Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
by Creative
(Click here)
Customers in the UK,
buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Photo Product Details
Manufacturer: CreativeBrand: Creative Labs
Edition: Electronics
Audio: English (Original Language); French (Original Language)
Model: 70PF216100111
Color: Black
Publisher: Creative
Studio: Creative
Music Label: Creative
Product features:
- Enjoy all your media on a device that's about the width of a credit card
- Watch 64 hours of videos, enjoy up to 4,000 of your favorite songs or share hundreds of photos with your friends
- 2.5-inch TFT color display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution and support for up to 16.7 million colors
- Clock and alarm function, volume restriction, eight equalizer settings, and a USB hard drive mode, SDHC support
- Weighs 2.1 ounces and measures 3.26 x 2.16 x .44 inches (W x H x D)
- Genius SP-i200 Portable Speakers for MP3 Players (Black)
- Logitech Portable Speaker S125i with Built-in iPod Dock
- Caselogic UNP-3Blue Universal Neoprene Pocket - Large (Blue/White)
- iHome iHM4 Portable Speaker Case for iPod, iPhone, and MP3 Players (Silver)
- iHome iHM3 Portable Speaker System for iPod and MP3 Players (Pink)
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Customer Review: Cell phone charger (Motorola) is compatible: I'm in Love!
Summary: 5 Stars
This thing rocks! I spent months reading reviews and finding the perfect device. This comes very close. It won out over the Cowon D2, and Sansa View. The Archos Wifi, iRiver, and iPoo-don't-Touch won't expand w/ SD cards, so are eliminated (says the apple-phobe.) Battery life also sucked.
The Cowon D2 was a sure winner at first, but what sold me about the Zen was the ability to read m3u's and make playlists. Navigating 16 gigs of music will be nearly impossible without this. In addition superior bookmarking capabilities and the ability to navigate 2-hour long audiobooks sold me on the Zen. It was hard to turn down Cowon's OGG-FLAC-APE capabilities, it's WMA voice recording, and it's TV-out port. They both have amazing sound quality.
The Sansa View had the advantage of durability, integration of SD mini card files into regular interface, and great customer service from Sandisk. I had an e280 before and the interface, which is virtually the same, is very basic; only allowing you to choose by Album, Artist, Genre and so on. The sound was good, not "amazing," and I could USUALLY here audiobooks over subway noise. Reviews say video watching stinks. No bookmarking for audiobooks--they told me 5 years ago they were working on this! Sandisk.
Here is a rundown of the pros and cons. Hope they're helpful:
Creative Zen
PROS
*Bookmarks
*price for 16gb version 32Gb EXCITING but expensive.
*Playlist support
*Large touch-like screen (no touch)
*Blind control with buttons
*Audible compatible
*Organizer w/ Outlook sync
*Interface clean and easy
*25 hours audio battery time
*Can use as USB drive - with software
CONS
*First generation -- Just not together yet -- Lots of hangs and resets -- must be a power user or geek -- get the extra Warranty.
*SD card files not integrated into menus - not a problem with 32gb version. Also can simply store only video on SD card.
*No TV Out
*records in wav format - 0.7Gb/Hour - 1.4Gb/2-hour class - will need space in main memory for this
*No power adapter included - $30--or see Motorola notes below
*No radio recording
*Radio won't play while navigating other menus
*No folder navigation on player
*No renaming or tagging files in player - forget sorting through your unlistened downloads with this player.
*No adding Contacts or Calendar items with player
*No text file note reading or note taking.
Cowon D2
PROS
*60 hours audio battery life!!
*TV out for patching TV's, computers, PVR's and playing video.
*Touch Screen
*Cowon takes firmware suggestions through forum and updates often!!
*has dictionary - need to download
*Can read Ebooks
*APE, OGG, FLAC, and now Audible formats *No AAC*??
*Speed control, Pan, and BBE audio features
*Can use as USB drive
*Reads text files
CONS
*No Playlist syncing or making or auto-playlists - just one NOW PLAYING list that is saved.
*Fingerprints smudge it
*only comes in black -- can order sticker type skin from Cowon
*Very few other cases or accessories
*Basic Bookmarking -- only 2
*Interface - People gripe about steps to get to mp3 playing
*D2 Too small for good touch screen function?
*D2 can't turn off album art and title text too small??
*jpg view slow?
*stylus does not attach to player
*Can't read files from SD card and player at same time? But features work.
*Some problems with JetAudio software?
*Delicate compared to Sandisk or others
*Blind control virtually impossible - no hardware buttons
*Navigating through lists may be tedious
*Screen not visible in bright sun?
*No AAC support (m4a)
Sandisk Sansa View
PROS
*Reliable and Sturdy
*SD mini slot
*35 Hours audio battery life
*Voice Recording (wav only)
*Good customer service
*16GB - 32gb available in March
*Low $$ 168.99 16gb
*Playlist compatible w/ WMP - no building more than 1 on unit but can add songs to current one playing
*SD mini Files integrated well
*Great as USB drive
CONS
*Bad player for Video--too small, conversion terrible.
