Portable CD MP3 Player

SanDisk Sansa e270 (6GB) Review   The SanDisk Sansa e200 series includes the e250, e260, and e270. The 2GB, 4GB, and 6GB are a new breed of high capacity flash based MP3 player set to compete in features, as well as price, with the Samsung Z5 and iPod Nano. The Sansa e200 has a few advantages over the two, such as a brilliant 1.8” screen, video playback, expandable memory, and a user replaceable batter.   Today CNET has published a review for SanDisk Sansa e270 (6GB) and gave it an ‘Excellent’ ratting 8.0 out of 10.   The good: The SanDisk Sansa e200 series combines copious features such as subscription compatibility, an FM tuner/recorder, voice recording, and photo and video playback into a compact and durable device. We like the tactile navigation wheel, as well as the well-designed software interface. The user-removable battery and the Micro SD slot are nice touches, and the device has decent sound quality, processor performance, and battery life. Finally, the Sansa e200 is durable and attractive, and it offers a competitive price in a high-stakes world of high-capacity flash players.   The bad: The buttons surrounding the SanDisk Sansa e200’s scrollwheel can be difficult to press; the mechanical scrollwheel can tire out some thumbs; photos and video must go through conversion with bundled software; the expansion slot can be used with music only, not photos or other media or data; and recordings are made only in WAV. The scrollwheel is not as easy to use as the iPod Click Wheel. Low levels of system noise can heard through headphones at low or zero volume.   The bottom line: The SanDisk Sansa e200 series offers a boatload of features for a reasonable price, in a package that is much nicer than that of past SanDisk models. For those looking for a high-capacity, compact, skip-free MP3/WMA player, start with the e200 series.

Update: Anything But iPod has also posted a review for the SanDisk Sansa e200 Series. They concluded’ There are a few things I find annoying about the e200. There is no resume function, the tracks do not play in the correct album order, and there is no custom EQ. All of these are possible to fix in the firmware, so hopefully SanDisk will fix them in the near future. The tactile scroll wheel works but it doesn’t feel right, the controls could have been better with a different type of interface.

Despite those issues, the Sansa e200 series is a very nice player. The build is solid, the screen is bright and crisp, and the battery is replaceable. It is also nice that SanDisk has made this player more manageable by including UMS support so that it can be used with any operating system without the need of any additional drivers. SanDisk seemingly appeared out of nowhere with the e200 series making the company a major contender in the portable MP3 player market.’

Read SanDisk Sansa press release here.

Full specifications:

for SanDisk Sansa e270 (6GB)

General

• Product type - Flash player

• PC interface(s) supported - USB

• Width - 1.7 in

• Depth - 3.5 in

• Height - 0.5 in

• Color - Black

• Included accessories - USB cable

• Software type - Drivers & Utilities

Radio

• Tuner bands - FM

Connectivity

• Cable(s) included - 1 x USB cable - External

• Connector type - 1 x USB

• Slot(s) provided - 1 x

Battery

• Battery required qty - 1

• Rechargeable battery - Rechargeable

• Battery included qty - 1

• Battery technology - Lithium ion

Digital Player / Recorder

• Digital player edit functions - Erase

Built-in Display

• Audio system built-in display - LCD

• Backlight display - Yes

Audio Features

• Sound output mode - Stereo

CD System

• Playback modes - Program play

• Digital audio standards supported - MP3, WMA

Microphone

• Microphone type - Built-in

Battery / Power

• Battery - 1 x Lithium ion Rechargeable

• Mfr estimated battery life - 20 hour(s)

System Requirements

• Peripheral / Interface devices - USB port

• Min processor type - Intel Pentium