Creative ZEN V 2GB MP3 Player with Colour Screen - Black/Green

 

 

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I got this from amazon recently after a problem with my ipod, I have a policy of never using the same brand if a product does not live as long as expected so did not want another ipod.
After extensive research I decided to go for the zen v, I am delighted with my choice. this is why .

1. cheaper, this always works for me.
2. practical, it really is tiny, not as thin as an ipod but it's not a bulky SHAPE, this shape and size is much safer and much more practical. think "key ring".
3. design, navigating is so simple, ipods are cool this is again just practical. I have been using this whilst cycling and it is so superior it's silly, I don't look down or take it out it's hand in pocket then tap, tap, tap done, blindfolded, incidently I also ware gloves, no problems. If you have a joystick on your phone it is a bit like that, plus as it is like this no need to lock it due to oversensitive controls. The ipods better for surfing through choices, this works better in normal use. Because of this it does not look as good as a display item. It's not dazzle and glitter, it's a steady eddie.
4. sound. the quality is evident, creative are the original specialists in computer sound, do not underestimate the value of their expertease.
5. screen. a major selling point for me to aide navigation, does as much as an ipod/samsung, no difference.

problems?

1. The menu software could do with tweeking, songs moved as part of a playlist are in the album and artist lists, this means quite a bit of searching if you have a mixture like me.
2. that's it so far.

I expect this to last for a while it certainly looks built to last (practical not fashionable). The main selling point for me was the price, it needed to be cheap enough to be able to take anyware and not be treated with kid gloves. I got this and some top quality headphones (recomended, if you have only ever used packeaged or cheaper phones, so much better, your favourite artists will thank you for listening to their music as it was intended.) and still had change compared to others, quite a bit of change! a good affordable player, why pay more? fashion? it's to play music, it's not an accessory.

I have owned my Creative Zen V 2GB for several weeks and it has been an absolute pleasure to use. First of all, I love the design, it has the feel of a tiny (and I mean tiny), highly polished, flat pebble, and fits beautifully into your hand or pocket (skinny jeans included). Despite its size it feels well put together and robust. Its glossy black exterior has a scratch resistant coating, a claim which I tested recently when I dropped it onto concrete (gasp!). To my relief the claim turned out to be true (and the little player didn't sustain a concussion), however, I have since purchased a clear plastic case, which I highly recommend for protecting the player without hiding its black glossy loveliness.

The software that comes with the player is OK, and straightforward, however as a matter of personal preference I use Windows Media Player which is well suited to it. The player's charged via a USB cable - I use it daily and find I need to charge it about once a fortnight, so I haven't needed a mains or a car charger. In other words, I've been impressed with battery life.

The headphones are great quality, however I personally find them very slightly uncomfortable for some reason - not enough though to want to purchase another set, plus I use the player in my car more often anyway. If you are in a quiet place on your own, you can actually listen to your music on the lowest volume setting which will be perfectly adequate!

The manual included is not comprehensive, and I found more help for a couple of minor niggles that I had on the Creative website forum. For example, my player started out by playing all the music in random order by default, and despite being quite technically minded, I wasn't sure where this option was in the menu! A quick visit to the Creative site later I had the answer to this question. Another useful piece of advice I found there was regarding the reset button (located below the power button) which I've had to use once so far, when my player froze while browsing through the menu. I should add that it rebooted seconds later with no problems. I haven't experienced any other problems with it.

Not essential, but as a nice extra, you can customise your player beyond recognition, from wallpaper to sound settings to screen turn off time and so on. The menu and controls are very simple and logical and a doddle to memorise.

Overall I've been extremely pleased with this player. It is half the price of the equivalent Ipod, it has more features and better capacity and most important of all, plays ALL music formats unlike the latter, and in my opinion is infinitely better looking. Buy it and you won't look back.

