The SanDisk Sansa View returns
By Peter Rojas 
posted September 10th 2007 7:00AM
posted September 10th 2007 7:00AM
The result is a smaller player that less video-centric, but does improve on the e200 series in lots of important ways. They've upped storage to 16GB (there's also an 8GB version coming out), made it thinner (it's about 8.8mm at its thinnest), added better video codec support (it handles MPEG4, WMV, and h.264), increased the screen size and resolution (to 2.4-inches and 320 x 240 pixels, respectively), eliminated that dedicated voice recorder button which we were always accidentally pressing (yes, we should have disabled it in the preferences), and replaced the sub-par music control buttons with a clickable scroll wheel (which we're hoping is as good as the one on the Sansa Connect). There's also an FM tuner, integrated digital voice recorder, a microSD memory card slot that can handle microSDHC cards up to 8GB in size, support for playback of MP3, WMA, and WAV audio files, and enough battery life for playback of at least 30 hours of audio and 6 hours of video. Should be out sometime early next month, with the 8GB model retailing for $149.99 and the 16GB model going for an extra fifty bucks. Click on for a gallery of high-res images.
I was bummed when the 3rd Gen Nano went 'stubby/wide' - This 'new' Sansa View has all I really need - Slender form, a MicroSD slot (yes!) and video capabilities (AAC audio?). I want to know about any 'video-out' possibilities for this Sansa View. Does anyone know its overall outside dimensions or if you can watch videos on it by holding it sideways (for preferred, widescreen-like viewing)?
i hope they are keeping the battery user replaceable
cuz i dont see any screws on those pics and theres is nothing in the article about it
I wondered the same thing! No screws in the back. One of the main reasons I like Sansa is the user replaceable battery. Anyone have any info on this?
Hmm, the Sansa View has a 25% bigger screen and longer battery life than the new iPod Nano (7hrs vs 5hrs of video playback could be handy though do you really need more than 24hrs audio playback?) but at the cost of being 35% thicker and 67% heavier. Considering this is a market segment particularly sensitive to size and weight, these are fairly big disadvantages.
The Sansa has an FM radio and voice recorder (both optional add-ons for the Nano) but has no games, calendar and contact synching, notes or an online store with 6 million songs, hundreds of TV shows, movies, or hundreds of thousands of free video and audio podcasts.
Instead it looks like the SanDisk-Rhapsody deal has already fizzled which means it is back to the old MS Plays-for-Sure DRM scheme which has already been knifed in the back by Microsoft's new proprietary Zune DRM.
The Sansa with it’s proprietary 30-pin connector also lacks the huge 3rd party ecosystem of 3,000 speaker systems, clock radios, arm bands, cases and other peripherals or the dock-connector integration (often with steering wheel controls) in the majority of new cars on the market today or aircraft dock integration etc.
The 8GB Sansa is also the same price as the 8GB iPod Nanos when they need to come in cheaper to mount a decent challenge. Doesn't look like it'll make much of a dent really.
-Mart
8gb nano is $200 and the sansa view 16gb is $200...so they are cheaper, mart.
cheaplikeafox,
You are quite correct - I take that point back. :-)
It's in the UK that the 8GB Sansa is the same price as the 8GB Nano not the USA.
-Mart
Um...16gb? Twice the capacity of my current Apple product? I know I will, be dropping my Nano unless they pull a rabbit out of the hat for the Christmas season...
Best of all, this will force Creative to lower its ludicrous $299 price for the 16GB ZEN. Hooray!
Shut up, I'm dreaming.
Mart, you're right to point out that Sansa does not have 3000 accessories. Nor does it need such a huge selection. It's a li'l old mp3 player, not the Queen of England. there are several cases, skins and armbands for it, just enough. Screen guard? check. a few dedicated speaker systems with dock? check. it's utilitarian as opposed to a status symbol, and as such, is (imho) adequately accessorised.
Ah man I just bought a 4gig iriver clix off amazon, and now they announce this baby. I like the look and screen on the clix, but 4gigs really isnt very much compared to this at an equal price.
What one do you think is better? The clix 2 or this. Im thinkin about paying the 15% fee and returning the iriver clix and getting this >.
I know Engadget said this should be released early next month, but I can't seem to find any information about its release on the SanDisk site. Anyone been able to find anything on it to confirm Engadget's claim?
Scratch that. They don't give a release window in the product spec sheet, but if you go to the press release, it says "early fall". Here's hoping it drops in the next few weeks. Its fall now. I want one!!!!
This looks great! I had just bought a Sansa e280 and hadn't opened the box when I saw this. Took it right back to the store! :) Hopefully, I'll get this one. I wonder if the RockBox firmware/software will one day work with this unit (it never supported the e280R, only the e280)? Any thoughts.... ??
I bought the e280 two weeks ago (for $149) and love it. I'm waiting to see if the battery will be user replaceable on the View, and if so, this e280 is going back! Can anyone comment on the battery? That's one of the main reasons I got the e280 in the first place...
Usman