Rating: 
Summary: A potent MP3 player for the money
Review: There are many mp3 players on the market now, but few actually have the combined features of the Nomad IIC such as 32 mb base (with up to 128 mb addition for a total of 160), upgradeable firmware, excellent sound and display system, and quality design. As a fickle audiophile, I researched many hours on the net and used Consumer reports as an unbiased guide to make my decision.
As a testament to the quality of of this player (or my lack of coordination) I have dropped the machine several times from 5-8 foot heights and have been amazed at the resilience of the player. 128 mb of space will yield approximately 30 songs at 128 kbps. Unlike other mp3 players, this system is LOUD...loud enough to cause bilateral sensorineural hearing loss (not kidding)...the system software allows for ease of mp3 transfer files and is upgradeable through the web site...for ($)plus ($)for the additional memory card, this machine is a bargain...just have some decent headphones, this system doesn't come with one, unless you buy the kit which is NOT worth the money.In short, pros: excellent (and loud) sound, qaulity casing, ease of use, upgradeable firmware, reasonable price
cons: short battery life, 2-3 hours depending on frequency of use
Rating: 
Summary: Player: 5 Stars, Software: 3 Stars.
Review: Weighing in and sizing up as to be no larger than a regular deck of playing cards, the Nomad IIc is a great little MP3 player. It is packaged with a single software CD, USB cable, and 1 battery. Yup, no headphones. Once you have the player setup, it's ease of use is straight forward. The screen is backlit and there are different setting options to help you maximize player feedback. Out of the package, this player supports both MP3 and WMA (however I am finding WMA's a bit more picky to set up). The onboard 32MB of memory will support roughly 40min of music if ripped at 160Kbps. You can rip in the range between 20 and 320kbps (CD quality is roughly 128). The higher your setting, the more memory is used, hence less music you can store. So I suggest buying a Smart Media chip to increase memory if you want to listen to anymore than 45 minutes worth at a time. The open end of the firmware will allow you to upgrade to future codecs (so Creative says). The player also has a built in microphone for voice recordings in which you convert later to .wav, .wma, or mp3. I found the onboard menu's pretty easy to navigate. If you can operate a modern microwave or alarm clock, you can operate this player. The nice thing I think aboout when it comes to Smart Media cards, is that there are no moving parts. Unlike small hard drives or discs, there is no wear or tear on internal parts. Now the software on the other hand is a bit of a disappointment. Upon opening the package there is no manual. You actually have to install the CD-ROM and Adobe Acrobat to get to the manual .pdf files. Also there are some programs on the disc that have no description on what they do, or why they were included so I am at a loss on whether I want to load them or not. Basically you only need to load the IIc driver and player software in order to use your Nomad, all others seem to be fluff. At the very least Creative could have supplied a one page document explaining what exactly the 6 programs on the disc do. The Creative Play Center, while serves it purpose, could have been much more robust. If all you want to do is tranfer files from PC to Nomad, or rip CD's, its very painless and straightforward. Third party software like Real's Jukebox or WinAmp does a much better job in organizing your MP3 library and making changes. The changes you can make in the included software are basic at best and really limit full control over your music library. The manual is also buried on the disc and while explanations are adequate, it lacks depth. For a computer/MP3 newbie, this could prove a little challenging and overwhelming, you may want to look at other software music organizers. Overall the disc is not too user friendly.
Rating:
Summary: Great little player
Review: I've had the Nomad IIc for about three months and couldn't be more pleased. It's extremely light weight, it's durable, dependable, easy to operate and the quality of the sound is wonderful. The software was easy to load and easy to use. Downloading into the IIc is a snap. I had a 128m card in the desk drawer when I got the IIc and immediately filled it will music. I also had a couple of 64m cards from a previous I-Jam player that I gave away (piece of junk) and I filled those. Changing genres is easy...jazz on one care, blues on another, classic rock on yet another. Using the 128m card, plus the onboard memory, I can get about 3 hours of music into the little guy. You can pay a lot more and not get the features and quality of the IIc. It's a great product from a great company. If you get one, you will not be disappointed.
Rating:
Summary: Best player for the money by far
Review: You can't beat this for 2 1/2 hours of mp3 music. Buy the player and buy a 128MB card and you are set. I upgraded from the Rio PMP 300 because I wanted more max memory. This is a great device (it's my 4th mp3 player). It is very small and stylish, has USB to transfer songs faster than I can pick them, software is good, firmware upgrades are easier than with my Rio Volt, supports WMA, records voice, nice DSP and has user a customer setting. The volume level is good, there is a nice track title display instead of numbers, menus have nice config options (time off, backlight, contrast, etc), Creative doesn't charge you extra for cheap headphones! Negatives: memory sits over battery a little. This is a problem if you change rechargeables often. Alkalines should last long enough that it wont matter.
