Electronics : Creative ZEN 16GB MP3 Player

Rating: - Not value for money
Before the Creative ZEN, I had a Sandisk Sansa. In comparisson, the Creative menus are prettier and posible the sound quality is a bit better, but that is where the good stuff ends.

Whether its the software of the hardware, large transfers frequently cause the ZEN to "freeze". In fact, I have had to reset the ZEN so many times I have lost count.

The SD card integration is appalling. On the Sandisk, Albums can be put onto the SD Card, and they appear in the list of available albums on the player. Sounds simple. But not on the ZEN. You have to go to a different area in the menus and use what is basically a file browser to pick mp3s to play.

Last but not least. Just to enhance the total ZEN ownership experience, the battery started playing up after two weeks. It now plays mp3 for about 45 mins.

I am goung to ask Amazon ever so nicely to accept a return and send me a new Sandisk View 16gb in its place.

Life is too short......

---

Rating: - Creative ZEN is an iPOD Killer!
This is an amazing MP3 player that is much better than the equivalent iPod Nano for so many different reasons:

1. Sound Quality: To be fair to iPod, the Zen is just as good in this department as both devices have excellent sound quality.

2. Video Quality: The Zen display is excellent with crystal clear images and is just large enough to allow you to become immersed in the TV-Show or Movie that you are watching. Much better than the iPod for image quality and size. The only downside is that movies need to be trans-coded to play on the player with either the application Creative provide or a Third Party tool which does take a long time. But the range of support for different video formats is good and again better than the iPods.

3. Extra Features: The Microphone, FM Radio & Organiser are all nice touches although I have never used the organiser on any of Creative's products. Since the iPod doesn't have a Microphone or Radio the Zen wins again even though the iPod does have games, which I have no interest in.

4. Photos: Both devices display your photos adequately but again the Zen wins due to its larger clearer display.

5. Expandability: The iPod has no expansion capability but the Zen has the SD slot which can also take SDHC cards. I personally have a 8Gb SDHC card in my player (giving me a total of 24Gb of space) and it is an excellent feature that allows you to fill up this great player with more media. Some people do not like the fact that it doesn't integrate the content on the SD card with the players own internal memory in the UI but to be honest it's no big deal given the expandability that you get!

6. Looks & Build Quality: Even though I am a long time Creative fan I have to admit that Apple have always produced great looking devices, Creative aren't far short with this sexy looking player. The iPod also wins in the build department as some might complain about the Zen's flimsy controls and lightweight plastic case but so far I've found the Zen to be quite sturdy as I've dropped it several times until I got a decent skin for it.

7. Use-ability: Both devices are very easy to use with excellent menu navigation to your media. Although the iPod has the still innovative slider the Zen does just as good a job but without the gimmick.

8. Size & Weight: The Zen is the same size as a credit card but almost 10mm thick but it's still really small. It's also really light which is great for sport. The iPod is smaller and slimmer but given that both are so small I prefer the Zen as you get the bigger screen.

As you can see the Zen is a great player and a worthy adversary to the iPod nano, if not in fact a better choice on the whole for your portable media player.

Also get your player upgraded to the latest firmware (1.20.02e) and you can copy from the SD card to the Zen's internal memory.

Finally, a real bug-bear of mine about this player had been the lack of remote control for it when you are running or in the gym. The remote I had for my old Microphoto didn't work with it. But on a recent trip to Singapore I went to the Creative shop and they provided me with a remote which looks exactly like the one they have for the Microphoto. It's part number is DAA-WR0006 for those of you who need this feature.

Another excellent iPod kickin' player from Creative!

---

Rating: - SD Card expansion
I was disappointed to find that putting an SD card into the ZEN does not increase the memory in the way that (logically?) you would expect. Any files you put onto the SD card are not accessible via the usual MUSIC/VIDEO etc menu but only separately (so for example you couldn't have a playlist switching between Zen memory files and SD card files). Irritating and disappointing for the money.

---

Rating: - Vey Good
fantastic little mp3 and video player. The screen is amazing for viewing photos and videos.

Its a little uncomfortable to watch long films as the screen is quite small but for episodes of Family Guy and the like its great.

The only reason this is not 5* is because the player occasionally freezes up and you have to reset it. Not that much of a hassle but you need to carry a paper clip round with you if you go on long journeys or something. If you just slip it in the leather case where the SD card space is its fine.

Overall very good, and Ipod beater for sure

---

Rating: - Creative does it again...
Before Apple presented their updated nano line Creative had the Zen. Consistently delivering a better device from virtually every angle, Creative have clearly scored another hit with the Zen.

Although my unit suffered a few lockups/restarts when I first got it out and played with it, the automated update facility via my computer resolved these issues when updating the firmware and the device has been working flawlessly since.

With excellent audio reproduction, including high end and lossless WMA as well as MP3 and AAC, the audiophile side of me was overjoyed when listening to music via Shure 530 headphones. Superb reproduction from a diminutive device, and no proprietary software to add to my headaches.

Even better is the continued support for audible books, allowing a quick and easy transfer for great on the go listening. Couple the built in sleep timer with an audible book and a pair of small creative speakers (TravelSound P30's are great) and you've got a lovely night-time story for you or the kids that switches itself off automatically. This has become a real pleasure for all of us as the children listen to a story when going to bed (and my wife and I can get other things sorted if need be) and WE listen to something else when we go to bed.

On the video front, while the screen is small, it makes for great viewing on the go and a nice way to catch up with shows you may have missed - especially educational podcasts. Makes that train ride in far easier.

To top it off, the out of the box usage and overall simplicity of this device has made it extremely accessible. The physical, tactile feel of the buttons as well makes it easy to drop in a pocket, the armband accessory, or even clip it yet stil control it without having to look at it (one major drawback of visual/touch controls!).

As if the audio and video playback capabilities weren't enough synching your calendar and contacts to it, an alarm clock, FM radio, and recording functions round out a dynamite package. While the SD expansion is a bit of an augmentation, the on-board memory is more than enough to enjoy yourself between reloads of tunes :)

Capable of playing back a wealth of formats, working right out of the box, and using standard usb charging, creative has put together yet another winner following on from the original Creative Zen MP3 player, the Zen Vision, Zen Vision:W, and now Zen.

The only complaint I have is that it does need content converted to 320x240 and can't scale. Hopefully this is addressed in a firmware update, however as far as overall gripes are concerned this is minimal.