Rating: 
Summary: lasted 1 day
Review: A disappointing x-mas present for my son. Initial (windows-xp) installation problems were eventually resolved with a PlayCenter 2.5 upgrade and xp patch. Unfortunately, the upgrade wasn't at the website documented with the unit. Finally the unit was working great! The next day downloading stopped working. After reinstalling the SW, downloading appeared to work but it wouldn't play. Creative's web support and FAQs were not helpful. Hope others have a better experience. Mine is being returned.
Rating: 
Summary: Not enough bang for the buck
Review: As this model is lacking the FM tuner and any built-in memory, the standard Nomad II (not the C) is a better buy. The small size makes this especially convenient as an exercise companion. Be sure to get the firmware update to be able to support 128meg cards. Battery life was better than expected despite the other [...] reviews. I got about 8-10 hours on a single AA. Transfer speed is especially fast with USB. About 500kb per second, so a 4 minute song @128bps takes about 8 seconds to transfer to the player Navigating the songs and player controls is constantly confounding me. Did the monkeys in the back room busily typing up Shakespeare also write the Nomad's user interface? Much sturdier than expected; I dropped this several times on the cold, hard gym floor and, although the battery door and accompanying Duracell promptly fell off each time, the unit was unscathed. Time remaining for VBR songs is always calculating wrong, but every song played perfectly. The included pleatherette pouch tends to leave tiny, black flakes on the screen which is really annoying. The voice recorder doesn't pick up much beyond about 5 feet. The song randomizer is TOO truly random and includes too much repetition (it should actually _shuffle_ so as to not repeat). After half the songs play (assuming no repeats), you have a 1 in 2 chance of the next song being one you heard already. Frustrating. PC software is relatively friendly, but is GHASTLY buggy before getting the update from the website (which is NOT under "downloads", it's in the "support" area). Although the device does not inherently support the Audible format, it can be converted to MP3 with Goldwave. This with WMA, MP3, and WAV support makes this device a boon for commuters.
Rating: 
Summary: A great little player
Review: I bought the Nomad II C from Amazon at Christmas and got a great deal on it, and I only paid $.... The 32MB built-in memory isn't really enough, so I recommend that you add at least another 64MB of memory (Amazon has some great deals on SmartMedia cards too). The sounds quality is brilliant but some don't come with headphones, and the ones that come free aren't that good, so I suggest you get a new set of those too. Only other complaints are that you need to take the battery out to the remove the SmartMedia card (if you need to, say, clean it), and that the instructions on how to use the voice recorder are minimal, if not non-existant. I still haven't figured it. The best things include the quality of the sound, immense battery life, compact size, easy navigation of the menu and the fact that the headphone jack is tight enough to hold onto the MP3 player if you drop it - almost like a safety cord. I won't lie - this thing isn't stratchproof, and the lack of a leather case is a bit galling, but the silver finish is great and really makes this MP3 player one of the best going for this kind of price.
Rating:
Summary: Worth the Price--Look for the 64Mb OnBoard Version in Stores
Review: I bought the Nomad IIc with 64Mb onboard memory this week, combined it with an old 64Mb SmartMedia card from a failed Philips RUSH player, and lo and behold I've got a sweet 128Mb setup that works great. I didn't think I could replace my beloved Intel Pocket Concert, whose volume buttons broke after one too many drops to the pavement, but this player fit the bill. I do miss the FM tuner, but not so much. I also wish I had a seamless 128Mb of storage--you have to load each memory space separately; however they play back-to-back--but for the price I can't complain. Also, I have seen complaints about the Creative PlayCenter software. All I can say is, be patient because it's out there. Anyway, the software is pretty good--wish it could generate auto playlists like RealJukebox (no, not RealOne)--and it transfers songs as quickly as any MP3 setup I've worked with (4 and counting, now). All in all, I am hopeful that my Nomad IIc will last a while...
Rating:
Summary: MP3 Players vs. Minidiscs
Review: I bought this after already buying a minidisc player because I figured I could put MP3s on my computer onto alot of minidiscs and the discs are cheaper than the memory cards for MP3 players.
I was right, and for a while it worked well. Some cons are that it records in real time, so if you're recording MP3s (hook the minidisc to the line-out of your CPU and record while you play the MP3s on Winamp or whatever) it takes as long as recording a cd to a tape. Another thing is that the discs are too cheap (a little over a dollar) and alot of times you can only record 50 minutes of the 74 minutes that they are supposed to hold. Finally, to my dismay, minidiscs can skip. Yeah, it's hard to do, but when I run with it I have to hold it in my hand because a pocket or belt clip (which mine didn't come with) would jostle it too much. It's freakin' heavy too.
