Rating: 
Summary: Best tech I've purchased
Review: Let's get this out of the way: The cover on this thing does pop off WAY too easily. That's a basic design flaw, which is practically inexcusable. But even with that flaw I LOVE my Zen Xtra. It is the single best piece of tech that I have purchased in the past two years (when I have also bought a new laptop, new desktop, digital camera, DVD player, etc.)My entire vast music collection is converted to MP3s on a hard drive at close to 110GB, so I went for the 60GB Zen Xtra. Though I could make use of even more capacity, as a music player there is nothing lacking. The latest firmware has resolved just about every remaining quirk. I plug the player into my car stereo, select "Play any track" and listening to my own private radio station with all of my favorite artists. It's a great player with good sound and battery life, at a very good price point especially compared to an iPod. Why spend $500 for a 40GB player when you can get 60GB for $150 less? Unless the iPod actually rubs your shoulders as it plays music, I can't imagine it is any better than the Zen. Hey Creative: Fix the cover issue, add an 80GB drive and I will be first in line for the next generation.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Customer Service
Review: When my headphone jack gave up the ghost shortly after my warranty expired, I checked out the Amazon reviews and almost gave up without even calling Creative's customer service because of some of the horror stories being told here. Good thing I didn't. On my second try, I got a way friendly, very helpful agent who made everything easy. In less than two weeks I got a brand new Zen that worked perfectly without paying a cent, even though my warranty was officially expired. Oh, and by the way: the device itself is great. Terrific sound, great display, easy navigation...the scroll button takes only a little getting used to, and the software is easy and effective (though the instructions are confusing). The cover *does* pop off too easily, but nothing's perfect.
Rating:
Summary: From a recent Zen buyer- dont believe the negative hype
Review: Well, after reading about 150 other customer reviews, I decided to take a chance on the Zen XTra 60GB. For those of you who are hesitating, don't. Here are my observations.
Creative's software- it is ridiculously easy to use. Less than 10 minutes after installing the software (on my Win XP system, with absolutely no problems. However, READ THE INSTALLATION INSTRUCTION BOOKLET BEFORE YOU START) I downloaded 3 cds to my Zen.I did not have to read the online manual (there are no printed instructions, but relax, you won't need any.) The process is very intuitive, and all you do is click your mouse 4 times (3 if you don't need to download song information) and away you go.So far, it hasn't locked up or frozen or done any other mean, nasty things.I have read other reviews that complain that the software is difficult; all I can say is that they must have an earlier version (I got mine in March). I bought a Rio MP3 player for my son in Jan. and the software for it is a nightmare. I don't know anything personally about the iPod, so I can't comment on their product. I will say that you should take anything an Apple user (any Apple product user) says with a grain of salt. They all hate any computer-related product that isn't made by Apple- my brother is an Apple disciple so I CAN comment on this. I have heard his Apple propaganda for years.
The scroll wheel- yes, if you hold it down, it can zoom past the entry you're looking for. It took 5 seconds to figure out- don't hold it down for long periods. I haven't had any problem getting it to select when you press it in- I'm not sure why other people say they have.
The case- the metal cover is thin, but mine has not popped off at all. Several of the complainers stated that the cover pops off when or after they've dropped it. One guy even complained that it pops off when he goes snowboarding with it. Well, DUH!
The headphone jack- I haven't had mine long enough to comment on this, but common sense says if you drop it, it can break.
The leather case- it protects the player very well, and despite what one reviewer said, it took about 8 seconds to put on. However, it does cover the screen and the DC-IN jack when it is on. Get out your X-Acto knife, and in 5 minutes the problem is solved. I have read that the iPod has a similar problem, but I don't know this myself.
No stop button- no, it doesn't. Neither does the iPod, evidently. Just press pause/play (it pauses),then the "Skip" button (they're next to each other), and presto, it stops and returns to the main menu.
The player is very easy to use, the screen is easy to read, and it is loaded with cool features you may or may not use. No, it doesn't have video games. That's what your cellphone is for. This is for listening to music, and the sound is fantastic. The included earbuds aren't painful, as some have said, but they seemed too big for my ears. However, they sound great, and there is plenty of volume, unless you're a brain-dead teen trying to rupture your eardrums. They may want to strap a 300-watt amp to their backs and pump up the volume. For the rest of us, there's more than enough volume.
To wrap up, I highly recommend this product. I would have given it 5 stars, but that would imply that it is perfect, and it is too soon to make that judgement. Granted, I haven't had it long, so if my opinion changes in the future, I will write a new review. But if you want a player with HUGE storage, easy-to-use software, fantastic sound, loads of features, AND a price you won't be ashamed of, you should buy the ZEN XTRA. Just remember that it is basically a small hard drive, and treat it as such. If you want something to play video games on while you're snowboarding down Mt. Everest, I suggest a flash-memory type player, although I understand the iPod has been tested by dropping it from a plane at 50,000 feet - at least, that's what my brother tells me.
Rating:
Summary: Built like Crap, works like a dream
Review: The case is mndblowingly awful. If I squint very hard at it the front cover pops off. I only have to slide the catch a fraction of an inch and it pops off, exposing the battery, which is packed loose and so can fall out immediately depending on the angle. The front panel slides across the front of the device if you press it, in a disconcerting way. Basically the build quality is on a par with a sub 10 dollar tape walkman from a backstreet in Hong Kong, and is criminally shoddy for Creatives flagship mp3 jukebox.
