Creative Zen 8 GB Portable Media Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)IMPORTANT NOTES FIRST:
YES, it is iTunes-compatible, and YES it is compatible with Yahoo! Jukebox, BUT ONLY THOSE TRACKS THAT YOU HAVE PURCHASED AS "BURNABLE". In other words, you will not be able to transfer your Subscription or Stream tracks to this device, which is only fair (for that, you have to have Yahoo! Music Unlimited To-Go, which is an invite-based service and thus uncommon). Needless to say, you can import tracks from any CD quickly and painlessly, and/or copy any wmv/mp3/mp4 or whatever that you already have on your hard drive: the device is browsable with Windows and all you need to do is copy/paste to the right folder.
Now for the review.THE GOOD:
++ Compatible with an amazing variety of file formats, without conversion, unlike iPods. Whatever is not compatible the software will convert for you if at all possible. This is a HUGE plus for the computer-illiterate.
++ Great sound quality, a bare minimum requirement for a music player.
++ Sleek looks, IMO superior to the trite iPod-like, spin-wheel design. It certainly got more looks and comments than the iPod I had previously. Also, it's more pleasant to hold in your hand: small but not too tiny, and very sturdy/solid (which, if you'll handle it 8-10 hours a day like I do, is a huge plus).
++ The included software is fantastic. It's fast, reliable (never froze), and lets you manage files and create playlists quickly and painlessly. Basically, anything you can do with the player's built-in software you can do with ZEN Media Explorer from your computer. So, go for it.
++ Many complained about the interface, but I actually like it very much. The built-in software is easy to understand and utilize. The buttons are a tad tricky, but all you need to do is play around with them for ten minutes before you're able to find them blindly by just sticking your hand in your pocket (something you certainly cannot do with iPods, whose interface is more visually-driven).THE SO-SO:
++/-- The SD expansion slot is both a pain and a pleasure. Yes, you can basically make this a 16Gb with an SDHC card for a few bucks--but it's true that only SOME content will run off of it, and that while you are playing content from the SD card you cannot navigate the built-in flash memory. So, caveat emptor... but if you know what you're getting there's no reason to complain. How many times do you really browse your music while you're already listening to something else anyway?THE BAD:
-- Perplexed about battery life info: "25 hours of continuous listening"? I don't think so. More like 10-12, which is on par with similar devices.
-- The shortest USB cable ever bundled. Buy a cheapo extension from Monoprice right away, unless you already own a USB hub. Otherwise, your player will lie on the floor or, worse, hang by the cable while it's being charged and sync'ed, neither of which is good.
-- The joystick buttons make a slightly annoying clicking sound, not when pressed but when released. However, this does not happen on my friend's ZEN, so maybe I got a "bad" unit?
-- AWFUL packaging! What were they thinking? Not only is it one of those impossible-to-open blister packs, but if you use scissors it's relatively easy to harm the contents... not the player, thankfully, which is in full sight, but the manuals and CD and bundled cables. So be careful.OTHER THOUGHTS:
** BUY A SCREEN PROTECTOR! Apply it immediately. The screen will collect dust (and thus scratches) within hours, like any LCD.
** BUY A CASE OR SKIN! Piano-black finish is attracted to fingerprints like flies to s__t.
** 8Gb is perfect for the serious music listener with varied taste. Buffs and pros want to go for 16Gb. Occasional listeners will do well with 4Gb. Media moguls, of course, need not apply: that's what the Vision is for.Overall, one of the best entry-level portable music players on the market. The price tag may well be the deal-breaker here: it is cheaper than any other brand music player, and it does the same things AND, in my opinion, more and better. Support by Creative is also famously good, so I see no reason not to buy a ZEN.

