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• SanDisk Sansa e280 (8GB)
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SanDisk Sansa e280 (8GB)

By Ella Morton and Randolph Ramsay on 25 October 2006

With a huge features list, simple design and a whole lot of expandable storage space, the Sansa e280 screams "Take me on, wimpy iPod Nano".

Editor's rating:8.5 User rating:7.8

• 

  forrest gave 3/10 on 08/06/2007 13:36 Report abuse

  The menu is not as sleek as ipod. creating and adding to current playlists is nearly impossible due to the poor menu configs. as frustraing as pulling teeth. emailed customer support on this issue and any possible firmware updates but have had no reply. wasn't an issue anyway after 3 weeks the left channel dropped out after approximately10 hours use and i returned it. Nice idea from sandisk but poorly executed in some design aspects and poor firmware. how hard is it to just copy the menu structure off the ipod? it works so well.... ah well. also the plastic wheel feels very cheap and nasty
  
  
  phew.... now i have that off my chest..

  • Good: solid body, replacable battery, bright largish screen compared to Nano
  • Bad: cheap earphones, cheap selection wheel, frustrating menu design, left channel dropped out completely after 3 weeks.
• 

  kcphotos gave 2/10 on 07/06/2007 05:50 Report abuse

  After 6 months, I now have the vertical striped screen that other users have reported. Essentially, the unit is now worthless. When it worked, it worked well in spite of the lonnnngggggg startup time ( mine was an 8GB + 2GB-microSD configuration).

  • Good: Rhapsody channels available on the R models
  • Bad: Ships with a Not-Ready-For-Primetime firmware version. Renders the unit useless in short order.
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  clint gave 9/10 on 07/06/2007 00:25 Report abuse

  my sansa will not some on it says load main image failed switch to recovery mode

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  naifa gave 8/10 on 05/06/2007 03:12 Report abuse

  my mp3 wont work and i really dont know what to do. its a black screen and it says losad main image failed swich to recovery mode. i dont know what to do. please help me.

  • Good: 9/10
    
  • Bad: 9/10
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  Phill O gave 9/10 on 28/05/2007 17:14 Report abuse

  I have now given one to each of my children and they love them. So do I as the noise from the kids is down about 80% :-)). Had a few problems like those that are previously mentioned, though none of them were show stoppers to a bit of screw driver help

  • Good: Small, robust (I bought a case for each of them)
    
  • Bad: Lack of accessories,
    No AC Adapter - this really ticked me off as with a couple of them in the family charging was an issue until I bought a powered USB hub so that the kids can charge the MP3 without tying up the computer.
    
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  stevester gave 7/10 on 21/05/2007 08:35 Report abuse

  I love this player!! It's waaay better than the ipod nano. It is small, sleek, and comes in 2,4,6,and 8 gigabytes. I don't like the fact that the screen scratches so easily. Other than that, I like it. Did I mention it has lots of features?

  • Good: lots of features
    sleek
    better than nano
    good sound quality
    good screen quality
  • Bad: scratches easily
    fingerprint magnet
    buttons hard to press
• 

  Bunny07 gave 3/10 on 18/05/2007 16:59 Report abuse

  I was given this player for Christmas, was in love with it- then it all started going down hill. Badly.

  • Good: - Sleek design, very light.
    - Good sound quality
    - Easy Interface
  • Bad: - After just a week of using, (Yes it was fully re-charged and all) the screen froze with almost every change of song, one day I couldn't turn the sansa on, I recharged it- nothing happened, the next day I was able to turn it back on, but then couldn't switch it off. The blue backlight behind the wheel remained on, and I couldn't do anything with it for over 24 hours.
    - After a month or so of use, the screen started to go funny, when I went to a new song, or the menu- the screen would go blank or come up with pixelated lines across the screen- so I was unable to see the picture.
    
    After all these problems, I took it back to the shop my family had got it from and they told us there had been a few others that had to return. I switched it for a new 2nd generation Ipod nano 4Gb.
    Must say, I was very dissapointed with the Sansa.
• 

  kristen kk gave 4/10 on 14/05/2007 04:49 Report abuse

  It was perfect the first day I got it... then it all wen down hill!!! aww
  very dissapointing.

  • Good: nice design... awesome illuminating scroll wheel, BETTER THAN APPLE I POD NANO hahahahah!
  • Bad: Some of my songs say 'bad track' and it flashes on and off... idk why.
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  dan gave 10/10 on 04/05/2007 16:00 Report abuse

  can you convert divx files to one that the e280 supports and how long does it take?

  • Good: haven't got it yet
  • Bad: haven't got it yet
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  mutlidge gave 9/10 on 16/04/2007 16:48 Report abuse

  after heaps of research i've finally moved out of the mp3/cd player club with this little beauty....mine was $225 at harvey norman ....great size and it's great that the memory's expandable....

  • Good: **VERY easy to use....navigation's a breeze..drag n drop..
    **re-chargeable AND long playing time
    **nice size
    **not an ipod
    **upgrades!!!
  • Bad: **accessories thin on the ground
    **unable to add album to playlist..onmy old iriver cd/mp3 player you could select a albulms with one click..rather than selecting each song..but that may change with upgrades..