SlashGear Japan
Would you like an iPod? Or, an iPod? These days, it feels like alternative choices for comparable MP3 players are slim. However, that’s changing as the father company of memory cards, SanDisk, has reved up its Sansa e200 series of music players to become some real competition for those holy iPod Nanos this holiday season. Released earlier this month is their Sansa e280 which they claimed to be the world’s first 8GB flash memory MP3 player when they announced it in August right before Apple announced their Nano in September. The e280 can actually hold up to 10GB because of its microSD expansion slot, thus making it the largest capacity flash-based MP3 player currently on the market.
Although the Sansa e280 has an MSRP of $249.99, SanDisk is letting retailers give discounts making it $20-$30 less than the 8GB iPod Nano. For less than the Nano, you get much more in features with the e280. It has a larger screen of 1.8-inches diagonal, bright and crisp for photo viewing and video playback, FM radio and recorder, voice recorder, customizable EQ, microSD expansion slot for up to 2GB additional memory, and a user replaceable and rechargeable Lithium Ion battery.
The body is similar to the Nano in design, but twice the thickness, which is not a bad thing. The thickness might be due to the user replaceable battery on the back. It has a strong metal alloy backing which feels more rugged and less prone to scratch than the Nanos. I also like how it has more weight and surface area to hold on to, as I’m clumsy with tiny objects.
It took about 12 seconds to boot after powering it up. The user interface has big graphic icons, rotate them around with the glowing blue wheel/dial for easy navigation. The FM Radio function worked well and seemed to get a clear signal even while I jogged around with it. And the ability to record radio was even better. It was easy to preset stations, but a little difficult to scan through the stations as there was no seek function. Music quality was great, except that the bass could be improved. After adjusting the EQ, it was better and vocals were quite clear. Voice recording was also very clear. Video and photos were crisp, and the adjustable brightness of the screen makes for easy viewing anytime of the day.
It is, of course, not Mac-compatible, and users must obtain music from sources other than iTunes, such as RealNetwork’s Rapsody music service, among others.
The Sansa Media Converter software was pretty simple to use. All media has to be converted to be transfered onto the player. It took about 15 seconds to convert a 28.9MB AVI video clip and 1 second to convert a 1.71MB JPEG file. I’m not sure whether to judge that as slow or fast nowadays, but it didnt feel sluggish to me. However, I do wish there were less cables involved. The headset, the lanyard, and the USB were starting to all turn into spaghetti. I keep hearing the faint echo of “Bluetooth.”
Overall, I think its definitely a good alternative to the iPod. For a stronger build and more features than the iPod Nano, you can get the Sansa e280 at a decently lower price. The only problem I see is that it needs a better integrated system for obtaining and sharing music. And yes, it needs Bluetooth, as do all devices these days.
The following is my unboxing of it in my living room. Fun.
Comes with a nice velvety sleeve as a protective case, a lanyard, ear-bud style headphones, USB 2.0 transfer cable, and the usual install CD and guides.
The rugged metal alloy backing and battery.
The dial up-close. The white raised plastic wheel makes it a little difficult to press some of the buttons.
Compared to a standard business card.
Navigation screen.
Pretty butterfly photo.
17 Responses to “SanDisk Sansa e280 Music Player Unbox”
Ewdison Then September 27, 2006
great reviews, wow i didnt notice how small it is :p
NeutralChris Davies September 27, 2006
Yes, seeing it next to the business card just goes to show how tiny PMPs are getting. Looks a nice alternative to the Nano.
NeutralGregg C September 27, 2006
I’d love to actually be able to buy one. Their web site says shipping in mid Sept and has a place to pre-order. I did that at the end of Aug for a B-Day gift for the 27 Sept. They are advising another 2-3 weeks so I had to cancel the order and get something else. Disappointed.
NeutralEwdison Then September 27, 2006
[quote comment="2701"]I’d love to actually be able to buy one. Their web site says shipping in mid Sept and has a place to pre-order. I did that at the end of Aug for a B-Day gift for the 27 Sept. They are advising another 2-3 weeks so I had to cancel the order and get something else. Disappointed.[/quote]
Sorry to hear that Gregg, it was plan for sept launch, but i’m not sure why it is still under pre-order mode, i’ll call them and get some info.
Neutralerick September 27, 2006
that’s really small!
NeutralChris Davies September 27, 2006
It’d be great to see a video of the menu scrolling through; any chance, Rue?
NeutralVincent Nguyen September 27, 2006
don’t forget to check out the docking speaker system…
Neutralhttp://www.slashgear.com/altec.....271856.php
Vincent Nguyen September 27, 2006
Rue, you can use the fancy Nokia phone that Ethen has to record the menu. Or even use the Macbook’s iSight.
[quote comment="2721"]It’d be great to see a video of the menu scrolling through; any chance, Rue?[/quote]
NeutralDanny September 27, 2006
This is a cool player, i want one!
NeutralRue Liu September 28, 2006
[quote comment="2723"]Rue, you can use the fancy Nokia phone that Ethen has to record the menu. Or even use the Macbook’s iSight.
[quote comment="2721"]It’d be great to see a video of the menu scrolling through; any chance, Rue?[/quote][/quote]
Yeah sure, I’ll get a clip of the menu scrolling through.
