SanDisk Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)
by SanDisk
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List Price: Our Price: $50.00 You Save: $199.99 (80%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)
Customer Review: My Review of the e280 v2 and the e250 v1.
Summary: 5 Stars
Ok, I just will like to say that I bought this little guy on Feb. 22nd with free shipping and received it Feb 24th. SUPER DUPER fast shipping!!! WOW!!! VERY, VERY IMPRESSED with the shipping. Ok now to the players.
I own the e250 v1 with a 2GB MicroSD card which I have had for about 2 years now. I love it!!! Never had any issues with. I use it everyday in my car, work, and gym. The e250 has taken a beating and still keeps on ticking, the battery life is great! The only down side to the e250 is that it takes a while to boot up, I would say between 10-20 seconds It also depends how much music you have loaded in the player. I loaded pictures in it and small video clips of family events that I sometimes like to watch when I'm at work or the gym. The pictures in the player are pretty crisp even though the screen is small images are still viewable. To make playliste you have to download a program called "Sanse Playlister" It's a great program that I love!!! It's really easy to use for deleting and creating playlist. Overall the e250 v1 is a great player with the only issue of a slow boot time. The battery life rocks!!! 20+ hours of power and it's also replaceable.
Now to the review and comparison of the e280 v2.
Physically the e250 v1 and e280 v2 look 99.99% alike with the exception of the wheel. The e280's wheel is a little different. It feels like it's made out of some kind of hard rubber or soft plastic compared to the e250 v1. The grooves are also different on the wheel, not a big deal, you'll get use to it.
The BIG MAJOR difference and improvement on the e280 v2 is the boot time!!! WOW!!! It boots right up! As soon as you press the button to turn the player on it goes ON!!! That is a BIG, BIG PLUS compared to the my e250 v1.
It is suggested that you upgrade the firmware on the player right when you get it. It will give you the USB-Mode menu. Out of the box your only choice is MTP once you do the upgrade you will have the option to pick MTC of MSC modes. (More detail can be found on Sandisk's website)
The player also has a customizable EQ that you can play around with to get the best sound you're looking for. For some reason I'm not sure if it's me, but I have also read on other forums that people say the e280 v2 sounds a bit better then the e250 v1 which I kind of also think the same. Either way both players sound great, but I do think the e280 v2 might just sound a bit better.
When it comes to pictures, I do think the e250 v1's displayed crisper pictures. I put both playerds side by side and looked at the same pictures and from what I can see the e250 displayed a crisper picture, but the e280 still looked good.
Loading videos to the e280 v2. If you put a video longer then about 10 minutes you start to get a speech delay. I loaded a 40 minute video into the player and at worse the speech was delayed about 2 seconds. I wasn't really bothered by this because video is a bonus feature and it's NOT the reason why I bought the player for. If you have a shorter video you will have no issues with speech delay. I was able to download videos from YouTube and Google and load them into this player and watch them. You need to download "Sansa Media Converter" from the sandisk website so you can load videos and pictures to the player, without the converter you will NOT be able to view any videos or pictures in your player because of the formats. The converter converts the videos to .avi and the pictures to .bmp.
The radio works...well like a radio. You can preset FM stations and record from the radio. I will most likely never you this feature. Another bonus.
The voice recorder works pretty good. Voice recordings sound pretty clear. I will probably never use this feature, but you never know.
The earbuds you get with the player are ok, but not that greatest. I highly recommend the Sony MDR-E829V Fontopia Earbuds with In-Line Volume Control. They work and sound great with the Sansa. I have owned about 4 pair of these earbuds. You may ask why 4? Well let's just say that sometimes I'm not careful enough at the gym and the cable gets caught on something.
To make playlist on the player I use winamp there might be other programs out there, but winamp works for me.
The battery life does not seem to last as long as the e250 v1's battery life. I can get about maybe 17 hours of battery life, but also be aware that I'm not sitting here timing battery life I'm just estimating from what I see and I might be wrong.
