Creative Zen vs. Apple ipod

leeeeny

hi everyone,


wanna get a new mp3, n just cant decide.... i like the ipod, but its kinda annoyin the way ya can only use itunes.... and is the battery life any good??? wass gonna get one if the new nano ones??? has anyone heard are they any good?

mordeith

I've got a Creaive Zen Vision M 30Gb and I love it. You're not locked into using iTunes and can just drag and drop using the Creative Explorer software. You can set aside a user defined portion of the Zen to be used as a standard usb drive. It has radio and an inbuilt mic for voice recording. The video playback is exceptional and the TV output is fantastic as well. The only gripe I have is that you have to use a little removable dock to attach the usb/video and mains adapter. I bought the additional pack which included decent headphones, the mains adapter, a screen guard, the video out cable (a standard one doesn't work) and a skin. The new Zen Vision W comes bundled with this stuff and it also has a dedicated USB slot so I'd go for that one as the Widescreen would be great for watching video. It also has a compact flash slot for transferring photos from your camera's memory card. You can use iRiverter for converting videos. PCPro magazine has it as it's A-list multmedia player. (Plus everyone and their Granny has an iPod :rolleyes:)

projectmayhem

i had a zen vision m 30gb. had the zen sleek before that. loved 'em and swore i'd never switch to apple.

then apple released the 80gb classic (160gb version available too). i wasn't bothered but then my vision m packed it in, and creative have NOTHING to rival the ipod now with the decision to stop making hard-drive players. so for the price of an 80gb ipod all i could really go for is the 16gb zen (i think).

i'd still recommend the vision m. but for the extra 50gb, it's worth it for the ipod, and the pain itunes brings.

mordeith

The Zen has a vastly superior range of video formats that it can play though, including xVid and DivX. Direct from the net to your player

projectmayhem

mordeith wrote: »

The Zen has a vastly superior range of video formats that it can play though, including xVid and DivX. Direct from the net to your player

agree'd but i've yet to use that feature on any mp3 player with video functionality i've ever owned. i own a nice big tv, i don't get why anyone would watch anything on a 2" screen, regardless of format.

mordeith

projectmayhem wrote: »

agree'd but i've yet to use that feature on any mp3 player with video functionality i've ever owned. i own a nice big tv, i don't get why anyone would watch anything on a 2" screen, regardless of format.

If you're commuting it's great. I've been watching Prison Break on the bus in the mornings. You'd be amazed how quickly you become used to watching something on a screen that size. I mean people could also say that about portable gaming systems compared with ordinary consoles/PCs. I will admit that the iPod is less bulky though.

zuchum

I wouldn't let iTunes put you off,as it's probably the best way of organising your music anyway with a good interface and ome cool features.

I wouldn't worry too muh about the video types either,because if you're onsidering a nano,you probably aren't gonna use that much video anyway,and if you want to,there are some programs which convert videos to iPod format fairly sharply and easily,for example,I have the entire futurama boxset on my 30GB ipod.

The video runs very smooth,good quality,but like I said,if you're going for a nano,it shouldn't be that much of a concern.

Obviously Zens are prtty cool pieces of kit too,very stylish looking and function brilliantly. One of the things I like about my iPod though is that I can charge it if I'm in my friends house or somewhere else because so many people have them. That and the compatability with a whole range of accesories which are built up around the iPod.

The only thing I dislike bout my iPod is that it has no radio function.

If it was me I'd go for the iPod Classic 80GB model,as its handy to know you can have s many movies/music as you like,and i's affordable enough.

But if you're on a budget,I'd go for the Zen Creative 8GB,unless the not being able to charge it/less accesories males a big difference to you,as it seems better than the nano,and even has removable storage space,which is very cool
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B000V9IAYS/interactiveda3031-21


Happy Choosing!

Lands Leaving

Zen is good if you're into video as its easy to put it on and comes with a good converter, its fine for music, but itunes is easier to use and zen is terrible for podcasts so if you use them a lot go with the ipod. If its mainly for music then it depends how good you are with file management and such, as if you're comfortable with formats, file locations etc. the zen is great, but itunes makes everything really really simple

dlambirl

hey!
i'm in the same boat - the time has come for me to get a new mp3 player and i dont know whether to choose the apple ipod nano 8gb or the creative zen 8gb or something similar... i have most of the albums i have stored on my laptop (windows media player) and i've heard that iTunes is a disaster to use. is it? also would i be able to convert the music i have stored on my laptop to itunes or would i have to reload my cd's onto my laptop for the itunes format?

please help

1huge1

Always been a huge fan of Iriver's... I spilled red bull all over my Iriver H10 there a few weeks ago and looked into getting a new one, but it seems Iriver really hasen't moved with the times, they were once on top but have fallen behind in my opinion.

I'm not a fan of Ipods, music quality is generally not as good as the competition and I don't like been refined to iTunes, Looks like I'll be getting a Creative Zen Vision for X mass.