Sorry have not been around for awhile, started a new job and christmas just crept up on me!
Sorry have not been around for awhile, started a new job and christmas just crept up on me!
Member since:29.10.2006
Reviews:132
Members who trust:80
My eldest monster was 11 in September and decided that he would like his own MP3 player, well it was a joint decision really because I had threatened him with beheading if he used mine again! We do have similar taste in music but it came to a head when he downloaded the killers onto my MP3 and deleted Guns N Roses!
So as I am not the technical one in the family it was down to the other half to find one for him, so as this was obviously a very important task and like most men would take hours of trawling different sites to find the perfect one I left him to it. To my surprise this little box turned up a week later with this product inside, so had the other half found the perfect one?
SO WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE?
For me this is the most important bit! Not being into all the technical jargon if it looks good and not too many buttons then it's all right with me! I was actually quite shocked at how tiny it is I mean really tiny compared to mine. It actually looks like a black polished stone, hence the name so the other half explained to me with that look of "does she ever listen to a word I say?" The size to me was a bit of an issue and I was proved right as it
took us 3 days to find it this week because eldest monster had put it down and then complained he couldn't find it (it was under the couch!)
I must admit it does look stylish as I have said it is pure black, it has the Zen name in white on the front and a circle with the play, pause button in the middle and the volume control and forward and back buttons on the outer circle. On the top is a tiny slide bar that you can use to shuffle, repeat all tracks or skip folder. There is also a little light bit that lights up green when the player is on. The only problem I can see with the buttons are they are quite close together so you could if your fingers are a bit shall we say chubby then there might be a tendency to press 2 at once.
IS IT EASY ENOUGH FOR ME TO USE?
Ok it took me a while to get used to using my own MP3 player so how would I get on with this one? Well surprisingly easy enough! The controls are simple and basic you just hold the play button to switch it on and the green light tells you if there is enough charge if not it starts blinking orange and then red.
The other buttons are also easy to use and basically do what they say, as for the computer bit well that's just as easy and basic. You use the USB 2.0 cable supplied to connect to the computer and download the software, I found this a bit unusual as I had a disc with mine but it was all very easy even for me! The instructions do state that you should avoid using a USB hub so we plug the cable direct into the computer, you then use the drag and drop to transfer you music from your files to the little MP3.
You also charge the player up using the cable and this gives it enough charge for up to 10 hours, this to me is a bit of a drawback and I can see problems arising when we go on holiday as we will not have a computer with us but like always I will worry about that when it happens. You can buy Zen USB power adapter, which I am sure the other half will look into!
The other thing I did like about this is there is a volume control that can be set using the software, as this is for my son we have used this to set the volume so it doesn't damage his delicate little ears and he can't blame the MP3 player when he gets his selective hearing and tells me he didn't hear me telling him to do his homework or clean his room!
The quality of the music once on the player is also very good and very clear.
I suppose i had better mention that eldest monster also finds this easy to use (easier than me!).
OTHER BITS
I did wonder how big monster would get on not having a screen as he is used to using mine that does have one, at first he wouldn't put to many songs on as he didn't want to keep flicking through songs until he found the one he wanted but then the other half showed him how to set up artist folders and to use the slider thingy on the top and he is a lot happier and its now packed with all his music (I didn't think an 11 year old could like that much music!).
As stated it has 1GB and can hold up to 250 MP3 tracks or 500 WMA tracks, the player is only compatible with Windows XP or Vista, it measures 2.1 by 1.4 by 0.5 inches (told you it was tiny!)
It comes with decent enough headphones that have little sponge bits to protect my little monster from getting earache!
You can get this player in 6 different colours, white, blue, yellow, black, red and a lovely pink (wish I had bought that one!) it also comes with a 1-year warranty.
We bought this on E-bay for £22, which I thought, was quite good.
MY UN-TECHNICAL OPINION
This is actually a really good little player, I as you have by now worked out do not understand all this technical stuff but for me it is easy to use, it is also very durable especially for the battering a 11 year old can give it. I must admit I have taken this out with me when I couldn't find any batteries for mine and it is very lightweight, fits in your pocket perfectly and doesn't jump when you walk or run for the bus!
All in all I am very happy with this little player and so is the eldest monster and for now the threat of beheading has been lifted and peace has been restored to our house until the next time he decides to borrow something of mine!
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
(+) Av Output to plug to a TV, built-in speakers, easy to use. Come with very good earphones (-) Does not come with power supply (easy to charge from the PC though), av cable is sold separately
You don't have to use a computer to charge it, I found an old Motorola mobile phone charger with a regular plug on it, the connection on the other end fit perfectly, so I always use that.
The only thing I don't like about the machine, is that I find it a sod to switch on, you press down, the light comes on, and nothing, so you keep pressing, and if you're lucky enough not to press to hard and switch it straight back off, you get this shocking blare of music right in your ear and it makes you jump sky high. I wish it'd just switch on as soon as the light come on!
Pmshack99 11.12.2007 08:26
I had a creative zen mp3 player a couple of years back (a pretty basic model which only stored around 500 songs) and i quickly came to hate it, so wouldnt go for this brand again. I far prefer the one I replaced it with, my sony walkman! Good review though. P x
S.Bate 19.11.2007 08:55
I like the look of this. But I would still be stupid when it comes to working it - run out and find me a four year old child...
The Creative Zen Stone Car and Home 2 in 1 Combo Charger with TipExchange is the essence ... more
of an all-in-one charging solution for all your travel needs. Designed to function as a high quality Rapid Car charger via a standard DC vehicle cigarette lighter...
Postage & Packaging: £4.06 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Oct 27th, 2007
very helpful by (100%):
