Pray yours works!
Written: Jul 02 '02 (Updated Jul 16 '02)
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Pros: Small, beltclip, sounds good
Cons: Not reliable
The Bottom Line: It's a great player - so long as it works and you don't need to call customer support.
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| GRPaul349's Full Review: Creative Technology Nomad II (32 MB) MP3 Player |
Update : 7/11/02
I sent this one back and got a new one. The new one now locks up when I plug in the USB port to transfer songs. I even tried it with 2 other computers and it did the same thing. I wonder if anyone has one of these things that actually works?
I had a Nomad II for over a year. In that time I had to have it repaired twice. It finally died for good on me a few weeks ago. I've researched all the MP3 Players and the Nomad IIc was the best available for my needs : I run and exercise with it, so I need a small player with a beltclip.
I'm amazed at how many players don't have beltclips! The Nomad IIc was small, functional and had a beltclip all at an attractive price. (Buy.com has them cheaper than anyone else.)
My only concern was the durability of the model and the poor customer service I had with my old one. However, when it came down to it, the Nomad IIc was the best choice.
I bought it from buy.com, it came within a week. I bought the model with 128mb built in memory. This allows you to put in a 128 mb memory card for up to 256mb of memory. I encode at WMA 64kbps and get about 90 songs on it. It's not as clear as 128 MP3 but it works for me.
My unit came with player, backphones, installation cd and a battery. Installation was pretty simple and the limited instruction sheet worked well.
I was able to put in my own 128 mb card and download about 90 songs. That's a lot of music for me! It worked flawlessly the first few times.
Then I had problems. I couldnt download any music into the player. I reinstalled the software, restarted the pc and did about everything possible. Still no luck.
I called Creative tech support. There was no 800 number provided. I was on hold for 40 minutes until someone answered. I told him the problem and he said it sounded like a hardware issue. He said to return it to Creative.
If I were to return it, I would have to mail it, insured and wait 2-3 weeks for a possible replacement. They had 4 steps I had to follow to even be considered for replacement. This was totally unacceptable. Luckily, I bought it from buy.com and I sent it back to them defective.
That said, if you can get one that works its a great MP3 Player.
The Nomad IIc doesnt have the FM playback like the Nomad II model did. This isn't a major drawback though, as the reception on the FM was terrible!
The Nomad IIc has the standard Play/Pause/Forward/Reverse found in all MP3 Players. It has a menu function to set the backlight, time and auto shut-off function. It has several different equalizer settings. It also has a lock function to prevent it from accidentally changing the tracks.
The Nomad IIc also has voice recording function. I've never used it so I can't say how good it works.
The Nomad IIc also has... a BELTCLIP! I simply can't understand how someone can hold one of these things while working out. For me its a necesity to have a beltclip. This beltclip works great and fits snug in your waistband.
The Nomad IIc sounds good too. However, even with the volume on high (25) it still isn't that loud. When I use my lawnmower and listen to it the lawnmower still comes thru loud and clearly. It'll suffice, but it sure won't blow out your ears.
I was able to get about 5-6 hours on the standard AA Battery included. I would invest in a nice rechargeable and use that instead. It works well considering it's only being powered by 1 AA battery.
The Playcenter 2 software worked good the 2 times I was able to use it. It downloaded songs fairly quickly and was intuitive to use. The only thing I didn't like was the small Nomad Ad on the bottom right of the Playcenter. I paid for the product I shouldnt have to see Nomad advertising.
All in all this MP3 Player is a good product. It's priced right with 128mb onboard memory. It's small and is absolutely perfect for the exerciser and runner. However, the durability and customer service problems encountered at Creative prevent me from recommending it to anyone.
If you buy it, best of luck.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 129.99
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Epinions.com ID:
GRPaul349
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Reviews written: 30
Trusted by: 0 members
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