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Bring your media with you wherever you roam with the Creative Zen 8GB player. Watch 32 hours of videos, enjoy up to 2,000 of your favorite songs or share hundreds of photos with your friends. And do it all on a device that's about the width of a credit card.
Design The Zen sports a 2.5-inch TFT color display with 320 x 240-pixel resolution and support for up to 16.7 million colors. This razor sharp display is packaged in a device that weighs just 2.1 ounces and measures 3.26 x 2.16 x .44 inches (W x H x D). The internal battery powers the Zen for up to 25 hours of continuous audio playback and up to five hours of continuous video playback. Use the Zen's SD slot to expand your portable media library with music, photos and videos stored on your SD card. There's also a handy built-in microphone for capturing notes on the go.
Features Load up up your favorite songs, as well as your album art, and get going with the Zen. The device supports iTunes Plus tracks from the iTunes store and MP3 and WMA tracks. Subscription and pay-per-download music services are supported, as well. Discover, save, and play millions of songs when subscribing to services such as Yahoo Music Unlimited and Napster To Go. You can even tune into your favorite stations with the Zen's FM radio. The radio allows you to save up to 34 presets.
The Zen has you covered when it comes to video, too. The device supports MJPEG, WMV9 and--with transcoding--MPEG1 and 2, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5, and XviD. Enjoy purchased or rented movies and TV shows from online services such as Amazon Unbox and Walmart.com. Watch home videos. Even load your Tivo To Go movies and TV shows onto your Zen.
Additional features include a clock and alarm function, volume restriction, eight equalizer settings, and a USB hard drive mode, which allows you to drag and drop files directly to and from your Zen. The Zen can also function as a handy organizer, allowing you to synchronize with Microsoft Outlook and display your contacts, calendar, and tasks.
What's in the Box Zen player, earphones, USB 2.0 cable, installation CD, and quick start guide.

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Creative Zen MX 8 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) Review

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(More customer reviews)I have both the older 8gb Zen (2007) and a new 16gb Zen MX. They are basically the same except that the MX has integrated access to the removable SD card directly from the Creative Centrale software that comes with the it. With the old Zen you had to go into a removable card menu on the Zen and then access the card via the computer operating system to add or delete files. Zen MX also does not have the code for some video formats and the software has to convert them before transfer to the Zen MX; on the old Zen you could just transfer the video files directly to the Zen. Finally, the Creative Centrale software that comes with the new Zen MX does not seem as intuitive and user friendly as the older software that came with the Zen. If I had to do it again I would have bought the older Zen rather than the new Zen MX, but the older ones are becoming hard to find and are a lot more expensive. Strangely enough the 16gb version of the old Zen is more expensive than the 32gb version!
To answer those who said the Zen MX will not play DRM protected files. Not true. It will play DRM9 protected files, but they have to be put on the Zen via the transfer function in the software, not through drag & drop, because the former also carries over the license info and the latter technique does not. Creative notes this on their web site.

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Bump Digital MP3/FM Radio Boombox with Remote Wireless Speaker Review

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(More customer reviews)I just received my pair of wireless speakers and after putting them through their paces, I have to say, they perform very well.
Sound quality is fantastic, especially for voice and most music - even rock comes up surprisingly well. The bass experience is pretty much what you'd expect from a pair of speakers in a mug-sized enclosure, but considering this size I think they do very, very well. Considering everyone's first task for any bite-sized speaker set is to try and break them by cranking up the volume and seeing how closely they resemble 'real' speakers, they're doing well!
Useability is so-so and the buttons feel a little plasticky, however the rubberised paint that covers most of the units is very nice to the touch and makes the whole thing feel like a quality product. The style is very clearly ripped off another brand's item, however that item doesn't sport the feature list (or the lower price) of the Aluratek package. At around $100 for the pair they're not all that cheap, however if you're looking for a solution that can play music anywhere, any time, from anything that has a 3.5mm jack (or use an SD card or the built in FM radio) then I would recommend you get yourself a pair.
I'm also intending on using them during board meetings as replacement laptop speakers - one at each end of the table. This means you can have each speaker at lower volume (therefore better quality) and everyone can still hear and speak over it if necessary.
As far as portability goes, you'd keep them in a briefcase or backpack, but probably not a laptop tote or handbag. Battery life is yet to be determined and probably isn't worth talking about anyway, as it will vary greatly on the mode of use.
Overall I'd give it 5 stars and am very happy with them so far.BC


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Digital MP3/FM Radio Boombox with Remote Wireless Speaker. Introducing the "Bump" Speaker line from Aluratek. Easily stream your music wirelessly to the remote wireless speaker (up to 6) with no configuring or software needed. Simply connect MP3 players and other audio devices with 3.5mm auxillary audio output or insert a SD/SDHC card and start "Bumping" to your favorite tunes for up to 4 hrs on a single charge! There is no easier way to stream your music library and you will be amazed at the audio quality that the "Bump" speaker puts out.