You can also add more memory to the player using a MicroSD memory card. I'm waiting for the price to come down on the 8GB cards so I can add an additional 8GB of space in my player. 16GB total NICE!!!
*** Note That you can NOT add more than 2GB of memory to the e250 v1. ***
Overall the player is great!!! Faster boot time just makes a world of difference!!!
Oh before I forget... I also recommend the Sandisk 5 Piece Travel Kit for the Sansa. It comes with a leather jacketfor the player, lanyard, carrying case, screen protector, and a cleaning cloth for the screen with works GREAT! I own two if these kits each one of my players have one. The e250 and the e280.
If you have any comments or questions feel free to drop a line on the comments section.
Hope this review was helpful to you. I never do reviews this long, but I felt it was needed.
GREAT PLAYER!!!
Customer Review: iPod Nano had better watch it's back! The Sansa competes and EXCEEDS in most if not all categories!
Summary: 5 Stars
Don't fall into the white earbud trance any longer!! Wake from your Apple induced slumber people and open your eyes to the SanDisk Sansa e200 Series!! This review pertains to the Sansa e280 8GB mP3 player and let me tell you that the iPod Nano and Apple for that matter, had better watch it's back! The feature set capabilities and price point of the Sansa e 280 should have no trouble making Nano into apple pie as long as users like me help educate consumers to the realization that yes, indeed, there is a whole market of AWESOME mP3 players that in fact cost LESS, have more features, better reliability, and a company that backs its unit even after it has been sold!
For a long while now, many consumers have a certain "fruit" in mind when it comes to the mP3 player of choice. Well, I have news for you. The Sansa e280 outstrips the Nano in almost every regard. the e280 was the first flash player to come out with an 8GB capacity. The Nano soon followed with it's own 8GB (2000 songs) however, the Sansa has and expandible Trans Flash/Micro SD card slot enabling the user to ADD Storage!! Yes I said ADD IT! Currently SanDisk makes a 2GB micro SD card for about 100$ enabling you to add 2gigs to your player(about 500 more songs). Nano doesn't offer this and yet it is still priced the same or higher in some cases as I found my Sansa for under 200$. with this capability, the life of the player should be extended because of increased volumes for SD cards that come out continuously. Unlike with an apple product where if more storage is needed, you have to buy a new player and spend another 250 bucks! You can plug the storage card into the player and all the music transfered to it automatically integrates into your albumn folders which is a fabulous benefit!
Another Nice feature that the Sansa offers is a larger display screen. At 1.8 inches, the colors are bright and crisp. I would have liked to see a higher color resolution, however, still much bigger than the Nano and quite easy to read and see.
The construction of the Sansa is excellent with a poured metal back casing that is virtually un-scratchable (unless you drop it I would imagine) but you really can't scratch it like an iPod or a Zen. It also doesn't use the same plastic as the iPod or the Creative Zen so the front is SO much more durable!!! You would really have to scrape something pretty sharp against it to show scratches on its face unlike the iPod and Zen player in which you just have to place them in a pocket to receive one.
The e280 has a tactile wheel for navigation which is similar to the iPod platform but I find it to be a bit better. The dial has tiny grooves enabling the user to have more control through the screens. Unlke the iPod, the wheel lights up an electrifying flourescent blue color enabling you to navigate in lower light conditions and it also enhances the sleek look of the player.
The Sansa is compatible with Windows Media Player(free) and Rhapsody which is a paid music subscription site just like iTunes. However because this is not an apple product, you are not confined to the Apple platform.
The Sansa offers an FM tuner which is spot on and crystal clear, a voice recorder (useful if you are the memo on the fly type), video playback and photo viewing capabilities. The Nano has video and photo but does NOT have FM radio or recording capabilities. Easy and user-desirable things to add and yet Apple still hasn't caught on.
