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Creative ZEN 4GB MP3 Player | 
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| Brand: Creative
Category: CE
List Price: £69.99
Buy New: £54.92
You Save: £15.07 (22%)
New (16) Refurbished (1) from £41.00
Rating:  292 reviews
Media: Electronics
Fragile: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 4.7 x 21.7 x 32.7
nv: AC Power Adapter Supplied: No
Alarm: Yes
Aspect ratio: 4:3
Audible Support: Yes
Audio Output Connections: 3.5mm Jack
Backlit Display: Yes
Battery Life: Up to 25hrs Audio up to 5hrs Video
Bluetooth: No
Bookmarking Support: Yes
Built in Clock: Yes
Built in Speakers: No
Built in Stopwatch: No
Carry Case & Arm Strap Option: Yes
Codec Support: MP3 WMA AAC4 (.m4A) WAV (ADPCM) Audible 2 3 4
Colour LCD Screen: Yes
Copyright Protection System: Yes
DAB Radio: No
Data Storage: Yes
MPN: 70PF216200115
Model: 70PF216200115
EAN: 5390660143847
Release Date: September 29, 2007
Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours
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| Customer Reviews: Read 287 more reviews...
 Almost perfect October 23, 2007
Henry Pupkin (Scotland)
96 out of 97 found this review helpful
I spent a lot of time looking at various MP3 players before deciding on the Creative Zen.
So far it has exceeded my expectations.
PROS
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SIZE - It's very small but seems robust.
SCREEN - Exceptionally clear. Videos are very smooth and watchable. The colours are vivid and bright and it has a wide viewing angle.
SOUND - Excellent. I'm using some Sony headphones which sound pretty good.
SOFTWARE - Simple but very intuitive. It took me less than 5 minutes to get the hang of things. The options are clear, it's easy to find things and fast. Other people have complained about slow start up times but I just upgraded the firmware to 1.10 and it now starts in less than 5 seconds.
CONTROLS - Simple and very easy to use. I'm left handed, but having the controls on the right is not a problem.
EXTRAS - The radio has very clear reception and the presets work well. The SD slot is a big bonus especially as SD cards get cheaper.
VALUE - For 80 you get an attractive 4GB player which can play multiple audio and video formats. The sound is good and videos are very watchable. It has a radio and is easily expandable. 10/10
CONS
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It's hard to think of any. The screen inevitably get smudgy finger prints on it but this is unavoidable. The supplied video conversion software is slow but I'm sure there are plenty of alternatives available.
One extra I'd like is a clear hinged cover to protect the screen. Ideally this could be flipped back to use as a stand when watching vides.
Proof that reading reviews can be misleading March 3, 2008
Archbishop (Sheffield, UK)
37 out of 37 found this review helpful
I did a lot of research before deciding to purchase a Zen 8GB - mostly (Though not exclusively) from customers here on Amazon. There is clearly a 2-way split of opinion between the 'Don't touch with a barge pole' and the 'Absolutely fabulous' camps.
Consequently its virtually impossible to decide what to do.
I tried to get Amazon to reveal the scale of Zen returns but they either couldn't or wouldn't reveal such information.
In the end, with the knowledge that getting Amazon to take it back and give a refund wasn't going to be a problem, I decided that the only sure way to find out what this little MP3 player was really like was to go ahead and get one.
As a result I have now fallen into the 'Absolutely fabulous' camp.
As soon as I got it I did an immediate firmware upgrade before doing anything else and my experience is in agreement with all the 5 star reviewers here - it is just stunning.
I haven't got round to reading any instructions yet - its really easy to get to grips with the menu system though maybe if I had read them I would have discovered that plugging an SD card in with the power on isn't a good idea - it causes a reboot and loses all the Radio presets that you've carefully named! (Not a criticism that - just my stupidity)
Overall money well spent - get one!
Creative ZEN is an iPOD Killer! January 26, 2008
Iain M. Maxwell (Edinburgh)
69 out of 70 found this review helpful
This is an amazing MP3 player that is much better than the equivalent iPod Nano for so many different reasons:
1. Sound Quality: To be fair to iPod, the Zen is just as good in this department as both devices have excellent sound quality.
