Portable Media Player Reviews

The most recent SanDisk player boast a features-set which should satisfy the needs of the most discerning MP3 users. 'The e200 comes in 6GB ($220), 4GB ($180) and 2GB ($140) varieties, as well as the new 8GB version ($250), the last of which is known currently as the highest-capacity flash-based player in the world. Prices have shifted downward, as well, with all previous models reduced $40 to $50. While the e200 still doesn't match the iPod Nano in design flair and simplicity, it is definitely a premium choice when it comes to a compact flash-based MP3 player, with more features and a better price point than its main competitor. Currently, the 4GB iPod Nano costs as much as the 8GB Sansa e280. The e200 does have a few negative points, but its primary hurdle will be convincing consumers that the 8GB version, just $50 less than bulkier 30GB players like the iPod and Zen Vision:M, is still a good value.'

A review of the SanDisk Sansa e250R Rhapsody media player has been posted over at CNET. ‘The flash-based e200R operates on custom-tailored firmware (Real calls this Rhapsody DNA) that's designed to make the experience between Sansa hardware and Rhapsody 4 software a seamless one, with benefits such as improved player-jukebox reliability, faster transfer speeds, and innovative extra features. Microsoft's PlaysForSure (PFS) one-size-fits-all (and bureaucratic) approach got in the way of this type of fine-tuning, so Rhapsody and SanDisk have partnered up to try to provide iPod/iTunes-like ease of use. For the most part, the combo delivers in both ease of use and extra features. Ironically, Microsoft's upcoming Zune player will not be PlaysForSure compatible at all, making the Zune ecosystem as closed as the iPod's.’

A review of the SanDisk Sansa e280R Rhapsody (8GB) digital player has been posted over at CNET. 'The flash-based e200R operates on custom-tailored firmware (Real calls this Rhapsody DNA) that's designed to make the experience between Sansa hardware and Rhapsody 4 software a seamless one, with benefits such as improved player-jukebox reliability, faster transfer speeds, and innovative extra features. Microsoft's PlaysForSure (PFS) one-size-fits-all (and bureaucratic) approach got in the way of this type of fine-tuning, so Rhapsody and SanDisk have partnered up to try to provide iPod/iTunes-like ease of use. For the most part, the combo delivers in both ease of use and extra features. Ironically, Microsoft's upcoming Zune player will not be PlaysForSure compatible at all, making the Zune ecosystem as closed as the iPod's.'

The feature-packed SanDisk Sansa e270 media player has been reviewed over at CNET. 'The e200 comes in 6GB ($220), 4GB ($180) and 2GB ($140) varieties, as well as the new 8GB version ($250), the last of which is known currently as the highest-capacity flash-based player in the world. Prices have shifted downward, as well, with all previous models reduced $40 to $50.

The Sandisk Sansa C240 MP3 Player comes with 1GB of built-in storage, built-in voice recorder, FM tuner and photo viewer. 'The physical design of the Sansa c200 is nothing special, but it works. It's almost identical to the c100, except controls (Fast-forward, Reverse, Play/Pause, Menu/Power, and a center Select key) are laid out in a square rather than a circle. The c200 measures 3.1x1.4x0.6 inches, so it's not the most compact device on the block, but it can fit in a pocket. Around the edges of the player you'll find a well-placed dedicated volume toggle, a MicroSD slot, a proprietary USB connector, a record button, a hold switch, and a standard headphone jack. The drab, 1.5-inch screen sits on the front of the c200, just left of the control pad.

The new Sansa Connect media player from Sandisk is a Wi-Fi enabled MP3 player that allows the user to connect to music and online photos through any open wireless “hot spot” internet connection. “The Sansa Connect is a new music experience focused on convenience, instant gratification and social connections,” said Eric Bone, product marketing director for SanDisk’s audio and video line. “It’s about accessing music of your choice wherever you are. If you’re listening to new songs from a music service and find ones you want to keep, you can bring them into your library and don’t have to wait until you get back to your PC. If you want to tell your friends about your discoveries, the Sansa Connect will also allow you to share music suggestions over the Web—anytime, anywhere—over an open wireless Internet network.”

The new Sansa Express MP3 Player from SanDisk is a cable-less, flash-based MP3 player that measures 0.99 inches wide x 3.09 inches long x 0.64 inches high. The Sansa Express MP3 Player can hold up to 3GB of music by utilizing a 2GB microSD card in the player’s memory expansion slot. 'Designed for the value-conscious consumer, the compact Sansa Express stands out amongst the competition as an affordably priced device with many high-end features, including a microSD™ expansion slot, FM tuner, recording capabilities, data storage and a direct connection to a consumer’s computer – no USB cable required. The Sansa Express and other new SanDisk products are being demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show in the SanDisk booth (#36206), South Hall-4 in the Las Vegas Convention Center.

