SanDisk Sansa e280 8 GB Flash Portable Media Player

Ipod alternative

Strengths: Sound quality, 8GB, transflash slot, FM radio, voice recording

Weakness: Buttons. Charging only through USB (unless you get an adaptor).

This is a little thicker than the Ipod Nano, but some people prefer it as they feel the Ipod is too thin. I was using a Lexar mp3 player so it actually seems big in comparison. With the Lexar I was able to keep it in my backpack with an extra AAA battery and never have to connect it to my computer. With the Sansa you need to charge it through the USB cable unless you get an adaptor. Get a...
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This is a little thicker than the Ipod Nano, but some people prefer it as they feel the Ipod is too thin. I was using a Lexar mp3 player so it actually seems big in comparison. With the Lexar I was able to keep it in my backpack with an extra AAA battery and never have to connect it to my computer. With the Sansa you need to charge it through the USB cable unless you get an adaptor.

Get a silicone skin for this, which will help in two ways (1) reduce scratches and (2) help with button presses.

By yohan - Jan 27, 2007

SanDisk Sansa E280

Strengths: Small, expansion slot, FM radio, Voice recorder

Weakness: Jog dial is loose, side buttons are very close to the dial, no wall charger

I was looking for an Ipod alternative, and I found the sansa e280 is a good candidate since I already have the 1 GB MP3 player sansa also.
This one is not as light as IPOD nano, but it is lighter than expcted.
Easy to use and navigate through the different menus.
Also, with the software that come with it, it is easy to convert different media files to it.

By ahmad95 - Jan 3, 2007

Music to my ears!

Strengths: Small, lots of space, expandable storage, works great with my Yahoo! Unlimited To Go subscription, handles video/music/pictures, great sound

Weakness: Lowest volume setting is a bit loud, raised scroll wheel can get in the way of the buttons, only power cord in the box is a USB cable

My husband gave me this little beauty as an early Christmas present, and he's still laughing at the huge grin that was on my face. This is a great alternative to the iPod, especially if you're into a track "rental" subscription like Yahoo! Music. (I had to update the firmware before it was recognized by YMJ as a subscription compatible device, though) The player is tiny, about the size of a small...
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My husband gave me this little beauty as an early Christmas present, and he's still laughing at the huge grin that was on my face. This is a great alternative to the iPod, especially if you're into a track "rental" subscription like Yahoo! Music. (I had to update the firmware before it was recognized by YMJ as a subscription compatible device, though) The player is tiny, about the size of a small stack of credit cards, and it holds a ton of music. The music sounds great on my Etymotic ER-4P headphones, although it's a tiny bit too loud with these headphones on the lowest volume setting. It's not a problem on the headphones that come in the box. It also does video, pictures, FM radio, and voice-recording, but I haven't played with these features much yet. The controls are fairly intuitive and the raised scroll wheel has grooves, making it easy to use. Unfortunately, this wheel can sometimes get in the way of the buttons which are right next to the wheel. I'm sure I'll get used to it though.

The one thing I was a bit disappointed with is the fact that the only way to charge it is via the USB cable that comes with it, so you have to be near a computer to charge it. Looks like I'll be buying an after-market wall charger for it.

All in all, I'm VERY happy with it, and I actually snuck out to buy one for my hubby for Christmas because he was so jealous of mine. :)

By karona99 - Dec 24, 2006

good sound quality, good value, but a few quirks/bugs

Strengths: sound quality, custom EQ, user replaceable battery, features not found on main competitor (Nano): video, FM radio, voice recording

Weakness: small navigation buttons, some minor bugs as noted below

I upgraded from a Sansa e140 and am very satisfied with this player. In terms of sound quality, there's no comparison between the two. I was using Etymotic 6i earbuds with both, not the earbuds shipped with either player, so the sound quality difference is definitely attributable to the player. While the e140 was certainly satisfactory, the e280 sounds very good with well encoded mp3s: a nice,...
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I upgraded from a Sansa e140 and am very satisfied with this player. In terms of sound quality, there's no comparison between the two. I was using Etymotic 6i earbuds with both, not the earbuds shipped with either player, so the sound quality difference is definitely attributable to the player. While the e140 was certainly satisfactory, the e280 sounds very good with well encoded mp3s: a nice, open sound with no noticeable holes in terms of frequency response. Because the Etymotic earbuds are a little lean, I have the custom EQ set to increase the lowest bass just a little. In contrast I used to have my e140 set to significantly boost not only the lowest bass but also the upper bass range and it still always sounded a bit constricted.

I mainly use my player for mp3s so I cannot say much about the other features. I did use the radio a couple of times and found the reception to be surprisingly adequate -- as good as the tuner built into my expensive preamplifier that's connected to an amplified antenna. Still, given that there's almost nothing worth listening to on FM anyway, I don't think I'll use the radio feature very often.

