Creative Zen V 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black/Blue) Review

Average Reviews:

(More customer reviews)For one, I am not a fan of Apple as a company and will always buy anything but an IPod.From quite a bit of research I figured the Creative Zen was one of the better options.

This player generally works fine, but has two flaws that REALLY bother me!One of the most important features of an MP3 player is the ability to put all your music in it and then hit "random play" to have it cycle through your music.This does about as bad a job of that as could be possible.It will constantly feed you some of the same songs on a regular basis while seemingly never getting to some of the others.As a software developer, this really bothers me because programming a random search algorithm is generally one of the easier things you can do, and if you need to pair that with keeping a little document to reference of what has already been played so as not to repeat things too soon, that also is not hard for even the most junior programmer to do (i.e., Creative has no excuse why this feature is so bad).Then the fact that it does such a poor job of this has to make you wonder about just what else doesnt work so well but isnt so obvious.Some of the other negative reviews here indicate other problems that I havent encountered, but would be indicative of some poor programming by Creative.I think the menu system leaves a bit to be desired as well and results in too much navigating and clicking around to do simple things (i.e., the software is not as well designed or configurable as it could be).I am also pretty sure this unit doesnt allow you to record the radio, but it is so hard to tell because their documentation is thoroughly inadequate and doesn't even give a basic walkthru of 90% of the features.

Now to the thing that irriates me the most.I am not one who cares to buy music online... so 95% of the MP3s I have come from being ripped from my CD collection.The software program that comes with this, of course is geared to work with this particular player.So, if you rip using it, it will do more work and can save a copy to your player and your computer hard drive at the same time at a very decent speed.It is a much quicker process than using Windows Media Player or Music Match Jukebox to rip the music and then copy it to your player.After spending 2 hours shuffling CDs and ripping directly to the player, I realized it was ripping in WMA format.That sucks, because I want MP3s... as long as I am taking the time to shuffle CDs and rip, I want to be able to burn the SAME MP3s to CDs so that I can burn them to CD for archiving and play the MP3 CDs in devices that can do that... MP3s tend to work on all brands, not WMAs.Anyway, I go to the settings area of Creative's software package and change the setting for it to rip to MP3... and low and behold, I can do that... ONLY IF I buy their MP3 ripping support package at an additional $9.99.WTF?Yeah... nice... it is an MP3 player, but I have to pay more to rip my CDs to MP3 format!There is no TECHNICAL reason for this... it simply means Creative is using the opportunity to withhold a feature you will WANT so they can get more money from you.There is no other way to put that.It is pathetic and unnacceptable!

Contacting their technical support is absolutely useless because they clearly will not read your problem and respond to it in a personalized manner.Instead, you will get form responses stating their policies or pointing you to "how to do it with Windows Media Player 10".I am sorry, but if I am paying $150+ for the player, I certainly expect the software to do all the standardly expected things.I did not see any disclaimer on the box about having to pay extra for MP3 ripping.I went back and forth complaining to Creative about this particular issue and how I felt it was wrong for them to charge for it.All I got them to admit was it was something that was available in prior versions of their software that is not available any longer without buying the package for MP3 support.After many iterations, it got to the point where their responses didnt even match the situation... prompting a new term, I will call e-ignoring me.; )

This is why this player deserves only 2 stars.The unacceptably bad Random feature (which requires you to skip songs regularly) is worth a star deduction in itself, but their terrible customer service and price gouging policies are truly unacceptable.There has to be a better option than a Creative Player and I would recommend most people look for it.When buying something like this, you shouldn't have to get additional software and I have talked to many people who own players from other companies where the software does rip to MP3 without further charge.Ripping through an external program and then loading the player does work here, but it is certainly slower.Windows Media Player makes the process too cumbersome for my taste.Music Match Jukebox does ok, but they purposely make the ripping process slow and then constantly bug you with popups to try to get you to upgrade THEIR software with their own $9.99 (or more) purchase.I am tired of companies always trying to make a buck at the expense of the customer.With Music Match, I understand, the basic player is free... with Creative, sorry, we already had to pay for the product, to have to may more to rip MP3s is essentially making us pay $10+ more for a product we already purchased.

As others have pointed out... this will not hold the amount of songs they advertise because no one sane uses an 64KB rate... even 128KB is hardly good enough.I do 160KB and will end up getting between 600 and 700 songs on this unit.But, this "problem" is the same on all players, their song claims are just unrealistic to the real world... just know that going in... if you want oodles of songs, go for the hard drive models that hold 30GB... but, 700 songs is ALOT more than it seems and the flash memory players are still better for running and such... jolting and bouncing has no effect on them in terms of theoretical wear and tear.

If not for the fact that returning electronics is a pain and there are usually restocking fees, I would have returned this unit.I bought my son one as well that has not been opened and since that will have the same problems I encountered with mine, we are returning it.I told Creative I wanted them to give me the MP3 support I expected for free or I would return my son's unit and post this honest (but unflattering) feedback here.They would not even acknowledge my request (which I think was reasonable), so here my honest assessment is.You might disagree with my assessments, and that's fine, but if I read what I am writing here, I would have not bought this player... and I wish I would have at least known all of this before hand.Then I could have made an educated choice rather than be so disappointed by the things this player and software do poorly.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Creative Zen V 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black/Blue)

Product Description:
With a tiny, eye-catching design, smooth contours, and discreet size, the Creative Zen V 4 GB Portable Media Player fits perfectly in your palm and slides effortlessly into your smallest pocket. With 4 GB of storage space,

A 1.5-inch OLED screen displays rich and vibrant photos, as well as the easy-to-use Creative interface. View all Zen V features.

Not much bigger than a pair of earbuds! (black and orange model shown) See the Zen V in 3D. the Zen V holds up to 2,000 songs, and the 1.5-inch OLED screen displays rich and vibrant photos, full-color menus, and album art at any viewing angle. Another great feature built right into the Zen V is the tiny device's ability to support subscription services and pay-per-download music. Plus, you'll never sweat formats--the Zen V plays the broadest selection of MP3 and WMA music. And browsing your music collection has never been easier with Creative's innovative interface that enables effective and intuitive navigation and track selection.
Other great features include a Direct CD Recording function that allows you to record songs directly from a CD player or other audio source without using a PC as an intermediary. You no longer need to burn CDs to your PC then download to your MP3 player. Just connect an audio device directly to your Zen V, and record your favorite CDs, records, beats and more, direct from the source. Meanwhile, automatic track detection separates each song for you--a handy feature when you're converting analog (records and cassette tapes) to digital. If organization is a high priority, the Zen V's Personal Organizer will help you stay connected and in-sync with your Microsoft Outlook information. Just connect the Zen V to your PC, sync your Outlook information, and you'll be ready to carry around your contacts, calendar, and to-do lists right in your pocket. Plus, the Zen V uses a handy built-in microphone to double as a voice recorder, so you can capture notes, record lectures, and more.

No matter how you hold it, the Zen V is just the right size.
Creative knows that sporty is sexy, and this player is ideal for any workout junkie. The skip-free playback is perfect on your morning jog or your most rigorous workout at the gym. The optional armband and case fit comfortably on your arm and keep your Zen V safe and secure while running or lifting. The Zen V player was designed for people who appreciate style and function. Don't be surprised when people take notice of your cool, colorful music and photo player. You can proudly announce that your device carries up to 2,000 songs, and you can show off your favorite photos that you've stored on this pocket-sized powerhouse.

What's in the Box
Creative Zen V, EP480 earphones, drawstring pouch lanyard, USB cable, line-in cable, installation CD including user manual, and quick start guide.