So now I got this MP3 player after beating up on my minidisc player and all I can say is that it comes with headphones (something I didn't see) and that 32mb is still not alot of memory. I could only fit 5 songs (Pink Floyd so yeah, some of them were kind of long). Buy a memory card, the price has gone down on them. Figure (1 song = 4 mb memory). It doesn't transfer as fast as I'd hoped either.
Rating: 
Summary: Plug and Play
Review: I bought this player as part of a new computer purchase, so it came with headphones/remote control and a carrying case, unlike the version here. It also plays FM radio, up to 32 stations can be scanned and saved. I just bought a 128MB SmartMedia card from Amazon, since it only ships with the 32 MB built-in storage. I had no problems installing the software that shipped with computer, and had it up and running in a matter of minutes. The sound is fabulous (I don't understand the reviewer's comment about it not playing loudly; not a problem for me). The only thing I don't like are the over-the ear headphones (as seen in the accessory pack). I am going to replace them with ear-buds; the small size of the player is defeated by having to carry these large, awkward headphones. The in-cord remote control is separate from the 'phones, so I assume I can replace the 'phones without losing the remote. Well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Plug and Play
Review: I bought this player as part of a new computer purchase, so it came with headphones/remote control and a carrying case, unlike the version here. It also plays FM radio, up to 32 stations can be scanned and saved. I just bought a 128MB SmartMedia card from Amazon, since it only ships with the 32 MB built-in storage. I had no problems installing the software that shipped with computer, and had it up and running in a matter of minutes. The sound is fabulous (I don't understand the reviewer's comment about it not playing loudly; not a problem for me). The only thing I don't like are the over-the ear headphones (as seen in the accessory pack). I am going to replace them with ear-buds; the small size of the player is defeated by having to carry these large, awkward headphones. The in-cord remote control is separate from the 'phones, so I assume I can replace the 'phones without losing the remote. Well worth the money.
Rating:
Summary: Nice MP3 player
Review: I got a 0MB refurb from Creative when they were clearing them out. I recommend the standard II (non C) model with a 128MB SM card and a docking station. While 128MB is good you'll tire of the music quickly and, at that point, you can listen to the radio (C has no FM tuner.) The docking station makes charging the batteries and dumping new music easy. Changing MP3's is enough of a hassle that you won't want to do it all that much. I really like the wired remote and headphones supplied, throw the player in your pocket and you have complete control with the mini remote in your hand. Some complain of lack of volume, but you REALLY shouldn't listen that loud anyways (loud headphones are very bad for your hearing!) My unit does very occasionally lock up and I don't know if this is a result of the beta firmware(required if you want it to recognize 128MB.) Overall this is a good value for a compact, skip-proof MP3 player (ideal for phyiscal exercise.) I only with it came from a better company.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Quality. Best for the money
Review: I got the NomadIIc recently. EXCELLENT MP3 player! Durable, user friendly interface, and good features make this a steal at the $99 I paid for it. Built in DSP modes including a custom bass and treble user setting that make it easy to get the sound that you like from your music. Downloading to the Nomad is very fast and easy to do. I bought 2 64mb smart card's (32mb built in memory is not enough.) 1 card alone holds atleast 20 average length songs at 96bps. I recommend using .mp3 format over .wma. The sound quality is a little better (.wma crackles at peak song levels at 96kps) and the file size is near the same. If you want a little better sound quality yet, songs recorded at 128bps will provide CD quality sound at the cost of larger file size (about 20% larger.) The one thing that is rather annoying to me is if you need to switch out smart cards, it is somewhat difficult to remove the card without removing the battery. A small annoyance for so many features. The included software does not support Windows 95 so I have not had a chance to use it. I have Windows 95 at work which is where I use my Nomad most of the time. The unit comes with Creative PlayCenter 2 for the IBM and SopundJam MP for the Mac. The headphones are good headphones for being included. They take some time to get use to, but work well. Fair - Good sound quality with some distortion at higher sound levels. The headphones do not keep sound in well at all. If you need to keep external sound to a minimum, buy different headphones. I did find these headphones to be exceptionally comfortable when listening to music in bed at night. I have a set of Studio quality Koss headphones which, paired with the Nomad, are an excellent pair. Battery life is amazing as well. I have just over 10 hours of use on the current battery with 1/3 battery life left. If this is your 1st MP3 player or you have little use for a tuner, The NomadIIc is an EXCELLENT choice.....Plan on buying smart cards for storage, but at approximate $25 - $30 a piece for 64mb (on auction sites), it is pretty affordable.
Rating:
Summary: Oldie but a Goodie
Review: I had bought my Nomad II (32MB onboard) sometime in 2001 for $69. I cannot beleive that I got it for that price and still it stays at that price two years later. It has great sound and with a 128MB card you have plenty of music to last you. It is a great piece and everytime I look to get a new one or a better one, I can't find anything that is much better for the price. I am keeping my mine until the price of MP3s drop drastically.
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