Great potential - poor execution

Author's Rating:

Pros: looks; sound when it works

Cons: proximity of buttons to wheel; documentation/instructions; TOTAL lack of Support by Sansa;

The Bottom Line: 
Do not buy this until Sansa builds all units to better quality.

Author's Review
I love my old e100 sansa, and bought the e280 based on my experiences with it, the sansa name, and glowing reviews. The thing has been a great disappointment; poor guidance, poor and confusing instructions, and what's with this need to upgrade my firmware? I just want to play music, not get all wrapped up in geekdom. Shortly after getting it, the screen went to Sansa's infamous grey screen of death. Nothing - not swappin out batteries, nothing - will resore the unit to a usable state.

I'm sorry to say it, but this seems to be one of those manufactured units where quality control failed in the design and in the manufacturing. It's like every fifth one out of the factory is a dud. Either you are fortunate enough to buy a well made unit, or you get a unit destined for failure.

The battery is user replaceable, but not unless you have a jeweller's screwdriver. And the cluncky thing is NOT available from just any old store. It is a non standard type of design. The literature makes it seem like you can just pop in a new one anywhere; not!

As already said - but I must repeat this - the buttons are so close to the wheel that using them is difficult. Look for something other than the Eye pod, sure, but BEWARE of Sansa.