Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
by Creative Labs
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Our Price: $95.95
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Category: CE
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Digital product summary information
Manufacturer: Creative LabsAudio: French (Original Language); English (Original Language)
Format: CD
Platform: Windows
Model: 70PF216200111
Color: Black
Product features:
- Product Type - MP3 Player
- Connectivity - USB 2.0
- Memory - 4GB
- Dimensions WxDxH - 3.26" x 2.16" x 0.44"
- -- Clock and alarm function
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Digital camera reviews of Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Digital camera Review: Close enough to perfect!
Summary: 5 Stars
I've owned a number of media players, from RCA to Apple to Toshiba. Finally I decided to lay down the long green for the Creative Zen 32 GB (this has been well over a year ago, and the price has been DRASTICALLY lowered...all I can say is check Creative's website before you buy). I haven't regretted it for a second.
What sold me on the Zen is that the 32 gigs is flash memory, not a hard disk--it's currently the only flash player available with that much storage. That means you don't have to worry about disk errors (I shudder when I remember the clickety-click of my dying iPod mini), overheating, skipping, or any of the other problems that can plague its competitors. And if 32 isn't enough, you just have to stick a memory card in the slot.
This little guy is a workhorse. I've used mine an average of six hours a day, five days a week (I'm able to use it on the job) in the time that I've had it with no component glitches. I've never had a player that could claim that. I haven't even seen a noticeable decrease in the battery's ability to hold a charge. It feels a little fragile, granted, but $5 on eBay gets you a form fitting silicone case that dares you to drop it. It's a good investment.
The sound reproduction is great. The equalizer settings and bass boost let you tweak it to your liking. With a good pair of phones (the included earbuds aren't worth much, but that goes for most MP3 players) the highest volume setting should be plenty high enough if you like it loud. I don't use mine for much video, but the few times I have the quality has been fine.
The interface is pretty much idiot-proof. Going from one end of a big collection to the other is made pretty easy. If you listen to audiobooks the "Bookmarks" feature is a godsend; you can save your place in your book and go listen to tunes for a while.
There are a few flaws. If you haven't used the player for a few hours it takes 10-15 seconds to boot up, which is kinda annoying. The power switch itself is finicky; you have to get used to holding it for just the right amount of time. The included software is great for adding media, but I've had a few freeze ups when using it to take it OFF the player (so I just use Windows explorer when I'm deleting stuff). The FM tuner gets pretty crummy reception, but I've yet to see one on an MP3 player that doesn't. The Zen lets you create playlists on the fly, but that also has a learning curve--you have to go through several steps without messing up, or else you gotta start all over. And, just as with any player that ISN'T Apple made, you won't have as many accessories to choose from.
All in all, though, the iPod and its goody-goody gang can kiss my chips. I never thought I'd be one of those tools who can't leave the house without my MP3 player, but the Zen has turned me into one very neatly. If you're in the market, consider it very, very seriously.
Summary of Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
This credit card-sized ZEN has a stunning 2.5" color screen and is perfect for music, videos and photos. Enjoy up to 4,000 MP31, WMA or AAC songs, watch up to 60 hours2 of videos and share hundreds of photos with your friends. Even expand your portable music, video or photo collection by adding additional content through the convenient SD memory slot.Bring your media with you wherever you roam with the Creative Zen 4GB player. Watch 16 hours of videos, enjoy up to 1,000 of your favorite songs or share hundreds of photos with your friends. And do it all on a device that's about the width of a credit card.
 A razor sharp 2.5-inch display makes your photos and videos come to life. See the Zen in detail. |
 Small size. Big features. All in the palm of your hand. View larger. |
 Add even more storage capacity via the SD card slot. View larger. |
The Zen sports a 2.5-inch TFT color display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution and support for up to 16.7 million colors. This razor sharp display is packaged in a device that weighs just 2.1 ounces and measures 3.26 x 2.16 x .44 inches (W x H x D). The internal battery powers the Zen for up to 25 hours of continuous audio playback and up to five hours of continuous video playback. Use the Zen's SD slot to expand your portable media library with music, photos and videos stored on your SD card. There's also a handy built-in microphone for capturing notes on the go.
Features
Load up up your favorite songs, as well as your album art, and get going with the Zen. The device supports iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes store and MP3 and WMA tracks. Subscription and pay-per-download music services are supported, as well. Discover, save, and play millions of songs when subscribing to services such as Yahoo Music Unlimited and Napster To Go. You can even tune into your favorite stations with the Zen's FM radio. The radio allows you to save up to 34 presets.
The Zen has you covered when it comes to video, too. The device supports MJPEG, WMV9 and--with transcoding--MPEG1 and 2, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5, and XviD. Enjoy purchased movies and TV shows from online services, such as Amazon Unbox and Walmart.com. Watch home videos. Even load your Tivo To Go movies and TV shows onto your Zen.
Additional features include a clock and alarm function, volume restriction, eight equalizer settings, and a USB hard drive mode, which allows you to drag and drop files directly to and from your Zen. The Zen can also function as a handy organizer, allowing you to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook and display your contacts, calendar, and tasks.
What's in the Box
Zen player, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, installation CD, and quick start guide.
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| A slick user interface makes it a snap to enjoy your media. | |||
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