Creative ZEN Vision:M 30 GB MP3 and Video Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I've had my Zen M for about 2 months now so I think I have a good feel for what it's pros and cons are. Here you go:
Pros: Beautiful and Bright Screen (displays thousands of more colors than the Ipod video by the way). Even at 50% brightness (which is default setting out of the box) it looks bright!
Ability to Customize most of the features. This includes being able to set your own photos for the wallpaper, custom equilizer, custom brightnes setting, custom shortcut button, organization of folders(audio, photo, video folders)...etc.
Great Sound! This isn't a surprise because Creative develops sound hardware/software like soundcards.
Good User Interface: The thumb scroller interface takes a few days to get used to, then it's pretty user friendly. You can customize the sensitivity of it too.
Ability to play lots of different video files like Divx and Mpg4.
This was a big selling point for me. The screen is perfect for watching cartoons and anime on.
Good Size. I'm refering to it's physical size. It's actually the perfect size and feels great in your hand. Still pocketable and still feels rock solid and not fragile.
Displays Album cover art! I had trouble with this function in the beginning only because in order to get it to display the album art correctly, you need to rip the Cd album with a program that automatically downloads album info including art. One program that does this is Windows Media Player.
--For the techies that don't want to re-rip everything to get the album art to display, just download a small jpeg image of the album cover that is about 150 by 150 pixels, rename it folder.jpg, make it a hidden file and place it in the folder of the correct album. When you move it to your player it will ask you whether you want to move it to the photo folder, make sure you select "no" and leave it where it is.
Cons: There isn't a lot about this player that is negative. But one aspect which is really annoying is that to charge it or plug it to the computer you have to use this tiny seperate adapter that comes in the box. It's the white adapter/attachment that looks like a dock connector. What the heck were they thinking! I have to carry the separate item everywhere I go just in case I need to charge it or upload music. It sucks man! Why the heck didn't they just build all of the ports into the player itself!!
Also, they should've included the video output cable instead of selling it separately! Or at least made it use a standard video cable! Also, the battery is not removable... at least not meant to be.
These are the only reasons why I gave this player 4 out of 5 stars. Otherwise I would have given 5 out of 5! All in All this player really rocks and is worth every penny! ... and is a much better buy then the "other" competition out there.
Hope this is helpful to you guys. If it is, please give me a vote. Thanks!
For more electronics and technology reviews, visit my site at:
http://newtechnews.blogspot.com/

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The ZEN Vision:M MP3 and Video Player lets you take all your movies, music, and photos in a light, pocket-sized device that is loaded with 30 GB of memory. At this capacity you can carry tens of thousands of photos, 120 hours of movies (500 Kbps MPEG4-SP), or up to 15,000 songs (WMA encoded at 64 Kbps), all in the palm of your hand. You can also tune in the radio (32 station presets), record your favorite talk show, or make personal voice memos with the built-in microphone.
Today's big-screen blockbuster, yesterday's picnic home video, and even your favorite TV shows--they all now fit in your pocket and are ready to be shared. ZEN Vision:M supports many video formats, such as AVI, DivX 4 and 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, -2, -SP, WMV9, and Motion-JPEG, which simply means you have more choices and less restrictions. Instead of busting out your wallet to show snapshots of your kids, you can enlist the ZEN Vision:M to give viewers a glimpse of your precious memories--tens of thousands of them. In 262,144 vivid colors and 320 x 240 resolution, complete with a thumbnail gallery, this device makes it easy to scroll through your entire photo collection. Of course, music files are a big portion of anyone's digital canvas. Perfect for taking with you on the road or just around the house, this device makes all your music sound as good as the ZEN Vision:M looks. And with eight preset EQ settings and 97 dB signal-to-noise ratio, you can fine-tune your listening experience for any musical genre.

You can also connect the ZEN Vision:M to a projector or TV with the included AV cable, and put on a big show from this little device. Synchronize music files with photo or video montages for a taste of spectacular, personalized big-screen magic. Viewing images on this device is a pleasant experience. The 2.5-inch, high-definition LCD screen features a 320 x 240 resolution and hundreds of thousands of colors. What this means is you see crisp, clear detail in every movie and photo, even under bright light.

Creative didn't skimp on design, either. The ZEN Vision:M features an ergonomic design with an innovative touchpad control that enables quick, comfortable access to menus and settings. And you'll get loads more playback time with the built-in rechargeable battery. Enjoy up to 13 hours of music or 4.5 hours of movies on a single charge. The optional extended-life battery pack lets you double playback time, so you can enjoy days of uninterrupted entertainment. Other features include a personal organizer that you sync with Microsoft Outlook and an integrated voice recorder that can store hundreds of hours worth of recordings. Take a closer look at all the ZEN Vision:M features.

