The sandisk sansa e260 is a wonderfull player. I recently purchased this item because i was looking for a flash player due to last mechanical mp3 player breaking (probably due to my active lifestyle). At first i had my heart set on an Ipod nano, its features and flashed based storage had won me over.
On the day i was to purchase the nano, i came accross the sandisk sansa. Its looks screamed at me. And when i read its features i was smitten.
Features:
The sansa e260 boasts 4GB of storage (well, thats what it says on the packet- it is actually 3.71GB). A MicroSD Expansion slot- FM Tuner (with recording capabilities if bought outside of the EU) Voice recorder 1.8" TFT colour display The sansa e260 Can play music, videos and Display images. Customer Replacebale battery.
The Look:
Aestetically, the sansa is Fantastic.. The Blue glow of the wheel, bright display and polished black surface look fantastic. Far better then in any of the pictures i have seen. The back also has a fantastic metal finish.
To keep the look, sandisk include a small pouch with all of the players which is a nice touch.
Navigation:
Navigation is fantastic however there is one small annoyance. This is that the buttons can be hard to press as they are quite small and pushed against the raised wheel.
Sound:
Sound quality is good when playing the music however on occasion, you will hear some interferance when using the controls. This only lasts about 3 seconds but it can be very annoying.
When i first got the player, i was quite worried about putting the headphone plug in the socket. It seemed to offer more resistance then any other i had encountered. However once i got over my fear of breaking it, its resistance came in very usefull. The headphone plug has not come out once, not even when i have used the headphone cable to putt the player out of my pocket. (Yes i know i shouldn't, but i am lazy.)
Software:
The sansa comes with three pieces of software and they are the media converter (for putting images and videos on your player), An on-line manual and a free trial of rhapsody (Which is optional).
To transfer songs you can use a number of pieces of software. I use the Windows Media Player 11 Beta. The transfer process is very smooth and only takes about 2-3 seconds to transfer one song.
A key advantage the sansa had over the nano in my opinion, is the ability to play protected WMAs. This gives more choices for online stores and also eases any worries that a CD you may have protection on it.
The media converter seems very light and fast which i must say is nice in comparison to a number of other pieces of software i have used. Conclusion:
The sandsik Sansa is a FANTASTIC player. Portable, good looking and good sounding with only a few problems. Its expansion slot eases any bad feelings i have about only having 4GB storage space and the bundled software is a pleasure to use.
The main drawback i feel is its pricetag. I feel that it is quite expensive but if you can get it for the same price as a nano, then go for it.
Edit-
::Possible enhancements::
An AC adaptor. It may seem like something really quite petty but it can cause much trouble if mum, dad and the kids all want to charge their mp3 players through USB at once. I am aware that you can get Wall socket - USB adaptors (I had one for my carbon) but im unsure if it works. Anyone had any experience with them? Drop me a line =)
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Great screen quality and size, built in speaker and stand. (-) The only downside is that it is fragile, and can be hard to get used to the on screen keyboard.
The Sansa e260 MP3 players are the created by the leaders in flash memory and provides ... more
everything you need for music, photo, and video clip playback. The very attractive, sleek design includes a 1.8 TFT color screen with advanced navigational features ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.00 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
The Sansa e260 MP3 players are the created by the leaders in flash memory and provides ... more
everything you need for music, photo, and video clip playback. The very attractive, sleek design includes a 1.8 TFT color screen with advanced navigational features ...
Postage & Packaging: £2.00 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
May 25th, 2006
(May 26th, 2006)
very helpful by (100%):
