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 can see the button layout and size is very different. Instead of a wheel the Zen has a touch pad that only goes up and down (which can be found on most over Zen models). It also has four access buttons around the outside. One which can be programmed to a specific place - I chose the Now Playing menu option. The Zen also comes in a variety of colours some which are an acquired taste. Personally I think the black is the most sleek and less likely to shows scratches. Another big difference between the Zen and the ipod is the size. The Zen is noticeably more chunkier than its competitor and my put people off from buying it. I do not find this a problem but for people with smaller pockets they should take this into consideration. But other than this the other dimensions are fine and for a 30gb hard drive mp3 player the size is impression.
FUNCTIONS ========== Aside from the video and music
the Zen does have a far few additional functions. The image viewer can be used to show off you to your friends you photo collection in a slide show and image s can also be set as the background. You can also change the theme of the Zen to different colours to suit your mood. The FM tuner has very good sound and has an inbuilt feature which automatically and saves all stations within range. You can also record the FM station you are listening to onto the hard drive which is great for recording radio programs you want to keep. Another feature is ZenCast which is a podcast built for the Zen. By using the included software you can download audio/video podcasts from many famous names (e.g. Cnet) and listen/watch them on your Zen on the go. It can also be used as a removable disc which can be handy for work/school/college for backing up important files. Finally the Zen also has a built in organizer which can be synchronized on your PC. This organizer includes a calender, tasks list and contacts which can be useful. But considering all of these features are included on most mobile phones this can seem a bit useless. But other than that the Zen has a wide range of different features. The only thing I can think of that it doesn't has is the game that the ipod does. But an mp3 player isn't really designed to be a games machine aswell anyways.
AUDIO ===== MP3 playback on the Zen is very good. I've had no problems with it so far and it has been to a very high standard. Obviously it depends on how good the MP3 is in the first place but I personally feel the sound quality is just as good as other leading MP3 players. The MP3 can be sorted into play lists which can be imported from Windows Media Player and you can also create your own whilst listening. You can also view the tracks by artist, album, genre etc. providing lots of different ways to listen. Once the track is playing it is also accompanied by a picture of the album art (if set up) and it also gives you the option to rate the tracks). One problem I did have though was that all tracks have to have an album name when viewing. For example if you are browsing by artist once you have clicked on an artist it comes up with all the available albums. If a track hasn't got an album name it can appear that some of your tracks have disappeared. This is not the case. If you click on all tracks you can view all of the tracks by that one artist. If I were to improve the Zen I think it should have an Unknown section to stop confusion. This may all seem fine to everyone else and I may look at bit stupid but I did find it confusing. But other than this overall the sound quality is great.
VIDEO ===== Once again the Zen does not disappoint with the picture quality. Compared to an ipod I think that the Zen produces a much better picture and I think it is the better of the two. It plays many different files formats but I have only tested it with the avi format. Along with XviD support it means the Zen supports some of the most used formats. It also handles avi of recorded HD-TV. One thing I must mention though it that sometimes it can go out of sink. But this is prevalent with all devices with XviD playback and can be solved by pausing it. And even saying that it only goes out of sink very slightly and does fix itself eventually. Overall I think that the video playback is great on the Zen and it defiantly better than the ipod.
SOFTWARE ========== The software included with the Zen is very easy and does not have to be used once it is installed. Windows Media Player's device functions can be used to transfer 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 the other software included in the package. This includes the organizer manager where you can set up your calender, task and contacts and the video convector which helps to easily set up video playback on the Zen. Finally there is the ZENcast Organizer where you can download and upload all of the featured podcasts. This is very easy to use but download times can be slow.
CONNECTION ============ Connection to the Zen is very easy. All that is needed is to plug the Sync Adapter into the Zen and it provides you with all the ports you need. The Zen comes with an A-B USB cable which is used to dock the Zen and charge (according to manual 5 hours). On the adapter there is also a DC IN where you can plug in the AC adapter (supplied separately) which means quicker charging times. Finally the adapter has an AV out which means you can play you video, music and image collection on the TV. This is great when you are going round friends/families houses and want to show off your image collection or show them the latest film/tv show on your Zen. I have not tried this yet but from reading other reviews the resolution on your TV is DVD resolution and is very good quality, depending on your TV. The sync adapter is great because it reduces the ports on the Zen making it look better but can also be very annoying because it necessary. From what I have read I have read it is very hard to get a new one.
CONCLUSION ============ Overall the Creative Zen Vision:M is a great bit of kit and is just good if not better than the Ipod. Personally I would recommend the Zen over the Ipod.
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
Good review, lots of useful info. its a shame this model doesn't have a removeable battery though, unlike my current Zen Xtra... I am thinking of replacing it though and this sounds like it might be a good replacement, I'd like one that has some kind of video playback.
Compatible Creative Zen Vision M 30gb Mains House ChargerCompatible Creative Zen Vision M ... more
30gb Mains House ChargeThe Creative Zen Vision M 30gb mains chargerCE certified This is a high quality 3rd party sourced product - its not a genuine item but will do the same job as original at a fraction of the cost. Will not harm or damage your device in any way..
Postage & Packaging:£3.00 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days......
The digital music players are small but holds hours and hours of music. Keep your digital ... more
music player in a holder attached to a ProClip Mounting Platform, always within easy reach in the vehicle! The holders are designed with a tilt swivel for easy adjustment of your unit in order to avoid light reflection on the screen.
Postage & Packaging:£4.99 Availability:Usually dispatched within 6-10 business days...
The digital music players are small but holds hours and hours of music. Keep your digital ... more
music player in a holder attached to a ProClip Mounting Platform, always within easy reach in the vehicle! The holders are designed with a tilt swivel for easy adjustment of your unit in order to avoid light reflection on the screen.
Postage & Packaging:£4.12 Availability:Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Handles numerous file formats; good battery life Disadvantages: Slightly chunky; not as attractive as iPod; screen scratches easily
blackpuddinonnabike 21.08.2007 (21.08.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful
Review of Creative ZEN VISION:M 30 GB
Advantages: good memory capacity, bounces well when you drop it! Disadvantages: Too many problems with the accompanying cd, heavy.
Westfalenlover 11.05.2007 (12.05.2007)
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: somewhat helpful
Review of Creative ZEN VISION:M 30 GB
Apr 2nd, 2007
very helpful by (100%):
