I bought this product for a few reasons -

1. I didn't want to be a Pod person.
2. I've had good experiences with Creative in the past.
3. I like the battery life.
4. I don't mind the larger size.
5. Easy to put plain data on the unit, to use it as a portable HD.

In general, I'm quite happy with my purchase.

The battery life is amazing. I can listen to it for days before it needs to be charged. And it charges quickly - I think it's around a 4 hour charge to get 24 hours of play time.

Speaking of charging, I've had some bizarre issues trying to get the Touch to charge through the USB port. It won't charge while it's turned on, but the minute you plug it into USB, it automatically turns on. Then it won't let you turn it off without disconnecting it first. I have to go through a weird voodoo sequence of unplugging, powering off, replugging and praying to get it to work.

The touch pad is very, very sensitive - even on its lowest setting. A little too sensitive, in my opinion. Occasionally, my touchpad has gone crazy - I can't get to the top or bottom, making scrolling impossible. Pressing the reset fixes it. I contacted Creative, and they want me to send it back. Since it's out of the 3 month free service period, they want $25 just to look at it. No thanks.

Once nice thing about the touch pad is you get to choose between tapping the pad or pressing an OK button. I like having the choice, and I prefer the button.

I like the case it comes with. It provides excellent protection (I've dropped it several times). The Touch itself is also very durable, sustaining several case-denting walks into walls without ill effect. I've had no problem with music skipping or dropping when I jostle it.

The bundled software is mediocre, and the installation scripts on the website just plain stink. They claim to scan your system for what you need, then ask you what you want to install. Huh? So I chose everything, thinking the website scanned for what I needed. Boy, was that a mistake. I uninstalled and reinstalled the Creative software no fewer than 4 times before things worked right.

I went back and forth with customer support for weeks on the issue, and they just drove me crazier. Apparently they think everything is as it should be, and I'm doing something wrong. I eventually had to figure it out for myself, because they were no help.

The only saving grace for the software is the PlaysForSure firmware upgrade. Once you get this firmware on the Touch, you can use Windows Media Player 10 to sync music onto the device. You can also use the Creative PlaysForSure drag-n-drop interface, which is very convenient for putting plain data files on the Touch.

The best thing about the Touch is the 'random' button right on the face. You can mash that button and get a random play of everything on the device instantly. Very convenient.

The display is clear and easy to read in any light. The buttons are well placed and convenient to use.

The included earphones are not bad, not great. I got myself a set of Etymotics E6i's, and the sound is fantastic.

If I had to do it again, I would probably buy something else, mostly due to the touchpad, the software and my customer service experience.

-Joe

Recommended: Yes

Amount Paid (US$): 225
Recommended for: Music Lovers - High Capacity Storage for an Entire Album Collection