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Creative Zen (2GB)
Manufacturer: Creative Part number: 70PF216300111
- More product information:
- Editors' review
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Product series
- Accessories
- Manufacturer info
- Bottom Line:
- We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.
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Where to buy
| store | customer rating | inventory | tax & shipping | price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Amazon.com Marketplace |  | In stock | Enter zip code to get total price: Price +Tax +Shipping =Total price | as of 03/18/2010 |
CNET editors' review
Creative Zen (2GB) price range: $95.99
- Reviewed by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 09/14/2007
- Updated on:04/25/2008
The good: The Creative Zen sounds fantastic and features a brilliant color screen capable of displaying photos and video. The player offers a smorgasbord of desirable extras such as an SD card expansion slot, an FM radio, a voice recorder, and a user-definable EQ. It has a slim, pocket-friendly design; is very user-friendly; supports subscription music; and sports a reasonable price tag.
The bad: The Creative Zen only comes in black, the control pad feels cheap, and it doesn't come close to matching the max 60GB offered by the player it's replacing.
The bottom line: We're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.
Editors' note: The body of this review has been updated to reflect added memory options and significant price drops.
In a move that surprised many a Creative fan, the company has ushered in a flash-based replacement for its Zen Vision:M, a full-size, hard-drive player that offered up to 60GB of space. Though the news was not well-received by some proponents of carting around a large library of tracks, those who give the new player--dubbed simply the Zen--a chance will find that it's a completely worthy follow-up to its chunky predecessor. This new Zen--which comes in 2GB ($79.99), 4GB ($99.99), 8GB ($129.99), 16GB ($199.99), and 32GB ($299.99) versions--may not hold as much media as the 60GB Vision:M, but it offers the same, lovely screen in a much smaller body, and it packs in a couple of new features for good measure. Plus, it's an incredible value for the price.
It's all about sleek understatement
Creative has gained somewhat of a reputation for putting MP3 players in a vast array of colors, so it comes as a bit of a shock (and maybe a letdown, for some) that the Zen will be offered in just one: black. Still, it must be said that black does make an excellent frame for the awesome 2.5-inch TFT screen, which is capable of displaying 16.7 million colors. Also, while the design might not be as innovative as that of the iPod Touch and iRiver Clix--or as cute or as eye-catching as that of previous family members--the Zen has a certain understated elegance with its shiny face and brushed-metal backside. It's like a smaller, sleeker version of the Vision.
Despite its ample screen, the Zen is pleasantly compact. At just 3.3 inches by 2.1 inches by 0.4 inch, it's about 60 percent smaller than the Vision:M and it's definitely pocket-friendly. We're also pleased to note that Creative didn't skimp on the controls and has migrated completely to the user-friendly tactile variety. Main functions are handled by a four-way control square surrounding a center select button. This is flanked on the top by a back/contextual menu rocker and on the bottom by a shortcut and play/pause toggle. Sadly, there's no dedicated volume control, but the right edge of the Zen houses the ever-handy hold/power switch along with a standard mini-USB port and 3.5mm headphone jack. The reset and mic holes can be found on the bottom and top spines, respectively.
Fun features for all
Exploring the top side of the Zen also reveals one of the new extras we alluded to earlier. In another departure from the norm, Creative has built in an SD card expansion slot--a first for its MP3 players. We're happy to report that the slot can take SDHC cards, which currently go up to 16GB in the full-size SD variety. (Of course, at a price that exceeds the 16GB Zen itself, those are a bit cost-prohibitive at the moment.) Considering the move away from more capacious hard drive memory, we definitely think the addition of memory expansion was a wise--and necessary--move.
Another new feature to be found on this Zen is its support of unprotected AAC files, meaning it will play back iTunesPlus tracks, though you can't use iTunes to transfer them. The player can sync via drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer, or you can use a jukebox such as Windows Media Player or Rhapsody. Like its other family members, this Zen also supports MP3, WAV, Audible, and both protected and unprotected WMA tracks. Unfortunately, it also shares Mac incompatibility with the other players in its line. Photos must be in JPEG format, which Windows Media Player can convert to automatically during syncing. On the video side, the Zen plays WMV and Motion JPEG out of the box and MPEG4, DiVX, and XViD with conversion. Creative includes an app--Zen Media Explorer--which can take care of the conversion painlessly and (somewhat) quickly.
