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: Excellent MP3 player!
Summary: 4 Stars
I have no complaints with the MP3 player, although the software drives ActiveSync crazy, and I have to end the Creative drivers if I want to synchronize my PDA (this did not happen with the Creative software that came with the player, but with the "update"). Otherwise it has very good sound, good battery life, and it works with Yahoo Music to Go (being this the main reason to buy this player).
Why not 5 stars? Well, the "protective pouch" sucks and having to pay extra to be able to charge it directly from an outlet also sucks. It makes no sense to have to carry a computer on vacation to charge this thing! (Hint: I took my powered USB hub w/o the laptop to charge it!)
Digital camera Review: Excellent choice
Summary: 5 Stars
The speakers are an excellent choice for the easy listener - I love moving them around to where my action is - garden, kitchen, office - the size is perfect and the sound excellent. Can highly recoomend them.Digital camera Review: Excellent device
Summary: 5 Stars
This is an excellent device.
It has a user-replacable battery, a nice, colorful LED screen (unless you are standing in direct sunlight), good battery life, an FM tuner, audio recorder, and the ability to delete songs, albums, or artists from the device and make playlists directly on the device.
The only software you need is Windows Media Player 10. You can use the included software for organizing and playing music--but I already have Windows Media for that so I use the Creative software to make playlists on the device. (Again, this is optional, you can make playlists directly on the MicroPhoto.)
Also, some people seem to have some problem with the size/weight/form factor. I think this is the best thing about the MicroPhoto. The added "bulk" is Magnesium, a very durable metal. The strength of this, along with a general sturdy construction, makes this device very durable. You could probably drop this on concrete (and have it still work), but I'm not guaranteeing anything.
This device is stil small enough to hold in your handle, and definitely lightweight enough to carry around, so why does it matter if it is twice as thick as an iPod Nano? Even though it is hard-drive based, when you drop it, I think the differences between it and an iPod Nano will be noticeable. (Hint: the MicroPhoto will the one in one piece still functioning.)
Digital camera Review: Excellent! Don't buy an IPod until you read this...
Summary: 5 Stars
I chose the Creative Zen Micro Photo over the IPod Nano for several reasons:
1. Storage space - Micro Photo has 8 GB, Nano has 4 (and costs more)
2. Rechargeable AND Replaceable battery - Unit charges through the USB cord whenever connected to your computer (this is a PLUS, because you spend a lot of time connected to your computer managing your music library). Micro Photo holds the charge for at least 12 hours, maybe more. And unlike the Nano, the battery is replaceable, so you can purchase extra batteries if this one dies, or swap batteries to keep music playing on long trips.
3. Compatibility with online music stores - This feature was #1 for me. I'm a big fan of Comcast Rhapsody, and this player (NOT any IPod) is compatible with their Rhapsody to Go service, which lets you have UNLIMITED downloads from their catalog of over 1 million songs for $14.99/month (as long as you have the subscription, your songs will play in your MicroPhoto). ITunes can't beat that. I no longer buy CDs. The day they come out, they are on my MicroPhoto.
4. Price - do your research, for an 8 GB compact-size mp3 player with a color display, this price is a steal.
I haven't even used the Photo features, but I'll love having an album of pictures on my mp3 player to show my friends and family at anytime.
The unit is very small; about the size of my flip-style cell phone. That's bigger than a Nano, but very lightweight and a comfortable fit in the palm of my hand. I didn't necessarily need a credit-card size player. I wanted the storage space and the Rhapsody-to-go compatibility.
Negatives (and there are only two minor ones):
1. The world is made for IPods, so there are not as many accesories available for Creative players as there are for IPods. However,[...] has a nice selection.
2. The touch controls are very sensitive and take some getting used to (I figured it out within 2 days).
My husband has an old Creative Zen Nomad (30 GB and the size of a small brick) and although it's no longer "in style" it works well. I know my Micro Photo will hold up well over time.
Friends, family, and coworkers were critical of my decision to purchase a Micro Photo instead of an IPod. Now, many of them want to trade their IPods for one. Do your research - the Rhapsody-to-Go compatibility and 8 GB hard drive were enough to sell me on the Micro Photo.
Digital camera Review: Full Featured and easy to use.
Summary: 4 Stars
The Zen Micro Photo is full featured, easy to use, and carries enough memory to hold an entire music library. The only feature I find annoying is the screen constantly fades out in order to save energy. In order to see music information, you need to touch the slider to activate the screen. After a while, however, all you really care about is listening to high quality music, which the Zen Micro does very well. If fact, I liked mine so much, I ended up buying one for my son.