SanDisk e270 reviewed

After SanDisk announced their superiority over every portable audio player manufacturer (except one), you might have thought they were getting a little too big for their britches. Well, CNET finally got their hands on SanDisk's e270 (the 4GB flash-based player from their e200 series) and ran it through its paces. Is the e270 going to give the iPod nano a run for its money? Well, maybe. With built-in voice recording, photo and video playback, a removeable battery, FM-tuner, and a MicroSD slot, SanDisk's feature set seems to one up the nano, but there are some caveats. CNET notes the scroll wheel isn't all that great, photos have to be converted using bundled software, you can only record WAV files, and some mechanical noise bleeds through the headphones during playback. Praising the e270's durability twice, CNET seems to be taking a not-so-subtle swipe at the competition. Either that, or the SanDisk is really just that durable.

[Thanks, J. Brown]

[Mike @ Mar 12th 2006 7:45PM]

I've had a Sansa for about 3 months now and I've been really happy with it. SanDisk seems to be on-target with making decent MP3 players and the new E270 seems to even better than their previous models. I'd buy a SanDisk any time.

[100 ipod movies @ Mar 12th 2006 7:51PM]

This thing plays videos? Wow! Isnt the screen size too small for videos?

[Ryan @ Mar 12th 2006 7:53PM]

When are they gona be released?

[TZK @ Mar 12th 2006 8:05PM]

Yeah! Wow! This! Thing! Plays! Video's!
You heard right.

Now, where can I buy it.

[chip @ Mar 12th 2006 8:13PM]

i never understood the appeal of watching videos on screens that are that small (or on players with so little memory for that matter). can someone explain this to me?

*besides a casual music video or family guy episode played back on a tv, i hardly ever use my 5g ipod for videos. this is not just because of the small screen but they really take up too much space (and my ipod is a 60 gigger).

[proee @ Mar 12th 2006 8:14PM]

I've been waiting for this thing forever so that I can have my Yahoo subscription service on a decent player. #1. How well does this sound and do you agree with the review. Also how did you get your player three months ago??

[Steve Jobs @ Mar 12th 2006 8:30PM]

hi, i'm a troll. spam me please: [e-mail]

[zainali @ Mar 12th 2006 8:54PM]

good thing about sandisk players is they usually go for a lot less than msrp and besbuy/circuit city have deals on these all the time. hopefully the 6gb one will be around $200 sometime soon.

[invaderluj @ Mar 12th 2006 8:59PM]

Now I just have to wait for the Cowon iAudio6 to come out so I can choose my new player

[Andy @ Mar 12th 2006 9:04PM]

Uh, Steve? What are you talking about? Cnet has nothing but a bias against Apple and all its players. They're really quick to call anything better than iPod.

[tim @ Mar 12th 2006 9:29PM]

Re #5
If you have a 1 hour commute on a train, then video is really great. Not having to bust out a laptop to watch a movie is sweet.

[Nav @ Mar 12th 2006 9:31PM]

*Micro*SD Slot? So I can expand just another 1GB? Weird.

[Jonathan Keim @ Mar 12th 2006 9:32PM]

Did you guys see how fat the thing is! It's as fat as a regular ipod. Just look at the photos if you get a chance. Just type SanDisk e270 cnet in google and you'll find it fast. It's 0.5 inches thick and the nano is .27 inches. The ipod 30 is 0.55 inches.
Also this is wider too

[Goodman @ Mar 12th 2006 9:33PM]

Cool review. Wish they'd mentioned how much space the video files ended up taking up, and how long it took to convert them. Yeah sure, video is pretty much just a feature for showing off to your friends, but I'm still curious.

I tried a couple of Sansa players at Christmas and was pretty satisfied with them. My only complaint about the players I tried was the lack of a color screen, which has obviously been addressed. This is a player to keep an eye on...

[Goodman @ Mar 12th 2006 9:45PM]

>10. Uh, Steve? What are you talking about? Cnet has nothing but a bias against Apple and all its players. They're really quick to call anything better than iPod.

Bull. Link me to one review where they flat out call a player "better than an iPod." Not "better than an iPod in some respects." Not "better than a Shuffle" (anything is). Better than an iPod.

