I bought my 1gb Zen V yesterday & Its beautiful. I asked to have a look before I paid as I had not seen one in the flesh before, it's so small, light &, very pleasing on the eye, all black with a touch of orange and all the accessories in black.
For the technical specifications have a look at the official site
http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=15283
I looked at all the other makes before making my choice and was considering a i River T30 or a Sandisk Sasca but I already own a Creative Zan Xtra 30gb which I love but its too big & my boyfriend had a Micro 5gb before he put it in the washing machine. I wanted something stylish, small & light I could wear at the
gym. I like the creative menu system so that was the deciding factor. I couldn't find that many reviews, a couple I did find mentioned having to use the reset button a lot but I bought it anyway.
Accessories
The supplied creative brand headphones are fine in my option the sound is crisp & loud but they may be too big for some people.
The drawstring pouch is uninspired - fits the player & headphones in but a bit too big.
The lanyard - goes on the bottom.
The usb cable is the smallest I have ever seen at only 50 cm.
The inline cable I haven't used yet but allows you to get music from sources other than your computer.
The printed quick start guide which just gives you the basics
The supplied cd has the full manual & all the software on. You don't need to install any of it if you don't want to you can just use Windows media player to transfer the music. I already had windows media player 10 & the audible software. I installed the rest & ended up with 8 programmes on my computer, the user guide & the online product registration.
Battery
It needs to be connected to an usb post not a hub for 6 hours for the first charge. It's supposed to give 15 hours of continuous playback, I used it for about 4 hours & the battery indicator lost a block. I will do an update when I have used it more.
Navigation
It's very easy to navigate. There is a button in the centre of the orange circle which is a joystick, which you all press; next to it are a play/pause graphic and a back symbol which need a moderate amount of pressure to use. On the right are the volume controls and a record button. On the left are the lock/power switch and the reset switch. On the top the usb, headphone and line in connections.
Music
There are a few songs supplied on the player. You can use Windows media player 10 or the supplied software Zen V media Explorer to transfer your music. It's very quick & easy with windows -just select the songs & add to sync list. You can also view your album details & the amount of space used. I have 280 songs on at the moment but the box say you can put 500 on that must be files in a compressed format. Its compatible with all the big online music stores Napster to go ect.
Pictures
The player comes with 22 pictures in 4 folders which are very bright sharp on the 3 cm x 3 cm screen. Its easy to add more using the Zen media explorer - go to browse media, select your photo and copy & paste it in to the pictures folder.
Data
To transfer data use the same process as pictures. I tried a small word file.
Audible
If you install the software you can play audible files - with up to 10 bookmarks - this was another important feature for me so I can listen to books at the gym.
Zencast
This piece of software allows you to subscribe to free podcast content under the headings of technology, lifestyle, world affairs, outdoor and entertainment. I have subscribed to a podcast on yahoo & used zencast to transfer it to my player which was easy.
Cons
1 Gb will not be enough storage for some people so you could try the 2Gb version or wait for the 4gb version. If you want a radio go for the Zen V plus.
Not supplied with a belt clip or armband. I am going to have to buy one from ebay or pixmania as I don't think I can wait for the Creative version to some out.
You can also buy mains chargers for less than £10 ( I saw one in HMV yesterday)
I havnt covered everything but if I find out something useful I will update my review.
Don't think about it any longer just buy it. You won't regret it I don't.
by (13%):
31.08.2006 21:07
You stop looking for the ideal mp3 player and get yourself an iPod. ;)
30.08.2006 13:30
Good review, will be sticking to my iPod though!
30.08.2006 12:06
Good review