Released: January 2006

Manufacturer: Sandisk

Description: Flash based 8GB MP3 Player;

This little MP3 player is yet another in the long line of portable players that have been labelled the “iPod Nano Killer”. I don’t know that this product is really in direct competition with the iPod though, as it is just a really good personal audio device, not a prolifically marketed lifestyle choice. While the Sansa e280 has an 8GB storage capacity, inbuilt FM tuner and microphone (plus recording capabilities), it doesn’t have really cool people dancing in silhouette form on the ads. The Sansa also comes with black earbud-headphones, so it’s unlikely that all of your cool silhouette-dancing mates will recognise you as one of their own or tell you how cool you are. The metal chassis of the e280 gives the unit a solid, weighty feel (I think this thing could handle a few drops!) and the battery life lasted more than 22 hours constant play in our test.

The Sandisk Sans e280 comes with all the software you need to load MP3s from your computer (MAC / PC compatible) as well as all necessary cables. The one thing is you will need a computer to charge it, as it only comes with a USB cable for charging and uploading – an AC adapter is an optional extra. The other possible drawback is the slightly “plasticky” feel of the scroll-wheel interface (you rotate the wheel with your thumb for volume and selection controls) and the small buttons for skipping tracks and viewing track info. I had no trouble getting used to these, so it’s not really a flaw, but if you like to select your songs by smashing your knuckles against the control mechanism, you may want to look for another model.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5