*Prehistoric interface - but nice and simple
*only SD mini slot - Pricey
*Wav voice recording
*No Bookmarking - can bookmark video though, for God's sake!
*Connection to computer is proprietary (non standard USB)
*Sound was good-not great on e280; not loud enough for subway sometimes.
Question: I haven't tried bookmarking from the SD card yet. Someone PLEASE tell me it works??
Finally, I had a nice surprise when my Zen arrived: it is compatible with my Motorola cell phone AC power adapter! I have the Razr V3m but I think all Motorola's use the same. It is 5.0v and I looked around on the Web to make sure the Zen takes 5.0v as well. Indeed they do. Try this Superior C. Car / Wall Charger for Motorola KRZR Q RAZR SLVR
Bonus: the USB mini cord that comes with the Zen is compatible with the cell phone too! I found shareware syncing software for my phone here http://global.mobileaction.com/ and now I can sync contacts and calendars with Outlook for both my cell phone and my Zen. Ha Ha! (Also see Motorola's Website.)
I love mine so much I have named her Izzy. Her black shiny finish matches perfectly with my new HP Pavillion Notebook, which I named Isabella. (Bella means beautiful in Italian.)
UPDATE: Most mini USB AC adapters and cables (make sure it's mini) should work. I have seen a review or two of some generics that don't though. The Motorola adapters work great.
**Also, MediaMonkey is the best syncing software for ANY player. The tagging features are simply awesome, and it saves the Zen's customizations and settings for when you need to reset and format. Oh me, oh my!
Description of Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
This is the new Creative ZEN at a glance. Decked out in an all-black suit, the Creative ZEN is smaller than your average credit card and sits snugly right in your palm. With an attractive 11.3mm thickness, this sleek player weighs a mere 65g, allowing you to carry it around easily. It is also one of the lightest players around that is able to boast a capacity of up to 16GB while supporting different popular media formats. Whats more, you can add as much capacity as you want with its SD memory expansion slot.Bring your media with you wherever you roam with the Creative Zen 16GB player. Watch 64 hours of videos, enjoy up to 4,000 of your favorite songs or share hundreds of photos with your friends. And do it all on a device that's about the width of a credit card.
 A razor sharp 2.5-inch display makes your photos and videos come to life. See the Zen in detail. |
 Small size. Big features. All in the palm of your hand. View larger. |
 Add even more storage capacity via the SD card slot. View larger. |
The Zen sports a 2.5-inch TFT color display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution and support for up to 16.7 million colors. This razor sharp display is packaged in a device that weighs just 2.1 ounces and measures 3.26 x 2.16 x .44 inches (W x H x D). The internal battery powers the Zen for up to 25 hours of continuous audio playback and up to five hours of continuous video playback. Use the Zen's SD slot to expand your portable media library with music, photos and videos stored on your SD card. There's also a handy built-in microphone for capturing notes on the go.
Features
Load up up your favorite songs, as well as your album art, and get going with the Zen. The device supports iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes store and MP3 and WMA tracks. Subscription and pay-per-download music services are supported, as well. Discover, save, and play millions of songs when subscribing to services such as Yahoo Music Unlimited and Napster To Go. You can even tune into your favorite stations with the Zen's FM radio. The radio allows you to save up to 34 presets.
The Zen has you covered when it comes to video, too. The device supports MJPEG, WMV9 and--with transcoding--MPEG1 and 2, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5, and XviD. Enjoy purchased or rented movies and TV shows from online services such as Amazon Unbox and Walmart.com. Watch home videos. Even load your Tivo To Go movies and TV shows onto your Zen.
Additional features include a clock and alarm function, volume restriction, eight equalizer settings, and a USB hard drive mode, which allows you to drag and drop files directly to and from your Zen. The Zen can also function as a handy organizer, allowing you to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook and display your contacts, calendar, and tasks.
What's in the Box
Zen player, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, installation CD, and quick start guide.
 |  |  |  |
| A slick user interface makes it a snap to enjoy your media. | |||
Digital Cameras and Photo Categories
Similar digital cameras and accessories
Creative 3-In-1 Skin Pack for Creative Zen (Red/ Blue/ Black)Creative; Creative Labs; Creative; Electronics; Network Media Player
Best price: $17.79
Price in other shops:
Clip-on Case w/ Belt Clip for Creative Zen, CleareForCity; Midea tech; eForCity; Electronics; Network Media Player
Best price: $2.47
Creative Zen Protective Silicone Cover Case (BLACK) w/ 2in1 Sync Charging USB Retractable Data Cable, Universal USB Wall / Travel Charger, USB Car Charger, Retractable 3.5mm to 3.5mm Auxiliary MP3 Jack Cable, Earphones, and Screen Guard / ProtectorGizmoDorks; GizmoDorks; GizmoDorks; Single Detail Page Misc
Best price: $13.00