In addition to its media capabilities, the Zen includes Creative's usual impressive array of features, though it's worth noting that there is no line-in recording for audio or video (the latter in particular would have been a nice touch). You do get voice recording and an FM radio with autoscan and 32 preset slots. There's also basic PIM functionality: you can sync contacts, tasks, and calendar info from Outlook to the device. Plus, you get the usual shuffle and repeat playback modes, handy contextual menus, and the ability to search for artists and songs as well as rate songs on the fly and set up to 10 bookmarks. Nine preset EQs, a five-band, user-definable mode, and a bass boost function ensure that you can adjust sound to your liking.
But it's the fun visual display option that set the Zen line apart. Album art can be viewed as a thumbnail or in full-screen mode on the playback display, and Creative includes various themes for interface customization. You can also set any image on the player as wallpaper, and the photo-browsing experience is great: there's a 5x4 thumbnail grid and each one magnifies as you scroll over it. Naturally, you can view photos and slide shows while listening to music. There's even a nifty, semi-split-screen deal on the main menu that cycles through album art, photos, or video image clips, depending on which media type you are browsing.
Shining performance
No two ways about it: the Zen's screen is fabulous. Photos look vibrant and bright, with excellent color saturation and good detail. Videos are similarly impressive--clear and bright with no noticeable pixilation (though we did notice the occasional blurring around some sharp edges)--and the viewing angle from side to side is excellent. Even the interface looks stellar, right down to the transparent icons on the main menu. It's a nice screen to look at for sure.
Frankly, we've come to expect stellar audio quality from Creative's MP3 players, and the Zen did not disappoint--once we swapped in the Shure SE530 headphones. (For their part, the included headphones were passable.) Perhaps the best thing is that all genres of music sound equally great. The bass of Zeb's disco house track "Disco Patel" was tight and enveloping without overshadowing the sparkle of the high hat and minute ting of the triangle. In the Bangles' high-end heavy intro to "Hazy Shade of Winter," the detail of each instrument was crystal clear, and the relatively quiet Spanish guitar was not lost among the frantic chorus of the rest of the track. Overall, music was rich, warm, and detailed...and it just made us happy.
The Creative Zen also boasts plenty of volume to drive a full-size set of 'phones--we only had it up to about a third with some noise-isolating buds. The rated battery life of 25 hours for audio and 5 hours for video is solid, and CNET Labs pretty much matched these estimates at 24.7 hours and 5.6 hours, respectively. It may not be the longest-lasting battery on the market, but the Zen certainly offers a good value with its lovely screen, nice sound, and good combination of features
User reviews
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Great bargain; great features
by Marcem2 on August 5, 2008
Pros: small; flexible; easy
Cons: documentation
Summary: This is my first MP3 player, and I love it. Easy to use, tons of features, great battery life. My only regret is that I didn't get one with ...
Summary: This is my first MP3 player, and I love it. Easy to use, tons of features, great battery life. My only regret is that I didn't get one with more memory because my 2GB are filling up quickly.
I also like the accompanying software. While it's not required, it's aided my first experience with MP3 players.
Documentation is a slight problem. I couldn't find a comprehensive feature list with instructions on how to use various controls. It's all there in the software files, but I had to search for it. Luckily, most controls are intuitive.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Lots of Bang for the Buck
by b_coxus on May 29, 2008
Pros: Very slim. 2.5" screen. Attractive design. Intuitive menu navigation. Smooth video. Feature packed.
Cons: No external speaker. Occasionally freezes. PC sync software is buggy but usable. Has occasionally lost settings. Very minimal instructions.
Summary: To me, the Creative Zen (2GB) is a feature rich jewel of a device for a small price tag. In my opinion, it blows similarly priced products away with its ...