Neutraljason October 11, 2006
HA its thicker and bulkier then the nano. Its not as nice looking and its not compatible with itunes so i cant see why anyone would use it. People dont want an Fm radio in thier MP3 player. FM radio is is out of touch and no one i know listens to it anymore. Every one i know owns eiter sirius or Xm radio. Why would you listen to Fm when you can have cd quality digital music of 100s of channels most all comercial free piped in?
The thing is with this player the whole wheel thing is just a wanna be ipod. everyone is trying to be the after run of the ipod. They all want to be the ipod but they cant. No one makes an MP3 player as nice and as simple to use as the ipod.
I had a friend who was told by best buy that the only type of music that plays on the ipod is music you pay for at the itunes store. Any cds he owned would not play. And it only worked on a mac. People are so stupid and will tell anyone anything just because they cant stand to see Apple be on top. But anyway he bought and RCA. It quit working right after a week. He took it back got another brand it worked for a week or so and it started deleting songs everytime he plugged it in. SO he was onto his 3rd player and he asked me if i had any ideas on how to get it to work i told him you should take it back and get an ipod.
NOw he has an ipod and loves it. He wont own anything else now. YOU CANT BEAT APPLE GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD SCAN DISK AND BEST BUY!!
This best buy thing is such a rip off the whole store is a copycat of the itunes store. I see lawsuit coming on from Apple real soon. COme on why is apple the only original player everyone else copies thier ideas. The wheel on alot of the MP3 players didnt come untill apple did it. This new best buy real networks player is a almost exact copy of the itunes store. It even uses the same color sceme and everything. BE ORGINAL
-5RaleighRob October 11, 2006
I got one recently…love it. If you look hard enough on the net, you can find some sites that have them for less than $200. That’s 8BG (plus 2BG more w/card) for less than $200.
NeutralSound quality is real good, but I’d use different earbuds than what comes with it. I plugged in my own Phillips buds and the sound is great. Unlike ipod, the e280 has a Customizable Equalizer…not just presets. That’s a big plus with me, as I’m finicky with my sound. The battery is replaceable…another bonus. Sure it doesn’t work with itunes, but I’ve never used that service anyway. Perfectbeat-dot-com is much better for my tastes. :-) With the prices going down, the huge storage capability, and features that nanos don’t have, it makes a great choice.
Kayl;a November 24, 2006
I just ordered one of these and I can not wait to get it. Granted I looked at all typed of mp3’s. Of course my first choice was an ipod, but when I found this i was beyond excited. It has more features, a bigger screen, is less than an ipod 8gb, and I can use something besides itunes. i personally hate itunes.
NeutralChaz January 18, 2007
I have one of these. I’ts fucking awesome. DEFINATLEY PWNS THE TRENDY POSER IPOD.
NeutralMark April 30, 2007
I have been looking into MP3’s and have just about decided on the Sansa e280. I take it from jason that he is stuck on ipod and that’s great. He fails to understand that while the ipod is his cup of tea not all people are convinced that they are so great. I do find it interesting that jason thinks that ipod invented the wheel.
NeutralTaeyx September 18, 2007
[quote comment="3749"]HA its thicker and bulkier then the nano. Its not as nice looking and its not compatible with itunes so i cant see why anyone would use it. People dont want an Fm radio in thier MP3 player. FM radio is is out of touch and no one i know listens to it anymore. Every one i know owns eiter sirius or Xm radio. Why would you listen to Fm when you can have cd quality digital music of 100s of channels most all comercial free piped in?
The thing is with this player the whole wheel thing is just a wanna be ipod. everyone is trying to be the after run of the ipod. They all want to be the ipod but they cant. No one makes an MP3 player as nice and as simple to use as the ipod.
I had a friend who was told by best buy that the only type of music that plays on the ipod is music you pay for at the itunes store. Any cds he owned would not play. And it only worked on a mac. People are so stupid and will tell anyone anything just because they cant stand to see Apple be on top. But anyway he bought and RCA. It quit working right after a week. He took it back got another brand it worked for a week or so and it started deleting songs everytime he plugged it in. SO he was onto his 3rd player and he asked me if i had any ideas on how to get it to work i told him you should take it back and get an ipod.
NOw he has an ipod and loves it. He wont own anything else now. YOU CANT BEAT APPLE GET IT THROUGH YOUR HEAD SCAN DISK AND BEST BUY!!
This best buy thing is such a rip off the whole store is a copycat of the itunes store. I see lawsuit coming on from Apple real soon. COme on why is apple the only original player everyone else copies thier ideas. The wheel on alot of the MP3 players didnt come untill apple did it. This new best buy real networks player is a almost exact copy of the itunes store. It even uses the same color sceme and everything. BE ORGINAL[/quote]
Fanboy, much? The iPod doesn’t have a voice recorder, which is really the kicker for me. Plus, the price tag has dropped to $130 for the 8 GB while the iPod still looms around $200. So, you get more space and features at a cheaper price? Where’s the problem?
NeutralJake October 12, 2007
Hey i was wondering if anyone knew if the Sandisk Sansa e280 would work with my Macbook Pro. I have heard that the software wont work but i dont really care about that i just want to know if i can use this with Mac OS X and drag and drop songs
Thanks
Neutral(If you know the answer to this question either email me or repost to my comment)