Rating: 
Summary: Zen is Great but I agree there were a few short cuts
Review: I received this Zen in December and haven't had any problems with it. It took me about 1 hour or so to figure out the software which was a pain.I do however do not like the idea that the battery is not user changable nor the 3 month warrentee. Its a bit on the heavy side but that was a small price to pay for 20 gigs. I am enjoying it and would recommend it to anyone in the market for a high capacity MP3 player.
Rating: 
Summary: Great mp3 player, few minor quirks keep it from having 5*
Review: First I bought a Nomad II that uses SmartMedia. It was a pain to constantly upload new music to it due to the limited storage. Then I bought a Sonic Blue CD based MP3 player. It skips so bad it's unusable. So I set out to decide between iPod and Zen. I chose the Zen because it's much cheaper. I won't go on about all the great features, except to say it works very well. Everyone complains about the PlayCenter software but it's not that bad. If you really hate it you can buy Notmad Explorer for ... (which is better I admit). However you should know about a few quirks: - It only has a 3 month warranty! No excuse for this. Shame on Creative. So figure in another ... for an extended warranty. - The battery is not user replaceable, and lithium-ion batteries don't last forever. Fact is it will need to be replaced in a couple years. - There is no STOP button, so you can't stop it from playing a song. VERY ANNOYING. - The remote is not included. Many places are selling it for ... which I think is really expensive. I ordered it for ... but it's on backorder. - It's a little larger than the iPod, but not much. - Instead of using a directory hiearchy, it relies on the ID tags, which are often incorrect on downloaded music. - The included headphones are too tight and can't be adjusted Some things I really like: - The LCD is easy to read - Firewire transfer is very fast - You can charge with the USB port (great for the office) - The AC Adapter is 110/220V so it works in Europe Overall I like the Zen but I feel Creative took lots of shortcuts to get the price lower than the iPod. If you add some nice ear bud headphones, extended warranty, and remote control, it still comes out to be cheaper but not that much.
Rating: 
Summary: Won't install on Windows ME
Review: Bought this for my daughter for Christmas - but after a week of work including 3 hours on the phone with Nomad help - Nomad decided their was NO ANSWER as to why it would not load on my Winsdows ME system. Very, very frustrating. Telephone help was friendly and persistent-- but no answers. On-line help is yet to respond. If you have Windows ME - proceed with care. A second windows Me system I tried would not install either.
Rating: 
Summary: Lots of Bang for the Buck!
Review: All I can say is that I just don't see how Apple can sell a 20 gig iPod for $500 when a 20 gig Zen costs considerably less. The Zen sounds better than the iPod and is a bit more rugged. Don't get me wrong - Apple makes great stuff, but I'll take function over uber design anyday - especially for less money. And for those that prefer the iPod and are considering a platform switch from PC to Mac: don't do it! It's a scam - they're not everything they're touted to be!
Rating:
Summary: Awesome product
Review: I recieved a Zen for Christmas, and I absolutley love it. I use it with a car kit in my car, and the sound is amazing. It makes my sound system sound a million times better, even with less-than-top-of-the-line speakers. I also love how you can change the EAX settings, such as making the music sound as if it's in the bathroom, or in a concert hall. There's also the option of advanced equalizing and time-scaling, which is great for slowing down songs to understand the lyrics. You can also use smart volume, for example, put it on "late night" to decrease dramatic volume changes so you aren't awaken. I love it - the volume is great, the flow is great, and the transfers from computer to Zen are quick and easy. Great product!
Rating:
Summary: Trying to Decide Between Nomad Zen & Ipod? - Read This!
Review: ... First, the Nomad Jukebox Zen is actually more flexible (USB 1.1 or firewire). While it's slightly more bulky ..., it's still pretty small for a 20GB jukebox. The interface and menus take a little getting used to but is easily mastered by anyone with a 6th grade education. The LCD is easy to see/read. The software works great...works just fine on XP. Most importantly...it sounds great! Sounds great in my car using the cassette adapter. Sounds unbelievable through my home stereo system using a mini-jack to RCA converter. BOTTOM LINE - you can't find a better sounding 20GB MP3 jukebox with these features for [this price].
Rating:
Summary: Good mp3 4.5 stars
Review: Comparing items is not always a good way to look at an item, but since the zen ahs so many competetors, that it is neccassary. First of all the zen has a god price (especially compared to the outragiously priced iPod, which is ify at best of windows computers. The zen is small, much smaller than a Nomad Jukebox III or a CD/Mp3 player. IT has a whopping 20 gig storage capacity, a size that is difficult for any one to fill up. I put the entire Hobbit/the lord of the rings audiobook on it and it took up ONE TWEENTIEH of the available space (the book was on 12 CD's by the way). The software it comes with is the best for the zen, I have several other Mp3 player download programs, but The Creative Playcenter works best. The zen has a built in lithium-ion battery that lasts quite a while (drains more quickly during song downloading). The navigation on the zen is spectacular (organize by album, artist, genre, your playlists, etc). An automatic blue backlight is especially handy. Nice and loud, I have an Irock 520 that isn't even in the same category of volume. Plenty loud to hear in a bus. Alas I 4.5 out of 5 stars for some MINOR reasons. The first(and last) being that sometimes the computer has defficulty detecting it(turning the zen on/off and/or unpulging it usually helps this). P.S. It comes with a sweet senthetic leather carry case. Decent ear wrapper head phones too. P.P.S. Morpheus.com is a great site to get music to fill the zen.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Interface, Easy to Use, and HUGE Storage
Review: Not only does this hold every single CD that I own, it also has space for me to quit lugging my laptop back and forth from work- using the file manager software that's bundled in, I can take any and all work files home in my pocket. I haven't carried my briefcase to work once!
Rating:
Summary: Great value
Review: This is a great value when you look at the whole package, including portability, sound quality and price. I tested the iPod and the Zen and in general, they both sound the same, they are both easy to use, and they are both pretty light (like an empty cup of coffee). The Ipod is 2 oz lighter which increases to cost by [a lot]. So if 2 oz is worth the [extra money] to you, then you should probably get the iPod. So on the plus side (in order of priotiy to me):
- Great Sound
- Great price
- Great menus
- Very easy to use
- Looks cool On the negative side:
- Headset (good but could be better, they send the ones that go around your neck which is a "pain in the neck" if you are laying down)
Rating:
Summary: HW cool - software is buggy as hell
Review: player HW - 5 stars
player firmware - 4 stars
PlayCenter (the PC SW component to send music files to the player) - negative 5 stars. This is an extremely badly designed piece of garbage that is full of bugs. Whoever is responsible for the design, coding, testing and management of this crime against humanity needs a few strong kicks in the balls. With a decent PlayCenter SW component this would be a 5 star product. As it is it's 3 and I'm generous.
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