Need every Album you own with you?
Written: May 12 '03
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Pros: Easy to Use, update, manage. Used for data transfer. Great EAX abilities. Compact and light.
Cons: drivers needed for data transfer. Needs it's firmware updated. Slight learning curve.
The Bottom Line: If you need capacity, stamina and style, and don't want to be constantly reloading your player, this is for you.
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| slavedheart's Full Review: Creative Labs Nomad Jukebox Zen (20 GB) MP3 Player |
The Nomad Zen 2.0 is the device that should make the IPod crowd work a little harder for it's dominance in the MP3 player market. This svelte box from Creative has the style, the capacity and the ability to make a major name for itself, if it could only bring it's ability out from behind its driver issue.
The second I took the Nomad Zen 2.0 out of it's box, I could tell it was going to change the way I played MP3's. It's thin case and sturdy body masked the intricately useful device that lay inside. I pushed all the buttons and tried the dial, which feels a little light and mushy at first, but with time, the light press it takes is more for enhanced usability than bad design, and there is no problem with accidentally "double clutching" with a little practice. They layout of the track navigation button seems backwards at first as well, but again, with a little usage, they only made sense, especially when I was using it for athletic activities. The protective case does a good job holding and protecting the unit, while allowing unrestricted access to all the functions. The only complaint there is the fact that you have to open the top of the case to attach the USB cable, but this to is a good point when using the device on the road as it prevents anything clogging the Mini-USB 2 port.
For my first trial, I took it Rollerblading with me, and when I go, the terrain isn't always as smooth as I would like it to be... After a few hours of bouncing around the poorly laid streets in my neighborhood, the Nomad stood up like a champ to the jostling of being clamped to the strap of my backpack. Not once did it skip, miss or even hiccup, and navigating the tracks of my favorite albums and playlists was easy to do at speeds of up to 25mph.
Next, I took my new little friend out to play my drums with me. I have an extensive collection of drum music that I've been trying to learn forever by playing it on a boombox while I play along. After quickly (and I mean QUICKLY) transferring it to my Zen, and working up a quick little playlist for it, all of which can be easily accomplished with the Creative Play Center, which also is a great, albeit a little simple) I was finally able to jam along at my pace (and even time stretch some parts with EAX to learn the patterns) without having to play quietly just to hear the music. Again, all the bouncing, sweating and moving couldn't stop this beast from playing along like I had my own backup band in a box.
Finally, it was time for a serious test... I took this out and hooked it up in my truck (via a tape adapter), and put it in the center console. Twelve hours later I was in Detroit, and my player still had enough battery to play into my headphones while I walked from my parking spot to my uncles house. With the fabulous random play, and the enormous capacity, I never heard even the same artist twice if I didn't want to, much less the same song.
In conclusion, if you want capacity, stamina, and ease of use, you could do much worse than considering a Nomad Zen 2.0 and even save some money in the process, but why would you? This svelte little unit handles everything you can throw at it and keeps coming back for more... I'm going to purchase the wired remote with microphone and FM tuner soon, and may never need to take off my headphones, or at least when I'm not driving.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 299.99
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Epinions.com ID:
slavedheart
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Reviews written: 1
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