Rating:
Summary: For the active user
Review: The Nomad IIc is the biggest bang for your buck available today. Priced at $... less than its cousin, the Nomad II, and $... less than the top-of-the-line Rio 800 and Intel Pocket Concerts, the Nomad IIc provides unparalleled flexibility and ease of use for the active user. If you are looking for something that will carry your entire CD collection around, look into the Nomad Jukebox - however, do not expect to go running with that thing anytime soon. All you're missing from the Nomad II package are an FM tuner, 32 less megabytes of memory (which actually provides a boon - more on this later), and packaged headphones/remote/carrying case. The latter three can be purchased seperately in the Accessory kit, along with a car adapter, for $.... The player itself is roughly the size of a deck of poker cards, and weighs slightly less. It runs on a single AA battery, of which 8-10 hours can be expected. A removeable belt clip screws into the back of the player. The main buttons are located on the front, underneath the display. Secondary buttons run up and down the length of the left side, with the lock and the USB port (protected by a rubber flap) on the right side. The included software (Creative PlayCenter 2.0) was fairly easy to install, and once I formatted the internal memory transferring music was a breeze. A printed version of the manual is not included; however a .pdf is available on the CD. You can download the latest drivers and software from its website at www.nomadworld.com; Creative says they the firmware is upgradeable to support other codecs in the future, but I have not seen anything on their website yet. I found the player's GUI very easy to navigate once I read the manual. It saves the necessity for a lot of useless buttons on the face of the player. Now let's get to the meat of this player. As I said before, the Nomad IIc comes with 32 megs of on the board memory, as opposed to the Nomad II's 64 megs of removeable Smartmedia memory. What this means is that the Nomad IIc is upgradeable to 160 megs of memory opposed to the Nomad II's 128. I have seen 128 MB smartcards go for $70 new on the web - factoring in the accessory kit and the docking station, your IIc can have 160 megs of memory and all the amenities for $70 less than the top of the line Rio 800 and Intel Pocket Concert. Very nice. I have taken my IIc running every morning since I got it. It has not skipped once, though the belt clip does not clip on to anything but a belt very well. The mic records well, but does not pick up sounds from far away. Don't expect to record your teacher's lesson with it so you can sleep in class! However, it is very handy to keep personal memos on. I have had my problems with it, as well. Mine did not come with a rubber port protector - but since my first shipment was lost in the mail, I did not feel like mailing it back for a replacement, and I plan on purchasing the docking station soon. I have had a few instances in which it did not turn on, caused because the battery was lined out of place - it is easily remedied by jiggling the battery. The volume, controlled by a + and - button, is not accessible when the player is in lock. A disc-based volume control like those found on some Discmans would have been preferred. You can control the volume with the remote in the accessory kit. There are smaller players out there, but none are as upgradeable as this one. Final verdict: Highly, highly recommended. So flexible, so economical, so very useful.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderful .... after your consult your installed manual
Review: After doing my homework and checking out numerous customer reviews, I purchased the Nomad II along with a 64MB Smart Card.This is my first MP3 player and I didn't want to spend more than I had to for a new toy. (I have a digital camera so I have the necessary hardware to transfer music files.) This is far less expensive than purchasing a player with more memory. Getting started was a bit difficult using the sheet of printed directions which came with the player. However, as soon as I consulted and printed out the manual--which is excellent---Go to PROGRAMS -- CREATIVE --NOMAD II and you will find the manual.(Before you activate the manual start the Adobe program or the manual won't automatically appear. I printed it out so I could comfortably follow the directions and learn to use all the features. The software is good and as long as you consult the help menu. It's very easy to install music and play it back. Enjoy!
Rating: 
Summary: Great player... while it works
Review: I actually bought this as a gift for a friend, and she loved it. The player was small, light, had decent sound, and was working great until just a short while ago. The player just spontaneously died (just sitting on a desk... it wasn't being jostled around while running or anything). To my horror, I've discovered problems with the Nomad II line are fairly common ... To top it off, the unit was past its short 90 day warranty, so there's a [monetary fee] (plus shipping) just to have Creative examine the player for repairs. After they assess the problem, they'll charge extra money for repairs. For all that time and money, you may as well just buy a new player from another company. Stay away from this product. It seems like a great deal, but they are manufactured cheaply and prone to break down. Creative itself doesn't even have enough faith in their own product to back it up with a better warranty.
Rating:
Summary: Nomad II "C" Series
Review: This is the BEST MP3 player out there. It is my 1st one and i am completely satisfied with it. I got it for my birthday about 5 months ago. It still works well without any problem.
I use MusicMatch to put music onto my Nomad IIc. With MusicMatch i can compress the audio files so i can get 73 songs onto mine with a 128Mb memory card plus the built in 32 MB. If anyone doubts this player, DONT, buy it its the BEST player for the money...
Much better than a MiniDisc Player. Don't buy one of those.
Rating: 
Summary: Software doesn't work
Review: We did a lot of research before buying this and saw that a few people had trouble with the software, but didn't hear it from others. Well, we can't get it to work at all, and there's no custoemr support available from Creative since you can never get through on their 800 number - and it took 20 minutes to even find a phone number, it's extremely well hidden. Terrible disappointment!
Rating:
Summary: Best player for the money!
Review: I'll keep this short...I did fairly extensive research on portable digital audio players, particularly after trying several other products at the suggestion of friends and colleagues (don't even get me started on Rio...which is a Harvard case study on a company that has excellent packaging/design and absolutely now QC.) I finally purchased the Nomad IIc (64 MG)and have been 100% thrilled with it's performance. The software, while simplistic and somewhat ham-handed, actually WORKS - and the player delivers on its promise. Bottom line - this is a nice entry level player with plenty of memory for a run, workout, or chill time.
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