Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
by Creative
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List Price: Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
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for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Customer Review: Creative Zen Preferred to iPod Nano with Video
Summary: 5 Stars
Debated long and hard between the Creative Zen and the new iPod Nano with Video. Same price for each. Had been very happy with with my 2nd generation Nano and was leaning toward the Nano with video. Availability of the SD card, somewhat larger screen (although same 320 x 240 resolution), and -- very important for me -- FM tuner persuaded me to try the Zen. Got the 8 GB model.
Have been very impressed with the quality of the sound; video is as acceptable as could be expected on a screen this size. When pulling in a local signal, FM tuner audio is as clear as my expensive table model; signal sensitivity may be slightly better than the cheap radios found in the typical hotel room -- if you get the earphone cord/antenna oriented the right way. I am disappointed that "most recent positions" are not remembered for audio and video content on the SD card. Can be a real pain to have to go back and find the place you left off in an audio book or movie. But, then, simply having the card reader is a major improvement over that Nano I was also considering. If used to iTunes for syncing, learning how to sync with Windows Media Player will require some time -- not more difficult, just different.
After thoroughly exploring the software that came with the Zen, I found no use for any of it. Not a negative, just stuff that's not necessary. Windows Media Player will do the video conversion as well as syncing. Zen does provide software (ZENcast) to download and sync podcasts but there are much better pieces of software to do that. (Took me hours to figure out how to get ZENcast to download podcasts not featured on their web site; I just continue to use iTunes and point Windows Media Player at the folder where iTunes stores podcasts.)
To put DVD's on the Zen, I use a third party piece of software (purchased separately) that crunches the main feature down to about 1GB avi or mp4 file. Then Windows Media Player (or the video conversion portion of the software that came with the Zen)to convert to the wmv format required by the Zen. Those files run 500mb so many hours of movies can be put on the Zen. Each step of the 2-step conversion can take upwards of an hour on a fast PC. Must be a way to go directly from the DVD disk to wmv but, if so, I don't own the software.
All and all, a fine product -- performs well, looks great.
Customer Review: Great Player at a Great Price
Summary: 5 Stars
I'll make this short and sweet. I upgraded to the zen 4gb model for a player to use while riding my motorcycle and working out. Some of my colleagues referred to this player when giving some advice. I've had good experiences with some of Creative's earlier product lines, so I tried this out. I have to say, this thing is incredible. The music manager software is very intuitive and is simple for even the computer illiterate. The sound quality is incredible. I can't vouch for the headphones b/c I switched over to my noise canceling earbuds for my motorcycling needs. Overall a great player with very little drawbacks.
Pros:
Size (tiny, yet well-built)
Battery Life (makes it through a two hour workout and a few rides a day)
Interface (very easy to use)
Sound Quality (Second to none)
Screen (Beautiful picture on videos)
FM RADIO!!!!
Cons:
A little difficult to change songs when riding
No useful armband accessory for working out
Overall I can't be happier with the purchase. I also forgot to mention that I have SIRIUS radio installed inside the "trunk" of the bike and the fm radio feature has saved me headaches when trying to continue listening to it while riding. For those with a need to listen to sirius or just wish to listen to regular radio, this is the ticket. IPOD is lacking in the fm radio arena as well as the WOW factor that this has. Simply put, it's just a better player for the money.
Oh, and one last thing: the SD expansion slot is incredible! You can't utilize the fancy interface when accessing the sd slot, but believe me, it's not a big problem. For the cost of the player and a 30 dollar 8gb HCSD card from Amazon, you'll have a 12gB player for a fraction of what you'd pay for a solid state player. That and you can interchange the sd cards at will.
I highly recommend this product to anyone interested in purchasing a quality mp3/video player without having to shell out the big bucks for one.
Customer Review: I am absolutely crazy about this thing.
Summary: 5 Stars
After spending a happy two years with my Creative Zen Neeon, I decided to look into some of Creative's new products when my Neeon broke, since I'd been pretty happy with the quality of their players. I picked the Creative Zen because I wanted a music player that could store the movies I like to make with my friends, and I didn't need a whole lot of space, so I got the 4GB. Lemme tell you; it's the best quality mp3 player you can get for this kind of money.
