Sansa e200 series

Infobox Information appliance
title = Sansa e200 series


manufacturer = SanDisk
type = Portable media player Digital audio player
releasedate = January 5, 2006
connectivity = USB 2.0
lifespan = since 2006
unitssold =
media = JPEG, MP3, QuickTime, WMA
os =
input = Scroll ring
power = Lithium ion battery
cpu =
storage = 2/4/6/8 GB flash memory
display = nowrap|1.8-inch TFT LCD 220x176 px
service = Microsoft PlaysForSure, Rhapsody
dimensions = 3.5" x 1.7" x 0.6" in.
weight = 2.7 oz.
predecessor = Sansa e100 series
successor = Sansa Fuze
related = The Sansa e200 series is a portable media player developed by SanDisk, and released on January 5, 2006. [cite web|url=http://reviews.cnet.com/mp3-players/sandisk-sansa-e280-8GB/4505-6490_7-32041576.html?tag=prod.txt.2|title=SanDisk Sansa e280 (8 GB)|author=Kim, James - CNet.com] The device is available in four capacities of Flash memory: 2 GB (e250), 4 GB (e260), 6 GB (e270), and 8 GB (e280). All players have a 1.8-inch, TFT LCD display with a resolution of 176 by 220 pixels. Pictures and videos must first be converted with the Sansa Media Converter Windows software. This will convert images to bitmap format (.bmp) and videos to MJPEG (in a .mov container). It is not possible to simply copy images or videos to the device, even if they seem to be in the correct format; trying to access them displays an error message.

Features

The Sansa e200 series can display album art and display song information, thanks to the audio files' ID3 content. The players are powered by a replaceable lithium ion battery that is also rechargeable, and come with a built-in expansion slot for microSD cards, an FM tuner with a recording function (only available in North America, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and some other countries), and microphone for voice recording. However, it lacks Asian text support when displaying song names and artists, [cite web|url=http://www.anythingbutipod.com/archives/2006/03/sandisk-sansa-e200-series-review.php|title=Sandisk e200 series review|date=October 06,2007] but users can patch the firmware to add support. Rockbox firmware also supports the e200 series just as it supports the c200 series, and adds the same features.

The Sandisk firmware does not recognize the newer micro SDHC format (generally 4GB and higher). Rockbox firmware will recognize the SDHC format, but you are not able to save data via the USB connection of the e200-- only though an external SDHC reader. SanDisk has released a version 2 of the e200 series in December 2007 with internal hardware different from the first version. Version 2 changes include support for Rhapsody channels through RhapPFS DRM (Plays For Sure enhanced to support Rhapsody channels), support for Audible audio books, microSDHC, and DivX, and also has a different boot screen and adds the ability to format the device, among other minor improvements. Rockbox does not yet support Sansa e200 models with the version 2 hardware.

A bug in the firmware currently introduces a 0.2 second delay between tracks, even those that are consecutive to a given album. This is most noticeable on musical tracks where the song does not fade completely out before the next begins. Artists whose names begin with "The" are listed incorrectly as well. [cite web|url=http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/SansaE200Port|title=Rockbox E200 Port Page|date=December 4, 2007]

e200R series

The Sansa e200R was released in October 2006. Physically identical to the regular Sansa e200, this player is sold exclusively at Best Buy, or directly through Rhapsody. The main differences in the e200R is the firmware and bootloader, which are not easily interchangeable with the e200. The player has a feature called "Rhapsody Channels", which is the online service's brand of podcasting, and also comes with pre-loaded content. Models with smaller capacities will receive about 1 GB of pre-loaded content, while bigger ones will have approximately 2 GB. It also anti-aliases the text displayed, and has different names for the USB modes. The open source Rockbox firmware has also been ported to the Rhapsody series.

See also

* SanDisk
* SanDisk Sansa
* Comparison of portable media players

References

External links

* [http://www.sandisk.com/sansa/ SanDisk Sansa Micro Site]
* [http://www.sandisk.com/Products/Catalog(1010)-Music_and_Video_Players.aspx Non-flash page]
* [http://www.lilMonsta.com SanDisk Sansa LilMonsta/ Former iDont Ad Campaigns]