Creative Labs 70PF165000000 Zen MicroPhoto 8 GB MP3 Player (Titanium Gray) by Creative
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Digital camera reviews of Creative Labs 70PF165000000 Zen MicroPhoto 8 GB MP3 Player (Titanium Gray)
Digital camera Review: Almost too much music.....
Summary: 5 Stars
The nice thing about 8 Gigs of music is that I haven't listened to the same album in a week. The bad news is that it took me a month to rip all those CDs to WMA format. Small price to pay, I suppose. Battery life is great. The Photo display isn't great, but all the audio features rock. Haven't used the directory (which only imports from MS Outlook as far as I can tell). Well worth the purchase, anyway.Digital camera Review: An excellent MP3 Player!
Summary: 5 Stars
I have had an MP3 player in one form or another for almost 5 years - my first being a TINY card-reading type (which held all of 20 songs) purchased for train/plane rides; currently I have the Zen Micro and I am more than pleased.
About a year ago I wanted to upgrade from a Flash-syle Mp3 player to a hard drive style. There were a few major factors at play:
1. I did not want an Ipod. There are two types of people - Ipod people and anti-Ipod people. I don't like the elitism of Itunes or a lot of the other features.
2. I wanted something that was simple and straightforward. Most of the time my MP3 just stays in the car and plays music for me while I drive and commute.
3. I wanted something compatible with subscription music services. The idea behind buying a MP3 (for me) was to stop buying CDs that contain 3 songs I like and tire of in six months. Instead, I pay $15/month and have an endless supply of songs.
The Zen fits all three categories. I was initally concerned by some of the negative reviews - Zens that simply died or froze up. I followed the instructions on the Creative website, updated all of the programing and had very few problems. I did have a bit of an issue transferring music at first but when I started using a different computer it never repeated. The sound quality is excellent with rich full tones no matter how I listen - headphones, car stereo, home stereo - I'm always pleased. I didn't like the ear buds that came with the Zen - but as I ordered from Creative I also got a pair of noise cancelling headphones free in the package (which are wonderful - my husband tries to sneak off with them) Programming is simple though it took a while to figure out how to get music OFF the Zen.
I have never had any complaints. It charges quickly and easily by connecting to my computer or plugging into the wall. I'm not concerned with accessories so I'm very happy with what I have. I have recommended the Zen to a number of friends and planned on buying one for my husband as well. He picked up a Lyra on sale and while he's satisfied (unbeatable price) the quality is nowhere near as good.
Digital camera Review: Apple, Eat Your Hard Drive Out
Summary: 5 Stars
When my CD player died last week, I decided that it was time to finally bite the bullet and buy an mp3 player, so I went out and bought a MicroPhoto. Based on the research I've done, it seems like a pretty good price for a device with this capacity. It's got an attractive blue neon glow, and it's small enough to fit in your hand. It's also small enough to fit in your back pocket, and the earbud wire is long enough to run it up your back (taping it in place along your spine with cloth first aid tape), secure one earbud at the nape of your neck under your collar, and put one earbud in one of your ears, taking care to hide it under your hair. I am not, of course, suggesting that anyone use the device in this way, especially not at work or in class. I'm just not that kind of person, or at least I'm not that kind of person when I'm writing reviews using my real name.
Despite what some other reviewers have said, I don't find this player to be complicated at all. Installation is a snap, and ripping or transferring existing files onto the player is a breeze. When ripping, you have the option to rip only to the player and not to your computer, which my overloaded hard drive and I both appreciated. Navigation is also very straightforward, although use of the touchpad takes some getting used to. The touchpad is very, very sensitive, so if you put it in your pocket or use it when you're falling asleep, you'll probably want to use the lock function. It's very easy to inadvertantly pause or skip ahead, so I have mine locked most of the time anyway.
It's decently-sized. Unless you want to be a walking encyclopedia of music, eight gigs should suit your needs quite well.
This product has three main flaws, none of which are severe enough to keep you from buying it. The first one is that when the LED screen is lit, you can sometimes hear a strange hiss through the headphones. Luckily, the LED screen dims after about ten seconds of inactivity, and it's so high-pitched that some users may not even be able to hear it. It's not a huge deal, and if you listen to it with an FM transmitter or cassette adapter in your car, it's a non-issue. The second problem is that the battery seems to drain fairly quickly. That may be because I mainly use it in my car with a cassette adapter, and thus I usually have it on at full volume. The third problem is that you cannot listen to pictures and look at music at the same time. This is more of an annoyance than anything.
Overall, this is an excellent player, and I highly reccomend it for new and experienced users alike. Its compatability with other subscription and paid music programs (like Napster, Rhapsody, etc.) makes it far superior to iPods, as iTunes has no such program. The iPod also doesn't have a radioactive blue glow. That's two strikes. Go against the grain (or go askew to the grain, at least) and get a MicroPhoto!
Digital camera Review: Apples are meant to be eaten...
Summary: 5 Stars
I dont know what reviewer L. Maxey has been smoking, but hands down, the Creative Zen Micro Photo is a vastly SUPERIOR product to the Ipod...flash player or otherwise. Simply do your homework people and notice the many, many features that the Zen Photo offers compared to the Ipod. FM TUNER, RECORDER, CALENDAR, REMOVABLE, RECHARGEABLE battery (unlike iPods--where you will have to pay to have it shipped and repaired by the factory), AND MOST IMPORTANTLY, you can use it with Rhapsody To Go, which offers YOU, the user, basically EVERY album in its collection (current and past)for a set monthly fee of about $14.95. None of this "PAY PER SONG" BS that iTunes forces on you. Why pay $.99 to download a song when you can load your ZEN with all the latest albums---AS MANY AS YOU WANT---for a set monthly fee?? It comes in 10 different colors to fit whatever your particular taste is, and has a sweeeeeet cool BLUE glow when its on or when you navigate the controls. This player simply offers more bang for the buck. All in all, it's pretty clear cut to me what the superior product is... go do the research and find out for yourself.Digital camera Review: Attractive, expensive, paperweight.
Summary: 1 Stars
Have had this player for about a year and it has never worked properly. More often than not the software used for loading and organizing files does not see the Zen when it is connected. This despite the fact that windows does see it. On the rare occasion that it does successfully connect the Zen and the computer software freeze up before I can load more than a couple of dozen songs. I have gone through all the steps Creative recommends in order to correct this all the way down to editing registry files. I would give this zero stars if I could.