Note that the iPod Nano got a higher rating than the Sansa, and is designated "Editor's Choice." Despite being feature-impared and easily scratched. Mind you, I won't buy an iPod because they don't support music subscriptions. The Sansa looks great to me.

[Steve Jobs @ Mar 12th 2006 9:55PM]

hi, i'm a troll. spam me please: [e-mail]

[StandardAI @ Mar 12th 2006 10:23PM]

The low gig limit wouldn't be so bad if it wasn't limited to mp3-wmv, but that makes it even worse. All of those comments about how it's going to kill the nano just makes people look so god damn stupid. Sure they could get playing movies down but they couldn't even get in mp4 support, how impressive.

[Dx @ Mar 12th 2006 10:27PM]

#16

Thickness DOES matter to some so STFU.

If the ipod sucks so much, why do ALL mp3 players look like an ipod and try to operate EXACTLY like an ipod--- yeah they try to OUTDO an ipod by adding extra miscelllaneous features that a minority of people look for in an AUDIO Player.

Apple Chooses not to add these features. Apple designed the ipod to be a streamlined player and is its own platform... if u need a certain feature, u just get an addon... like a FM reciever, or voice recorder. This is why the ipod is great.

No matter what you or any other ipod haters say.... people don't need those added features and are in general just looking to play music on a good easy to use intuitive player. period.

[richmofo @ Mar 12th 2006 10:39PM]

who watches ipod video on the ipod?...

... my roommate! she take the thing into the can to watch LOST or BSG. 20mins of stinky-tainment

[MickerMack @ Mar 12th 2006 10:47PM]

Dx

The iPod is a superior player because it excludes useful features (made available by a few extra ~$50 accessories, imagine that) that would otherwise get in the way of the "majority"'s listening experience?

Hmm.

[Steve Jobs @ Mar 12th 2006 10:54PM]

hi, i'm a troll. spam me please: [e-mail]

[Steve @ Mar 12th 2006 10:58PM]

" *Micro*SD Slot? So I can expand just another 1GB? Weird."

Not really. Wasn't it SanDisk that came up with that DRM'ed mini-sd format for studios to release full albumns on? Basically you can only play the albumn through the DRM'ed mini-SD card, and your music device needs to be able to accept the mini-SD cards to be able to play the albumn. You can't move the music off the card.

Makes sense now doesn't it? Well to Sandisk and the music studios anyway... Completley stupid to everyone else.

[Lawry @ Mar 12th 2006 11:02PM]

Looks like a cool player

[Thataboy @ Mar 12th 2006 11:30PM]

Wow that seems like a great player... will it play all my AAC files and sync up with iTunes?

[Goodman @ Mar 12th 2006 11:40PM]

Actually when a slightly thicker player offers significantly higher battery life even after powering a bigger screen, it seems like a pretty good tradeoff. I don't need a player so thin it snaps in two when I bend over.

[AutoDas @ Mar 12th 2006 11:43PM]

Apple is screwing its customers by not including FM radio and recorder. It definetly isn't the price. The H1xx and H3xx had these features long before iPod and they were the same price as what would be equivalent of an iPod than. Why do they do this than? Cause idiots like YOU are bitchin' and moaning about 13mm so they don't include so that is why a lot of people think this is a great device. Belive me, you wont know how better an FM radio can make a DAP when it is inside the device.

[Andrew de Ridder @ Mar 13th 2006 12:39AM]

@26

How is screwing its customers by not including FM radio and recorder? Apple is not forcing anybody to buy an iPod! If you want a player with these features, then buy one. But the market share numbers speak for themselves. If people felt that they were being screwed, they would not buy from apple, simple as that.

sorry AutoDas, but the iPod is the way it is for a reason.

[o rly @ Mar 13th 2006 1:02AM]

I guess no one noticed it was rated 8.3 when the story was first published, but now it's rated 8.0, typical cnet bullshit.

@ 10/Andy : "Uh, Steve? What are you talking about? Cnet has nothing but a bias against Apple and all its players. They're really quick to call anything better than iPod."

Actually cnet does have a huge bias for iPods. Look at the reviews of players where they say "player X doesn't do this" as a con, yet don't list it as a con for iPods which also lack the feature.

