Linux turns 29: The biggest events in its history so far
A year by year summary of the most significant events in Linux's history to date.
They're no longer the dinky little siblings of hard drive MP3 players. These tiny machines hold up to 8 gigs.
1. SanDisk Sansa e280 (8GB), e270 (6GB)
Editors' rating: 8.3
The good: The SanDisk Sansa e200 series combines copious features like subscription compatibility, an FM tuner/recorder, voice recording and photo/video playback into a compact, durable device. We like the tactile navigation wheel and well-designed software interface. The user-removable battery and Micro SD slot are nice touches, and the device has decent sound quality, processor performance and battery life. Finally, the series has a maximum base capacity of 8GB and offers a competitive price.
The bad: No AC adapter in package; buttons surrounding the scrollwheel can be difficult to press; mechanical scrollwheel can tire out some thumbs; photos and video must go through conversion with bundled software; the expansion slot can be used with music only, not other media or data; and recordings are made only in WAV. The scrollwheel is not as easy to use as the iPod Click Wheel. Low levels of system noise can be heard through headphones.
The bottom line: The e200 series offers a boatload of features for a reasonable price, in a package that's much nicer than past SanDisk models. For those looking for a high-capacity, compact, skip-free MP3/WMA player, start with the e200 series.
Caption by: Bill Detwiler
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