The new pocket size Sansa View portable media player from SanDisk is a flash-based video player that supports a wide array of content formats and comes equipped with a flash memory expansion slot. 'While the Sansa View is a pocket-able player–one of the slimmest on the market today—it features a large 4”widescreen display for optimal viewing. In addition to a DVD-like quality video experience, the Sansa View can display photos (up to 16 megapixels), play music, or even combine the two in a slideshow format. The durable player also comes equipped with an integrated speaker for watching and listening to any content on the player with a friend.'

IT Reviews have posted their review of the Sansa e280 8GB digital multimedia player which features a 1.8 TFT color screen, an audio and video player, photo viewer, FM tuner, FM recorder and voice recorder . 'While slightly thicker than the iPod Nano it's otherwise around the same size and offers a 1.8-inch screen to Apple's 1.5-inch. Unlike some previous models in this series the Sansa e280 is very sturdy; you'll now find a scratchproof metal backplate together with a gloss black front panel. Controls revolve around a glowing blue scroll wheel and four surrounding buttons. Don't expect anything as smooth and stylish as Apple's touch pad, however. The wheel is mechanical and, while responsive enough, the raised design makes the exterior controls a little awkward to operate.'

The SanDisk V-Mate Video Memory Card Recorder allows you to record TV shows or any video source to SD, MMC, and Memory Stick flash media. 'Like the Neuros Recorder 2 Plus, the V-Mate comes with two sets of camcorder-style composite A/V cables--yellow, red, and white RCA jacks on one end, with minijacks that plug into the V-Mate on the other. The V-Mate's inputs attach to the outputs on your video source of choice. The V-Mate's outputs, of course, run to your TV--you operate the recorder via its onscreen menu. (The V-Mate is also very cosmopolitan: it works with NTSC and PAL video signals.).

A review of the Sandisk Sansa C250 MP3 player has been posted at PC Authority. 'Unlike many other players, the Sansa is designed to be used when held tilted on its side --in landscape, if you will -- instead of the upright, portrait style of many other MP3 players we’re familiar with. As such the button placement can feel a little strange at first; with the navigation controls under your right thumb and the volume controls under your left index finger. There’s a hold switch and a record button underneath your left thumb, which unlike the other buttons, you have to reach for.

CNET have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Connect MP3 player which “lets you refresh content wirelessly with a subscription to Yahoo Music Unlimited To Go”. ‘Back in January, SanDisk announced the Sansa Connect, a slick-looking flash MP3 player capable of hopping on open Wi-Fi networks and sharing songs with any other Connects anywhere. The device was sweet enough to garner a Best of CES award in the MP3 player category, and that was when we just had an inkling that a compatible service for cordless music acquisition was in the works. Now, the rumor has become a reality: SanDisk has partnered with Yahoo to offer its Yahoo Music Unlimited To Go service on the Connect, which means users can update music wirelessly from anywhere with an open Wi-Fi connection. (Head on over to Crave for more information on the wireless music features.)’

Pocket Lint have published a review of the SanDisk Sansa C250 MP3 player. 'SanDisk are hoping that if you've got one of their memory cards in your digital camera you'll want one of its cards in your MP3 player. The Sansa C250 is its answer to the iPod nano and offers 2GB of memory in a compact size. If 2GB doesn’t sound enough you can expand the storage of the player thanks to the inclusion of a microSD card slot. Taking centre stage is a 3.6cm wide colour screen that allows you to see what you are doing menu wise as well as view images, although with most mobile phone screens bigger and better quality, this shouldn't be a factor on your list of must haves.'

Laptop Magazine have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Connect Wi-Fi-enabled digital audio player. ‘SanDisk has entered the Wi-Fi-capable MP3-player battle with the much-anticipated Sansa Connect. This 4GB flash-based player has plenty to offer, thanks to a three-way partnership between SanDisk, Yahoo, and software and service provider Zing. In many ways, the Connect trumps offerings from Archos and Microsoft, though some of the kinks still need to be worked out.

A review of the budget-priced Sansa Express MP3 player has been posted over at PC Magazine. ‘I really like the design of the 1.1-ounce Express. It's a 3-inch-long, half-inch-thick black rectangle with a silver-color plastic backing. The tiny 1.1-inch OLED screen shines through a translucent surface, displaying menu options and song information. Also, the left side of the player houses a USB connector that can be covered by a removable cap.