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In Car 4-in-1 Mp3 Wireless Modulator/fm Transmitter for Sd Card, USB Pen (Flash) Drive and Mp3 Players (Like Ipod). Black with Remote Control. Review

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(More customer reviews)This gadget works pretty good, but is not perfect!
Pros:
>Has a lot of frequencies to choose from
>Good FM Stereo sound & and is pretty good most of the time (sometimes there is some interference)
>Very compact
>Actually worked with my 1GB SD card
>Comes with a remote (although you can easily operate the buttons on the unit by hand)
>Remembers set frequency and last song played if you remove it from car (or turn power to unit off)
>Great bargain for the technology
Cons:
>The display shows the frequency, track #, name of song; but it is so tiny you cannot possibly read it while driving!
>The major flaw is that you cannot jump from one folder to next, you can only advance song by song (but I suppose that's ok if you have all your favorite songs in the SD card, or plug in an external MP3 player in the jack provided)
>Another little glitch is that there is no OFF button on the device. My car's power outlet is always on. So I put the MP3 device on PAUSE when I stop listening (otherwise the songs will continue being processed by the MP3 player)


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Listen to MP3 files in your car via an SD card, USB flash memory or a MP3 player (could be your iPod, CD player ...) wirelessly with a remote control! This 4-in-1 in-car cigar style FM modulator supports 206 FM Channels and has a SD card slot, a USB port and an audio input jack so you can listen to your MP3 files on the road! Simply plug into your car's cigarette plug, turn on your car stereo and tune to the same frequency as the one you set on your modulator! Plug in an SD card, or USB flash drive or an MP3 player like iPod, then listen and enjoy your favorite music on the go! The LCD displays frequency/track No!

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In Car MP3 FM Transmitter for SD USB Pen Drive w/Remote Review

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(More customer reviews)The transmitter allows you to choose from many channels, which allows for at least one good choice. The volume on the player has to be maxed out, and then the volume on the car receiver has to be at least 50% to hear it good. You cannot skip many tracks at a time (only 1 at a time), which is very annoying since I have at least 250 songs on the device. The remote has to be aimed at the transmitter to work. The player does resume where you left off. It's not perfect, but I haven't seen anything better out there.

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With Extreme, you can enjoy your full digital music in your car, for the cost of less than 10 hamburgers. You can also keep every unwanted mess away, and just use it as a normal installed car player. Listen to the best sound quality on your stereo; adjust the bass, treble, fader, and balance as desired. You don't have to hassle about remembering to turn off your iPod and hiding it from thieves or severe temperatures.It draws the power directly from your vehicle's DC12V output (cigarette lighter). It is turned off when you unplug your car key. There will be no more battery recharge problems.It is an individual innovative device to play your desired songs in your car or boat. Typically, it does not require permanent and complicated installation. It offers an "installation-free" convenience. This product is an innovative wireless device that will let you play any music you download from your computer files. Remember, none of these features requires an iPod or Mp3 to operate. Now, you can play your portable music files to a newly designed technology without paying a costly price and keep your iPod or Mp3 as your private headphone.It connection will give you a reasonable good sound quality, allowing you to listen to the music on your car player by turning your radio to a specific clear frequency. The sound quality is as good as your original car radio player.It is played and functioned on a flash drive (USB memory chip), this model is also compatible with SD and MMC card. It is an individual device that serves as a single music player in your car. You can store more than 600 songs on one tiny 4GB flash drive (memory chip) and play non-stop music/songs for as long as 60 hours.

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