2. Video Quality: The Zen display is excellent with crystal clear images and is just large enough to allow you to become immersed in the TV-Show or Movie that you are watching. Much better than the iPod for image quality and size. The only downside is that movies need to be trans-coded to play on the player with either the application Creative provide or a Third Party tool which does take a long time. But the range of support for different video formats is good and again better than the iPods.
3. Extra Features: The Microphone, FM Radio & Organiser are all nice touches although I have never used the organiser on any of Creative's products. Since the iPod doesn't have a Microphone or Radio the Zen wins again even though the iPod does have games, which I have no interest in.
4. Photos: Both devices display your photos adequately but again the Zen wins due to its larger clearer display.
5. Expandability: The iPod has no expansion capability but the Zen has the SD slot which can also take SDHC cards. I personally have a 8Gb SDHC card in my player (giving me a total of 24Gb of space) and it is an excellent feature that allows you to fill up this great player with more media. Some people do not like the fact that it doesn't integrate the content on the SD card with the players own internal memory in the UI but to be honest it's no big deal given the expandability that you get!
6. Looks & Build Quality: Even though I am a long time Creative fan I have to admit that Apple have always produced great looking devices, Creative aren't far short with this sexy looking player. The iPod also wins in the build department as some might complain about the Zen's flimsy controls and lightweight plastic case but so far I've found the Zen to be quite sturdy as I've dropped it several times until I got a decent skin for it.
7. Use-ability: Both devices are very easy to use with excellent menu navigation to your media. Although the iPod has the still innovative slider the Zen does just as good a job but without the gimmick.
8. Size & Weight: The Zen is the same size as a credit card but almost 10mm thick but it's still really small. It's also really light which is great for sport. The iPod is smaller and slimmer but given that both are so small I prefer the Zen as you get the bigger screen.
As you can see the Zen is a great player and a worthy adversary to the iPod nano, if not in fact a better choice on the whole for your portable media player.
Also get your player upgraded to the latest firmware (1.20.02e) and you can copy from the SD card to the Zen's internal memory.
Finally, a real bug-bear of mine about this player had been the lack of remote control for it when you are running or in the gym. The remote I had for my old Microphoto didn't work with it. But on a recent trip to Singapore I went to the Creative shop and they provided me with a remote which looks exactly like the one they have for the Microphoto. It's part number is DAA-WR0006 for those of you who need this feature.
Another excellent iPod kickin' player from Creative!
Fantastic October 15, 2007
D. Mackenzie (London United Kingdom)
116 out of 119 found this review helpful
I've been searching high and low for a replacement for my dying iPod mini.
I looked at the new Nano - which looked great and also the Sony NWZA816 - which had great reports. I was never happy with the sound quality on the iPods, especially the distortion in the bass which a lot of people seem to notice, so after listening to the new Nano it was a no. I was just about to get the Sony whan I saw this new baby from Creative. I'm so glad I got it because it has everything I want (great sound and stunning looks).
I thought the video would just be a gimmic but it is actually very good, bright and detailed. Add to all that the radio, the SD slot, the drag and drop, the custom EQ etc and you've got an amazing piece of kit for the price. The only problem i did have was the volume was capped and not quite loud enough for my Etymotic headphones. I solved this by downloading
the US version of the firmware and reformating in recovery mode (you do this at your own risk obviously).
To sum up, if you love the Apple style and aren't that fussed on sound quality then the Nano might be what your looking for. If you want great sound, usable video and also great style then give the Zen a listen.
does what it says November 13, 2007
pops (uk)
53 out of 55 found this review helpful
I am sat listerning to my zen whilst typing this review. I had read other reviews in which people say they had problems and so why did I buy it, well the zen range is getting better and ipod have got the market and I'm always for the smaller guy. Glad I made the choice. So far (touch wood) this little gem has done exactly what it is supose to no more, no less. The radio feature is a bonus, my audio books download a treat through windows and the zen software puts them on the player where I want them. it plays music, pictures, videos, alarm clock, sleep mode (great) ect,. It is a lovely object, that does what it's supose to do and does it well. The only downside has been a few spots of freezing, but a quick poke in the reset button (ouch) sorts it out and it does not lose any data. Overall I am quite pleased with it, despite a few teething problems. It's simple and easy to use.
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