Creative ZEN 2.5" Black 4GB MP3 / MP4 Player

Worth Every Cent

Reviewed By: bjoyce on 10/4/2007

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 day to 1 week

Pros: I got this 4 days ago... 4 days that have gotten me through school. I've stored about 300 songs and 6 episodes of family, and I still have over 2 GB less. The TFT Screen is brilliant, and so are the animation visuals for transition.
WOW, what a player, this has an extra 1/2 inch screen (2.5 to ipod Nanos 2) And let me tell you, it is better than it. FM Radio Nano doesn't have, and you can make Play lists ON or OFF of your MP3 player

Cons: I would reccomend buying a protector for this, and also the USB/Charger chord is about 5 inches long.

Other Thoughts: Buy it, you won't regret it. EVER

Best Mp3 players I have ever bought
(beats ipod nano video<<-- AND 20 bucks cheaper!)

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iPod Nano killer!!

Reviewed By: Benny on 10/18/2007

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Ignore the review below me, the firmware update worked fine on mine. Must be an isolated problem. Now on to the goods... Microphone recorder, Photos, Music, Videos and FM Radio! iPod Nano has nothing on the ZEN. I also like the fact you can listen to music and view your pictures at the same time. Pretty neat feature.

Cons: As others mentioned below me, the SD memory expansion integration could have been better. It is seen a separate device from the player and does not really "expand" the current library already there. This is just a minor glitch and maybe can be fixed in a future firmware update. You listening Creative!?!??! =)

Other Thoughts: Get yourself a nice protector for this. Seems fragile to me, although it DOES have a hard shell.

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SD card problems... Read before you buy.

Reviewed By: Smoke_007 on 5/3/2009

Tech Level: high - Ownership: 1 week to 1 month

Pros: Nice player. Small size.

Cons: This is from Creative's site.

Note - As the SD card is accessed as a removable drive, advanced features of the player such as; playlists, searching by artist, album, etc., will not be available. If you would like to use the advanced features of your player, you will need to use your PC to transfer the SD content to your player's internal memory.

I bought the 4 gig model knowing I could add a 16 gig SDHC Class 6 card. PS. The card works great. But, the files on the card do not integrate in to the software within the player. Very bad. You have to browse to the folders manually and play your songs. So, that also means no play lists. My wife is not happy. :(

Card slot is a good place for videos though, since videos are just one file per movie and you don't need playlists.

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EXCELLENT player for the price!

Reviewed By: on 4/30/2009

Tech Level: somewhat high - Ownership: more than 1 year

Pros: Where to start. I've had this player for almost 2 years now (bought for about 40 bucks more than it is now), and everything still works great. I'm somewhat of an audiophile, and though the sounds quality on this is nothing special, it outperforms most other mp3 players by a mile. The customizable EQ actually works, and doesn't distort your music too much. The included earbuds are mediocre, but if you get some decent headphones, this player will amaze for the price!! The durability is incredible too. I've taken this to work on a construction site many times, I've dropped it into two creeks and more than a few cans of various cleaning chemicals, still works like a charm. The screen will scratch (come on, it's only plastic), but a little buffing will get it out. The FM radio is pretty good, the mic is great for such a small player, and the SD slot is INVALUABLE!

Cons: Creative software....don't even bother. I updated my firmware with an open-source upgrade that made the player much more useable, and I pretty much only use Windows Explorer to transfer and organize my music. Invest in a good video converter if you plan to watch many videos on this thing (I play all mine from an SD card), as the format restrictions are absurd. It plays pretty much anything that's DRM-free, but sometimes it will balk trying to load m4a (AAC) songs. Get handy at using the little reset button on the bottom, mine manages to freeze on a regular basis.

Other Thoughts: Overall, one heck of a good deal for an mp3 player. It's a little old now, but if all you need is a solid mp3/mp4 player with good sound quality and a relatively easy interface, look no further. The price just can't be beat for the quality, and the durability is amazing, this thing will last forever. As always, kudos to newegg on customer service, I almost had to send mine back as a lemon (why I upgraded the firmware), and newegg was awesome.

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Reviewed By: WEASEMAN on 4/27/2009

Tech Level: average - Ownership: 1 month to 1 year

This user purchased this item from Newegg

Pros: Nice compact sounds ok holds alot of music , good video but every now and then when it powers up its like the brightness changes and looks terrible .

Cons: FM radio reception lacks alot not sure why this would be a feature .

Other Thoughts: can someone say iPOD

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