Friday, August 21, 2009

Why I like Creative Zen more than iPod?

This topic might be a cliché. But I love my Creative Zen and the freedom it provides me way better than iPod. Of course, I have used both and then then Zune also.

I gifted the iPod to my parents and the Zune to my sister-in-law. I chose to keep the Creative that I bought before these 2. After 3+ years, there are a few white lines appearing on my favorite MP3/Video player. But it was way better than the alternatives.

Here I go with the Pros and cons that I found over years for Zen (Vision :M 30GB).

Pros:

  • No need for specific software. I found this very useful since I switch between multiple computers and find the iTunes highly annoying.
  • I don’t have to synchronize or worry about it anytime because of the above feature.
  • No restriction on the formats for music
  • Fewer restrictions on formats for video
  • Easy to use
  • Can be used like a USB Drive
  • I can allocate specific memory to be used as a USB drive and connect exclusively on USB Drive mode.
  • Less restrictive WRM.
  • Decent battery life.
  • Click pad though difficult at first is easy to master. But not as good as the iPod’s click wheel.
  • Drag ‘n drop playlist support

Cons:

  • Hangs some time and have to reset it with a Pin/sharp object. But I guess this happens with other MP3 players too.
  • Some video formats require conversion by Zen’s software.
  • AC adapter not supplied by default. This is not a big negative though, since you can find a AC adapter/ Car charger for less than 10 bucks

Nice to have:

  • An internal speaker would highly increase the value of this device ( Or any mp3/video player for that matter).
  • Support for mobile video formats like 3GP, etc would be great.

 

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