I fell for it ...
Written: Jul 03 '02 (Updated Jul 04 '02)
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Pros: Large drive space, relatively easy to use, lots of features
Cons: Update caused firewire link to go down
The Bottom Line: One of the top choices in the market. Gives well rounded functionality for different kinds of music lovers. Get it if you can afford it!
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| anwarasw's Full Review: Creative Technology Nomad Jukebox (20 GB) MP3 Play... |
Yusakugo has a very comprehensive review of the Nomad ... I don't know how much more I can expound on it, at least on the technical side of things.
I will venture to give you my $0.02 worth on my personal experience based on using it in conjunction with my Fujitsu Laptop (which provides the Firewire port) [see http://www.epinions.com/content_68923199108] and my Bose Headphones [see http://www.epinions.com/content_59260440196] while on business trips or otherwise.
Unlike Yusakugo, I only purchased the 20GB model, last on the Best Buy shelf. I also purchased a 4-pin to 4-pin Firewire Belkin cable as the supplied package only came with a 6-pin to 4-pin cable.
My main reasons for purchasing an MP3 player were:
1. the inconvenience of having to turn on my laptop to listen to music (start up time of about 2 minutes)
2. the shorter battery life of my laptop
3. the limited space that my laptop will have if I download my family's music collection
It has taken me a long time to decide on an MP3 player. My top choice was Apple's iPod but Creative's other options pulled me away from the iPod.
Once I had my Fujitsu P-2046 laptop, I decided that my MP3 player had to have a Firewire link. As I have more than 3000 songs (and counting ... it is taking a long while to rip all my CDs - English, Mandarin, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, German, French, and Italian artistes) in my library. Just as luck would have it, only iPod & Creative's Jukebox 3 match this requirement.
While on a business trip, I succumbed to the temptation and sprang for it. Thinking that my family will also benefit from it for the upcoming trip to Asia (approx. 18 hours flight time).
Bringing it back to the hotel room, I unpacked it and found a CD (containing software and drivers), a couple of cables (USB and Firewire), power adapter set, a headset, a Lithium Ion rechargeable battery, and user guides/instructions. The first thing I did was to charge up the battery overnight in preparation for testing the next day - just following instructions.
On the aesthetic side, the standard blue cover matches my Fujitsu laptop very well. It was a surprising bonus.
The next day, I took the Nomad and plugged in the Creative provided headset ... and took it off. It is one of those that hung off the back of my head, but puts a lot more pressure on my ears. Since I wear spectacles, it pushes my frames against my ears and head, causing discomfort. I used my foldable Sony headset instead. I played through the introduction audio set that is locked onto the Nomad (as I found out later ... you cannot download it to your PC's music library). The Nomad came with a slew of MP3s, most of them classical, but also included a number of songs from various genres. Our Malay speaking friends will enjoy some of them, but I believe most of you will be deleting them after hearing them once. I would like to transfer them to my PC for archiving purposes and keep more songs on the Nomad that I will listen to regularly.
OK ... now I had to install the software. A snap. Several software pieces are installed:
1. Creative File Manager - for using your Nomad as a file storage area
2. Creative Jukebox
3. Creative Nomad Detector
4. Creative Disc Detector
5. Audio Recording Module
Once the software was installed, I took my Belkin cable and plugged it in on both ends (Fujitsu laptop and Creative Nomad) ... and voila, we were up and running! The Playcenter Jukebox popped up. I selected my CD drive as my source drive as I had a CD with MP3s to save space on my laptop, and just uploaded about 150 songs. I did not record the time as I know the CD drive's speed is a bottleneck.
But it was still speedy ... the bar that shows the file transfer displayed approximately 2-3 seconds for a 4MB file. So for 150 songs at 3 seconds = 450 seconds (approx 8 mins). Again, this is a naked eye test.
The software provided gives you ample options to manage your songs but is not the most versatile. You can change the skins and so forth, though I doubt it the creativity for the player will be as varied as the ones for the Winamp community.
Now to the player itself - it is slightly smaller than a portable CD player. It fits fine in a jacket pocket, cargo pants pocket, a backpack's side pocket, or a waist pouch.
There seems to be quite a number of buttons, making the navigation more cumbersome than the iPod. But you will probably only need to use about 4 of them actively - the Scroll wheel, the menu button, the back button, and the power switch. As a note, when I listen to music I do not skip around selecting songs. I let it run through my list regardless of the genre.
As for the battery life ... I don't know, I haven't had the opportunity to be listening to it for more than 4 hours. I do know that the batteries hold their charge well even when you don't use them. I left it unused for a week and it still was 2/3 charged (battery indicator is 3 bars) as when I left it. The 2nd battery bay will be useful for long trips.
Well, the quality of the output now. It is great. My songs are mostly encoded at 128, the newer ones at 160. The sound is great and you can choose the EAX effect quite easily. With my Bose headset, I can effectively block out the world and listen without annoying background noise.
The other features are bonuses that I may or may not use: 1. dual line-out - I'll use my PC to listen to my collection
2. optical/analog line-in - may use to record music while at my father's
3. infra-red remote control - don't see a need YET!
4. headphone control - convenient but probably won't purchase it as it may not work with my Bose headset
The conclusion?
I LOVE IT and will keep it! It does a whole lot more than I need it to and will keep my family entertained for a long while.
COMPLAINTS DEPT.
After upgrading to the latest File Manager, I haven't been able to get the Nomad Detector to work. I've submitted an email to tech support in Singapore to see if they can resolve it. I intend to uninstall the whole thing to see if it makes any difference.
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 399
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Epinions.com ID:
anwarasw
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Location: Singapore
Reviews written: 12
Trusted by: 1 member
About Me:
Gadget Collector (when finances permit).
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