- Joined
- May 21, 2003
- Location
- buffalo ny
(sorry if this is in the wrong section, i'm not really sure where to put it)
The Creative Nomad Jukebox line has long been an ipod alternative, and with their Zen line they have gotten closer to competing. The Zen NX was a great player, but its screen was too small. The Zen Xtra has updated that screen, and is available in 30gb, 40gb, and 60gb flavors.
I purchased the 30gb model at Best Buy, where it retails for $299.99. My dad's friend won a $849 portable DVD player at work, took it back to best buy, but couldn't find anything to buy, so he sold the card to my dad for $625. I was able to use however much of it I wanted and pay my dad 70% of retail. So I paid around $227 after tax. You can now get it for $248 at Amazon.com for a 30gb player.
But I digress. I opened the box to find an AC charger, some nice (albeit slightly tinny) earbuds, a leather carrying case (which i really like), a removable rechargable battery (which the ipod, if i'm not mistaken, doesn't have), a USB 2.0 cable, and of course, the unit itself. While slightly larger than an Ipod, that was not a main concern for me. The feel was durable and well-constructed.
First thing I did was charge the player. I let it charge for around 2 hours -- the manual says it will need 4 the first time you charge it -- and then left it on the charger while I plugged in the USB cable and installed the software. As I expected, the Creative software was complete crap, and slowed my computer down considerably, if not locking it up. I purchased Red Chair Software's Notmad Explorer, which most people seem to like. It is a great piece of software, and the feature I like most about it is the one-touch sync, to sync new music to the player. The sync was around 40mb/second, and it took 20 minutes to sync my modest 4.5gb of music via USB 2.0.
It was time to listen. I expected the included earbuds to be tinny and weak, but they produced pretty good sound. Not the best I've heard, but exceptional for their size. Fit was fairly good. My one gripe about the buds is that the pads keep falling off, and I finally lost one today, and they don't fit well without them. So I was off to circuit city to buy some new headphones. I settled on Koss Sportapros, and they sound pretty good while being relatively cheap and very portable.
I hooked the unit up to my stereo, and it shined again. Sound is completely outstanding. The highs were high, and the bass thumped. Amazing out of a portable if you ask me.
The features of this player are great. The screen is first-class, and its blue backlight can be seen in any light. The player can be locked if you don't want it changing when a button is hit. The case provided, though it blocks the screen, is very protective and sturdy, and I keep my player in it at all times in my backpack.
Controls of the player are good as well. You have a Power button, a volume button, a "Back" button, a "Menu" button, a Prev/Next (also Search) button, and a Play button. The main button used to navigate menus is a scroll wheel on the right of the unit. I thought this would be awkward at first, but it is easy to use. You simply select the item you want by moving the wheel up or down, and then push the wheel in to select that item.
All in all, I'm happy with my purchase, and it damn well beats spending $500 on a 30gb Ipod.
Pros: Sound, Price, features
Cons: Software (buy Notmad Explorer)
more pics (my digicam blows)
The Creative Nomad Jukebox line has long been an ipod alternative, and with their Zen line they have gotten closer to competing. The Zen NX was a great player, but its screen was too small. The Zen Xtra has updated that screen, and is available in 30gb, 40gb, and 60gb flavors.
I purchased the 30gb model at Best Buy, where it retails for $299.99. My dad's friend won a $849 portable DVD player at work, took it back to best buy, but couldn't find anything to buy, so he sold the card to my dad for $625. I was able to use however much of it I wanted and pay my dad 70% of retail. So I paid around $227 after tax. You can now get it for $248 at Amazon.com for a 30gb player.
But I digress. I opened the box to find an AC charger, some nice (albeit slightly tinny) earbuds, a leather carrying case (which i really like), a removable rechargable battery (which the ipod, if i'm not mistaken, doesn't have), a USB 2.0 cable, and of course, the unit itself. While slightly larger than an Ipod, that was not a main concern for me. The feel was durable and well-constructed.
First thing I did was charge the player. I let it charge for around 2 hours -- the manual says it will need 4 the first time you charge it -- and then left it on the charger while I plugged in the USB cable and installed the software. As I expected, the Creative software was complete crap, and slowed my computer down considerably, if not locking it up. I purchased Red Chair Software's Notmad Explorer, which most people seem to like. It is a great piece of software, and the feature I like most about it is the one-touch sync, to sync new music to the player. The sync was around 40mb/second, and it took 20 minutes to sync my modest 4.5gb of music via USB 2.0.
It was time to listen. I expected the included earbuds to be tinny and weak, but they produced pretty good sound. Not the best I've heard, but exceptional for their size. Fit was fairly good. My one gripe about the buds is that the pads keep falling off, and I finally lost one today, and they don't fit well without them. So I was off to circuit city to buy some new headphones. I settled on Koss Sportapros, and they sound pretty good while being relatively cheap and very portable.
I hooked the unit up to my stereo, and it shined again. Sound is completely outstanding. The highs were high, and the bass thumped. Amazing out of a portable if you ask me.
The features of this player are great. The screen is first-class, and its blue backlight can be seen in any light. The player can be locked if you don't want it changing when a button is hit. The case provided, though it blocks the screen, is very protective and sturdy, and I keep my player in it at all times in my backpack.
Controls of the player are good as well. You have a Power button, a volume button, a "Back" button, a "Menu" button, a Prev/Next (also Search) button, and a Play button. The main button used to navigate menus is a scroll wheel on the right of the unit. I thought this would be awkward at first, but it is easy to use. You simply select the item you want by moving the wheel up or down, and then push the wheel in to select that item.
All in all, I'm happy with my purchase, and it damn well beats spending $500 on a 30gb Ipod.
Pros: Sound, Price, features
Cons: Software (buy Notmad Explorer)
more pics (my digicam blows)
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