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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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of SanDisk Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)
Customer Review: I've never owned an iPod
Summary: 5 Stars
Just so you know in advance, I've never owned an iPod and won't be comparing the Sansa to one.
I purchased the e280 as a Christmas present for myself. I plan to use it for mp3 songs and occasionally listen to the radio. 8 Gigs is plenty of space for me. It's equivalent to over 11 CDRs of data. I also like the smooth, professional look of the Sansa.
After receiving it, I'm very happy. I immediately put it in a silicone protective case, and applied a 'stick-on' screen protector. So, I'm not very worried about scratches. The navigation screens are not only practical, but also beautiful to look at. It interfaces well with my Windows XP computer. I like the fact that I can 'drag-n-drop' songs onto the device. It has a record button on the side, so you can start recording voice or radio anytime without hassle. It's so easy to use. You could hand it to almost anyone over the age of 5, and they'd figure it out within a minute. It has a 'hold' switch to prevent accidental song skipping when it's in your pocket.
There are some things I would change if I could:
I would add an FM transmitter, so I could play music in other people's cars without bringing any wires or accessories along. I would make the buttons a little easier to push (their small size relative to the protruding navigation wheel is slightly cumbersome). When playing a song, the large button in the middle does nothing. The play/pause button is one of the outer buttons, located above the nav wheel. I would consider also making the center button perform the 'play/pause' function.
Basically, it works as well as I expected and does everything I thought it would. I highly recommend the Sansa e280.
Customer Review: What more can you possibly want?
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought my e280, not being confused by Apple's marketing "trick" of convincing people that the nano is not just another player. And I don't need the prestige value that Jobs has built into his player. Rather, I get to keep my various music files on separate cards, so I don't have to play with the whole "list" business. My classical music isn't inter-mixed with my pop music, or my 30's collection.
But more importantly, the e280 is feature rich. I use every one of them, especially the recorder which allows me to structure my day and make certain I get all the essentials done. The photos are great, the video quality only suffers because most video producers do such a terrible job wih focus and lighting, and the built in FM receiver has allowed me to use my car stereo with the addition of a simple Giffen car device (at some point I'll spring for the built in system, but not until I get a Click and just leave it in the car). I use Bose earphones at home and the sound is simply first rate. Given the price, the increasing music options (including the ability to turn my records into mp3 files), and the freedom from iTunes makes this a no brainer, unless you have some deep, psychological need to be "in" and have a nano to impress your friends.
One suggestion - get the rubber black cover for your e280. I've dropped mine a few times and it just bounces wihout any damage.
As for the nano crowd, just wait until you have to replace your battery! In conclusion, I'd rather save $100 and use the money to build my music collection than give it over to Apple. The nano is just more proof that no one has ever gone broke underestimating the foolishness of the American consumer.
Customer Review: Few small buggers, but many, many great features!
Summary: 5 Stars
Great little player! Ive had mine for a few weeks now and it has not given me any trouble at all! It works well with MP 11, but, since Im more for the "drag and drop" method, I dont use it in conjunction with MP. The CD it comes with is basically not needed, except to save as a back-up for future use (my computer, XP Pro- MC Ed, read the device immediately).
When you connect it, you can simply drag music files from your hard drive to the folder in its directory labeled "Music". It's all very self-explanatory. The menus within the player are also very easy to understand once you get the hang of it (which would not be very long at all). If you don't believe 8 GB is enough, there is an expansion slot for s micro SD card (for up to 2 gb more).
It isn't very hard to view outside all the time. In direct sunlight is is difficult, but in the shade or on a cloudy day, the screen is still at least somewhat viewable. I was actually surprised! Battery life is great, as well.
Of course, as with many electronics, there are some very small inconveniences with this player. The side buttons, which are ">>" and "<<" can be kind of hard to press, I have to use my fingernail sometimes, but many may find this a very small issue. Also, the start-up time when you turn it on, takes about 15-20 secs (a very familiar issue with SanDisk products).
There is no AC charger included (charges via USB), but there are some available via this site for next to nothing...literally. Also, other accessories for this, though not available in most stores, are not hard to find here, either.
All in all, a great product for the price!
Customer Review: Tiny but tough.
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this mp3 player about 8 months ago, and since then I have abused it a great deal. It's scratched up a bit, but the function is not impaired in the least.
I work outdoors, so have had ample opportunity to damage this thing. I've dropped it on dirt and concrete, left it in a hot car in the FL sun all day, carry it around in my pocket with a Leatherman and some keys, and frequently just toss it and the tape adapter I use to play it in the car in my camera bag. So far I've avoided dropping it in a river (knock on wood), so I can't speak to any water resistance it might have. I've had to re-set it exactly twice. (You just hold down the power button for 20 seconds to reset it -- took me forever to figure that out.)
I downloaded Rockbox and use that instead of the original firmware. Rockbox works flawlessly on this player, doesn't take up much memory, and can play .ogg files and m3u playlists. But the original firmware works fine too if you only have mp3s and create your playlists on the player itself.
The only other mp3 player I've owned was an old 32-mb job, so I don't have much to compare wrt sound quality. But I haven't noticed any problems. I'm not an audiophile, but I like the sound this puts out, and it's plenty loud to hear over background noise. I do have to turn it all the way up to use with a tape adapter in my car, but my car's engine is loud and the speakers are bad.
The battery lasts a long time -- I've played it constantly for 16-18 hours and never ran out of power. It also seems to recharge quickly, either from the computer USB port or from the cigarette-lighter adapter I bought separately.
Customer Review: SanDisk e280 8 GB MP3 player
Summary: 5 Stars
This was my first purchase of an MP3 player. I chose this brand because I would be able to download songs from available websites - not just Apple choices (too many restrictions). SanDisk was also rated just as high as the Apple brand. I was pleasantly suprised with the ease of use. I was immediately able to copy songs from some of my CD's - and was even able to put them into individual playlists. I used the Windows Media music software that came with my computer. So easy!
I am also impressed with the clarity of the replay. I've read elsewhere that some were disappointed with "noise" they heard between songs. I don't notice any distortion or noise between selections. Headphones that came with the unit are not bad at all. I'm using the device at work and the headphones allow me to hear things going on around me as well. That is also helpful when I use the unit on my daily walks (so I can hear traffic around me).
The AM/FM reception (even inside buildings) is much better than any portable radio I've used.
Battery life is outstanding - it lasted for almost 2 weeks with alot of playtime.
I purchased a leather case separately to protect the unit cover, as some people claimed that it scratched easily. The leather case came from World of Bags - it was a Kroos Melrose case. Don't waste the money - it doesn't fit the unit well enough to allow easy reach of the power button. I had to constantly take the unit out of the case to turn it off. I ultimately purchased a hard clear case from Griffin Technology - the case also has a moveable stand to allow the unit to sit up for ease of viewing the screen.