The cost of ownership for this is already cheaper right out of the gate with the lower price point but also a GREAT feature that Apple refuses to offer as it would effect their bottom line DRASTICALLY is that the Sansa offers a USER replaceable battery for about 19 bucks. You have to send your iPod out to Apple at the cost of shipping and $50 per battery. Not to mention the battery life for the Nano is 15 hours where the Sansa e280 played for 22.5 hours before dying!
All in all I spent 177.00 and got a FAR SUPERIOR PLAYER!! SanDisk customer service is top notch as well. I owned 2 very expensive $300 a piece 20 Gig ipods. in just over a year each(right after the warranty was up) they had hard drive failure which cost 268.40 to repair. I was told it was cheaper to buy another iPod and was sent rudely on my way by Apple rather than their customer service trying to work with me to keep me as a customer. I have done research on every player out there, Hard Drive and flash. I bought a Sandisk. They are the leaders is flash memory for a reason. Not to mention their customer service was STELLAR!! Top notch and happy to have me convert.
In closing, the Sansa is most definitely worth your time and your investment. Don't spend the 250$ on the Nano for your child's christmas present. They will be receiving a far inferior product, will have to replace it or fix it and the cost is RIDICULOUS! Educate yourself and purchase a Sansa.
Customer Review: RockBox Makes This MP3 Player a Terrific Choice
Summary: 5 Stars
The ideal MP3 player has not yet been created, and while the Sansa e2xx series is very good for many of the things, the software is poor for podcasts. Also, it should be possible to put the sofware into a reduced eyesight mode (for someone with less than perfect vision; i.e., anyone over 50). Reduced eyesight mode would eliminate all the fancy screen graphics and provide the largest text possible so that the screen can be read without glasses by the average 50 year-old or in less than ideal lighting conditions. (The screen of the Sansa is washed out in bright sunlight.) The size of the screen is large enough to provide terrific readability -- if the software supported it. (I really enjoy my Canon D40 digital SLR because it provides an option to display shooting parameters in large type on the big rear LCD.) In addition, there should be a mode that alters the display to show as much metadata as possible, including the full title of the file. This would allow the user to have as much information as possible about an individual file, without actually listening to it. It is very difficult to browse through podcast files on the Sansa.
In fact, the Sansa e2xx series is not good for podcasts. The reason is that the tagging scheme for podcasts is not uniform so a useful "directory" of podcasts can't be generated by the software. Using the factory software, it is difficult to navigate among many podcasts and podcasts are organized haphazardly. Sansa should provide an alternative operating system that allows Windows-style navigation, with automatic display of full metadata. Rockbox (an open source operating system that works with Sansa e2xx; www.rockbox.org) is a pretty good alternative solution. However, it is still in beta and it is buggy. Sansa should provide a fully operational operating system that is fully functional for podcast (and also audiobook) users.
Finally, there really should be a taskshifter built-in to the software. For example, if you are listening to a podcast and decide you'd like a musical interlude, there should be a way of easily jumping to the music and then hop back to the podcast in exactly the same spot you left off. This is a no-brainer, but there isn't an easy way to do it with the factory software. It is possible with RockBox using bookmarks, but rather unwieldy.
UPDATE November 30, 2008
I have now been using the Sansa e280 for some time with the new (final version, not beta) RockBox software. RockBox works very well. It is stable (unlike the beta version) and provides an excellent podcasting experience. RockBox provide the ability the customize the display according to individual preferences. It allows navigating the directory structure of the Sansa so that you can select files according to filename. Bookmarking works most of the time. After a shutdown, the player generally resumes where you left off. Loading files by dragging & dropping from Windows works very well. (Unlike some other MP3 players, it is possible to copy multiple files simultaneously to the Sansa with RockBox. This makes it faster to load multiple files/folders to the device.) I am very happy with the Sansa/RockBox solution for podcasting. I wish that RockBox provided the following:
(1) Ability to erase files using RockBox (it is possible to erase files easily using the Windows file manager when connected to your computer)
(2) Better pause feature -- if I am listening to a podcast, there should be a way of securly stopping the play so I can attend to a task (such as going through security at the airport) and then resume the podcast. I generally shut the device down in such situations which means that I need to reboot. Yes, there is a pause -- but it doesn't work as well as it should.
