Nomad II MP3 Player: Daughter's Favorite Christmas Gift
Written: Jan 14 '03 (Updated Jan 17 '03)
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Pros: Very portable, great sound, plugs into other media easily, good software.
Cons: 64 MB isn't enough for a teenager, adding memory card is confusing.
The Bottom Line: For a first time MP3 user, the Nomad II will fill the bill nicely. More advanced users will likely demand more.
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| MsHooterville's Full Review: Creative Labs Nomad II (64MB) MP3 Player |
Every time we get into the car for even a short trip, my teenage daughter has toted her portable CD player and at least a dozen CDs in a cumbersome case.
One of the main things she begged for at Christmas was an MP3 player -- a gadget neither of us knew a whole lot about, except that you can get "free" music online and it's much more portable and convenient than a CD player.
Shopping: I Didn't Know Where to Start
So like I often do when I don't know where to start shopping, I found the Creative Nomad II MP3 player available for 99.99 at Amazon.com, and with a $30 rebate I have yet to receive after more than a month.
As it turns out, I got a great deal, tax-free and S & H included, as we saw the identical unit at Sam Goody stores for $139.00 after the holidays.
All You Need in One Package
The day the Nomad II arrived in the mail at my office (where it wouldn't be seen beforehand by the intended recipient), and I immediately opened the package to study the contents:
The Nomad II MP3 player and headphones.
A USB Cable
An installation CD with "jukebox" software.
The instructions, which came in a dozen languages, weren't very helpful or complete, even in English. They seemed to be written to cover almost all of the Nomad line of MP3 players, not just the one I had.
But I forged on, used the CD to install the "jukebox" software, then did some web searching to find a "free" music website. My teenage nephew recommended Kazaa.com, which was user-friendly enough for me to install and begin using promptly.
Easy Enough Even for a MOM
My goal was to give my daughter the Nomad II loaded with some of her favorite songs of all time, and "of the moment." On Kazza, I easily found everything on her wish list, including the theme "Chosen One" from The Sopranos.
The software made it easy enough for me to download songs from Kazaa onto my computer using the Nomad software, and with the USB cable, transfer it easily from my C Drive directly into the Nomad unit.
You can listen to music on your computer without the Nomad headphones, but you must wear the headphones to hear the music from the unit.
Headphones HURT
For two or three days, I loaded the Nomad II with songs I knew my daughter wanted, and enjoyed listening to them through the headphones, even though they were not comfortable for me.
As it turns out, I was wearing them WRONG, like traditional headphones. My daughter showed me how to wear them properly -- the support arch goes BEHIND your head, not on top of it, and low near the neck.
Even wearing them correctly, I don't think they're comfortable, but she's completely happy and likes them much better than the KOSS headphones she bought to go with her CD player.
Just One AA Battery Lasts a Long Time
The very first battery I put into the Nomad II and listened to myself before giving my daughter her gift lasted until about a week ago after daily use. I was impressed with the long life, as well as the great sound, and had expected the single battery to wear out much more quickly.
The unit has 64MB "on board" memory, which is enough for 15 to 20 songs, depending on file sizes.
Adding Memory? Finally Figured it Out!
Delighted with her present, my daughter wanted to buy a 128 MB memory card to add to the 64 MB. Both the screwy instructions AND description at Amazon say this unit is upgradable to 192 MB, but it took some time to figure out how to insert it.
There is a sliding door on the back of the player where you change the battery, and there is a slot that appears to be the right size for the memory card -- you might have to wiggle and shove and try a few different ways to get it inside. A good, firm push is required to insert it properly. You might be reluctant to put as much pressure on it as needed for fear of breaking something, but just keep trying -- patiently.
Once the card is properly inserted, a little card icon shows up on the display screen. And when you've added more songs beyond the on board 64 MB capacity, the titles of the new additions will have the memory card icon next to them so you can tell which songs are stored on the card.
The SanDisk Memory Card we purchased was the one recommended by Amazon to accessorize this particular player.
Overall, we're very content with the performance and quality of the Nomad II MP3 Player. Chances are you will want to spend the extra money for the additional memory with this model.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 99.00
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MsHooterville
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Member: Ms Hooterville
Location: Hooterville Green Acres USA
Reviews written: 596
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News and feature writer, graphic designer and artist, wife and mother, small business owner.
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