Portable MP3 Players

First, an introduction was: Recently, I heard and used, and you have a 4G 80GB iPod, Zune 80, iPod 5G 80GB, Creative Zen Vision: M 30GB and 60GB (the Holy Grail, as MP3 players-fans), and I am a power user with a music library of 35 GB, all with the free Media Monkey. I know what I mean. (If you’re curious, the two iPods were returned ZVM30 that was my cousin, because if I’m 60, ZVM60 was destroyed in Iraq and was therefore Zune80) provides

/> sexy, certainly on the level of the iPod and Zune sensuality.

video transfer / conversion does not apply to me, I will not be reviewed.

IM gimmick is worthless, move along.

WiFi connection works and is easy to configure, but there is no link to shoutcast or icecast directories. Instead, creative “media box” show, along with Internet access, but it has a limited selection of podcast feed, and almost no streaming music.
music streaming from a wireless LAN is very cool but to chew the battery life differently, which limits their usefulness.

SD card support is hardly transparent, and has a limited number of navigation functions, but can not, like most players understand the effort, a expandable memory to be picky.

X-Fi sound “different” but not unanimously “better”, and consumes more battery, not really a selling point when
; ” , br /> The helmet is fantastic and everything worse than the Zune 80 from the headset, including Zen, more comfortable fit (for me) and sound as good.

The integrated speaker is very cool and sounds surprisingly good for its size, there is never any distortion even at maximum volume (distortion is speaker and other audio sources up + bad its so horrible). It is necessary to show a song to a friend or friends, or play background music just perfectly in a quiet room.

No line, but the headphone jack at full volume looks pretty good on my car radio and stereo without distortion.

Software:
Many people complain about the Creative software, but it never really need to use it, except for video transfer. I use Media Monkey to sync my music and it works very well. Everybody has Windows Media Player to synchronize and very well with the reader. This is an MTP device, meaning that many different programs can use it to sync. Well, except for video issues, you really have no reason in the world, complaining about the software Creative.

Buttons:
nine grid of 4-way button and a center “select” button, and act on many menus and lists the four diagonal buttons as home / end page up / down, but on many screens, they are useless. If customizable they could be very powerful! A faster search, view switching, many opportunities when they are individually. Firmware update maybe?

I have long fingers and big hands and the player is comfortable to hold, but the buttons are small and indistinct, you need a little more to ensure that if the right is when you focus on the next / previous track or the volume of fishing up / down keys in his pocket. The pause button can not be overlooked, however, and most important.

The Zen Vision: M is the vertical slider with the rock edge and touchpad tap to choose just perfect for an audio player, and I find myself missing a lot (but I do not regret the battery life bad players, size or air ogreish)

One disappointment: no screens on the grid are keys used for a certain function on a grid on screen (some menu options are intuitive and very fast to get them started), they are still using the arrow keys to select a center, and use some other keys on the diagonal.

Creative have the ball a little, adding four new buttons and not with them, waived their full potential. The most important thing is that instant messaging could have used a mobile phone style text entry, but uses a very obtuse method that keeps the buttons as arrow keys. Once you’ve spent the chat feature and away from the main menu, you will see on the “Now Playing” screen, the screen’s most common and important, the four diagonal buttons do nothing at all. (

The customizable shortcut button is still there and still brilliant, easily adjustable by simply hold. It comes with screen settings X-Fi would have on the screen integrated EQ anyway. mine is set to jump “Now Playing”, press perfect for changing volume or the next or previous track in a menu, then you can go back to where you were.

The menu button (or right click “as I call it) displays a list of options for most screens, but the list sometimes goes up and down only a few lines and reduced it would could fit all. Would have been nice, so that the “diagonal” keys must be shortcuts to some menu items most commonly while the menu is open.

The interface (the most important part of any MP3 player):
It may seem that I’m pointing out many mistakes in the use of the device, but leave me assure you it is really great to use. The interface device is the same as the venerable ZVM, and is a powerful, attractive and easily. “right click” menus offer a variety of features and intuitive to all computer users but as a stack overload Hide adjustments in the main Settings, many of the screen, they are accessible in the context. I am a big fan of the ZVM interface and am glad they don ‘ have not changed. On Zen graphics quite a boost since the ZVM time, and the GUI have been really nice.

;
useful things to do for the Zen player, which the iPod and Zune do not support under any circumstances:
– [Zune] sync with 3rd
; third-party software – “Now Playing” playlist />
– the possibility to follow the “Add to Now Playing” list, you can create a playlist and not interrupt the currently playing track, ideal for playing music for other
– Bookmark track positions (ideal for podcasts, audiobooks, music mixes long)
– switch between albums, artists or track in the music menu
– rearrange items when you access the main menu
Customize – “DJ” menu with options as “folk play” and “Reading a good rating”
– delete actual tracks in the player
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– current USB port, no socket />
– WiFi Network Access

I see a player is competing against the iPod and Zune, and appears before them and behind them a train to.
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PS:

Nitpick – no fast way to search a />
– PageUp / Down does not work if you “right on the list of links to a long list of letters and not on the right mouse button
menu work – the President would have on the left to complete your hand, it covers up sometimes when you think it is really only
Rating: 5.4

I bought it because I was jealous of my wife for Creative Zen 8GB player.