I was completely amazed the first time I charged it and turned on the screen; the picture is crystal clear and altogether beautiful, and the screen is plenty big. The sound quality is good, I've found it quite easy to load my music and convert my videos, and I'm in love with the thing. I find the quality to be quite a bit better than my friend's iPod, which was more expensive.
The USB cord that comes with the player is ridiculously small; I'm not sure if they expect you to just let your player dangle from the computer while it's charging because it's only a few inches long, but I have the one I used for my Neeon so that's not a problem for me. The battery life is excellent; I charged it on Friday, it's Monday night now, I've used the player several hours every day, and the battery is still 3/4 charged.
The only strange thing I've noticed is that the screen kind of flickers when you shut the player off, but nothing has gone wrong so far so I'm not really worried about it.
A sidenote: I ordered the plastic case that goes with the Creative Zen, and I'm kind of disappointed in it. It feels like it's going to crack under the least bit of pressure, and some of the buttons are kind of hard to get to while the player is inside the case.
Aside from that, I totally reccomend this player to everyone.
Customer Review: Creative Zen 4GB
Summary: 5 Stars
I purchased this mp3 player for myself during the holidays. I had owned a creative product in the past (a 30 GB Zen Xtra) and was pleased with it. It had a hard drive in it that eventually went out after several years of heavy use. Since then I had been using a Ipod Shuffle to fill the gap (not a very good replacement).
The Creative Zen fits my needs perfectly. The 30 GB player I used to use turned out to be overkill. I filled it with tons of files that I would never listen to just because I had the space. This meant skipping alot when trying to shuffle all songs and made it difficult to navigate through menus to select something worth listening to. Having the Ipod shuffle made me rely on my laptop for music storage and I started using the player just to carry songs I wanted to listen to (a much better system for me). The Creative Zen 4GB is an excellent size for this type of application. I currently have 813 songs on it - more than enough to last between docking sessions. The added benefit of a SD card slot means the memory is expandable if I ever need it.
I am also incredibly impressed with the features in this product at this price. The video/picture viewer looks excellent and the menus (both the firmware and the file manager) are intuitive and thought out. I am in software and a bit of a menu snob. Creative did an excellent job here.
Overall, this is an excellent product. My only dissappointment is that I could not find accessories in any retail store in my area. One store (Best Buy) has stopped carrying creative mp3 players and is now offering only Ipod and Zune players (and a some junk, throw-away players). if you want to buy accessories like skins, etc. You'll have to get them here at Amazon.
Customer Review: Who needs an iPod?
Summary: 5 Stars
When it comes to MP3 players, I demand a relatively seamless user experience and just enough storage capacity that I don't have to delete songs every time I add new ones, both at a reasonable price (ie: not an iPod). I'm also not an early adopter, preferring to wait for at least a few months of user reviews, but the aptly named Zen caught my eye when it was released and, to my delight, met all three of my criteria.
The Creative Media Explorer and ZENcast Organizer software make syncing and managing my content -- music, pictures, videos, podcasts, Outlook contacts, calendar and tasks -- a snap with relatively intuitive interfaces. Plus, the 4GB storage is more than enough for the average user, while the 8GB and 16GB versions are perfect for power users. As advertised, it's incredibly compact and sturdy enough to carry in your pocket; its screen is impressively sharp and bright; its audio quality is great, even with the included earphones; and its navigation is simple to use and customizable. My two favorite features are the aforementioned syncing of Outlook contacts, calendar and tasks -- my cell phone is for making phone calls, not listening to music! -- and the customizable "My Shortcut" button, which can be set to do one of a number of things, the most important of which is "Random Play All".
For the price and functionality -- not to mention it's one of the better looking MP3 players out there -- the Zen can't be beat. Who needs an iPod?
NOTE: I have a relatively new PC running Windows Vista and upgraded the Zen software via the ZENcast Organizer with no problems at all.