How can I tell if I my e200 is version 1, 2, Or Rhapsody?

Nope, we bought it brand new from staples.

I just gave up and returned it for another one, the one i got is the same (an 8gb) but its now a v2 and im happy as anything, its working great… but theres one thing, the videos, when i put them on and then go to play them, they are upside down while playing? iunno its a bit messed. cant figure out that one, but other than that the v2 is THE best, im glad that my *unknown one broke, this one is much better. The 8gbs were on sale for $119. something and then got $33 back, for the same mp3, which was awesome!

Message Edited by nikolasharris on 06-15-2008 05:24 PM

Very nice!  You’ll notice plenty of differences with the v2, starting from the moment you power her up.  The screen is sharp and evenly illuminated, without the two horizontal ghost lines (actually, it’s a ghost region of sorts looking at it) on the SanDisk screen.  The shadow detail (reflection) below the logo looks very cool, as well as the new blue sansa logo.

Notice the crazy fast boot time too.  The new machine uses the AustriaMicrosystems processor common with the Clip and new Fuze.  The v2 is the best of both worlds, with the rugged case of the e200v1, replaceable battery, the new tighter and more flush scroll wheel, and the sound!

The new generation devices are Rhapsody PFS compatible too, meaning that installing and using Rhapsody is a snap.  Rhapsody Channels, previously the sole domain of the Rhapsody Sansa, are available from the main menu. And Audible support…   Yeah, SanDisk made some major changes under the familiar skin of the e200.

The µSDHC port accepts high capacity cards, and you can store video on them too.

Bob  :smileyvery-happy:

@nikolasharris wrote:

Nope, we bought it brand new from staples.

I just gave up and returned it for another one, the one i got is the same (an 8gb) but its now a v2 and im happy as anything, its working great… but theres one thing, the videos, when i put them on and then go to play them, they are upside down while playing? iunno its a bit messed. cant figure out that one, but other than that the v2 is THE best, im glad that my *unknown one broke, this one is much better. The 8gbs were on sale for $119. something and then got $33 back, for the same mp3, which was awesome!

Message Edited by nikolasharris on 06-15-2008 05:24 PM

Check out this thread . . . seems you’re not the only one having this same video orientation problem.

http://forums.sandisk.com/sansa/board/message?board.id=smc&thread.id=908

HOLY, yes. it was fantastic. it was working so fast, i couldnt believe it, and all the new settings and things. LOVE IT! - still cant figure out that video thing though - the videos dont work with the windows media thing, so i cant rotate them, ahaha. any other suggestions?! thanks :slight_smile:

You can tell the v2 is the newest, of the new. its really changed, i noticed it even before i turned it on! aha (the ring is different) i was like “woah, this is awesome!” I really like the delayed button for rec. because i use to always hit that by accident and it would start recording, and now theres a setting that u can set where it asks u if u want to record, which is really awesome. i cant believe it, its just WOAH ahaha.

*Thanks for the help everyone :)

-nick,

Message Edited by nikolasharris on 06-16-2008 05:06 PM

@vetterin wrote:

“Has been there an issue which refurbished Sansa e250 players using the back covers labeled e250R as thier model?  Because my e250 player i bought from buy.com has that cover labeled as E250R but I have never seen the Rhapsody option for my player. It also refused to work after i updated with sansa e250R firmware, kept saying “load image failed, switch to recovery mode” but it is working fine with the lastest version of e250 V1 and the sansa media converter has been detecting it as only E250. I just found out this in attempt to get my player back to work after upgrading to the firmware e250r failed.”

Don’t feel bad as I just received my e250 from buy.com Friday.  Dam thing looks brand new and also shows Rhapsody and model: e250R on the back plate.  Yesterday I also tried updating the firmware to the e250R and had the same problem you did.  Took me most of the morning to figure out I had Version V1 and get it back in working order.  I just wonder if the reason some of these units HAVE the refurb sticker on the back is only because they have the wrong backplate on it?

I’m getting mine this Saturday (June 28, 2008) from Buy.com as ‘Recertified.’ Whether this is the synonym to refurbished or not I do not know. But yeah, refurbished Sansas from Buy.com come in a white box with the earbuds and 30pin dock connector. Same thing when my c140 came from Buy.com too. And thanks, I know now to not try to jam the R series firmware onto that ■■■■. Just a hint: The R series is sold ONLY through Best Buy and Rhapsody (direct).

We bought a refurbished E280 from buy.com a few months back and it was a Rhapsody.  I just got another and it was a v1.  I think the refurbs are exactly what you’d expect, a crapshoot.

Hi Everyone, first time poster.

I’m looking at buying an e260 in the UK (probably from eBay), and i’m slightly confused by box designs.

