Creative Zen Sleek Photo 20GB MP3 Player

i can't comment as yet on the battery life since i have not been on extended trips with the player, but the sound quality, menu design, appearance and ease of use are all fantastic. it really is fair to say that you end up hearing parts of songs which you hadn't done before. the menu is very easy to get around, and while the scroller can be a little touch sensitive at times it's not too bad.

i'd been slightly concerned that tracks might get lost in odd folders or not appear in the order i'd liked, but this isn't the case. the artists section on your zen is nicely listed a-z, then within the artist is the albums, then the songs. easy. one problem i ran into is where you have an album which features duets etc, it will create a seperate artist listing. such as "50 cent" then "50 cent and Eminem" which might only be one track. the way to remedy this is within the cd ripping screen, select "apply to all" under artist name.

what i haven't worked out how to do, but would like to, is to create but not save a playlist. like in windows media where you can listen to one track and highlight another to play after that and so on. it is possible to randomnly play through all tracks, which i found it wasn't on previous creative zen's.

to anyone hoping to use this as a photography tool, i don't really see the point. it is possible to store and view (and zoom into) pictures on here, but quite why you'd want to do that on this piece of kit and not on a PC or camera is beyond me. you can use images from your computer to personalise the attractive colour backgrounds on the zen.

in all - sound quality is number one. you'll have to take other writers word on the battery life, but in all aspects so far i am very pleased.

The Zen Sleek Photo bares a passing similarity to the original Ipod in terms of size and shape, but without the wheel in the middle. In its place is a touch-sensitive scroll bar, which has adjustable sensitivity for ease of use. Simply move your thumb up or down to scroll and tap the middle to select.

The build quality is reassuringly sturdy, with a metal casing and buttons that don't rattle! The colour screen is clear yet mobile phone sized, with adjustable contrast and a powersaving timeout function.

The sound quality is brilliant - the supplied headphones provide a good range and a decent bass response. There is a built-in EQ in case the sound characteristics aren't to your taste, plus a bass-boost function for that extra low-end rumble.

In the box you get a USB cable, power adaptor, headphones, a black felt pouch, some software and a manual. The software isn't bad although I prefer to use some 3rd party software I already own.

As an additional bonus, the Zen also works as an organiser, synchronising and storing your contacts and appointments from Outlook or Outlook Express.

By buying this you'll probably save yourself some money over the Ipod, you'll be able to play WMA files (unlike the ipod) and you won't be a sheep. Plus if you have an Xbox 360 it works flawlessly with that too, letting you view photo's and listen to music through your console.