Since few days I’m own Sansa Express. Together with it I have also purchased 8GB microSD card (also from SandDisk) and immediately upgraded to newest firmware (1.01.05F) and now I’m little frustrated with flaws of this firmware. It could be great player if SandDisk could just fix some points (not to mention of adding some new functionality).
So, I have already noticed following (very annoying bugs):
While coping mp3 files to card inserted into player it often stop responding (message saying “Devices top responding …” or something similar) and after that _whole_ card becomes unusuable and need to be reformated (often it requires to be formated in card reader, not in a player)
Refreshing internal database with contents of 8GB mp3 files is veeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeery slow. This process must finish _before_ “Auto power off” setting expire (must press select key from time to time) or device will go off! Additionally, in following sequence of events: refreshing contents of SD card, turning player off, removing SD card from player, inserting it into card reader, adding or removing some files, putting it back in player and turning it on, player will again refresh _WHOLE_ SD card (over ten minutes!). In contrast, if files are added to card while it’s placed in player, refreshing SD card goes muuuuch quicker (but copying files to card sitting in a reader has a risk you encounter issue from point 1 and therefore it will be necessary to copy ALL files from beginning and of course to refresh whole SD contents).
National characters (i.e letters with various accents) are not displaced correctly – instead there are displaced … Chinese characters!
Many small quirks, like reseting device without clear reason, not showing copied files in an album (with next try they are showed), freezing display, erratically working keys Next and Prev, etc.
Despite of mentioned bugs, it would be great if SanDisk could also make following modification:
Allow to remove song from “Go List”
It is possible to create additional Play list using computer. So, it would be nice if there would be also possible to add and remove files to/from those playlists on device itself.
I hope this forum is also read by a people from SanDisk and we all soon receive new, corrected firmware or in other case … I will never again buy anything from SanDisk!
One more point to my list - player “sees” only about 1000 files on SD-card, and the rest is … guess what? yes! You are right! The rest is simply … REMOVED!!
I’m going to be more and more annoyed and irritated!
To BluMax: Post pointed by you mentioned older version of firmware. According to many users on this forum (not only me), the current version (1.01.05) “support” 8GB card (I write it in quotes, as it is not what I call “support”).
Post by ‘MrSmileyFace’ is very recent. 12 Dec 2007 to be precise. He makes it quite clear that “current firmware is not compatible with 6GB and 8GB”. He also requested, “Please check back periodically for updates”.
Considering all this, it is foolish to go and buy a 8GB card right now. I am going to wait for official update. The way the prices are dropping, chances are that it should be possible to buy an 8GB card for under UKP 25. Generic cards even less.
device not responding could be incompatible files – I copy whole folders trusting by drag and drop, trusting the MTP to eliminate any unsupported files, but it doesn’t seem to always do so and some generate this message. So far, it hasn’t caused the memory to corrupt, but it can be annoying.
My short-term advice would be to be very patient with it when it gives these messages. For your memory card, though, I suspect it is still not fully supported.
same thing, though when they do get 8 GB working, they really need to do something to speed up the database.
I think it should support Unicode character sets, so if the files use that it should work. Someone can let us know if and how to manage this.
I think that the reset issue may be a matter of keypresses being kept/locked. Reset is just select plus volume up, so if either “sticks” for a moment (or in a buffer), it could reset. I think that the reset needs to require several seconds. On mine, just touching the two for a moment seems to do it. I just did it again, plugging the thing in to charge it (so easy to press the buttons while grabbing it).
Oh, reset clears the Go List. It is a pain to reenter this. If you had a large list made up, it would be even worse, and this is compounded by not being able to save the Go List.
For suggestions:
Go list should support removing a song if you are playing the go list and press the button. Seems simple enough. Other players work like that, including the Clip.
Being able to save the current Go List as a playlist would be nice feature. Auto-select name would work fine, you can always rename it on the computer.
