I bought this player a few months ago after hearing form a few friends that it was really good. Since then I've been more and more impressed by it and I've grown to love it!
I tend to look at it in comparison to the i-pod, since EVERYBODY seems to own an i-pod these days! So to start off, both this player and the i-pod come with the capacity of 30 gb, a very large amount of memory, great for me since i have an extremely large collection of music on my computer! Even with my large collection, i've not even used 50% of the memory yet! so that makes me happy - i can get more music 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 the background, you can also choose from six different themes for your main display - quite appealing against the boring white display of an i-pod!
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 know that i haven't yet come across a video thats in either of these formats. So perhaps the video function isn't quite as accessible as the i-pod, but I'm sure once you work it out, the quality will be ten times better!
The navigation of the creative player seems difficult at first, and i suppose it is in comparison with the i-pod's universal touch wheel. However once you get to know the creative controls, im sure you'll find them quite satisfactory. There is a vertical touch pad down the middle of the player, which can be set to your desired sensitivity level. I find the highest sensitivity to be the most successful. To select your artist etc. all you have to do is press down in the center of this button. There's also a customizable shortcut key, that can be set to random play all, album of the day, most played etc... a button that takes you back to the previous menu, a button that allows you to see additional information about tracks etc, and a play/pause button whose name is pretty self explanatory.
Unlike the i-pod, this player has a built in FM radio which has excellent reception and allows you to scan through local stations and also to set and name preset channels. Another feature it has which the i-pod doesn't is a voice recorder, this allows you to record things from the radio and also to record anything else you want! Though your own recordings probably wont be very good quality, but if you were to record sound on any other multi-purpose device it would probably be rubbish too!
Now one of the great things about this player is that it has a built in storage device. No need to carry memory sticks and CD's around - just take your MP3 player! This storage device can be set to whatever size you like and from then on its straight forward. I bet apple didn't see that one coming!
Probably the only thing that the i-pod has over this is the ability to play games. Though i find the i-pod games to be a bit tedious and a waste of battery myself, so i wouldn't waste too much time thinking about this.
The earphones that come with the Zen Vision are of excellent quality! i would say that one minor set back is the size of them, they're almost an inch and a quarter long! but if your not worried about what they look like then these will be great for you!
The fascias of the player is probably the only thing that lets it down, like the original i-pod nano it is make of shiny perspex and can be scratched rather easily. However in the contents of the box you will find a cream pouch that is ideal for keeping the player in. Although its bigger than the player its self, it does keep it very well protected and also keeps it clean.
The software that comes with the Zen Vision is very easy to use and transfers media very quickly! Its pretty idiot proof, so its definitely nothing to worry about! The Vision is also able to synchronize with windows media player, i found this much easier to get the results i wanted because it allowed me to transfer the album art for the songs aswell.
It is possible also to connect this player to the TV through the sync adapter provided. The list of features is endless!
The one problem i see with this product is that it doesn't come with a wall adapter, so it has to be charged through the computer with the supplied USB cable. This isn't a problem, but if it bothers you it is possible to purchase an adapter for around £9.99
As described on the box, the battery life is about 14 hours of continuous playback - this is no lie, the playback time is excellent! The box also states that you can watch up to 4 hours of videos at any one time, but i haven't been able to try this yet.
Well i think I've covered everything, but as i mentioned earlier, the list of features is endless! So sorry if I've forgotten something. Hope you enjoyed my review!
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(+) 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
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: 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
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
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
May 4th, 2007
very helpful by (100%):