The ZEN Vision:M MP3 and Video Player uses PlaysForSure technology. Look for the PlaysForSure logo if you're shopping for a portable music or video device and you want to make sure the digital music and video you purchase will play back on it every time. Match the PlaysForSure logo on a large selection of leading devices and online music stores. If you see the logo, you'll know your digital music will play for sure. Choose from a large number of digital music and video stores, including MTV's Urge, Rhapsody, Yahoo!, MSN Music, MusicMatch, MusicNow, Napster, Wal-Mart Music Downloads, and many more.

What's in the Box Creative ZEN Vision:M, earphones, sync adapter, USB 2.0 adapter, pouch, user's guide, and installation CD. Note: As of July 2006, Creative no longer ships the ZEN M with the AC power adapter.

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SanDisk Sansa View 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)I bought my Sansa View 16GB two weeks ago and I am mostly satisfied. After downloading the latest firmware (.06A) I found most of the initial quirks have been addressed.
First, you will notice the construction which is very solid and, despite those who think the Sansa View is ugly, I find it elegant. The size is very appropriate, fitting easily in the palm, without feeling huge and not so small you will fumble and drop it (i.e. Zen V!)
Other reviewers have complained about the menu icons......This is really foolish since I did not purchase the View for it's "flashy" icons. Look it...the icons are obvious and glide smoothly along the screen in conjunction with the rotation of the data wheel.
The video functionality is very good. I use a Neuros MPEG Recorder II and it works flawlessly. I have had a bit of trouble with syncing videos with WMP 10, but I would sooner blame Microsoft not the Sansa View.
The downloaded Sansa Media Converter utility is not the best software, taking a long time to transcode files and lacking a lot of file support but I have many applications for this so it's not a problem.
Music files transfer easily with WMP with fast transfer speeds. (USB 2)
It's important, however, to make sure that "one off" downloaded songs and such are properly tagged, otherwise they will end up difficult to find.
The sound quality of the Sansa View is exceptional with no clicking, pops, or distortion. Volume levels are easily able to get above noisy environments, even without isolation type ear buds. The equalizer functions very well and your settings are held in memory.
Building playlists can be done with WMP or simply on the View. Browse your tunes and just press and hold the center function button and the song gets added to the playlist. Unfortunately, only one list can be assembled on the unit, although multiple lists can be imported with WMP.
You can also drag and drop audio and jpeg files right into the Sansa View Explorer pane. Non jpeg photos can be quickly transcoded with the Sansa Media Converter.
The Cons: Presently, there is no audio bookmarking function for long podcast files or audiobooks. (Bookmarking is available for videos)
Some video files within the advertised specs will not play.
Uses a proprietary usb cable
Virtually no cases available as of yet except one DLO case (which I bought) that is "hodge-podgy" and obscures the beauty of the Sansa View.
Although battery life is quite good, it is not as good as advertised.
The battery is not accessible and would require a factory replacement.
Other than these few cons, the Sansa View is a truly exceptional player. I am banking on future Firmware upgrades that allow Audio Bookmarking and better Video File Support, as well as address a few other quirks and stability issues. The hardware is excellent and obviously capable.
Considering prices for the 16GB around $200. (the price of the 8GB Nano) you really cannot go wrong with this device.....and, yes it does support non-DRM AAC files from your present itunes collection.
I'd say....."Buy it!"

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Sansa® View MP3 Player Expand your MP3 experience with the Sansa® View player—a sleek yet simple MP3 player with our most advanced photo and video capabilities, so you can take your favorite memories, movies and shows with you wherever you go.

Plus, you can add another memory card whenever you like—and just keep growing your entertainment library.

Listen Keep thousands of songs or hours of audiobook listening at the ready wherever you go. Or tune into FM radio for news and fresh music anytime.

Watch View your favorite flix, pics and album art on the “big screen in your pocket” featuring a bright and brilliant 320 x 240 2.4-inch full-color screen—and enjoy picture-perfect clarity on JPEG photo files up to 16 megapixels.



Choose Sansa®, a smarter way to play Sansa® products are brought to you by SanDisk, the minds behind flash memory. Around the world, wherever people take pictures, listen to music, use cell phones—or do much of anything at all with digital devices—you’ll probably find SanDisk products. Maybe that’s why, after more than 20 years in the business, SanDisk has never stopped innovating.

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