Creative ZEN VISION:M 30 GB

Advantages: Not an Ipod, easy to use
Disadvantages: Lacks ipod's accessories, no charger in the box

...store and saw my first Creative ZEN Vision:M, and I was won over with the beauty, symmetry, and in general sheer simple sexiness of the Zen. When I got home I looked it up, researched it and eventually just went for it. I purchased mine from Amazon, where I get most of my items. Currently priced around £139.99 When the box arrived I opened up, and what came was a "New Zen" and it was just so cool. In the Box Creative ZEN Vision:M Earphones ...
...Guide Installation CD (includes Creative MediaSourc, Creative Media Explorer software and ZENcast Organizer) The Experience I got to ripping CD's and DVD's, you can get software to purchase through searching Google, or from a Torrent site. I got the 30Gb Zen, and I still have not been able to fill the hard disk. I mainly have music on the system, although I have a lot of cartoon movies on for my son, its great for when he is in the ... Read review

Advantages: Almost every feature!
Disadvantages: no wall adapter, video playbakck can be tricky, scratches easily

...on it still! The Creative player has a high definition screen, in comparison with the i-pod which has the standard LCD screen. Since HD technology is the hottest thing around right now, this player seems very attractive! Like the i-pod, this player has the ability to store photos, however unlike the i-pod, you can set a particular photo as the background for your main screen, and you can also zoom into your photos. As well as choosing a photo for ...
...As well as photos, the creative player has the ability to store videos. These do take up a rather large amount of memory, but its worth it to see your favorite music videos or films being played on an HD screen! The only set back with the videos is that the format your videos have to be in is limited quite strictly, to either:WMV9, MPEG1/2/4-SP, Motion J-PEG, DIV4/5 and Xvid2. Now i have absolutely no idea what all of these things mean, but i do ... Read review

Advantages: Capacity, Video quality, FM Radio, File type support, Windows Media Player support
Disadvantages: Current lack of accessories on the market, no proper case or screen protection included

...deciding, I eventually chose the Creative Zen Vision M, over the iPod, Philips and iRiver equivalents. Still not widely available on the High St. (June 2006), so had to buy if off the web (cheaper anyway). The key features which drew to to buy it were: - better support of different filetypes (so I understand) - the built-in FM Radio (pity it isn't DAB) - Support for Windows Media Player (which I had used to rip my existing collection to my PC ...
...says and buy an official Creative one. Transferring music and video is easily done using Windows Media Player as it sees the device and swiftly synchronises your music and also the playlists you have created in Media Player (this is really useful). When it comes to transferring video, I found it easier to use the Creative software, which allowed me to easily transfer mpg and avi files. There is also a feature to convert vvarious video files (avi, ... Read review

Advantages: Great Video And Audio Quality, FM Tuner
Disadvantages: Touchpad Takes A While To Get Used To, Quite Chunky, No Removable Battery

The new Creative Zen Vision:M is a great alternative to the video Ipod and if I was going to recommend one I would defiantly choose this. It takes the ipod and walks all over it. Not only is the video quality that much better you don't have to install itunes. LOOK AND FEEL = From a distance this Zen could be easily mistaken for an ipod. The menus are very similar and it has the same glossy feel about it. But on close inspection you ...
...music, video and images onto. Creative MediaSource 5 is the equivalent to Windows Media Player. It contains many of the functions that Media Player has and if wanted could be used instead if you preferred it. It's very easy to use and the home page has links to all the common tasks. This makes it very easy to use for beginners, maybe more so than Media Player. Zen Media Explorer can be used to explore the contents of your player and also links to ... Read review

Advantages: Excellent sound quality, easy to use, good features, excellent battery life.
Disadvantages: Can sometimes freeze

I really can't praise the Creative Zen: Vision M enough. Over the years, and as a self confessed music addict, I've gone through a variety of portable media players. From the humble Napa mp3 player which was my first media player purchase, through to this classic Creative player, it's obvious technology has advanced in leaps and bounds through the years. As a music lover, I required a great deal of space in which to store my vast array of songs ...
...on the mp3 player. Creative advertise the player on their website as "the ultimate player for people who want to enjoy music and movies on the go." The official specifications for the player are: * Stylish compact design (104x62x18.9mm) with easy vertical navigation. * 30GB hard disk stores up to 15,000 songs* or 120 hours of video. * 2.5-inch (51x39mm) screen displays images at 320x240, up to an amazing 262,144 colours! * Supports audio formats ... Read review

Advantages: Small, Lightweight, Reliable, Does what it says on the box
Disadvantages: Monochrome screen

...What I Wanted I spent quite a few months searching for an mp3 player to suit my needs: It had to be at least 20gb Support both mp3, m4a and wma Easy to Use Under £150 (I paid £120 for mine just under a year ago) I was looking at fancy players such as the Creative Zen Vision M, Creative Zen Touch, Ipod 30gb. All of these did so much more than I really needed my player to do. Research I read some really good reviews on this player over at amazon, although a couple of people had experienced problems with the player freezing and not being able to get it to work again. This has only happened once to me and I held the 'power off' button for about 30 seconds and it turned off and restarted without a problem. Most reviews seemed to be saying that if all you want is an mp3 player then get it. I was only unsure because it was 20gb... Read review

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Advantages: iPod Ecosystem, New Interface, anodised case. Zune larger screen, Fm Radio
Disadvantages: iPod smaller Screen, easily scratched case. Zune basic funionality, poor software

...the right combination of usability, style, and compact size and try and knock it off the top spot. Apple's 30GB iPod still provides the lowest cost per gigabyte at £6, followed by Creative's Zen Vision:M at £7. The Creative Zen in my mind has been the closest competitor yet, the Zen Vision:M has a few more features (i.e., personal organizer, recorder, more song storage, more hours of video, and an FM tuner) than the iPod but Creative couldn't get the price to compete with Apple and overall affected sales. Don't get me wrong the Vison:M is a great product and many people still today believe its ten times better then the Ipod. So it may be with its extra features and better video playback but it didn't create that spark and provide enough style and elegance that will lure 90% of the US market alone to switch from their ultrasleek Ipod's. This... Read review

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