Cons:
The battery situation is not entirely kosher.
The Bottom Line:
It's tough to find a better device.
Overall Rating:
Author's Review
I received the Creative Zen 4GB as a Christmas gift for my son from 'Santa' specifically for a trip we are taking to Florida. We are taking the train and it's an overnight trip. My son needed something to occupy his time. I specifically bought this device as a miniature video player. We'll be bringing a laptop along, so charging it is not an issue for us, although I can see how this may be a problem for others on a long trip without a way to charge it.
Pros: - The device is very small (credit-card sized) - very attractive and definitely has that 'sexy' factor - The price compared to other similar devices is extremely competitive - I found the interface to be moderately intuitive (only exception is the "Favorite link" button - which isn't of much use to me) - The screen on this thing is really, really... really awesome. Pix of the family look great - but don't buy it just for that! - Supports SDHC (I use an 8GB card) - Supports many different file formats. Also plays MP4 videos. Make sure they're in MPEG4-SP format (I use DivX AVI format only).
Cons: - As someone may have mentioned before, the SDHC expansion doesn't integrate into the built-in menus. This is annoying. This basically means you have a "Videos" section, but if you have an SDHC card with videos on it, it will fall under the "Memory Card" section no matter what you do - in the grand scheme of things, this is a miniscule gripe. - Battery life for videos is 'OK' (about 4-ish hours), plus there isn't a way to replace the built-in battery. Not a show stopper but nonetheless worry-some. - Attracts fingerprints and dust like a CSI's dream. BUY A MODERATELY-PRICED CLEAR CASE IMMEDIATELY UPON PURCHASE. I bought a $5 cheapie and although it works, the plastic has some imperfections in it. - I had to read the instructions to figure out how to access the SDHC card to copy files to it. I hate manuals. It's a bit tricky - but if you're a good consumer and RTFM, you'll be all good.
Final notes: - If I had to do anything different, I would have bought the smallest 2GB version. Why? I keep everything on an 8GB SDHC expansion card anyway and they're CHEAP now. This may be different for you depending upon how you use it. - I never used/installed the software that came with it. I use this player for DivX AVI-type videos. The results however are FANTASTIC. - If you're a hard-core computer geek like me you will absolutely LOVE this thing. Don't be intimidated, it's great for the average consumer too! If you want to take it to the next level though when it comes to video, you 'may' need a computer whiz around - once again I never used the software that came with it, so this might not be entirely true. - My young son ran the battery out first use (I.e he didn't put it down) and the whole family is amazed that it can hold so much video along with a bunch of MP3's and JPG's.
You are purchasing ONE New Open Box Creative Zen 4GB MP3 Video Player .Please see picture of actual item and contents above. O pen-box items are goods...
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