Better yet, they still haven't put the iPod 5G vs Creative Zen Vision:M, (both got a rating of 8.0 & are Editor's Choices,) yet they still compare it (iPod 5G) to other DAPs that received scores < 8. It seems to make sense to the cnet world.


lol @ DX, crying over 5mm? Wow, 5mm is a big deal to you? Sounds like you are lacking that size somewhere else.

[cheaplikeafox @ Mar 13th 2006 1:03AM]

when did this become an ipod vs other mp3 players post? haha... i think the sansa looks great and having more battery life in sacrifice for thickness would be worth it...but i already bought a nano when it came out...only thing i hate is how easily it can get scratched up! grr...

[Steve Jobs Sucks A S S! @ Mar 13th 2006 1:05AM]

Andrew, no one ever said Apple is forcing anyone to buy its products, so your comment is stupid. It is a fact though that Apple has continued to hold back on features that other audio players have had for years.

The reason people buy Apple products is because they buy into the hype. Yes, some of their products are nicely designed, but whenever I ask anyone why they bought their iPod, it's not because of the features. "It looks purdy!" is usually their response. And you can't say that they sound better either, because it's also a fact that Apple refuses to release the actual signal-to-noise output of their players? Why is that? Hmm... Scared of being beaten by other high-quality players like Cowon or Creative? Yeah, that's what I thought.

The fact is, Steve Jobs has a major inferiority complex, which is why he always rags on other competing products. He says that Apple's products are better, but why are so many other products outperforming Apple's?

If you want an overpriced, albeit slick looking, player that has a minimum of features, then buy an iPod. But if you want a smokin' feature-packed player, that is also very nice looking, and that leaves the iPod Nano in the dust, the buy the Sansa e270.

Word.

[TZK @ Mar 13th 2006 5:44AM]

The only people who care about thickness are those who will never switch from an iPod to anything else. So, you are exempt from your opinions.

This offers more features, so for some its more valuable. I dont think they are trying to steel people away from Apple or the iPod, but from other players like it. And, there are many.

You either have an iPod or something else. And thats where the middle of the road comes. They all do the same damn thing.

[Andrew de Ridder @ Mar 13th 2006 6:04AM]

@30 re @27

I thought that my comments were fair. With a name like "Steve Jobs Sucks A S S!", it is no wonder that you could not see that my first comment was infact pointing out that you are free to buy any player you want, and that if you are a 'feature' person, then maybe the iPod is not for you. What is so stupid about that? and btw, what did Mr. Jobs ever do to you?

[Dan Cullen @ Mar 13th 2006 11:36AM]

To those asking about release date, it does tell you at the top of the article ;) (1/6/06)

[Mike @ Mar 13th 2006 1:16PM]

The product isn't available until April. CNet got a preproduction unit and didn't mention that in the review.... shame on them. It's possible some of the issues (like system noise) will be cleared up by the time the product is actually released.

[Frangible @ Mar 13th 2006 7:13PM]

The iPod nano's thickness isn't especially relevant, as its extreme fragility requires a thickening case be used.

[Adrian @ Mar 13th 2006 9:27PM]

The Sansa e270 looks like it could be a pretty decent player, but:
- how's the durability for the front of the player?
- what's the startup time like?
- non-standard cable sucks (need to carry it around, or get an extra one for the office), but I guess with the 20 hour battery life, it's not that big of a problem.
- ability to play other formats other than mp3 and wmv (and I assume wav) would be nice
- not sure how good the ui is
- I must admit it isn't as cool looking as a nano, but still looks pretty good

[Erde @ May 6th 2006 10:23AM]

Of course the screen is too little to watch long videos, but that itis possible is a cool feature... :)

[Dimitri @ May 22nd 2006 6:28PM]

The scroll wheel is extremely flimsy, wobbly, and hard-to-turn. Other than that, this player is rock-solid, easy-to-use, and feature-rich.

Alas, if not for that flimsy, scroll wheel!!

[Bryan @ May 22nd 2006 6:56PM]

Size matters. Elegance matters. At the same time that I don't want my iPod nano 2gb to be crushed it still is the right size compared to every other electronic device I own and that's good.

[David Flood @ Aug 30th 2006 4:35AM]

they look minnnt i'm deff gonna get 1!!!! cheers 4 alll da info.

[Zarkol @ Jul 25th 2007 12:22AM]

I guess nobody noticed the e270 is the 6G Sansa. The e260 is the 4G Sansa.