Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black)Reviews: Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Batteries Included: 1 Binding: Electronics Brand: Creative Labs Color: Black Display Size: 2.5 inches EAN: 0054651143852 Item Dimensions: Label: Creative Labs Languages: Manufacturer: Creative Labs Model: 70PF216100111 MPN: 70PF216100111 Publisher: Creative Labs Size: 16 GB Studio: Creative Labs Variation Description: Black Warranty: 1 year warranty Features:
Rating:  - Need a player for audio books? This is the one!!I had originally purchased a Microsoft Zune because I thought it would be user-friendly like its other products/programs...WRONG! So, back it went and I did some more research and chose this Creative Zen and I am so very pleased with it!! PROS: 1. Great price for 16gb 2. Very user-friendly. I was able to add music, videos and pictures without a problem. In fact, when I tried to add a picture to the Zen that was not compatible, the Zen program asked if I wanted it to convert the picture to a compatible format! 3. Zen downloads audio books from my state library website from the get-go...no special downloads needed (unlike Zune) 4. The USB cable is super short -- about 5 inches. At first it bothered me that the Zen dangled from the USB cable while it was charging, but now I like it because I know at a glance which cable is for the Zen among my many USB cables for my digital camera, camcorder, etc., and the Zen is so light that it won't damage the Zen or my computer USB port. ALSO, my cats can't step on the Zen because it's up out of the way. CONS: Only one that I've found...the screen protector that comes on the Zen can't be used to protect the screen because it has printing on it, so you really want to purchase one according to other reviewers who said the screen scratches easily. And, I'm going to listen BEFORE the screen gets scratched. RECOMMENDATION: Purchase a good leather case to protect the unit. I am VERY pleased with the following case that I purchased. It was not sold directly by Amazon but from a vendor (Enforcity), so I had to pay shipping but it was only $2.98. Enforcity mailed it the very next day and I am extremely pleased with it: Full Flap Leather Case for Creative Zen, Black I also used Amazon's customer service help line: 1-866-216-1072 because I had several questions about the Creative Zen. The rep was super friendly and answered my questions so that I could make an informed decision. I won't hesitate to use this number in the future when I have questions about products that I am thinking of purchasing. Rating: - Zen 16 GIG - Linux UserI had a NANO with 2G and that just wasnt' doing it for me, not enough space, but i loved the size of the device. I travel a bunch for work (Planes) and weight is an issue, so I need a device that is small. Well the ZEN is all that and more, I paid 139 for the 16G version and I love it. I use it with Linux with ZERO issues. If you are thinking about using with Linux you will need Gnomad 2, at least to sync the device. Works great, I am sure there is other SW for linux but this works great. Already had it running since my GF has a JukeBox from Creative. I am listening to it right now, and will be interested to see how long the battery lasts, the Ipod was OK, but getting worse over time, so I am looking forward to this, plus no stupid connector, just USB. Now I don't have to carry another cord. Great so far... Rating:  - White Screen of Death- No firmware fix forthcomingI wanted to like the Zen. In fact, I did like the bright screen, ability to use an sd card, etc. However, in the last year, it has slowly developed the dreaded "White Screen of Death". At first, I was able to get my screen back by getting a song to play and then putting the unit into hold. Taking it out of hold would restore the screen. Lately, nothing works, I have tried everything- downgrading the firmware, upgrading the firmware, rebooting, resetting- nothing works. It's basically a brick, it's out of warranty, and I can't afford to replace it. Conventional Internet wisdom is that it is caused by a hardware conflict. I don't care what it is- I see no effort on the part of Creative to comprehensively take care of those of us they know they sold a bad player to. All they do on their website is refer you to their customer service system, which if you are like me, will determine that the product is out of warranty and supply you with a link to a page where you can buy a new one. NO WAY! I'll buy something that is better supported by its manufacturer next time, shove this thing in a drawer and pray for Rockbox, Don't take a chance that yours will develop this problem- take my advice and return it now while you still can. Rating:  - So far, so good.I had previously owned the 8 GB version of this player and it was a total disaster. It seems that this 16 GB version is working well **so far**. Plays back movies perfectly well from Amazon's Unboxed as well as all the music I can load into it. The earphones are a bit cheesy, you might want to spring for a few extra dollars and buy something a bit better, depending upon your own hearing and tastes. The software that comes with the player is a bit clunky, you can use Windows Media Player to transfer songs right to the player and use Amazon's Unboxed software to transfer movies directly to the player. Rating: - really enjoyable, capable playerI've owned this (8 gig model) for a bit over a year and have used it heavily. A few fairly minor cons and a raft of important pros: ++++pros *good looks *acceptably quick power-on *solid manufacture (doesn't at all feel hollow or cheap) *has survived one drop from waist-height to tile floor (yikes) *8gb model is so roomy that it's difficult to overflow with music (different story for vids) *highly configurable menu (lets you remove items you don't want to see, change order of those you leave) *skinnable (you can put your own image as the wallpaper) *bright screen (see cons, haha... can be used as a nightlight, no joke) *great battery life (20 hrs or so without excessive browsing songs and with display @ 10%) *almost limitless memory expansion via SDHC card (though see cons) *easy to navigate (max of about four levels) *quick search by first letter (scroll through quickly) *reset button doesn't clear your stuff...just fixes hangs (see cons) *has radio (decent enough reception using your headphone cable as the antenna) *doesn't necessitate buying into the whole itunes proprietary nonsense ---- cons *black shows every smudge and fingerprint. if you're OCD about this, don't... just don't. if that's nbd for you, fine. *does play movies and does so well, but unless you have hours and hours to convert size and format, fuggetaboutit *sometimes gets hung (reset button to the rescue) *SDHC card is treated as separate memory with separate browsing *cannot play a song while charging (though very occasionally that has worked; usually though it stops play) *window scratches fairly easily (e.g. don't throw in pocket with keys) *perhaps the biggest gripe: its bundled software is not exactly likeable (it works but i am irked by it), and doesn't work at all in xp/64 (fine in 32-bit environment, but the unit can be browsed to and loaded via windows explorer) *occasional song corruption occurs if you don't use the installed software (fix is to delete the song and re-add using the sw or the wmp11 mtp update) *screen is really bright -- only goes in 10% increments, and 10% is still really bright at night, yow *only recharging option is USB, which necessitates the purchase of 12v accessory if you want to charge in car, for instance, or 120v accessory if you don't have a computer handy +++ final verdict despite a list of cons, most are minor for me and easily overlooked. most of the pros shine, or at least glow. i'm giving it 4 stars **** but not 5. a 5-star product would surpass all expectations and really blow me away. this is highly recommendable and if a few quirks (say, ahem, software, and the annoying separation of main memory from SDHC cards) were banished, i think this would go into the 5-star realm. still, a very nice unit, one that i use happily and friends and family ooh and aah about. Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black) ReviewsMore reviews:Buy Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black) Sale Reviews Deals
Creative Zen 16 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
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