Zen Mp3 Player | Music

By RaymondSabo
Total views: 17
Word Count: 610

First it was Walkmans, and then came Discmans. Now we see a technological outburst of mp3 players. These players enable users to keep up to 80 gigabytes of their music on a small, handheld device. Most people have used, seen, or at least heard of Apple's iPod. What many consumers have not seen, however, are Creative's Zen mp3 players.

Creative Labs has introduced into the technological race their line of Zen mp3 players. In this line are players which vary from 512MB, which we see in the Zen Nano Plus, to the 60GB available in the Zen Vision W. With the Zen mp3 players we see products created for simple music listening, such as the Nano Plus, and the Stone series. For a player more specified to video watching, a Vision W or the original Zen player might be more desirable, as they have bigger screens. Looking for a player made for music and videos? Try the Vision: M or one of the players from the V series. With its vast variety of products, each user is sure to find one that suits his or her needs.

Why would someone choose a Zen mp3 player over an iPod? There are many reasons why this might happen, the first of which is the software. Many users enjoy being given the choice, with the Zen players, to use either Creative Media Explorer or Windows Media Player. With the iPod however, iTunes software must be used.

Another perk of the Zen players are the ease of transferring video files to the player. Whereas with iTunes it is difficult to sync videos not from iTunes to the player, it is easy to do this with the Zen mp3 players. Zen players are also known for the vast color variety, with some players, such as the Nano Plus, available in ten colors. Many consumers also prefer to not go with the iPod simply because of its popularity. The Zen players, while they have a reputation for being sturdy, good looking, and all-around good products, are not seen nearly as often as iPods.

Due to the extensive variety in the Zen mp3 players, the price range is also one of large proportions. These players can cost anywhere from under $50, which we see in the 512MB Nano Plus, to over $300, as paid by owners of Vision Ws. The original Zen, Vision: M, and players in the V series are sold at prices spread out between these two limits, depending on the space capacity within the player.

Having owned a Creative Zen Vision: M for over a year, I have obtained some personal experience with the line of Zen mp3 players. Throughout my time of ownership, I have found only two negative aspects of the Zen mp3 player. These two things were (1) the album art not showing up, and (2) the software. Due to a compatibility problem with Windows Media Player 11 and Creative's Media Explorer, after about a year of using my Zen player, I realized that the album art had stopped showing up. The other issue I had was not so much with the player as with the software that came with it. I didn't like the file view of the Media Explorer, and wished that the program had an artist, album, and track title view. Fortunately, both of my issues with my Zen mp3 player were solved with a quick software update.

Creative's Zen mp3 players, due to their sleek looks, large range in prices, and vast variety in products, have become increasingly popular. Although they still sit overshadowed by Apple's iPod, the Zen players are quickly gaining ground.

produced and edited by Raymond Sabo http://www.cellphones-mp3.com

About the Author

Raymond Sabo brings to you the views and information for the Zen Creative Vision and more.

You are here Articles > Music