Wow, Let me just say, this is BY FAR the best MP3 player I have owned out of, um, 4 questionable mp3 players.
DURABILITY:
I've had this player for 3 years now, and if that doesn't say something, then you should probably learn to read a little better. 3 years is a long time for an mp3 player, hell, its long even for a CD player! And believe me, it was not an easy 3 years! I've dropped it, scratched it, and its deffinately had its share of hard "shakes" and "jiggles". Any other mp3 player might fold under that pressure, but this baby has kept going. Now, about 2 months ago, the 10GB hard drive did finally crash, but is easily replaced with a 2.5in 9.5mm laptop hard drive. I replaced the old one with a Toshiba 20GB MK2018GAP. But believe me, the old drive was a reliable drive and the new one I got was only $30! Anywho, this player is so reliable, its almost scary...like those cheapo ugly sunglasses you just can't seem to get rid of.
SIZE/SHAPE/LOOK:
This is a downside for the NJ2. I have had so many people ask "Is that a CD player?" or make fun of me for pulling it out of my pocket. But then I just say back - yeah, but it sure beats your little 512MB "mp3 player". In anycase, it is a little big and cumbersome when there are 3x smaller mp3 players out there with similar size drive's....its a little, eh, embarassing...but it still gets the job done.
SOUND:
The sound on the NJ2 is awesome. The volume "level" goes up to 30, and the brilliant idea of standalone volume buttons is great. Meaning, while I'm searching for songs, I can turn the volume up or down without having to scroll back to the song title screen to do so (as in the iPod). Overall it can be either loud or quiet, with little distortion, and the EAX features are nice too, adding a little "flavor" to the music, such as "Auditorium".
FEATURES:
The player also some-what lacks features. It does have some nice EQ's and the power options are nice, also the "Now Playing List" and being able to make your own playlist are cool, but those are pretty much standard. Although, for the time it was made in and around (2002) they were pretty nice features. The major thing, and in my opinion the only thing, its missing is a clock. It would be nice to beable to look down at the NJ2 and see a nice clock at the top of the screen. Alas, there isn't one, but I guess with the technology age the way it is, only 1/8 of the population wouldn't have a cell phone with them. Other then that small complaint, there isn't much else to ask for...
PROGRAM:
The Creative Play Center is a type of program that you either hate or love. You can't really be "eh" on the issue of the program. I personally love the program. It lets you edit the song title, artist, and anything else about the track even after its on the player. Also its pretty easy to add music, you just drag and drop. Some bad features are that Creative decided to try and make an extra buck and didn't "register" the program with Microsoft. The good news, it still plays fine on the computer, the bad news - some computer freaks will literally "Cancel" the installation 100 times before they finally get the gall to just tell windows to "Ignore" and "Continue Installation". Creative assures you in the book you recieve with the player that everthing will be fine and technicians have observed no problems whatsoever with the program on windows. In any case, the program is pretty good, and whats also good is that Creative has it or another program you could use in substitution, for download on their website.
PRICE:
I bought mine off of a friend for $50 a year after he got it new off the shelf because he got the "newer, sleaker iPod" (which crashed on him 4 months later...just long enough for the warranty to void). Then, as I stated above, the new drive (3 years later) was $30. So in total, for a 20GB hard drive which lasts cost me only $80! It isn't bad, but although Creative's "new off the shelf" price was a little dumbfounding at the mark of $180-$240, depending on where you bought it and their mark up. Although, in Creative's wisdom, they discontinued the product, so it is no longer sold on shelves...thus you'll be buying it on eBay, which I guess means cheaper..
BATTERY LIFE:
The battery life is another thing which is a little "eh" on the player. It is not horrible, but it pales in comparison to something like the iPod. I clocked mine (remember, it is 3 years old) at around 6 hours of continuos play. For me that is more then enough...listen to it at times during the day, then come home at night and put it on the charger...For some it will not be enough, but I think for most, it will be sufficient.
PRODUCT MAKER:
I personally am not fond of Creative. They have some neat little players, but others have a reputation for failing. Also, they seem to want to price their players close to that, if not higher then, Apple's popular (and most of the time better) iPod. Also, when a product is so many years old, they "discontinue it" meaning, they no longer 1) Sell it 2) Will no longer give "help" via web or phone 3) Carry "extra's" for the product... It's pretty sad, and they could easily keep making money on some of these "discontinued" products....
BOTTOM LINE:
I love this player! I can't say it enough! It is durable, the sound is great, it is durable, the program is easy to use, and it is durable! Oh, and did I say that its durable!?!? However, in Creative's wisdom, they have discontinued this product, so the chances of finding it new is slim to none. But you can easily find it on ebay for $30-$60, which is a steal for a 10GB player (seeing as how some 512MB or 1GB players are going for $100+!!!). If you are looking into buying an MP3 player and dont have much cash, this is the one to get! If you are a jogger who doesn't want to give too much "running shock" to your brand new iPod, then buy this as a "jogging mp3 player". If your a clumsy kid who doesn't want to spend $300 on an iPod only to drop it and break it a weak later, then this is the mp3 player for you! If your a parent who doesn't want to spend a load on an mp3 player for your youngin', then this the player you want! There are endless possiblities....bottom line, this is a great, if not the best mp3 player on the planet. It may not look like much, but believe you me, it is one hell of a package! And I bet....in the year 2450 when aliens from outter space land, they'll find this and it'll still work...
Recommended:
Yes
Amount Paid (US$): 50 Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection
Huge storage capacity; 10GB hard disk holds up to 333 hours WMA files or 166 hours of 128kbps MP3 Fast downloads and broad compatibility, with USB 2.0...More at Amazon Marketplace
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.