Most have a blue non-slide box - i take it these are old V1’s? The edition with Radio1’s Live Lounge 2 album included seems to be a black box with a blue slide on cover, and some have a red box with a black slide on cover. Are these V2’s?

Help would be much appreciated. 

@fallenangel152 wrote:

Hi Everyone, first time poster.

 

I’m looking at buying an e260 in the UK (probably from eBay), and i’m slightly confused by box designs.

 

Most have a blue non-slide box - i take it these are old V1’s? The edition with Radio1’s Live Lounge 2 album included seems to be a black box with a blue slide on cover, and some have a red box with a black slide on cover. Are these V2’s?

 

Help would be much appreciated. 

Unless the eBay seller honestly tells you it’s a v1 or v2 in the listing’s text (hint–if they say you can use Rockbox with it, it’s a v1), it’s a crapshoot–even if you buy new.  Only the official ShopSansa site, which will ship internationally, is known to ship only one version–and that’s the v2.  Any box, even new ones, can contain either a v1 or a v2; the only sure way to tell which is which is to turn it on and check the firmware version.

So if I understand this right -

If you buy a Sansa e250 Ver1, it will NOT play audiobooks. If you buy a Sansa e250 Ver 2, it WILL play audiobooks. Is this statement correct?

However, you cannot tell what version you are buying (especially over the Internet)  until you get it home and check the firmware. Is this statement correct?

I am very interested in playing only one audio book and five songs on my MP3 player. Of course, more is better but I would be happy with this minimum. But I am really looking to play an audio book. I want to spend less than $35 for a player as I plan on upgrading to a Sansa View 32GB if I am happy with this cheaper player .

Any suggestions as what to buy that is inexpensive but will play audiobooks?

To clear up the confusion regarding audiobook compatibility:

The v1 players do not support Audible format .aa files natively, as synchronized via the Audible Manager.

That does not mean that you cannot enjoy Audible books, however. Remember, the books purchased from Audible are yours, meaning that you have the rights to the book. Simply use an application like Nero to burn your purchases to CD as mp3 files. These files are readily useable on the Sansa e200 v1 series, just not as convenient to load.

You should burn all purchased media to CD, whether it be music or audiobooks, so you are protected in the event of a computer crash. These things can and do happen when you least expect it!

If you wish, don’t forget that you can use the CD-RW (rewritable) format, or DVD, if that’s your preference.

The v1 player doesn’t support the native .aa format of the Audible downloads, meaning that you can’t port the books directly onto your v1, and you lose the “chapter” function, but those books are still readable!

The v2 devices fully support the format, meaning you can load .aa format files directly.

Hope this helps! Audible is a great deal, especially when compared against the “average” audiobook price out there.

Enjoy your books!

Bob :smileyvery-happy:

Message Edited by neutron_bob on 08-30-2008 03:36 PM

Thanks for the quick and very informative reply. I am not familiar with Audible books but I will research them. I am more familiar with the library downloads of Overdrive and NetLibrary.

I do have Nero Express Essentials though. So as I understand it: I download these audiobooks in whatever file format they are and then I change them to mp3 files so I can load them on the v1 Sansa 200. Correct?

I suggest you go to your library (or libraries) and see  exactly which format it offers. Then check out  Overdrive and NetLibraryand see what their FAQs say about the compatibility of Sansa units.  On this NetLibrary demo

it looks like NetLibrary uses .wma, which is one of the formats that the Sansa does play.  Overdrive’s devices page

says Sansa are supported.  

Still, each audiobook format carries certain restrictions. They may time out. They may not work with certain players. They may resist copying.  Sansas play .mp3, .wma and (version 2) .aa files. Anything else needs to be converted to .mp3. You may need to use Windows Media Player to transfer over these audiobook files–not just drag and drop them–because WMP can also send over digital-rights information to unlock the restrictions. 

You could find out exactly what the file format is, including the file extension, from your library–or just download a book and see what it is. Then use Nero or look at the list of formats in Media Coderand see if it can be converted to mp3.

The cheapest Sansa player you could get would be the Clip.  It’s got a small screen, but it’s supposed to have good sound. 

Wow, I am impressed by your knowledge! Thanks for the info.

Can you recommend any library books that are about mp3 players for a beginner?

I doubt book publishers could keep up with the constant introduction of new products. A better bet is to look at places like Cnet or Anything But Ipod which have reviews of units. Compare a couple of reviews, and if you can, get the unit in your hand to see how you like the controls and screen at a place like Best Buy (before ordering one from someplace cheaper than Best Buy). 