(3) Better display of metadata -- why not use the entire screen to display lots of information on the file that is being played? (Perhaps I could configure RockBox to do this, but I haven't figured out how.)
(4) Ability to task switch -- i.e. pause a podcast and jump to music, and then resume podcast.
In sum, you will find the Sansa eXX with RockBox to be an excellent solution for podcasting (and music). I carry mine with me wherever I go. Commuting is a pleasure rather than an irritation and I never get angry waiting in line because I always have someting interesting to keep me occupied.
UPDATE December 21, 2008
The beauty of this MP3 player is that it works with RockBox open source software. The latest version of RockBox is an excellent operating system that is highly functional and stable. You can customize the user interface to your needs. For example, choose a large font if your eyesight requires. You will have the capability of navigating the file structure like on your computer. I am an avid podcast listener, and the Sansa e280 with RockBox is the best solution I've found. Highly recommended.
Customer Review: Good but be aware...
Summary: 5 Stars
The sansa e280 isnt a bad choice for an mp3 player because unlike the ipod nano, you can remove the battery by yourself(Although I haven't tried it) and overall its pretty good for its price but there are a few things you should be aware of. These things aren't necessarily bad because other mp3 players might be the same and might not be much different but you should take these things into condsideration before buying it.
1. When it comes to photos and videos, the name will appear the way the actual file is named on the computer. So it's not like music where the file name can be GoD's PrOJeCt and on the mp3 player it says God's Project. The way it appears on the file name is the way it will appear on the screen.
2. Unlike the photos, you can't have seperate albums for your videos so you'll have to name your videos in a way that will organize them. So if you want all your rock videos in a section you could put a 1 in front of the name, then your rnb videos with a 2 in front of the name so that you don't have to scroll up or down and all over the place to find the videos you're looking for.
3. Because you can't fastforward or "scan" like in your songs, it'd be wise to NOT have a compilation of videos into one. This usually only happens with reggaeton videos where they'll show like two or three songs from the album on that one video alone. I haven't tried movies yet as their resolution is too high and it takes to long to cut them into parts but if you must, don't put the whole thing in one clip.
4. Unlike the videos which are formatted in the best way to fit the screen, the photos can be put in in different angles. If you want to get the pictures to fit the screen the best way possible, change their angle so its a standing rectangle just like the screen. It will fill most of the screen and you'll be able to see your pictures better.
5. There is a recorder for voice and FM but be aware, it won't sound as good as when you're recording the song you hear on the radio. This meaning you can't record, send to computer, turn into mp3, send back to sansa, and hear it with same quality sound. It's not totally useless as you can keep the recording until you find the name of the artist and/or song or you can understand the lyrics enough to find the name of the song. Hopefully in the future we'll be able to record the song from the radio and hear it with the same quality as when we were recording it but until then, use this as a way to find what you're looking for.
6. It can and will freeze. Don't worry it won't freeze that often but from time to time it will. I haven't found a way to fix it or unfreeze it so until then, take your time, pause what you're listening to before you change it, and just try not to do too much at one time.
7. Videos and photos are formatted to fit the screen on the sansa so it's not like you can put the photos and videos in, and then copy them back to the computer and see them with the same quality as the original file so keep the original files somewhere like a dvd disk in data mode which will hold more than 70 mb of space.
8. The buttons around the wheel may be hard to reach. Even I that I have skinny fingers, have a little trouble pressing those buttons. It's still better than the ipod where its hard to stop where you want it to so maybe they'll make the buttons wider and the wheel shorter next time.
Be a little realistic about these things though because some of these might be a downer but you might or might not even see that many photos or videos. Some people don't even organize their music or label it right and they have to look everywhere anyway. But if you're like me where you like your music, videos and picturess organized and easy to access, there's your alternative and solutions to some problems. I didn't see these things as that big of a problem and found ways around most of them so that's why I give it a 5.
