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124 of 126 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Almost perfect, 23 Oct 2007
This review is from: Creative ZEN 4GB MP3 Player (Electronics)
I spent a lot of time looking at various MP3 players before deciding on the Creative Zen.
So far it has exceeded my expectations.
PROS
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SIZE - It's very small but seems robust.
SCREEN - Exceptionally clear. Videos are very smooth and watchable. The colours are vivid and bright and it has a wide viewing angle.
SOUND - Excellent. I'm using some Sony headphones which sound pretty good.
SOFTWARE - Simple but very intuitive. It took me less than 5 minutes to get the hang of things. The options are clear, it's easy to find things and fast. Other people have complained about slow start up times but I just upgraded the firmware to 1.10 and it now starts in less than 5 seconds.
CONTROLS - Simple and very easy to use. I'm left handed, but having the controls on the right is not a problem.
EXTRAS - The radio has very clear reception and the presets work well. The SD slot is a big bonus especially as SD cards get cheaper.
VALUE - For £80 you get an attractive 4GB player which can play multiple audio and video formats. The sound is good and videos are very watchable. It has a radio and is easily expandable. 10/10
CONS
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It's hard to think of any. The screen inevitably get smudgy finger prints on it but this is unavoidable. The supplied video conversion software is slow but I'm sure there are plenty of alternatives available.
One extra I'd like is a clear hinged cover to protect the screen. Ideally this could be flipped back to use as a stand when watching vides.
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120 of 123 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Fantastic, 15 Oct 2007
This review is from: Creative ZEN 4GB MP3 Player (Electronics)
I've been searching high and low for a replacement for my dying iPod mini.
I looked at the new Nano - which looked great and also the Sony NWZA816 - which had great reports. I was never happy with the sound quality on the iPods, especially the distortion in the bass which a lot of people seem to notice, so after listening to the new Nano it was a no. I was just about to get the Sony whan I saw this new baby from Creative. I'm so glad I got it because it has everything I want (great sound and stunning looks).
I thought the video would just be a gimmic but it is actually very good, bright and detailed. Add to all that the radio, the SD slot, the drag and drop, the custom EQ etc and you've got an amazing piece of kit for the price. The only problem i did have was the volume was capped and not quite loud enough for my Etymotic headphones. I solved this by downloading
the US version of the firmware and reformating in recovery mode (you do this at your own risk obviously).
To sum up, if you love the Apple style and aren't that fussed on sound quality then the Nano might be what your looking for. If you want great sound, usable video and also great style then give the Zen a listen.
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19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Very smart piece of kit., 24 May 2008
This review is from: Creative ZEN 4GB MP3 Player (Electronics)
An excellent, little media player. I have an SD card I use in my PDA/Navigator and this works brilliantly with the Zen. Although media functionality is limited on the SD card compared to that stored on the actual Zen itself, this doesn't really impinge on the usefullness of the SD slot. I have several full length films (that I own) converted to 320x240 DivX on the SD card ready for long, boring trips and they work perfectly - if watching films on a small (albeit sharply defined) screen is your bag.
The sound quality is very good, especially with a pair of noise cancelling ear/headphones (purchased seperately - also Creative). The earphones that come with it are typical Creative Labs quality and therefore quite good, but they don't fit my ears that well, which is probably more to do with my freaky tabs than the 'phones.
Browsing the menus takes a while to get used to but quickly becomes second nature and uploading to the player is simplicity itself. One point however is that to upload to the SD card, one must set the Memory Card to an upload mode before plugging the player into the PC but once you know this, it isn't a problem. The player also displays images really crisply and this is a nice little addition to the feature list but not something I would specifically buy this for.
The hardware looks shiny and smart - a simple slab of piano black darkness. Also, mine came with the very latest firmware on it which was a bonus. The software however was out of date but that's not a problem as the Creative site is easy to navigate.
All in all, a brilliant piece of kit. Once again, Creative Labs hit the spot. My iPod loving friend even commented how smart it looked and how the SD slot was a good idea. He still likes his iPod better but if we all liked the same things it would be a very dull world.
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