I also tried the video conversion utility provided by Sandisk to copy a very short, non-copyprotected dvd to my player. Perhaps with more experience I would get better results, but I have to say that I was not particularly impressed. The conversion took WAY too long, the player needs to be connected to the PC while the conversion is taking place (ie, you cannot convert a movie and then later load it on your Sansa, enjoying your Sansa while your computer labors to convert the video), and while the picture was decent looking I had a number of "hiccups" during playback.

The other bug I've noticed with my player is that a few tracks will not play back properly. What happens is that a song will begin normally and then at some point the left channel will cut out for 10-20 seconds before the left channel fades back in. I know that the problem is not earbud or file related so it's something wrong with the Sansa. It also isn't just a problem with a bad spot on the internal flash memory as it has also occurred with songs loaded on an external microSD card I've added to the player. I have yet to contact Sandisk about this because it's only occurred on 3 songs (out of the 1,000 or so I've loaded so far), but I intend to follow up to see if this is a known issue that will be addressed in a firmware update or whether I have a defective player that needs some sort of repair.

I read a recent review in a audio/video magazine about the e280 that indicated some other flaws that I've certainly not encountered. Most importantly this device is NOT limited to USB 1.1 transfer speeds, contrary to that reviewer's speculation based on his experience with his player and PC. Files transfer in a matter a seconds. It is also possible to highlight a bunch of files and transfer them all at once; one does not need to sit by the computer to click "ok" over and over as files transfer. Something was either wrong with that reviewer's Sansa or his PC.

By jeffmem - Dec 7, 2006

Sansa e280 is better

Strengths: cheaper than ipod, large capacity (relatively), features galore, FM radio, video playback, crisp screen

Weakness: buttons hard to press, video playback only 10min intervals, no video bookmark, need to upgrade firmware out of the box

Let me first start by saying that most of the weaknesses that people find in the e280 can be worked around. They just need to do some research on the internet to find some good forums that discuss this player... I've been searching for literally YEARS for my first MP3 player. I never got into the iPod scene and never really saw a need for an MP3 player in general until I started taking public...
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Let me first start by saying that most of the weaknesses that people find in the e280 can be worked around. They just need to do some research on the internet to find some good forums that discuss this player...

I've been searching for literally YEARS for my first MP3 player. I never got into the iPod scene and never really saw a need for an MP3 player in general until I started taking public transportation. I researched and explored all my options which included iPod (video and Nano), Zune, Sandisk, iRiver, and Creative Zen series. After weighing in on the pros and cons, I ended up with the Sandisk e280.

Some of the features I was looking for in an MP3 player are: small (need to be pocket-friendly), FM radio, video playback, functionality, intuitive, and price. Just from this list, iPod is taken off the list almost immediately. But one reason I was still considering an iPod is because I use their iTunes software to sort all my songs on my desktop. Because of this, the purchase of an iPod would let me use it immediately since I already spent hours creating my playlists. I would have to start all over with other players. But in the end, I couldn't justify paying nearly $250 for one.

But on to the reason why I chose the Sansa... It has the perfect storage capacity I was looking for. I don't have that big of a library so 8gigs is plenty to store all my songs plus a few videos I may upload. It's small and is easy to use. Video playback is surprisingly crisp and clear. FM radio could use some clarity but I only listen to a couple stations and they come out fine. And one of the best things about this Sansa is that it's so easy to use. Once I got it, I went through all the settings and features without having to read the (online) manual. But reading up on the connection settings would be helpful.

In my research, I read up on pretty much all the reviews for this player. Some gave it rave reviews, others didn't. But when I actually received my player, I found that those who gave this player extremely negative reviews must not know much about technology and/or know how to look up info on the internet.

I had trouble getting this player to connect to my computer, but found that it had the old firmware. I upgraded it (took 10min) and it was working great. AND, there are sites that offer different ways to hack into the system for those who are brave enough. Once you know how, you can:

- adjust video/audio quality of video clips
- change icons
- change background themes
- change the blue dial color to red
- many more

One point of annoyance is that there's no way for the player to play clips that are over 10min continuously. Anything more than this are segmented into 10min interval files. But this could be a blessing in disguise because the player also doesn't have video bookmarking (returning to the point you last left off). So instead of having to view the video all over again, you can use the "10min interval" feature to just skip ahead to point closest to where you left off.

I normally don't give anything 5 stars but PriceGrabber describes the highest rating as "One of the best - highly recommended." But with tons of features, and a very nice price (can be found for $150 for e280 if you look hard enough), in my opinion, this player is one of the best, if not THE best. And I HIGHLY recommend it.

UPDATE: I've now had this player for about a month. In that time, I've had a chance to go more indepth with this player. First, yes, as another said, the boot time can be a drag sometimes. I found that the more files you put into the player (I have about 6gb of MP3s) the slower the boot time. To help me overlook this, I first turn on the Sansa, then I unwind/adjust my earbuds. By the time, the earbuds are in and snug, the player is pretty much good to go. Second, about the "10min max" video thing. I found that this can be worked around if you convert videos through Quicktime Pro or changing the settings on the Sandisk Media Converter. But again, without the option of video bookmarking, it's a pain in the butt to try and go back to where you left off on the last video you saw.

By yongoh - Nov 17, 2006