Recently bought this mp3 player from Currys after returning a dodgy cheap 2gig flash player i got for £50; i wasnt intending to spend £45 more, but god I'm glad i did. This is easily equal to the market ruling iPod Nano, has more (worthwhile)features and is and a great player in it's own right. The sound quality is sublime, and the included headphones are more comfortable than the ones included with iPods (not sure how sound quality compares to iPod phones or high-end canalphones, but they sound great to me). At it's highest volume it is actually loud enough to be audible and clear out of your ears in a room, and it also sounds great at low volumes. The interface is, as those who have followed the legal battles between Apple and Creative will know, almost identical to the iPod; meaning great. The joystick, while admittedly looking a bit cheap, is solid for navigation (although a bit tricky to push up on, as usual with tiny joysticks), and while many will prefer the clickwheel I find this a very nice method of navigation. The menu and interface are fully customisable; not only can you choose which features appear on the menu, but also switch between several cool colour schemes and even set your own background from the photos menu; in their quest to make everybody the same, I think (not totally sure) that Apple don't include this option. Music playback interface is good, showing all the info you need in a similar way to the iPod, complete with album art (although annoyingly there is no option to browse albums by cover; don't think the Nano has this either but I would love it), and it has equally good shuffle options, with a 'DJ' mode that plays all tracks randomly, chooses more or less played songs or picks a random album. It has intuitive playlists and a good equalizer for audiophiles, with presets for normal peeps, and browsing the photos is simple and attractive, using the usual folder system and allowing for music-assisted slideshows. Battery life is great; listed 15 hours, and cnet.com found it was actually 20; as far as i have experienced, it lasts ages. The screen is only 128*128, and some have complained about pixelization; this is visible on the 'V' icon as it starts up, nowhere else, and photos, album art and the interface looks lovely and very bright on the screen. The perfect square also gives it an advantage over the Nano; you can set any orientation, and with the simple play/pause button, back button and 5-way joystick this can make the controls more ergonomic for bigger hands or one-hand handling, and importantly, looks really cool. It includes the same organizer, contacts, calendar functions of the, guess what, iPod, which i haven't tested much but seem solid. But more importantly, it includes a built in microphone which encodes instantly to decent sounding 128kbps WMA and can be instantly summoned with a button on the side. Even better, it also includes a line-in (with free short cable), allowing you to record audio from a proper microphone or anything with a standard headphone socket, which is brilliant and can be really useful; listen to your old records and tapes on your mp3! The player is arguably less stylish than the Nano, but since everybody else has an iPod, the Zen's distinctive looks will be a good thing imho, and it feels a lot more solid and comfortably round than the Nano (though the new aluminium Nanos may change this), while the shorter size can surely only be better. The included software is pretty meh although the podcast (or 'Zencast') software is simple, good-looking and intuitive-yeah, ok, it's rather similar to iTunes there. But anybody who uses the syncing software when Windows Media Player 11 is out is an idiot; WMP11 is an excellent piece of software designed to work with Creative's line-up, so between the 'Zencast Organizer' and WMP11 it works great, with all iTunes' capabilities. However for those who download paid music, iTunes Music Store may be better than MS's Urge for it's UI, and the iPod has dedicated options for podcasts and audiobooks in the Music menu, though they can simply be selected as a Genre in the Creative. Think that covers everything! Btw, I am not a fanboy or an Apple-hater, I just compared them so extensively because I think everybody should know there are equally good alternatives to the iPod range, which are very good really. So in summary;

Pros
-Great, simple but flexible interface
-Sounds brilliant, with good bundled headphones
-Looks unique, and can be customized heavily
-Does everything the Nano does, plus voice and line-in
-Very good, scratch-resistant screen and general tough feel
-Ergonomic controls
-Works very well with WMP11
-Long battery life
-Cheaper than the Nano

Cons
-Some may prefer the clickwheel interface
-They may also prefer the iPod style
-Looks a bit like a Tamagotchi; could be difficult for huge hands and the joystick looks a bit cheap
-Annoying to have to use two pieces of software to sync
-iPod and iTunes are better for podcasts and audiobooks, though not significantly
-Like the iPod, the black version especially attracts fingerprints

Looking to buy a cheap, feature-filled, decent-looking iPod Nano alternative? You found it.

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5.0 out of 5 stars creative ZEN
I have used this for recording speeches at weddings instead of a microphone
when making a video. Read more

Published 14 months ago by Matrox

4.0 out of 5 stars Little marvel.
AI was pretty chuffed with this lil' mp3 player. A nice sized screen, pretty nice buttons, and it had a line in recording ability, which was most useful. Read more

Published on 28 Jan 2009 by W. K. Meakins

1.0 out of 5 stars Creative Couldn't Care Less
Beware of Creative customer care.

I recently contacted them with a problem with my MP3 player. Read more

Published on 5 Dec 2008 by G. J. Ridgett

4.0 out of 5 stars good little player
The player itself is very good, intuitive interface good sound quality. The only downside is using Windows media player to put the music on. Read more

Published on 29 Sep 2008 by Stephen Britton

4.0 out of 5 stars Creative Zen V 2 Gb
I bought one of these 3 months ago and have had no problems at all since I first got it. Sound quality is very good and I also got the full set of mains adaptors, and those worked... Read more

Published on 9 Feb 2008 by C. Mackay

1.0 out of 5 stars Looked good, but incredibly disapointing
Ok, so like many people, i was looking for an interesting, cheap, oringinal alternative to the ipod nano. Read more

Published on 4 Nov 2007 by Tom Nicholas

3.0 out of 5 stars Creative Zen V
Looks lovely and as this was my first foray into an MP3 I could not have got one that looked better. Read more

Published on 27 Sep 2007 by Mrs. Marilyn Bennett

3.0 out of 5 stars Lovely machine but ...
I've had my Zen for six months or so now and had been very pleased with it until recently. It looks great, is easy to use and the sound quality is superb. Read more

Published on 26 Sep 2007 by Cath Andrews

1.0 out of 5 stars faulty from the start, poor customer service
I bought one a few months ago and within a week it froze, and continued to do so on a regular basis. Read more

Published on 18 Sep 2007 by G. Hatcher

4.0 out of 5 stars Great player, naff software / firmware
Bought one of these for my wife and as a result have had to buy a V+ 8GB for myself to avoid her wrath when I nick hers.
Fantastic design, great sound, easy to use. Read more

Published on 6 Sep 2007 by Ds Martin

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