Summary: To me, the Creative Zen (2GB) is a feature rich jewel of a device for a small price tag. In my opinion, it blows similarly priced products away with its style, features, and ease of use.
I'll get the negatives out of the way first so I can get on with the good stuff. It has no built-in speaker, which is a bit of a bummer. Since the device has an wake-up alarm, it seems obvious that the makers either originally intended to have a built-in speaker or they intended to sell you connectable external speakers (probably the latter). I have unfortunately had an occasional 'hard' freeze of the device where the only thing that will turn it off and back on again is poking the button in the 'reset' hole. I also had a problem after updating the firmware where the device would not turn on, but a quick punch of the reset button brought it back into working order. Some of the 'sync' software that comes with the device seems buggy to me, but the bugs were more annoying that 'show-stoppers' (e.g., ZenCast for podcasts seems to do strange things with some entries appearing, disappearing, reappearing after being deleted, podcasts no sorting in correct date order no matter how many times you hit the sort button, etc.). This is probably more my fault the the device's, but I have often had the device lose my overall settings and radio presets. I haven't figured out, yet, what I am doing to cause this. While it is likely my fault, the device probably could have been designed a little better in this respect. A better set of instructions would have helped. The device comes with very minimal instructions. Luckily, with a few exceptions, the device is so easy and intuitive, that instructions *are* almost unnecessary.
Now on to the good stuff! The 2GB version is priced between $70 and $90. I tried a few others in this same price range at a local store and was very frustrated with how unintuitive their user interfaces were. The Zen, on the other hand, was very intuitive and I found myself easily and quickly navigating its menus. I love the style, with its rounded corners and very thin profile (I can carry it around in my front pants pocket). Even though it is so thin and small, the Zen has a 2.5" screen (lots more real estate than similarly priced models I perused). The display is crisp, clear, and bright. As long as you download good videos, the picture quality is great. I have had no problems with pixelation or skipping. The video has been smooth and fun to watch. Finally, the device is feature packed. It has a built-in microphone/voice recorder. You can turn your stored images into a slide-show. Any image you upload to the Zen can be turned into a wallpaper for your background (if you want it to be something other than the default...even the default wallpapers are cool though). It can store songs by album, artist, genre, and you can create your own playlists. You can rate each song and there are 'DJ' settings you can choose from that allow you to play highly rated songs, unrated songs, or other options. There are several equalizer settings, including a custom equalizer. It, of course, stores video and comes with PC software to help you download podcasts and digital books. There is a calendar and 'task keeper' that you can sync up with outlook if you like. It has an alarm and a clock that you can choose to display. There is a slot for an SD card so you can copy things straight from them or just look at and use their contents.
Basically, I love the device for the price.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Good for it's price
by beckytrinh on May 21, 2008
Pros: Good video, picture and sound quality. Has a lot of features, cheap, light, small
Cons: No speaker so it's pointless to have an alarm on this thing, doesn't warn you when battery is going to die
Summary: Over all I think this player is a great device. It's definitely cheap ( you get what you pay for) I don't really see much flaws to it, I ...
Summary: Over all I think this player is a great device. It's definitely cheap ( you get what you pay for) I don't really see much flaws to it, I know a lot have complained about it freezing up or what not, but it's yet to happen to me and I've had it for 5 days now. So far so good. I like the video and sound quality of it. The program that it comes with is not the best but it works, converting takes a while but the quality comes out looking good for video when you watch it on the player so I'm satisfied. Really the only complaint I have is the fact it doesn't have a speaker, what's the point of having an alarm on this thing if it doesn't have speakers? Who wears headphones to sleep???
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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good player, but very small storage
by jizzleh2 on August 17, 2009
Pros: doesn't need the creative software/drivers to be install to transfer music onto the player's built in storage, built-in fm radio, also it has a built-in SD slot which supports some SDHC cards
Cons: display gets scratched easily, synching music/media can take some time, videos have to be converted, small built-in storage, sometimes the zen has issues where the screen will be white the fix is let the battery die out then it should be ok.
