Rating: 
Summary: Incredible performance. Not for the poseur, however.
Review: Storage:
Decent. I have the 40GB and there are already 60 gig drives out there. However, this will last a while and, hey, in five years all of our digital information will no doubt be available Wi-Fi style.
I am at 5200 titles now and have about 40% space left. Sound:
Absolutely amazing. Now I know what Queensryche would sound like in my living room. And I heard it on the train. I spoke with a Creative Labs designer for this model, and evidently the "EAX" function almost didn't make the cut. I am thrilled it did. This feature alone makes up for the lack of compactness the iPod/mini offers. Price:
Still high. Was $372 (now $399 again) on Amazon in March 2004. That's way above the price for a similar Nomad Zen. Connectivity:
None better on the market. USB 1.0, 2.0 and Firewire. Software:
Horrid. It seems like the designers just found their 256 color pallate. The interface is not intuitive and is clunky. Get Notmad from Red Chair and you will see your Nomad as you should -- as an external drive to your PC. The Ripping function on the Creative software hangs once every five times or so. Firmware:
The upgrades make this a solid interface. Be sure to upgrade online. (Apr. 2004 version is 1.40.p) Design:
Clunky. The NJ3 is still compact enough to stow in a jacket pocket or front pocket of a briefcase. It looks like a CD Player, which is fine. I suppose it is less likely to be thieved off me on the street since it looks like a $20 piece of merchandise. Durability:
This puts the Nomad Jukebox 3 over the top...and perhaps is a benefit of the CD-tank-like shell. While grooving out the other night, my buddy grabbed the attached speakers (Panasonic, $39, Creative's are baaad and costly) off of my garage fridge -- thinking they were wireless. He launched the player 8 feet out and 6+ feet down. At what seemed like 30MPH.
There's barely a scuff on her and she's played tremendously for several days since. Bottom line: Pricey. But, in this case, with cost comes incredible hardware/firmware quality. This product is worth the purchase.
Rating:
Summary: One Fine Machine
Review: This is a good machine. A bit overpriced perhaps, but it works great. Occasionally it will lock up, which just needs a quick reset. I'm tired of these Apple slaves pushing that eccentric garbage on everyone. The ipod is not better, merely comparable. Not superior by any stretch of the delusional apple worldview. Think different, what a joke.
Rating:
Summary: Buy this Nomad NOW!!
Review: This is the second Creative product I've purchased. The first was the 6Gig version and I ran out of space in two months--ripping 116 CD's onto the Nomad. I was too cheap at the time to realize the genius of the product.
I've since sold the 6Gig version and seriously upgraded to the 40GB slammer. I am a serious music lover and now know the full extend of my CD's (only 376 to date) as they are all mp3'ed and on my Nomad. I'm enjoying music I hadn't listened to in years.
The best bit is the portability (and not carrying around CD's). I listen to it in my house, take in into my car (still playing) run it through my tape deck (I hope they invent something to run it through a car CD player), then into work--what a JAZZ. It is without a doubt the best piece of electronic gear since the digital camera.
The biggest draw back will be the day I drop it. ;o>
Rating:
Summary: So far so great!!
Review: This thing is awsome! I had jukebox I, bought it when it first came out and loved it, but this is so much faster and user-friendly. I love the scroll wheel and the new menu.
The software was very easy to install and upgrade to the latest firm ware.
The new 1394 hook up is fast and no problems. did i mention it is much faster than usb.
I dont have any negatives except one. NO USER MANUEL. a quick start guide. YOu can download the full version off the web-site but i like books. Oh well it is so easy to use you will not need it anyway, considering I already had a jukebox.
Hope this helps and God Bless You.
Rating:
Summary: The ULTIMATE Audio Toy!
Review: Wow! 40 gigabytes of music storage is hard to fathom. But I've loaded over 100 full albums (over 1,600 tracks), and I've only used up less than 10% of the space! Ripping CDs is much simpler with the new interface, and with the automatic CDDB internet link, you get all of the album and track details. Software loading is a snap. Load the CD, and in less than 10 minutes you're flying with this system. The sound quality out of this unit is outstanding. Interfaces for your PC, for Creative Labs speaker systems, your regular stereo, or just a pair of headphones. One MINOR complaint, though. It'd be nice if the music library listings would show the track times. Get this! You'll LOVE it!
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