Creative Zen Micro = Nifty!
Written: Jun 03 '05
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Pros: Compact, Easy to use, Touchpad, FM Radio, Variety of colors.
Cons: Some FM radio stations don't show up, case doesn't protect screen.
The Bottom Line: Excellent player that does it all! And at a cheaper price than the Ipod!
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| d2privat11's Full Review: Creative Labs Zen Micro (5 GB) Black MP3 Player |
I bought this MP3 player after several weeks of research. I wanted a compact player that was simple to use, well designed, and had an FM radio. I came across this after I had checked out the Muvo Micro on the Creative site, and I must say, the Paris ad's were definitely hot. I had a tough time deciding between this and the Rio Carbon, but in the end, the backlight, colors, and features won me over (even with reported incidents with the battery life and charging problems).
Overview:
The sound quality is far beyond what I've experienced so far, especially with the Sennheiser MX500's, the stock earbuds just don't cut it, so I recommend that you upgrade to some quality headphones such as the Koss Porta-Pro or the Sennheiser MX500's.
Software setup and firmware upgrade were simple to install and the user's guide is surprisingly small, considering there's only several english pages.
Uploading songs through the Zen Micro Media Explorer and the Creative MediaSource Organizer is a breeze, and if you go to a friends house, you can always sync up with WMP, so you can mooch off of your friends music collection without the hassle of installing more software.
Navigating the touchpad is a little difficult at first, but after about 10 minutes I got the hang of it, and it became extremely comfortable. This is one of the main reasons I chose this device. I didn't even consider the Ipod due to the fact that I didn't want to spin in circles in order to go up and down. There's a back button, play button, little-menu pop-up button, and forward and back track buttons. Volume control is done with the touchpad on the Now Playing screen, but I'm hoping to get the remote soon, which has two buttons dedicated to volume control on it.
Extra Features:
FM Radio gets great reception in my area (Fort Worth, Texas) and sounds pretty clear, except some stations appear staticy, but for the majority, most are clear. You can also record straight off the air, if there's a specific song that you want.
Voice record, I haven't tested it out.
Calendar/Time: Self-explanatory and easy to use.
Customizable Menu: I really love this, you can choose which categories you want on the front display and in what order!
Case: Hard plastic case with a mini stand, case allows all buttons to be easily accessible but provides no protection to the front, also a little hard to take out of the case.
Battery: So far so good, I've gotten between 11.5 to 12 hours after each full charge, if it changes I'll update. But I installed the latest firmware right when I got it.
Removable Disk: This option allows you to set aside a specific amount of space to be used for storage for transferring files. Very useful for taking files to work, school, or a friends.
Conclusion:
All in all, this is a nifty little device that does all an MP3 player should, and more! The extra features and lower price make it a more appealing competitor to the Mini-Ipod and in my opinion is better.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 186.99
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
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Epinions.com ID:
d2privat11
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Reviews written: 5
Trusted by: 1 member
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