Show me the slim, sleekness of a Motorola Razr, the utilitarian, flashiness of a MacBook Pro, the graceful parabolas of the Lexus, and I’ll show you modern art. Whoever said dont judge a book by it’s cover, was never in my shoes that’s for certain!.
So, how could my weak-minded self not be attracted by the Apple Ipod range of products? Not being one needing much auditory stimulation, in general, I did need some form of entertainment for those boring hours at the gym(atleast that’s my excuse and I’m sticking to it), and I had been drooling over the Ipod nano/shuffle for a couple of months. Applying the’*Ek haath se de, * .’ philosophy, I gifted one to my better half(BH) for his bday, broadly hinting that I would love one in return . or atleast that’s how it was supposed to go! So, on my bday, I reached eagerly for the package shaped like the nano’s dibba and out popped the . Sandisk Sansa e270!(Un)fortunately, BH isnt one to be blindsided by a brand name!
Laws of Attraction . and Repulsion!
Colored, shaped and feeling pretty much like a black Ipod Nano, it ups the competition by providing a whole range of very attractive add-ons for the technophile who wants as much value for money as can be fit into approx 4x10 cm’s of electronic circuitry. Is it as attractive to the audiophile or for long term usage remains to be seen.
The first thing you’ll notice about the Sansa when you turn it on is the vibrant color display on the small LCD screen. This is bright, attractive and can be modulated to suit the user’s visual tastes. The Sansa e200 series come in several different versions - 1/2/4/6/8GB. Mine has 6GB of memory, which in itself is highly attractive when compared to the 4 GB Nano in the same price range, and it has an extensible Micro-SD slot in case I ever get memory hungry. The feature which is easily a favorite is the FM Radio, I love the ability to be able to record from the radio. The Sansa also allows picture storage and browsing, the pictures showing up very clear on the small display. Perhaps the best thing(in theory), is the ability to load the player with video clips. The sample videos I watched convinced me that I should take the time out to transfer some onto this. Also, included is a voice recorder and built-in microphone. Charging is as simple as connecting it to your computer via USB.
Coming to the music itself, MP3 or WMA formats are supported and are easily transferred by syncing with your Windows Media Player or by drag-n-drop. I wish the pictures and video were drag-n-drop too, they have to be loaded with the included Sansa software, and I’m finding it a bit difficult getting this to work. But, since the primary function I use it for is music, I have not really played around with this as much.
The music is organised by Artists, Albums, Playlists, Genre, perhaps the most irritating thing was that mine came loaded with tons of 1 min sample clips of classical music. It’s been a big pain to delete these. The navigation of the menus too provides a bit of getting used to, for example, co-ordinating with the rotary dial(more later) and forward, reverse and other unintuitive controls, but them I’m more than ordinarily hand-eye-uncoordinated-and-technologically challenged. Bottomline, it took a bit of getting used to and there’s been a lot of initial frustration on my side. That delete funcionality though .:S I have no problems to find with the sound quality as such!
No marks go to the Sandisk engineers for originality or design. The overall look is a total rip-off of the Nano - the picture put by Mouthshut should be a good indication(though why they should find a product pic for the Sansa with the Nano alongside beats me!). One of the major things that puts me off in the Sansa, is the cheap-plastic-thingamajigcky excuse for a dial. This is just a poor attempt to copy the Ipod’s signature browsing dial and it’s not made any better by having it backlit. Take any of your plastic microwave containers, shine a flashlight through the side, this is exactly what it looks like. Also unforgiveable is the fact that the plastic isnt smooth, and quite irritating to handle. The ergonomics for the dial are all wrong too! The Ipod’s dial enables you to browse through lists in a stable way, this one is extra sensitive so be prepared to have all your songs flyyyy by you before you actually get the hang of it. A minor turn-off is the bulkiness of it’s silhouette when compared to the slim Nano(pics alongside) . a MAJOR turn-off is that the screen has frozen on me a couple of times. I have always been able to re-start it but we’ll have to wait and watch for the future!
An Ipod it Aint!
With all the quibbles, I’m pretty satisfied with my Sansa, I like the sound, the premise of the extra features and it’s quite ample for me at the gym. It doesnt get much use otherwise. Apple and partners have an enviable range of accessory products which can turn your Ipod into an entire entertainment system, from providing ultra-cute wireless FM transmitters for your car, cool-looking armbands for the fitness freaks, a funky range of speakers suitable for living rooms and even an extension to a home theatre system . I guess my point is that when BH and me are doing things together, the Ipod is our product of choice.
So, if sometimes, you still catch me exchanging glances filled with amour at the nano, while BH exer-bikes away and looks quizzically at me, blame it on my weak and shallow nature. However, if you are looking for the next itsy, bitsy, loaded and affordable personal gadget to shiver your timbers with, and like many others are bewildered at the range of choices available, or are just an Ipod hater, then this might, probably, be the one for you!
What’s in the box?*
Sansa e270 digital audio player, travel pouch and lanyard, stereo
headphones, lithium ion rechargeable battery, USB cable, quick start
guide, and CD-ROM(user’s guide, additional flyer inserts)
What I paid? Approx$160