A review of the SanDisk Sansa Shaker - digital player has been posted over at CNET. 'The Sansa Shaker was designed with the little ones in mind and it shows. Its hourglass shape makes it perfect for small hands, and as it's about the size of a salt shaker (3 inches tall and 1.5 inches in diameter at the wide ends), it won't be a choking hazard. The player has no screen--just a few simple controls. There's a play/pause button on the front with an LED ring that lights up when the unit is powered on. You can shuttle through tracks by twisting a ring around the bottom of the Shaker and adjust volume via a similar ring around the top. SanDisk has taken young ears into account and implemented a volume limiter feature that defaults to a safe volume every time the earbuds are plugged in, no matter how far the external speaker is turned up.'

CNET Asia have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Express (1GB) MP3 player. ‘The Sansa Express is a simple USB stick of an MP3 player, shaped like a small pack of gum with a cap covering the USB plug at one end. The back of the player is standard brushed silver--nothing too exciting there--but the front is decked out in a shiny, mirror-like inlay, reflective enough for lipstick touch-ups. A small, dual-color OLED screen sits front and center and displays crisp orange and blue font on a black background. To the right of the display is a square control pad like that of the Sansa c250, with a center "select" key surrounded by track shuttle buttons, a Play/Pause key, and a contextual menu button. Dedicated volume controls sit on the bottom edge of the player, while the top edge houses a hold switch and a Power/main menu key. On the left side, you get a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a built-in mic for voice recording, and a microSD card expansion slot for adding more memory.’

A review of the SanDisk Sansa Connect (4GB) MP3 player has been posted over at Digital Trends. ‘The Sansa Connect is a typical looking MP3 player - tough but aesthetic plastic housing, small but sufficient color LCD screen, easily accessible volume & interface controls - but it is specifically optimized for using two of the most prominent Yahoo! services for content - Yahoo! Music and Flickr. Given the Yahoo! optimization (or perhaps dedication), the Sansa Connect includes new WiFi connectivity not seen in other mainstream MP3 players. Users can actively preview and download songs from Yahoo! Music wherever they may be; they can listen to Internet radio stations; they can browse countless photos from Flickr.com. If users have their own MP3/WMA libraries and prefer not to sign up with Yahoo! Music, the Sansa Connect can still be used for playing sync'd music.’

Anything But iPod have published a review of the SanDisk Sansa Shaker digital audio player. ‘The player is made of plastic with a rubberized base to keep if from vibrating off the table. The build quality is very toy–like in feel; however, it also possesses a kid-friendly ruggedness. What is really nice and will keep your kids from fighting are the dual headphone ports, which not only allow both kids to plug in and enjoy the tunes, but also enable you to keep your sanity by not having to listen to repetitive nursery rhymes or the newest Raffie album. (But really, they will still find a way to fight over it, so just buy one for each kid.)’

Trusted Reviews have published their review of the SanDisk Sansa Express (2GB) USB stick player. ‘As with all of the competition at this price, the Sansa Express has its weaknesses. In this case it's a slight deficiency in the sound quality department and file format support. However if it's features you want, headphones that won't need replacing straight out of the box and the potential for a cheap memory upgrade, there really is no competition at the price. In the world of budget, flash-based MP3 players it's truly championship-winning material.’

PC Magazine have published a review of the SanDisk Sansa Shaker MP3 player. 'Intended for kids 8 and up, the Shaker comes in pink and blue, weighs 2.6 ounces, and is shaped, not surprisingly, like a shaker. You raise or lower volume by twisting the top in one direction or the other, and the bottom twists forward and backward for track skipping. The sole button, in the middle of the player, is for play/pause and power. A blinking light that surrounds the button will either fascinate or bore your child, depending on how easily he or she is entertained. Plugging in a pair of earphones automatically disables the built-in speaker, which (as you might guess) does not deliver high-quality audio. The extra earphone jack is great for random monitoring to make sure little Bobby's not listening to, say, Snoop Dogg.'

Press Release

MILPITAS, Calif., September 10, 2007–SanDisk® Corporation (NASDAQ:SNDK), the second largest seller of MP3 players in the United States, today announced the new Sansa® View – a video MP3 player with a vast array of features and generous capacity, at an unbeatable price. The sleek-looking Sansa View marries the finest MP3 player attributes with full-motion video support (typically found in larger portable media players (PMPs)), a larger screen, long battery life and generous capacity—all in a thin, easy-to-carry package. Expected to be available in October, the Sansa View will carry a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $199.99 MSRP* for a 16GB** flash-based player and $149.99 for the 8GB, far surpassing the competition with respect to value and price.

