Oh the modern dilemna that possesses the thoughts of so many. To Ipod or not to Ipod? As always, it really depends what you want from your MP3 player, but the Creative Zen could be a far better option than its Apple cousin.
So heres the scenario. You want an MP3 player that basically works the same as an Ipod. Whereby it neatly organises your music into sections, where changing between tracks is effortless and quick, where you can store plenty of your favourite songs. However, the Ipod Nano, which is essentially the Zen's most relevant rival, is a little bit out of your league in price terms. This could be for you.
I was in that same situation a few weeks ago. Browsing through PC world, drearily looking at those expensive price tags. I'd previously owned a Motorola ROKR, with Itunes built into it, so I'd come to enjoy and love the power of its organisation. It was so much easier than the traditional 'left and right' buttons found on cheaper MP3 players, where it would take approximately four days to find the track you wanted. Unfortunately, my ROKR decided one day it didn't want to speak with my computer anymore (the cable didn't work) so that feature rendered useless. Thus, I went looking for a new toy.
I came across the Creative Zen. It appeared to be very similar to the Nano. The basic setup was the same, tracks were organised into artist, albums, etc. In fact it appeared exactly the same as the Itunes system on my ROKR. It won me over. For the sake of £50 (£20 cheaper than the equivalent Nano, enough for a few beers on the way home) I thought it was worth a try.
Naturally, being a poor student, I plumped for the 1GB version. To be perfectly honest, this is because I simply don't listen to enough music to warrant an extra gigabyte or two. But again, this all depends on your personal preference.
It accomplished what I set out for in an MP3 player, it is extremely easy to use and to navigate. As far as I can tell, the platform it runs on is exactly the same as an Ipod Nano. The sound quality is simply fantastic. After a few weeks of happy ownership, its very difficult to find faults. It even comes with a handy neck lanyard, so that the headphones don't turn into a tangled mess when your not using them.
So, thats it then, forget the Nano, and go for the Zen. Well, not quite. As I've said many times in this review, it all depends on what you want from an MP£ player, and the Ipod is about to play its joker card. Fashion.
There isn't really any doubt that the Zen, while nicely designed, just isn't as aesthetically pleasing as the Nano. When facts come to facts, the Ipod is more of a fashion accessory than the Zen. So it really comes down to this. Do you care about Fashions/Trends or not?
I personally, do not. Which is why the Zen was perfect for me. I can spend the £20 I saved on far more important things such as beer and food. Great stuff.
But if you want to be fashionable, and you don't mind spending an extra £20 in doing so, go for the Ipod Nano. You will be able to walk arond town with the famous white stalks in your ears, knowing you have Apple's hyped brainchild safely tucked away in your pocket.
But personally, I think the Zen renders the Nano completely pointless. It's basically the same thing, without the badge. £20 cheaper.
The choice is yours.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Hi and welcome to Ciao, good first review, I would find 1GB on a MP3 player not enough memory as I use WAV files to put music on my MP3 player Sony 20GB it plays music at a high sound quaility, thats all I'm looking for-Milt
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May 2nd, 2007
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