SanDisk Sansa View MP3 Player Review - Features
(Page 3 of 4 )
Features
Much like the design of the Sansa View, the feature-set is not exciting. Don't get me wrong, the View does have the features which most people want, but it doesn't have any of the "premium" features that some other new players have, such as Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.
The user interface (UI) is plain-looking, and the graphics and overall look of the GUI aren't all that appealing to the eye. PC Mag calls the View's menus and icons "boring" and says that they look almost "cartoonish." I would have to agree that the GUI isn't very "flashy" by any means, but on the plus side, the Sansa View is very snappy when navigating through the menus. You won't notice much lag when navigating menus or selecting music/videos; everything is very responsive.
One of the things that I like about the SanDisk Sansa View is the number of formats that it supports for music and videos. For music/video, the Sansa View will support:
MPEG4
WMV
H.264
MP3
WMA
WAV
non-DRM AAC
The Sansa View can easily convert other media formats to acceptable ones for this player through the use of SanDisk's Sansa Media Converter software. Using this software, you can basically download any kind of media into the Sansa View player. The only compatible format for photos is JPEG.
SanDisk says that the View is only compatible with Windows XP or Vista, but tests have shown otherwise. CNet was able to use a MacBook, running Mac OS X, to transfer files to the Sansa View with no problem at all.
Although the GUI is rather plain-looking, the organization of files in the View is very good. You can search for music based on artist name, song, album, your top-rated songs, podcasts, and more. The View will also display album covers.
The View does have a built-in FM radio with up to 20 presets. This is always a nice feature to have, and many MP3 players today are doing away with this feature for some reason.
Other features include a 5-band customizable equalizer (which is not available in some players, like the 80 GB Zune), voice recorder, and video output. The video output feature is more of a hack than a feature. The guys at anythingbutipod.com found an easy way to connect the Sansa View to a TV to view videos from the player. Their method involves a little bit of soldering and electronic "know-how," but it does work. I believe you can purchase a charging dock for the Sansa View that has an output for connecting to a TV, but I'll have to do some more checking around to confirm that.
Next: Performance >>
More Mobile Devices Articles
More By Joe Eitel
| Recommended by Dev Hardware |
|---|
|