Summary: if you want an affordable media player, that supports video, podcasts, mp3, and a SD slot, then this is would be great for you. Make sure to get a screen ...
Summary: if you want an affordable media player, that supports video, podcasts, mp3, and a SD slot, then this is would be great for you. Make sure to get a screen protector, so the display won't get scratched. If you have a hard time with the white screen error, there should be a lot of posts about it online to help you out. The display is somewhat dim when in Flourescent lighting. I still use this player and it's still great.
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Very Good Player. Worth almost every cent.
Pros: I really like the mini USB port (my old Mp3 player became unuseable after I lost my cord). The display is perfect for watching videos and the SDHC compatabillity is great. It has great sound quality as well.
Cons: I have run into some problems. The FM radio reseption is shakey while the player freezes on me a lot.
Summary: Worth any proce you might pay for it and I am glad I got it.
Summary: Worth any proce you might pay for it and I am glad I got it.
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Perfect for audiobook lovers!
by cmjess on March 19, 2009
Pros: Compact size; Resumes audiobook playback; Excellent bookmarking feature
Cons: Can't think of any
Summary: I love my 30GB Video IPod for listening to/watching most digital media, but got tired of spending tons of money on audiobooks, particularly since I learned that I could ...
Summary: I love my 30GB Video IPod for listening to/watching most digital media, but got tired of spending tons of money on audiobooks, particularly since I learned that I could check out digital audiobooks from the library for free. My problem: IPods don't support WMA files. So, I borrowed an old WMA-compatible MP3 player from my son. When that player didn't work out, I bought another. With each new player, I ran into the same problems: inability to resume playback where I left off in the chapter and troubles with fast forwarding to get back to the point where I left off in the chapter.
Determined to get my audiobook fix without all the hassle, I checked with my virtual library website to see what players would offer me the most features for the least amount of money. Enter the Creative Zen. While not "cheap" by any means, it is relatively inexpensive when you consider that it has many of the same features of my IPod (I paid $200 for my IPod on sale, and just less than $60 for an Open Box Zen). I only went with the 2GB version because audiobook files don't require much room for storage, and, if I need more space, I could always upgrade with an SD card.
I'm so impressed with the Zen that I will likely purchase a Zen for my son instead of an IPod when the time comes to upgrade. The features are basically the same, so why spend more on something that he's going to beat up?
Bottom line: this is just what I needed to make listening to audiobooks fun again! -
Great Music Player, Very Affordable
by Mausllem on January 18, 2009
Pros: -Bargain, low price
-Accepts most music types
-FM radio, Microphone, ability to upload more songs and pictures from external memory card
-Great, Crisp Screen
-Impressive Battery Life
-Optional 2, 4, 5, 16, and 32 Gigabytes of spaceCons: -Video types are limited
-Dust can easily get under plastic screen
-No games feature like iPodSummary: You can get this as an alternate from iPod or any high-price MP3 Players, from Wal-mart or Radioshack. Has mostly everything that an iPod or Zune hasn't, except for ...
Summary: You can get this as an alternate from iPod or any high-price MP3 Players, from Wal-mart or Radioshack. Has mostly everything that an iPod or Zune hasn't, except for screen size. Only $69.99 plus, which is a really good bargain.
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This is an awesome MP3 player! I highly recomend it!
by danjcasejr on October 21, 2008
Pros: It has a nice, sturdy feel. It has a lot of features including: FM Radio, Music, Pictures, and Videos.
Cons: It doesn't support that many video formats. If you want to download a video from Youtube and then put it on your player you can't unless you have a specia program that can convert them.
Summary: This is a great MP3 Player! If you want a player that has good, clear sound then I would suggest getting this!
Summary: This is a great MP3 Player! If you want a player that has good, clear sound then I would suggest getting this!
