Best of the Solid-State MP3 Players
Written: Dec 27 '00
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Pros: High capacity, FM radio, great screen, WMA support, includes a remote control, uses standard SmartMedia format.
Cons: The headphones are the radio antenna, 64MB can be limiting, and backphones are just weird. Also it's a little pricey.
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| w9design's Full Review: Creative Labs Nomad II (64MB) MP3 Player |
When I “lost” my Diamond Rio 300, I began shopping for a new MP3 player. I decided on the Nomad II by Creative. Needless to say, I’m quite pleased with it, so much so that when I found my lost Rio it was quickly set aside in favor of its newer brother.
The Nomad is available in several flavors, of which I chose the 64MB version. Unlike the Rio, it uses the standard FAT12 filesystem on its SmartMedia cards, allowing them to be accessed using 3rd party card readers and other devices.
One of the Nomad II’s most prominent features is one that isn’t available out of the box. Support for Windows Media Audio (WMA), available via a firmware upgrade, offers the quality of 128 kbps MP3s in as little as 80 or even 64 kbps. The NOMAD stores about 30 varied 64 and 80kbps songs on average, in my experience.
Another great feature is FM radio tuning, but it uses the headphones as an antenna, so if you plan on making use of the radio, buy a pair of headphones with a long cord, since the bundled backphones have a very short cord.
It also includes a handy remote control that acts as a pass-through between the headphones and the device. It has most of the common functions and it can be clipped to your clothing wherever it’s convenient.
The Nomad II includes a pair of “backphones,” which are headphones with the band following the back of the head, instead of over the head. Personally, I prefer traditional headphones, but more active types may enjoy the included backphones.
The software included is perfectly adequate – it’s nothing to write home about, but it serves its purpose as expected, supporting all major versions of Windows with USB support. It will allow you to transfer any files to the Nomad for file transfer. You can transfer them back as well, however the software will not allow the upload of MP3 files.
The device seems sturdy, and, because it is solid state, it won’t skip, either. The LCD screen is backlit and has a well-designed menu system. Track information is handily available on the screen during playback.
I really like the Nomad II and I don’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone. Like all MP3 players, it doesn’t have massive capacity for music files. If you have a huge MP3 collection and you won’t have access to your computer for long periods of time, you may want to invest in the Nomad Jukebox, which actually has a hard drive built in to hold massive amounts of music. Otherwise, the Nomad II performs admirably and would be a welcome addition to anyone’s portable music arsenal.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 280.00
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Epinions.com ID:
w9design
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Location: Royal Oak, MI
Reviews written: 11
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