Having held an Ipod for a few minutes, it feels as if it was hermetically sealed in pressurised chambers by aliens who breathe through their arses once every six years. Build quality is a chasm of difference between this and the obvious comparison of the ipod.
That aside... I love the damn thing more than any other gadget I have ever owned. It is very easy to use, works ok with windows (buy Notmad on the web for a user friendly, powerful and funky companion), and packs a punch sonically. The inclusion of WMA encoding lets you pack alot more music on than MP3 at higher quality, which is a massive bonus not to be overlooked. It just takes a moment to weigh resenting microsoft against having a much larger, better encoded wma library.
You mixologists will agonise over the break between songs; it is a split second, often not noticeable, sometimes quite noticeable, but much better than the second of silence the ipod jams between all tracks. For purists the only way to go is an album in one file I'm afraid. I have alot of mix albums, mostly down temp and it doesnt seem to hurt them at all. Something more driving is a bit more noticeable but not much.
EAX = so so. The normalisation of volume is a godsend late at night or when playing tracks encoded by different packages, bitrates etc. Although the geezer below me who listens to everything as if he lives in a church has me mystified. The only person I know of who lives in a church is Peter Stringfellow. Yike.
Great product. I love it. I was going to go for the RIO Karma but it hasnt really hit these shores. I don't regret my purchase for a second.
Oh, the sound quality (small point) Creative have been in this game a long time, and were building the first generation of music sequencers when I was in short trousers, so as far as I can tell nothing touches this device in the sonic stakes.
Rating: 
Summary: Review of Creative Nomad Zen Xtra 40GB
Review: This product is junk. I am using Windows XP and I have had repeated problems.
Here is a quick list:
1) When I try to copy a file to my Zen it will copy one or two files and then error out telling me that the Zen is busy or that it can not write the file. Some times it will even error out on the first file.
2) When anything goes wrong the Zen seems to lock up and I have to reset it. So far I have had to reset it about 20 times in 2 days.
3) The Creative Media Source software that comes with this product also locks up when an error occurs during file transfer and I have to kill the process to shut it down.
4) I checked Creative's KB for the errors I received and it was no help. I downloaded and installed the driver updates, firmware updates and all the patches I could fine but I still have the problem.
4) Creative has no weekend support which stinks and their support line is only open 9am to 6pm during the week. So for those of us that work, I guess we are on our own. I had high hopes for this product because I did not want to buy an IPod but it looks like Creative leaves me no choice. For any one thinking about buying this product, just remember, you have been warned. I only gave this product a 1 because the system does not allow me to give it a 0.
Rating: 
Summary: Great MP3 Player for even better price.
Review: I've had this player for a month, and I'm absolutely happy with the purchase. Initially I was considering the iPod, but I got quickly discouraged by the fact that you cannot remove the battery and the high price. I read somebody's review that perfectly summarizes both of these players: Apple will give you a good product, but it will work only the way they want it to work. Nomad on the other hand is fully customizable.
Now if you are really computer challenged, by all means go for the iPod, but if you want a flexible, fully customizable product (and have more brains than money), go for Nomad. Also, one of the best features is full EAX capability - you can listen to your songs with environment options like Concert Hall, or Auditorium, a feature I didn't see in other players. I haven't seen a problem with headphones, but I was really careful with the jack. The product is also not as sleek as iPod, but who cares if it spends most of it's time on my car's console. Finally - sound quality is perfect, (after all Creative deals with computer sound on a daily basis).
Rating:
Summary: Fun and compact
Review: I like it. Easy to load and build songlists.
Rating:
Summary: ipod vs. the nomad: the "old" new cool?
Review: I'll start out by saying this *ahem* THIS is an AWSOME product! Already have your mind made up? Getting that expensive shiny new mp3 player? Getting the eye candy apple calls ipod that spends its life in your pocket? Say hypotheticaly you have $249 dollars for a 4gb ipod mini or get a 30 gb nomad zen xtra by creative labs. Tough choice right? nomad has good software, easy control, and you don't have to change out your hardware if you have an adverse system like Windows Me.
Rating:
Summary: High Quality, Cheap
Review: I have to say, this product is a great buy. I got it for Christmas of 2003, so I've had it for roughly 3.5 months. It's easy to use, with track selection and control that is very comfortable. The software that comes with it, MediaSource Organizer, works terrifically, ripping the music off of CDs very quickly. I haven't had any problems with this product thus far. I have bumped it into walls and such, but I have not experienced the problems some other consumers are finding. The headphone jack works as good as new. Yes, it is bigger than an iPod, but it still fits in my pockets, and it is incredibly cheaper.
Rating:
Summary: Headphone Jack Problems
Review: The headphone jack on my Zen Xtra stopped working day 40 (1st day on a 7-day cruise, no less!) While Creative did replace the unit, why haven't they recalled all Zen's? This is my second Nomad -- I had a Nomad 2.0 20GB, but it's screen stopped working. Creative refused to repair unless I paid $105, so (silly me) I bought a new unit instead. Never again, Creative!
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