't like WMP you can still organize stuff, but it's a bit of a pain.
Essentially this is an iPod Nano with much better software/compatibility options, slightly inferior hardware key layout, and much lower price. I think it's no contest which is the better deal.
Customer Review: The Best!
Summary: 5 Stars
I owned an iPod mini that had poor battery life, lock-ups and died after 1.5 years. I was determined not to spend the big $$'s on a player that would not stand the test of time. I purchased a previous generation of Sansa 1GB player, and loved it. But it lacked the bells and whistles that I enjoy. Due to my previous experience with the Sansa line, I decided on the 4 GB e260. I have owned it for about two months, and haven't been happier!
GOOD:
-Most importantly - great sound! A huge improvement over my last Sansa, and the iPod mini.
-Small! I carry it around in my purse all of the time.
-Radio option is nice to have, with great reception.
-Very solid and sleek. Seems durable.
-Easy to use - just drag and drop. I don't even bother with Media Player.
-My main complaint with the old Sansa is that it would loose its place in a track when powered off. So long podcasts would start over when powered back on. Now my new e260 player holds its place - I'm so glad I upgraded!
GOOD and BAD:
-Expandable memory slot is nice. But it is micro-SD. I have a ton of SD cards, but no micro-SD
-Battery lasts forever - more than 10 hours. But when it dies, you have to hook it up to a computer to charge. I miss the old Sansa where I could remove a re-chargable battery, put a fresh one in and keep going.
-Tiny! Which means tiny buttons and a tiny screen. I would not recommend buying this player for video purposes. It looks great for such a tiny screen, but it is tiny!
-I am not a technical person, so I had a heck of a time figuring out how to convert a video. I thought I could just use the Sansa converter and go. But no, I have to de-crypt it, then use the Sansa converter. It was hard for a person like myself to figure it out. But I do have to say, the Sansa converter does shrink the files down nicely! I have put both pictures and video on my player without problems.
BAD:
-The fast-forward and rewind button proceeds slowly! I listen to long podcasts, and it can take a while to move to where I want in the track. If you want to move forward 2 hours, you can pretty much forget about it since the buttons are so small and hard to hold down for that long.
-That's it!
I'm so happy with my purchase. It is "cheap" in price, yet has everything I could ask for. Thanks Sansa!
Customer Review: DO NOT buy an Ipod, this is much better!!
Summary: 5 Stars
First let me get my Ipod bashing out of the way. The 4GB Ipod Nano that The Sansa e260 competes with costs $230. That should be enough of a reason to buy this amazing player for nearly half that amount (I paid $130).
My second biggest gripe with the Ipod is the batteries. They are not user-servicable, and in a couple of years when they die (as they all do) you will have to ship your Nano to Apple and pay them to replace it. The Sansa has a user replaceable battery kit for around $13.
Also, the Nano doesn't play video. The Sansa e200 series will convert and play many different kinds of video files. I just loaded 2 full length features and a full season of my favorite TV show and still had enough room fo about 15 CDs. That should be enough to keep me distracted on a long road trip i have planned.
Lastly, if you have an Ipod, you have to use iTunes to load your music. Personally, i hate to be forced into using proprietary software in order to use a device. The Sansa lets you drag and drop files directly onto the device in Windows explorer. You have the option to use Windows Media Player if you want to set up Playlists, etc.
Other features that the Sansa has that the Ipod doesn't even offer are the radio tuner with 25 presets and autoscan (which works perfectly), a voice and radio recorder (great for important meetings or just a grocery list).
There are a couple of small cons with the Sansa e200 players. The wheel is mechanical and isn't sealed well, and I can see it eventually getting lint, dust, etc. in it if you don't buy a separate case. I have not had this problem, I just see this as a possible future problem.
Also, you can't use the device while it is plugged in to your computer. You can, however, use the device while it is plugged into an AC or car adaptor, so you can simply buy a cheap multi-adapter (with both a car and AC plug) and problem solved.
Even if you purchase the most expensive case and plug adapter on the market, you will still end up spending much less than you would have spent on a Nano.
In conclusion, if you like to throw money away on expensive players with virtually no features, by all means, get the Nano. If you are a conscientious shopper who would rather have a player loaded with features and $100 in your pocket, go with the Sansa.
Customer Review: Works perfect
Summary: 5 Stars
I first had a LOT of trouble getting this to be read by my computer. I did search after search for how to fix the trouble, because I didn't want to RMA it. So, I found lots of info, none of it worked. Then, I had a stroke of genius, and plugged it into a different USB port (out the back of the PC instead of the front ports) and it worked!! Another symptom of age on my soon to be replaced PC, all my trouble for 2 days was because my front USB ports don't work anymore. So, I guess I'll throw that out there, try a different USB if all else fails.
That aside, here are my comments:
I like the LCD screen. I bought the travel accessory, which I HIGHLY recommend getting. It came with a small plastic cover to help keep the LCD screen from getting scratched. The big travel pouch is awesome as is the snug 'leather' protector. GET this accessory, IMO.
The radio is a definite PLUS over other MP3 players, as is the price. It gets decent reception; in my office I have a hard time getting radios to come in clearly, this works almost as good as my desk top radio (but not quite).
The ear phones that it came with hurt my ears, I need a smaller, more comfortable pair.
The volume control is interesting, it has a 'normal' volume and 'maximum' volume setting, and I at 1st thought that was terrible, as it didn't give much control. But they are just MASTER volume settings, rotating the spin dial gives you actual volume control.
4GB is going to work really well for me. Especially with the expansion slot for additional music.
Using the Media converter is fine for pictures and video, and is totally not needed for music.
After uploading music to the device it takes a moment to restart and update its library. Not a big deal.
Creating playlists within the device is cumbersome, but you can use your own from windows media player if you have to have playlists. Not a big deal to me, as right now all I do is put it on Shuffle mode, and play all.
I have not found any way to do any file management (such as delete) within the player itself, you have to use a computer for that.
OVERALL very happy with it. Shipping was awesome, used the free saver shipping, and it STILL came within a few days.