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Sandisk Sansa e200 MP3 player |
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Written by Marc Pell
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Sunday, 05 November 2006 |
Sandisk will be a name familiar to you all as a result of their status as market leader of flash memory cards; no doubt the majority of Windows Mobile device owners have, at some point, owned a Sandisk memory card to expand the memory and therefore capabilities of their device. So with such a well known brand it is no surprise to hear that Sandisk have expanded into related markets, say hello to the Sandisk Sansa e200 MP3 player.
You can compare prices of Sandisk Sansa e200 Case and buy online today.
There is a clear market leader when it comes to compact flash memory MP3 players and it is the iPod Nano. A combination of its sleek design and huge marketing campaign has achieved this status for the iPod brand but many feel that there are features lacking from the Nano that make it a less obvious decision, when deciding on which flash based MP3 player to purchase, than you would first think. The Sansa e200 aims to steal some of the Nano's market share by offering more for your money.
In the box
The Sansa e200 comes bundled with a mains charger, a cable that allows you to add files to its memory, a manual, software CD, slip case and a set of headphones. All work well, the headphones produce a decent sound when compared to the below par headphones usually bundled with MP3 players.
Design
I'm yet to show the Sansa e200 to anyone who has disliked the design of the MP3 player, it sports a sleek gloss black finish on its front and a scratch-resistant titanium alloy back that is both appealing to the eye and very hard wearing, in fact during my test I've had no complaints regarding scratching of the casing, a well publicised criticism of the Nano. The screen is big for a device of this size to cater for a feature that clearly pushes the Sansa e200 in front of the Nano in my opinion, it can play videos! Menu navigation is achieved via the use of a circular wheel which illuminates with a bright blue light when active which is a very nice design touch. Surrounding this wheel are four buttons which offer the usual MP3 player functions of play/pause, previous track (hold for rewind), next track (hold for fast forward) and menu. These buttons also provide navigation through the menu structure in a logical way, the right hand button for next, the left hand button for previous etc. There is also a power button on the front of the e200 which is activated by pressing and holding for two seconds, a quick stab at this button is also a quick way to return to the menu which is very handy.
The top of the device houses the headphone jack - a standard 3.5mm socket, a hold button to save you performing operations when the player is in your pocket for example and a microphone which is used when recording voice notes - that's right, the e200 can record voice notes!
The bottom of the E200 houses a propriety connection for synchronisation and charging, I would have preferred a mini USB connection but Sandisk have announced that there will be accessories available which will no doubt boost aftermarket sales.
The left hand side of the e200 houses the record button which allows you to begin recording voice notes in an instant turning the e200 into a dictaphone.
The right hand side of the device houses one very interesting feature, a micro SD slot which means that the 6GB (I have the 6GB e270 version of the e200, there are also three versions available in 2GB, 4GB and 8GB varieties) can be expanded! This is a great feature that should not be overlooked and is something that Sandisk should be praised for.
Finally, the back of the e200 houses nothing more than four screws which, on first inspection, are pretty boring - however, undo these screws and you'll be faced with a replaceable battery. This is yet again proof of Sandisk's good design and will prove vital to anyone who has had an iPod battery run out as a result of memory loss. Over time li-ion batteries are subject to such loss of capacity, with the e200 all the user has to do is buy a new battery and undo a few screws. With a battery life of 20 hours you won't hear many owners of the e200 complaining about needing a charger; I have been very impressed with the interval between charging that is required.
The US version of the e200 features an FM radio which unfortunately is not present in the UK version, apparently due to EU licensing laws on FM radios and the fee that is involved when selling a device with one present. It’s a shame that Sandisk didn't include this as it’s the one thing missing that I would actually use and would happily have paid a small premium for.
Software
The software bundled with the e200 is a refreshing change from the iPod's iTunes counterpart; the latter is somewhat heavy and can be daunting to new users. Sandisk's software on the other hand couldn't be easier to use, after plugging the e200 into a free USB socket on your PC, Windows detects the device as a mass storage device much like a pen drive allowing you to simply drag and drop audio files onto the player's internal memory. This is more a testament to Sandisk's willingness to make use of the familiar Windows interface than develop software; not only can you drag and drop using Windows Explorer but the e200 will also talk happily with Windows Media Player. However they do excel in this area when we look at the tool that they provide on the bundled software CD. As previously mentioned, the e200 will play videos on its lovely screen, the biggest problem faced by users with such a feature is converting videos to the correct format; step in the bundled software. Throw it a video of pretty much any format, even a DVD, and it'll convert it and copy it your device with little interaction from the user. This is how all MP3 player software should work and is a real joy to use. It does split videos into small parts which provide chapters in a way; however it'll happily play these segments in order with no interruption making the user experience a joy.
The software on the player itself is simple to use, the user simply selects the relevant menu option with the blue circular wheel, selects with the large action button in the middle of the wheel and returns to the previous menu with the back button (on the left) normally used to skip to the previous track. The menu graphics are clear and well designed and during playback of music the user can see album art or an equaliser as well as the usual host of track and player information.
Audio quality
Audio quality is impressive on the e200, I personally prefer isolation headphones than the regular buds bundled with the device, I am a regular commuter and like to block out the noise of the train without turning the volume to maximum. The e200 does do my aftermarket headphones justice and outputs a clear and crisp sound that I have no complaints about. I don't claim to be a super audiophile but I, like the majority of users, can hear when an audio device is lacking something, I've no complaints about the e200 though.
Conclusion
Sandisk have entered a market that is already saturated and offered a product that exceeds the feature list of the market leader, the everyday customer who's driven by marketing spiel will buy an iPod Nano but anyone who's researched the subject will buy the Sandisk e200, for those of you still yearning for a Nano, do yourself a favour and buy the e200 and some white headphones if you're really that bothered by what other people think. I for one will give you a lot more respect if I see you listening to an e200 though.
The Sandisk Sansa e200 is available for prices starting at around £130, for more information visit www.Sandisk.co.uk.
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Last Updated ( Friday, 30 November 2007 )
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