SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black)

This is a neat little mp3 player and much more. I love how you can add video and have an FM receiver and also record notes of your own! It's neat you can also add memory and have a 32 GB machine for a lot less money. It does take a while to update the database after you add things to it but otherwise I love it!

I used to have the Sansa e260 6Gb and all the features i love about the Sansa series are here except for the two most useful ones: 1) is the Audio bookmarking for my audiobooks and two the Scroll through song, also for my audio books I bet I don't have to tell you how annoying it is to have to fast forward 50 minutes in a file to be able to continue the story and the file being only 56 minutes. every time I have to do that I get pissed. The Bookmarking would not be a hassle If we had the Scanning feature which allowed you to move through those 50 minutes in a second. I only hoping They fix this in a or I'm going to back to my e260 series (but the 8Gb this time)

Initially all I wanted was a light-duty MP3 player and, more importantly to me, an FM tuner. I have an 5.5g iPod, but frankly it's bigger and heavier than I prefer and the FM tuner for it is a kludge.

So I shopped the market and found the Sansa View 16GB at a very reasonable price.

What a gem!

In terms of design, it is smaller, cleaner and much slicker than the iPod. The Graphical User Interface (GUI) is simpler than the iPod, although it does have fewer features of questionable value.

The scroll wheel is smooth. Aside from the on/off/hold switch, there is are only the Home button and another in the nmiddle of the scroll wheel to execute. The scroll wheel also serves as a four-way toggle.

The GUI is wonderfully intuitive. It takes only seconds to figure out, for example, how to alternate between the FM tuning function and the volume control.

The music function has all the features one could reasonbly expect, though I am sure that some would demand even more features. All I really need is a way to find the music I want to listen to. A nice touch is the ability to segregate podcasts, music, audioboooks and recordings. You can, by the way, make recordings from the FM radio and the built-in microphone.

Sound quality is good. Bass is lacking as you might expect. Volume is more than adequate. I used cheap ear buds and more expensive headsets and was pleased with both.

The 2.4" TFT screen is superb. Photos and video pop up at you. The small screen is surprisingly good with high-quality video or at least what starts off as high-quality video before you convert it. Video playback is very smooth.

I haven't run down the battery yet in my use, so I can't tell you if the manufacturer's estimates of 35 hours of audio and 7 hours of video are accurate. The battery is not user accessible, so you might consider carrying a supplemental power source like the TEKKEON MP1550 TekCharge Mobile Power & Battery Charger. The Sansa View comes with a USB charging cable which you can plug into your computer or a 5 v.d.c. power adapter. A mark against the View is that it uses a proprietary connector on the unit, so if you lose the supplied USB cable, you have a charging problem until it is replaced.

The unit accepts microSDHC cards. I've been unable to determine if it will accept 16GB microSDHC cards, but it works fine with the 8GB variety. As I write this, I realize I haven't tested running video off a card. I've seen reviews that say it isn't possible. (As the comment below and my own subsequent experience prove, video runs just fine off the card.)

The unit is physically small, which I like very much. The manufacturer gives the dimensions as 4.29" x 1.95" x .41" and the weight at 2.9 ounces. Unfortunately, the audio jack is on the bottom of the unit. I know this makes no practical difference, but it still irks me. Audio jacks should be on the top, not the bottom.

Another handy accessory for this would be the LG OEM MSP100 MSP-100 Stereo Portable Universal Speaker, an inexpensive, small stereo speaker with surprisingly good sound.

Overall, a nicely designed unit with a relatively full feature set, great video, good audio and an FM tuner. Watch for sales to enhance its value.

Jerry

i love it...it is very incredible. love the screen size. plenty of space and if you need more than you can get a microdisk for it. sandisk does need to work on it a little bit for the fact that it does freeze the image every so often if it is rushed...other than that it is a very good mp3 player.

I upgraded from to the 16GB Sansa View from a 2GB SanDisk Clip, which I also loved. All the performance of iPod, none of the advertising overhead driving up the cost. I really can't recommend it enough.