The various mp3 players are made to play certain kinds of files. mp3 is pretty much universal. .wma means that the manufacturer has paid Microsoft to use its Windows Media Audio format, which seems to be what library audiobooks prefer. .aa is the format used specifically by the Audiobooks company. iPods also play .m4a files, the kind sold at the iTunes Music Store. Because Apple and Microsoft are competitors, iPods do not play .wma, which is why the Overdrive page is so proud that it now has mp3 files to feed the iPods. 

Obviously you want to get a unit that will play the files you are going to use.  So you need to think about that before purchasing one. However, if a file does eventually come along that you are desperate to play but is in the wrong format, there are converter programs around like Media Coder that will convert between formats. 

I’d recommend getting a player that is capable of both MSC and MTP use. MSC lets the unit work like a disc drive–you just put the music on it the way you would move around any other files on your computer. MTP lets Windows Media Player control the unit, and is necessary for things like library books that depend on hidden data sent over by WMPlayer.

Along with Sansa, you could look at Creative Zen, Samsung and iRiver.  

I wouldn’t get an MTP-only unit because I like to see exactly what’s going on. You’ll need to check out the fine print. For me it’s no MSC, no deal. 

And of course there’s the iPod, which is integrated with iTunes and usually means you don’t have to worry about how it works. But they are more expensive and often have inferior sound quality and fewer features–and they don’t play .wma without conversion. 

@mickeyfan1 wrote:
Can you recommend any library books that are about mp3 players for a beginner?

I can . . . and you’re reading it right now. There’s no better place to find out about an mp3 player than reading a forum. Here you get to see & read about the operations, limitations, strengths, weaknesses, common failures, fixes and assorted other tips & tricks.

Also you get not just one author’s viewpoint, but a whole collage of opinions & ways of looking at things from many different perspectives. If you want just one angle that’s one of the best, just do a search on this board for any/all posts by C1u31355. If you put all his informative writings on this forum together, that would make an _ awesome _ manual on the Sansa players!

If you’re looking to buy a device and want to compare or check out the ins & outs of a particular few, then definitely look at anythingbutipod.com (link provided by C1u above). Of course, if you really want info on the “fruity I-thingy” you’ll have to go elsewhere. :smiley:

The ABI forum has many, many sub-forums on vitually any & all mp3 players on the market today. No else else I know can you read so much information on so many different devices all in one place. The only downside to this site is that it doesn’t seem to get the same volume of traffic as this one does, so some posts don’t get responded to very quickly; sometimes not at all! And some of the advice dolled out there is rather limited.

The ‘standard’ answer/solution to any problem or request for help there seems to always be:

  1. Re-load firmware
  2. Re-format player

Now, granted these 2 recommendations help in many cases, but they are not the “silver bullet” or “magic pill” that everyone there seems to think they are. As a result, some requests for help go un-solved, but then that’s why your’re HERE and not there, isn’t it? :smiley:

I am amazed at the wonderful (and fast) response I get from all of you. Thanks a bunch (picture me giving you flowers!).

I am copying/pasting your answers in a document so I can refer to them later.

ANd no, I am not interested in that “fruity I-thingy.” After my research of some players, I decided to stick with Sansa.

you guys are wonderfully fabulous !!!

i sing your praisses to the heavens !!!

however…lol, i is still confuzzeled on which version of the e250 i have…

it was purchased from ubid.com and has a refurb stamp on the back case

under settings it reads

Version    01.02.15A

is this version 1 ?

or      version 2 ?

PS - if someone could help direct me to a thread / post discussing help with / working with ‘playlists’

on my (just ducky) sansa e250 refurb - i would AGAIN be eternally gratefull

tony from AZ / USA

You have a v1 unit, as evidenced by the fact that your firmware starts with an .01. Version 2 unit’s firmware start with .03.

There have been 2 updates since your firmware was current, so I’d suggest updating it. If you can find version 01.02.18a, I’d load this version instead of the latest (01.02.24a). It’s more stable and trouble-free. Unfortunately, since the v1 units are long-discontinued there most likely will not be any further updates to this firmware to fix the bugs in the .24 version.

If you are looking to put playlists on your device, there are numerous threads/discussions on the subjuct on this board. Just be aware that the v1’s and v2’s handle playlists differently, so when doing a search, don’t bother with the ones about v2 players.

I’d recommend a free little piece of software called Sanse Playlister (yes, with and e, not an a). It’s not very complicated (easy to learn), and works like a charm! It only works on the v1 devices, but that’s right up your alley.

I’d also suggest reading the FAQ’s & stickies (shaded posts) at the top of the board, including d/l a copy of the User’s Guide. There’s a ton of good info there and may answer a question for you before you even ask it. Feel free though, to start a new thread if you have any other questions that you can’t find the answers for, or join in an ongoing discussion if you have anything to contribute.

Good Luck and have fun with your new toy! :smiley: