SanDisk Sansa e260

Reviews: Multimedia

SanDisk Sansa e260

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Bradford Day
Kurtis
SanDisk
Aug. 15, 2006

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Conclusion

Well, it appears that the iPod killer really is a mythical beast, at least for Sandisk. The Sansa e260 has all the trappings of a good iPod slayer: sleek looks, nice features, handy interface, lower price... But the e260 just isn't as easy to use as the mighty Pod. And in a market of blindingly fast change, few folks are going to bother with learning the little idiosyncrasies of a second tier MP3 player when Apple has made the process near idiot-proof.

Personally, I like the idea of a solid state memory based player over a spinning microdrive (something the iPod nano can also tout), but some of the Sansa's little quirks are quite annoying, even for a reasonably skilled tech-head. The playlist fiasco makes this player cumbersome for anyone who doesn't listen to full albums and prefers random playlist mixes. Constant system restarts after switching between USB modes also lend to the sloth like nature of this player and let's not forget the 12-15 second boot time.

I originally purchased this player as a jukebox for my car. And in that capacity it works well. I can load up on music, hit play and have hours and hours of tunes blaring away as I road trip my way across the country. However, once you get into the more detailed functions of this player it can get a little confusing. Audio and video quality on this player is top notch but the file transfer system could use a little fine tuning. Rather than listing every possible detail of the music I've loaded, I would be quite happy if the player would just cycle through the songs I load from the folders I create. I would also like to see support for Windows 2000 and other operating systems, but I suppose as Vista is looming on the horizon, Win2kers like me are approaching extinction.

So it is tough for me to give an overall verdict on the Sansa e260. I am very pleased with the interface and audio and video qualities. And for what I need it for, the device performs very well. It isn't without flaws, that's for sure. I would suggest if you are in need of a no-brainer MP3 player, this probably isn't it. However, if you fancy yourself as tech savvy and don't mind learning some of the quirks of the player, the Sansa e260 is a good little device.

Pros

High quality sound and video
Good user interface
Sleek design
Solid state memory
Good battery life with user replaceable Li-Ion cell
Expandable microSD memory slot

Cons

Confusing playlist transfers
Slow boot time
Playlists cause menu lag
Occasional lock ups

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Page 1: Introduction
Page 2: First Looks
Page 3: Testing & Features
Page 4: Testing & Features, cont'd...
Page 5: Conclusion

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17 User Comments

1 - Posted by andrea on December 1, 2006 - 4:28 pm

This is a really great review! Im getting this for Christmas. My mom and I were at Best Buy and it was either this or a 4 gig Ipod nano and the sales guy (there and at circuit city) suggested this one. Im worried though because Ive seen a number of reviews saying they're player froze up a lot. Have you had anymore problems with it? What is firmware?
If you could email me (wishfulthinker37@aol.com) that'd be great! Thanks!

Andrea

2 - Posted by EmoMakesMeCry on December 1, 2006 - 5:38 pm

Personally, if you're not going to go the iPod route, I'd go with a Samsung YP-Z5AB. After playing around with various 2-4gb mp3 players, I much prefer what Samsung has to offer.
Then if you want to go the smaller storage space route (512mb-2gb), iRiver's are awesome.

But I'd still purchase an iPod over anything else. I heart Apple :)

3 - Posted by Kurtis on December 2, 2006 - 1:51 pm

I believe all you need to do is go to SanDisk's website, under Downloads, then download the Firmware Updater: http://www.sandisk.com/Retail/Default.aspx?CatID=1...

After installation of Sansa Firmware Updater
* Please make sure your Sansa player is in MSC mode before plugging it in.
* Plug in your Sansa player and it will automatically check for updates.

Common questions about the Sansa Updater

Q: What does the Sansa Firmware Updater do?
A: The Sansa Updater is an application that checks for the latest firmware updates then downloads and installs the firmware to your Sansa device. The Sansa Updater is NOT a firmware.

Q: Why do I need to install the Sansa Firmware Updater to download "firmwares"?
A: Once you install the Sansa Updater, you don't have to worry about which firmware to download for your device. Sansa Updater downloads and installs the right firmware for your Sansa device.

Q: Do I need to install the Sansa Firmware Updater everytime there's a new firmware?
A: No, once the Sansa Firmware Updater is installed, future firmware updates are done by just plugging in your device.

Q: What does a "firmware" do?
A: Firmwares contain miscelleneous bug fixes and enhancements.

Q: Which Sansa players is the Sansa Updater compatible with?
A: The e200, c200 and m200 series

Q: Should I "Open","Run" or "Save" when i click on "Download Sansa Firmware Updater"?
A: "Open" and "Run" would automatically start installing the software,. "Save" would save it to your computer and you can run it in the future. We suggest you "Open" or "Run" the installer.

Q: How to change to MSC mode:
A: On your Sansa device, press "menu" and go to "Settings" then "USB" choose "MSC"

Q: How to check for firmware version?:
A: On the e200 and c200, press "menu" and go to "Settings" then "Info"/ "System Info". For m200, press "menu" then "Information".

4 - Posted by handrail on December 4, 2006 - 12:34 pm

i've been using the e260 about every day since the review was posted and it hasn't locked up on me since. i think it locked up 2 times when i first had it. i did use the firmware installer/updater and everything seems to be good so far.

that said, iriver does make good stuff too. it depends on your personal preference. iriver tends to have more aftermarket stuff like car chargers, FM transmitters and the like. the sansas have a few cases and aftermarket chargers and FM transmitters on the way, but they aren't available just yet.

i like the e260 just fine. i don't use windows media player to sync the player though...i found that to be too annoying. i just drag and drop my songs using the windows explorer file tree.

5 - Posted by EmoMakesMeCry on December 5, 2006 - 3:25 am

I just bought an iPod Shuffle, and I must say...they're pretty friggin' sweet!

For only $79, I love this little thing. It works great for when I just want to take a single playlist with me instead of my big ol' 60G iPod. The clip is a pretty cool idea as well.

6 - Posted by Radiobob on February 5, 2008 - 9:21 pm

I have had my Sana e260 for about a week now and have not experienced any lockups yet. It works fine. I do disagree with one of your comments. You said it only works with Windows. WRONG. I and running Ubuntu Linux and it works and integrates perfectly. I have loaded 450 songs and a bunch of pictures on it. The only thing I cannot do from Linux is video but I don't care.
I have one issue. I installed a 2GB micro SD card and cannot access it. In info it says it is there but no access.

7 - Posted by Dilbeert on March 22, 2008 - 7:33 pm

To Radiobob: I was having the same issue. I read some fragment in an old CNet review that clued me in to something that may help you, too. The unit has to be in MSC mode to access the storage slot. Having said that, I can only say I have gotten far enough to add content to the microSD card, but am still playing around to see if there is anything special you have to do to use the content.

8 - Posted by Evan Glueck on June 18, 2008 - 12:06 am

Pros:

Well priced
Long battery life

Cons:

Unit freezes
Difficult to delete multiple songs
Weak secondary market for add-ons

Evan Glueck

9 - Posted by SanDisk on September 24, 2008 - 12:38 am

Sansa players are quite good. Though there's always space for improvement. I've Sansa e260. I like it because I can store lots of music and my videos

10 - Posted by klaus on September 24, 2008 - 12:56 pm

Thanks for the USB MSC mode hint to upload files to the microSD card !
I couldn't find my additional 2GB memory.

11 - Posted by feathermonkey on October 2, 2008 - 9:28 pm

I have a Sansa e260. It is giving me a lot of trouble lately. I bought it refurbished, but I have not had any problems until now...

A couple days ago it started not letting me delete certain songs even when I reformat the songs are still there, but they are not when I try to listen to them. I can only access them through my computer. Then, I decided to leave those there and I tried to readd the music that I wanted on my MP3. I spent 30 minutes. When I tried to listen to the music that took forever to sync, my MP3 said there was no music on it. But again I can see it when I look at the device using my computer. Then today I tried to reformat it and readd the songs. Again it seemed to have "ghost" files. Then when I tried to add my music again the screen went black with white vertical lines through it and stayed that way until the battery went dead.

I got on to try maybe update the firmware to see if that would help. Apparently my MP3 is in MTP mode, but there is not a "USB" option under settings to change it.

Please Help!

12 - Posted by Tabo on February 6, 2009 - 8:55 pm

I've had my sansa e260 for 2 and a half years it was working fine till 4months ago now it's as usefull as a black fancy brick!

13 - Posted by Kurtis on February 6, 2009 - 10:16 pm

These days that's honestly probably about as much life as you can expect to get out of most electronics. Things aren't built to last forever anymore. :(

14 - Posted by Nugget on March 23, 2009 - 8:15 am

I have a Sansa e260 that I have problems with the audio book fast forward (doesn't work) and a few other small problems. When I connect to my computer the updater states that there is a firmware update available that fixes the exact problems I'm having. The problem is that when I download after it says 100% I get a message that says problem download not complete try again later. I have tried again MANY times with the same results! Help! These bugs are driving me nuts and there is a fix but I can't get it!!

15 - Posted by Eclipse_Kid on April 5, 2009 - 5:49 pm

This unit is awsome. Ive loved it since I got it. But it decided to die the other week, and now it wont turn on unless its plugged into the computer. I tried replacing the battery with a new one but that didnt work. any ideas? help would be nice.
cloud_cobra666@hotmail.com
please e-amil that address. thank you! i miss listenin to my music at work!

16 - Posted by Gabe on August 2, 2009 - 4:48 pm

Ever since I've bought the sansa e260 I've had nothing but problem with it. It's stuck in rocovery mode and I've tried everything at the fixya.com and nothing has worked. I think this product is straight garbage, seriously go to fixya.com and see how many people are having problems with it.

17 - Posted by gautam on December 6, 2009 - 9:10 am

hey bro thanx ,
i've seeking 4 d same information 4 so long,
it really helped me out,

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