CNET have published a review of the SanDisk Sansa Clip (1GB, sleek black) MP3 player. 'At 2.2 inches by 1.4 inches by 0.5 inch (without the belt clip attached), the Sansa Clip isn't quite "smaller than a matchbox," but it is about the same size as one. It's one of the most compact players we've come across in recent times, though it is slightly larger than its closest competitor, the Creative Zen Stone Plus. However, the Clip's rectangular, 1-inch screen makes for better navigation than the Stone's itty bitty circular display. Also, the Clip lets you navigate music by artist, album, and so on, whereas the Stone offers very little track organization. Like the Stone, the Clip comes in a variety of colors: sleek black, candy apple red, hot pink, and ice blue. The black version is available in both capacities, while the colors come in 2GB only. As the name suggests, the Clip also comes with a removable belt clip in a color to match the player. This feature and its ultracompact size make it ideal for the gym.'

A review of the SanDisk Sansa View (16GB) digital media player has been posted over at CNET. 'We're a bit torn on the Sansa View's design. On the one hand, it's pretty large for a flash MP3 player (4.3 inches by 1.9 inches by 0.4 inch), but it also has an ample (2.4-inch) screen. And we're taken with the mechanical scroll wheel that sits below the screen and the nifty backlit control indicators that switch their orientation depending on whether the screen is in landscape mode (for photo and video viewing) or portrait mode (for navigation and music playback). In addition to the wheel, there's a home button that alternates between the top menu and the playback screen, and a small center select button.

A review of the Sandisk Sansa View 16GB portable media player has been posted over at the AximSite. ‘The View should give you 35 hours of audio playback and seven hours of video. It records voice memos and sports an FM radio with 20 presets. The left side has the on/off, hold and microphone button control The opposite side holds a microSD/SDHC card slot. Currently the maximum size card is 8GB, which gives this player tons of capacity. The scroll wheel works smoothly. It contains a center button to select choices. Above and to the right of the scroll wheel is the Home button. It is very intuitive and simple to use.To load photos and videos you can use the Sansa Media Converter.’

PC Magazine have published thier review of the SanDisk Sansa Clip MP3 player. 'The Sansa Clip is a little bigger than the iPod shuffle, and it's made of cheap plastic—not surprising, given the price of the device. On the bright side (literally), the two-color OLED screen is bright and crisp. Though it's not true color, it beats monochrome by a mile. The faux click wheel (it's really a five-way control pad) lights up in blue. The screen shows artist and track names, time elapsed, and the name of the FM station that's currently playing, and it provides access to the player's numerous configuration options. When a song is playing, you can press the center of the control pad to see a neat, ultra-responsive 16-band spectrum analyzer. I wasn't expecting much from the included earbuds, and that's pretty much what they delivered in terms of sound quality: They were seriously poor. I swapped them out for a set of Creative Zen Aurvanas, which improved sound quality considerably. In fact, it was difficult to tell the difference in sound between the Sansa Clip and a second-generation 8GB iPod nano.'

A review of the SanDisk Sansa Clip (1GB) MP3 player has been posted over at Trusted Reviews. 'First things first, though: this is not one for the MP3 fashion snob. It's not quite as slim, the finish isn't as slick as the Shuffle's candy-coloured aluminium shell, and the angular boxy shape won't be for everyone either, especially with the plasticky silver volume control and hold/power switch adorning each edge of the player. But that's really the only negative thing I can bring myself to say about the Clip. In every other respect it's a fantastic little product, and when you fire it up, the bright blue backlight behind the controls makes up for those dowdy, out-of-the-box looks.'

Digital Reviews Network have published their review of the ultra-compact Sansa Clip MP3 player. 'The Clip turns on when you hold the power button in the ‘On’ position for a few seconds after which the screen comes to life with a simple animated SanDisk Sansa logo. As a new user of Sansa media players, the user interface is remarkably easy to get accustomed to. The two coloured (orange and blue) OLED display is capable of displaying four lines of information and has adjustable brightness which is sufficient to cast light in a darkened room when turned to maximum. The blue glow ring however is bright and there is no option to dim that. The screen performs well under most lighting conditions except for in direct sunlight.'

JR.com has the Sansa Express MP3 Player on offer for $49.99 down from the previous $79.99 price.
Features/Specifications:
• Direct USB connector-No cable needed
• Built in Mic for Voice Recording
• Four-line, bright OLED screen
• Digital FM tuner, with FM recording
• Simple to use controls for fast device Interface navigation
• Supports MP3, WMA, protected WMA, WAV, and Audible files
• Up to 15-hour, rechargeable lithium polymer Battery life per full charge
• Requires Windows XP or Vista Operating system and Windows Media Player 10+
• Includes Earphones, Lanyard, CD