Creative Zen 4GB
Page 5
Comparisons
| Specifications | Creative Zen 4GB | Apple 3G iPod nano 4GB | Samsung YP-K3 4GB | Creative Zen V Series 4GB |
| Picture |  |
 |
 |
 |
| Dimensions (inches) (mm) |
2.2 x 3.3 x 0.44 55 x 83 x 11.3 |
2.1 x 2.7 x 0.26 52 x 70 x 6.5 |
1.7 x 3.8 x 0.27 44 x 96 x 7.0 |
1.7 x 2.7 x 0.63 43.5 x 67.5 x 15.9 |
| Weight | 65g/2.3oz | 49g/1.7oz | 50g/1.8oz | 43.5g/1.5oz |
| Capacity | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB | 4GB |
| Battery Life | 25hrs (Music) 5hrs (Video) |
24hrs (Music) 5hrs (Video) |
25hrs | 15hrs |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion | Lithium Polymer | Lithium Polymer |
| removable? | No | No | No | No |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20KHz | 20Hz - 20KHz | 20Hz - 20kHz | 20Hz - 20KHz |
| Signal/Noise Ratio | 95dB | No info | 90dB | up to 90dB |
| FM Tuner | Yes | No | Yes | Yes |
| Recording | Voice | No | No | Voice/Line-In |
| Realtime Encoding | No | No | No | Line-In (WMA) |
| Connectivity | USB1.1/2.0, SD Card (SDHC) | USB1.1/2.0 | USB1.1/2.0 | USB1.1/2.0 |
| LCD | 2.5" 320x240 16.7M colours |
2" 320x240 Colour |
160x128 OLED Colour |
1.5" 128x128 262K colours |
| Specifications | Creative Zen 4GB | Apple 3G iPod nano 4GB | Samsung YP-K3 4 GB | Creative Zen V Series 4GB |
| OS Support | Windows XP/Vista | Mac OS X, Windows XP/Vista | Windows 2000/XP | Windows XP |
| Formats | Audio: MP3, WMA (including DRM), AAC (non-protected), WAV (ADPCM), Audible Video: MPEG-4 (Simple Profile), Windows Media Video 9 (WMV), Motion-JPEG, DivX 4 & 5, XviD (Simple/Advanced Simple Profile without GMC and QPEL) up to 320x240 Picture: JPEG, BMP*, GIF*, PNG*, TIFF* * transcoded |
Audio: MP3, AAC (including Protected), Apple Lossless, Audible, WAV, AIFF Video: H.264, MPEG-4 (Simple Profile) up to 640x480 with AAC-LC audio (file formats: .m4v, .mp4, .mov) |
Audio: MP3, WMA (including DRM), OGG Picture: JPEG |
Audio:
MP3, WMA (including DRM), WAV Video: Yes, transcoded Picture: JPEG |
| Upgradeable firmware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio effects | 8 EQ presets 1 5-band Custom EQ Smart Volume Bass boost |
EQ presets | 5 EQ presets DNSe |
8 EQ presets 1 5-band Custom EQ Smart Volume Bass boost |
| USB Mass Storage Class Device | SD Card only | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price (USD) | $129.99 |
$149 |
$169.99 |
$99.99 |
Summary
| What's good |
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| What's bad |
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Conclusion
The infinite monkey theorem states that an infinite number of monkeys randomly pounding on keyboards infinitely will eventually produce the complete works of Shakespeare. The Zen is Creative's Hamlet. Releasing DAP after DAP, Creative was bound to finally get something right. And we believe they have finally done it with the Zen. Physically, the Zen is well-proportioned. It may not be as aneroxic as the new iPod nano, but the Zen feels comfortable to hold and use. We would have preferred the power button to be on top, rather than on the side, but that is just a personal preference. The Zen fits comfortably in a shirt pocket, making it convenient to access while on the go. It may be a bit bulky to hang around your neck, but otherwise, it will fit almost anywhere else.
Click for larger picture.
The Zen's 2.5" screen is large and vibrant, and we enjoyed watching videos on it. The user interface is a matured navigation system, with refreshing eye candy thrown in, making it look modern. The Zen is able to appeal to both casual users as well as more advanced users. The interface is intuitive for casual users, and advanced users can use the context button for more options, as well as customise the menus and shortcut button.
On the technical aspect, the Zen introduces two "firsts" - AAC support and SD card slot. The AAC support is a recognition of the increasing popularity of the AAC format, which is not surprising. As users continue using iTunes as their music management software, even CDs that they rip will be converted to AAC format. By supporting AAC, this eases the transition of iTunes users to the Creative Zen. We quite liked the SD card support. You can buy the 8GB Zen, and a 8GB SD card, and end up with 16GB of storage for less than the 16GB Zen. Although the Zen is somewhat picky about the SD cards it supports, Creative is working to improve on SD card compability, and released a new firmware in the midst of our review. As mentioned earlier, we would have loved the ability to copy files from the SD card to the Zen, which would make the Zen an ideal travel companion for photographers. We hope Creative can consider this feature in a future firmware.
Overall, we are very pleased with the Zen. It is priced slightly cheaper than the iPod nano, but contains so many more features, making this a very worthwhile purchase. Now that Creative has mastered the DAP, we look forward to the next generation of convergence devices. We highly recommend the Zen, whether you are a first-time buyer, or looking to upgrade your current DAP.
9 out of 10
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