But really, I bought it because of the quality of its X-Fi promised. I have a sound card X-Fi for my desktop PC and I really love the sound quality MP3 and it was more of hope even in a portable device. The Creative Zen X-Fi does not disappoint, straight out of the box, I find the full sound of bass that I love so much. The X-Fi settings to add some nice quality to my voice and my eardrums vibrate slightly with heavy beats. With the supplied headphones is the bass almost overwhelming for me, but there with my Bose TriPort IE, I found the sound very satisfying.

So, back to business here. So far, here’s what I like:
*) The look of the new stylish iPhoney is very nice, an improvement, I think.
*) The buttons are a nice touch. With a little practice I can just play button and volume control, without looking. Visually a bit more difficult to know where each button is.
*) is even better, the buttons will never be accidentally pressed. It is a big plus, since I work for the development and home, where I often used to fold my CLIX has always been constantly interrupted or not, who quickly became a constant source of irritation passed
*) I found it virtually effortless to hook this up to my PC, a connection to my existing MediaMonkey library and download all my songs and playlists.
*) for lovers of Great bass sounds. X-Fi Crystalizer gives a better quality, if that’s what you want.
*) The Wi-Fi, which connects to my network and I just use the Creative Media Center in minutes.
*) Very easy compared to most of my other players.
*) User Interface: If you are with creative players, you will find the keys easy to understand and use. I find the basic menu system easy to understand and navigate. Many beautiful wallpapers to choose.
*) Updated firmware easy, I downloaded the latest firmware from Creative website and easily installed.
Included *) Decent headphones – maybe the best I’ve ever seen packaged with an MP3 player.
*) lightweight, easy to transport seems to be built strong enough, fits perfectly into a pocket.
*) battery Nice compared to my Clix 2 (4:00 ish) or my iPod Touch (about the same thing!) this thing lasts forever about 10ish hours.
*) Big Bold colorful image that I found easy to read even in daylight.
*) I like the way it is right where I left off, even after a stop, he returned to the Now Playing screen and resumes my playlist. Most of my other players do not work very well, so it’s more if it works the way I think it should.

And things are not so great
*) Well, how is the Case with non-Apple players many accessories are not easy to find. It seems a bit thicker than its predecessor, so I do not think the old Zen cases are extremely adaptable. In addition, the power button on the back of the drive has been postponed, which means that you must be a special case of location, access the power button. As I write this, I can not have only one X-Fi Leather Case there, not even by Creative . – Update: I ordered a leather case directly from Creative, and hope to them! Updated: I-nique case which is very nice, but with this difficult problem of access the power button on the back… still waiting for the perfect case!

thats what subject, I recommend this player as a devil of a lot of MP3 player for the price (I paid more for my 8GB Clix 2 and much more for my Touch 16B!). In many ways, I like it better than the Clix 2 although the Clix has strongest sound I ever heard of a player. The Touch is a unit of course wonderful, but it is bigger, heavier and more expensive.
Rating: 5.5

a big fan of Creative Labs products and customer service I have received in the past from them. My requirements for an MP3 player are fairly simple, I want my music sounds great, I want to be able to listen to audio books, and if I see a movie about him that I want to watch the movie good. One might think would each MP3 player capable of at least two of three to do. I found the sound quality in Creative products be exceptional, even the modest ZEN Stone with very limited functions has excellent sound quality. The X-Fi goes a bit beyond. Crisp highs and pristine, beautiful midrange and pure and true, Clear Bass, even without adjusting the equalizer presets to play exactly like you’d expect from a high-end home theater.
I agree with the reviewer who does not like the software, but I do not really like the software on any MP3 player. Whenever I have great respect for Apple as a company and are anchored to them since the late and groaned when they have money in a product (like their cast tanked early PDA) Personally, I do iPod and not in large part because of the proprietary software, although I understand that, unlike patients received their iPod PDA is sold at a profit, I think it is too expensive in each range price. In this regard, I am ready by the software with Creative Control Center clumsy, heavy as the Media Center, with the Zen others I had to suffer. The video converter however, is excellent, intuitive and fast.

In this price range that I have not heard any other mp3, compares favorably with its faithful reproduction or exceed the quality of the video. I worked for Circuit City failure sentenced for eight years, has been a good seller (the first time in the order they exempt from income, they shot their first 25 per cent for too much money) and had the opportunity to test a large number of MP3 move and before 2002 for Dell for a while was working again with the possibility of drive-test MP3 players, and had several. I can not stress enough for money, features, sound quality, compatibility, issues of ownership is limited so imho the best product on the market.

I know that this is personal opinion, but that is the point of these reviews. If you are interested in specifications for the website of Creative. I find all the information the world does not compare to a test drive. Ohm, for example, resembles a good stat on an MP3. My opinion is that the X-Fi incredibly faithful sound reproduction and the consumer is a great value.
Rating: 5.5