Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
by Creative
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List Price: Our Price: $45.00 You Save: $54.99 (55%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Customer Review: Good Player But Poor Performer
Summary: 2 Stars
I bought this player after reading all the reviews from this page but i'm seriously thinking in returning the unit i have.
The looks and the size of this player are very appealing as well as the functions and features.
What this player lacks is the sound quality and the firmware, my player has already crashed 4 times in the first 24 hrs of use. 1st time i got a black screen of death and had to hard reset it while transfering files and 3 more times while playing video which has been converted to fit the players requirements with the software provided.
I think there are lots of things to be worked out with this player as well as the the SD card is not fully integrated with the players library that means that no playlists or bookmarks works.
The sound quality is a lesser quality than the ipod, of course you will not notice with the headphones provided, use some premium headsets and this player will shine for the lack of sound quality, the sound is hollow lacks base and highs its very difficult to describe but it just does not sound right. The volume is somewhat low compared to other players in the market as well. If you really have to have this player then its ok to have it i guess but i'm sure you can do a lot better.
PROS
Small
Cool Design
Lots of features, FM Video, Pictures, Recorder...
CONS
Unstable player crashes when playing video
Low sound quality
Low Volume
Screen is a fingerprint magnet
SD card is not fully integrated with the player
Software included is full of bloatware
Screen scratches easily just like the Gen1 ipod nano
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.
Customer Review: 4 1/2 stars! Near perfect compact multi-media device.
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned 10+ well known devices. Far and away the new Zen is the best of the best. Not perfect, but so close.
Pros
- Sound is excellent (Sound quality above all. Zen scores 5/5.)
- Video quality excellent (Image quality amazing 5/5.)
- Size/Weight vs. features (A small powerhouse 5/5.)
- Features (Equalizer, clock, sleeptimer, etc. 5/5)
- Expandable (sd cards up to 16 gb supported 5/5.)
- Design (So well laid out. Nearly operable with eyes closed! 5/5)
- Non-proprietary (plays every kind of file or converts to one it will.)
(Also, software included is good but not necessary! Drag & drop works!)
(Non-proprietary gets a big 6/5! Works as a stand alone drive. 6/5!!)
Cons
- Buggy (Needs a reset on occassion. No big deal.)
- Battery (Specs say up to 25 hrs. More like about 10-15.)
- Screen scratches easily (Needs a screen protector.)
- Can't bookmark off sd memory (Again, not a big deal)
The Pros far outweigh the cons on this powerful device. I cant' tell you how much I've thouroughly enjoyed my player. I've been using it for about a month now. Easily my favorite player ever. It isn't perfect but its so darn close that to complain about its minor drawbacks seems criminal.
I watch movies, listen to books & music. I've even loaded family video on to it. There's just so much to love about this device. Thanks creative!
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NOTE: This player is so, so impressive that I went out and bought the 16gb version and gave my original 4gb version to my daughter!
Customer Review: Definitely don't buy.
Summary: 1 Stars
I think this is actually my first review ever; that's just how disappointed and generally pissed off I was with this player.
Sure, the player works great; Able to switch out SD cards? I have to admit, that feature was effing awesome. I can separate my cards by genre, and simply slide in whatever I want to listen to (rock, 80s, pop, etc.)
I barely had it for a week before it busted on me. The screen suddenly developed a huge crack right in the center. I was worried I had cracked it against something without noticing, but after running my hand over the surface, I realized it was an internal problem with the LCD screen. Screen protector and leather case mean nothing.
Also, hundreds of other people have had the same exact problem. Google search 'creative zen lcd screen cracked' and look for the elliotback.com address. You'll also see customer support horror stories and how you have to pay more than the player itself to fix the screen.
If all these people have been having these problems for YEARS, then why hasn't Creative recalled them? Or at least attempted to fix the problem before making a whole new product! They obviously don't care, and once you get your product, it's a pain to have anything done about it when something goes wrong; and apparently, things often go wrong.
Luckily, Amazon accepted my return without any problems. I love you, Amazon.com, and will now proceed to go with a proven brand; either iPod or Zune, haven't decided yet. I just know that I'll never buy another Creative Labs product if I can help it.
Customer Review: It's alright.. does some things right, some things wrong.
Summary: 4 Stars
So to start off, probably the best thing going for it is price. At around a hundred bucks it's a great deal. The higher end versions cost a hell of a lot more and end up being less and less worth the cost.
Navigating the thing is easy and comes natural, though there are a few settings that are somewhat painful to get to. When listening to music, it probably makes sense you would want to change the EQ settings depending on the song, however going back through a bunch of menus make it cumbersome.
The FM radio works well, but only the stronger radio stations will come through. The reception isn't great, but it will do. Notice I said FM radio. There is no AM. I suppose it makes sense, but I didn't realize it until I tried it out.
There is an expansion slot for an SD card, but it is pretty worthless for holding more music. The Zen treats it as a seperate entity on the menu. When you access the SD card, your music stops. I suggest buying whichever version will hold all of your songs, and using the SD card to store videos and pictures only.
Battery life is great, you can listen to it all day without worrying about it dying. Syncing it with your computer is easy as well. Though the syncing software given could be better. All you really need to do is drag and drop your library into the music folder of the Zen and it takes care of the rest. It checks all the folders and subfolders too, so I just dropped my music folder into the Zen and it worked.
Overall it's a good player. It is definitely a great bang for your buck.