Update: There is an alternative firmware that you can get for free online called Rockbox which works for this mp3 player. It has games and some other applications and other neat stuff. However it wasn't developed by sansa though and it will become your primary firmware. If at any point you want to go back to the firmware that comes with the sansa then do this. When you turn it on, click and hold down the rewind button until the screen tells you that its loading the sansa firmware. Rockbox also lets you use some SD cards which the original firmware may not detect. Depending on the card, it may or may not be read by the original firmware but the sansa will pick it up though.
Customer Review: Value and Quality only on the rise.
Summary: 5 Stars
First, the fact that Sansa's e200 series beats the nano seems to have been pretty well covered by other reviewers, so whether you agree or not, those aspects of the player I will not go over again. (i.e. replacable battery, fm tuner, playlist/equalizer options)
Second, as mentioned by many other reviewers as well, is the price. If one is to look upon the market trends as indication of direction of price point, I submit to you that Costco featured the 8 gb, e280 unit not too long ago at 80 dollars. While this was a black Friday ad, the fact that Costco had far more than sufficient stock to cover sales throughout the whole weekend, suggests not only that Costco is likely to feature it again at a similar if not identically reduced price point, but that the unit itself is capable of being and has already been sold at significantly reduced prices to accommodate market fluctuations, such as those accompanying large sale dates.
Third, despite its already sufficiently competitive if not superior nature to its I-pod equivalents, the unit shows significantly faster progression and potential for improvement. To be honest, the first e200's to hit the market, hit it with more than a few kinks it still needed to work out (referring particularly to firmware issues). However, since its release continuous and rapid improvement of these same features have not ceased. The firmware has continued to be updated, each update improving on primary issues such as earlier complaints of background noise (now nonexistent with current firmware and hardware versions), boot-time, compatability, etc.
On this last point, of particular need of mentioning, is the existence of an unofficial producer of a public sector firmware (The programming that is responsible for the user interface, amongst other things, think windows for the computer) known as "Rockbox," and the release of E200 V2's which boasts new hardware and new potential.
Rockbox - an open source firmware available for several mp3 players, seeks to improve and maximize the potential of mp3 units in areas such as file format support, applications, and utilities amongst others. More than anything, the amazing capabilities of this firmware testifies to the potential of future improvements on the sansa's. The Rockbox patch as of November 2007 available for the Sansa boasted the following.
- capable of full support for file formats not originally supported like mpg and H264
- Capable of installation of applications such as stopwatch and text readers.
- a plethora of games ranging from a fully playable port of Doom to Gameboy rom's.
- Themes which can change the look of the browsing screen to look like windows start menu, and mp3 playing screen to look like a windows media player screen, or one of dozens of other looks (one even will make it look like the ipod album cover scroller style).
- whatever the people working on rocbox decide to put on it.
E200 v2 - beginning as early as august of 2007, reports of e200's with new hardware versions hitting the sales floor began. After sifting through the initial confusion of those to whom the upgrade held primary significance (the people attempting to run rockbox), the following can be said.
- The version 2 (v2) is not as of December 14, 2007 compatible with rock box. (if you wish to install rockbox look for the older models usually packaged in a green and white box rather than the blue/black box of v2's)
- The v2 is somewhat of a hybrid of earlier e200/e200r(rhapsody) models, in that it fully features the seamless rhapsody DNA that allows it to carry rhapsody channels (a service available with subscription that allows you to download random music of certain genres on your player for as long as your subscription continues) and allows for faster transfer of music via rhapsody.
- the v2 has different hardware including but not limited to a new chip (a3525 instead of the previous PP5024, a portal player chip from the same company that has provided chips to companies such as I-pod and motorola) The new chip actually features faster processing potential. (as indicated by faster boot times which were already improving through firmware update)
So in the end, while rockbox is not yet ported to the v2's, if past progress is any indication of future direction, it is my opinion that the sansa will only increase it's already promising superiority over the i-pods and other mp3 units for that matter.