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A Sleek Vision

The View is SanDisk’s attempt at a video oriented PMP and features a slightly larger screen than their mainstream E200 series. It’s also a slightly longer device, and gives up the metal back for a matt finished black rear that adds a touch of class to an already up-market looking device. The ribbed click wheel also goes in favour of a smooth finish with a smooth moving click wheel. The menu system remains the same, but we found exploration a little better, courtesy the new smooth action wheel. Expansion is via MicroSD now. Should for some reason 16 GB onboard be insufficient, and given the fact that 8 GB MicroSD cards are slowly making their way to the market space, is never going to be a constraint.

All the features we loved on the E200 series are present—FM radio, voice recording, video and image viewing—although features like an alarm clock, calendar, and the ability to store notes was absent—a pity SanDisk didn’t think of adding anything new. Navigating the menu is simple and the same ease of use has being carried over to the FM radio too. Setting up the channels took very little time. The screen is also a touch below par, especially when compared to the screen on the new Apple iPod Nano 3G, its logical competitor. Other devices like Cowon’s D2 and Apple’s Touch are miles ahead. Music quality is the other significant parameter, and the View doesn’t disappoint here. Although we noticed good volume levels, the View isn’t as loud as either the D2 or the Nano / Touch duo, nor is it as defined in the highs. In fact, bass doesn’t extend as low as the competition, and while it does pound lightly, it’s not the thump that we’ve seen from the best of the PMPs in our tests.

At Rs 12,790, the Sansa View is a good and reasonably feature-rich PMP. The problem is that it doesn’t standout at anything, preferring mediocrity to fame. It’s hard to recommend to anyone, with each of the competition mentioned above doing at least something better, while retaining all the same features.

Specifications
16 GB Flash, MicroSD expandable, 2.4-inch LCD, FM radio, Voice recording, H.264 video playback

Contact : Rashi Peripherals Pvt Ltd
Phone : +91-22-67090909
E-mail : sandisk@rptechindia.com
Web site : www.rptechindia.com
Price : Rs 12,790