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Flexable w/ quality
by Tech.Gov on July 9, 2008
Pros: Love the screen, sharp, great sound
Cons: No external mic port
Summary: I love this thing! EZ to use and the quality is very good. I took it into a meeting and recorded the meeting while it was in my pocket in ...
Summary: I love this thing! EZ to use and the quality is very good. I took it into a meeting and recorded the meeting while it was in my pocket in my shirt. The sound quality is very good even then. I love the fact I can use ITUNES or ZenCast organizer or Creative?s sites to download music or Tutorials for Photoshop. I use it to listen to teachings from Christian preachers. I love it great tool. I can use any headphone I like and I can charge with any USB charger even the one from my cell, Just for this make it a better item than other bands that make you use there stuff?.
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best from creative
by iruka* on July 6, 2008
Pros: nice screen, good sound quality, voice recording, radio, video, SD card slot
Cons: nothing, really
Summary: Creative made another genius mp3 player. It's not big at all, it's pretty small but still has a great screen for a player of this size. It's ...
Summary: Creative made another genius mp3 player. It's not big at all, it's pretty small but still has a great screen for a player of this size. It's bright and the photos and videos look very detailed on it.
This is the first time I ever got an SD card slot, mainly because it was only 2GB. SD cards have a lot of memory so it's a pretty nice deal.
As with all Creative's players, this one also has excellent sound quality.
I would definitely recommend this and if it happens to freeze on you, then you should just take it back to the store right away. Don't think about calling support because it's not that easy to get through xDD You can just get it replaced and all will be well. ^^
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Creative
- Part number: 70PF216300111
- Description: ZEN puts a world of entertainment at your fingertips. This amazing, credit card-sized digital media player, with its incredible screen, is the ultimate choice when you want to enjoy your music, movies and photos, whether downloaded from your digital library or from web sites around the world. It also includes an SD card slot, so you can add extra memory or more entertainment whenever you want. If you're ready for a world of enjoyment, then you're ready for ZEN!
General
- Product type Digital player / radio
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Signal-to-noise ratio 97 dB
- Flash memory installed 2 GB Integrated
- Digital storage None
- Weight 2.3 oz
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 3.3 in x 0.4 in x 2.2 in
- Color Black
- Software type Drivers & Utilities, Creative Media Explorer, Creative ZENcast Organizer
Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible
- Playback modes Playlist
Built-in Display
- Audio system built-in display TFT
- Diagonal size 2.5 in
- Resolution 320 x 240
Audio Features
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Built-in clock Alarm, Digital clock
- Additional features Calendar, Bass Boost, Volume limiter, Voice recording, Built-in organizer, USB 2.0 compatibility, Microsoft Outlook synchronization
Equalizer
- Equalizer factory preset qty 8
- Equalizer factory presets Pop, Jazz, Rock, Disco, Vocal, NewAge, Classic, Acoustical
- Equalizer band qty 5 bands
Radio
- Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
- Station preset qty 32
- Tuner bands FM
Remote Control
- Remote control None
Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone operation mode Mono
Headphones
- Headphones type Binaural
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Connectivity technology Wired
Connectivity
- Cable(s) included 1 x USB cable - External
- Connector type 1 x Headphones, 1 x Hi-Speed USB
- Slot(s) provided 1 x SD Memory Card
Battery / Power
- Battery 1 x Lithium ion Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices CD-ROM, USB port
- Operating system Microsoft Windows XP SP2
Product series
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Manufacturer: Creative
Specs: Digital player / radio, 16 GB, AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Lithium ion x Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
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Manufacturer: Creative
Specs: Digital player / radio, 8 GB, AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Lithium ion x Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
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Manufacturer: Creative
Specs: Digital player / radio, 4 GB, AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Lithium ion x Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
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Manufacturer: Creative
Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
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Manufacturer: Creative
Specs: Digital player / radio, 32 GB, AAC, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Player battery - Rechargeable - Lithium ion
Accessories
Manufacturer info
- Creative
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Creative products on Shopper.com
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- Website: http://us.creative.com
- Address:
1901 McCarthy Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035, Milpitas, CA 95035 - Phone: 800-998-1000
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