Manage updates with the Download AppCreative Zen Sleek Photo (20GB)
Manufacturer: Creative Part number: 70PF180000012
- CNET Editor rating: Not yet rated
- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 43 reviews
- More product information:
- Editors' take
- User reviews
- Specifications
- Manufacturer info
- Description:
- The elegant way to enjoy share music and photos! Creative's Zen Sleek Photo with bright color OLED display is the stylish way to share images and enjoy audio. Its slender profile, in aluminum and white, is easy to hold and the advanced touchpad control places all functions a fingertip away. Much more than just an MP3 player, it can ... Read more
Where to buy
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CNET editors' take
Creative Zen Sleek Photo (20GB) price range: $299.00
- Reviewed by: James Kim
- Edited by: Jasmine France
- Reviewed on: 10/06/2005
User reviews
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I have mono Zen Sleek; do'n't need to carry both cables
by jen_neva on October 8, 2005
Pros: 20gb, FM Tuner, Light, Design, UMS, Great Sound
Cons: Double proprietary cable
Summary: First if all, this is a great unit, very happy with it.
Just to clear things up on the cable, you DO NOT need to carry both parts. You can ...Summary: First if all, this is a great unit, very happy with it.
Just to clear things up on the cable, you DO NOT need to carry both parts. You can carry just the USB part for transferrig data and/or USB charging. The AC adaptor connected will charge it faster, but is NOT required. If I really need to, I can leave the AC adaptor part in the car connected to my DC inverter, which I got online for like $18.
The color screen addition is tempting, but for $100 dollars more, I don't know if it's really worth it. The mono screen is easily read even with the backlight off, and this unit, IMO, is mainly for listening to music.12 out of 12 users found this user opinion helpful.
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BE CAREFUL!
by jemremz on October 7, 2005
Pros: Looks nice and may offer a great alternative to Ipod
Cons: ALL CREATIVE DEVICES HAVE THE SAME DEFECT TO DATE
Summary: For the most part, Creative is a great company with great products except for the fact that most of them have the same problem. I myself have gone through 3 ...
Summary: For the most part, Creative is a great company with great products except for the fact that most of them have the same problem. I myself have gone through 3 Zen Micros already, and I know for a fact the Zen Touch and Nomad have the same problem. The problem is the earphone jack connection isn't properly soldered to the board of the device, and this is a known problem to Creative, but from what I've seen they haven't done anything to fix it. This causes the sound to either not come out of the right earphone, or the sound quality will get worse and worse. The problem usually shows itself about 3 months into having the product. So, before you buy this product maybe you should wait alittle while to see if they did in fact fx the problem or if its the same story.
19 out of 32 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent player with a few glitches
by PCHPlayer on October 20, 2005
Pros: Easy to read screen, good user interface, no drivers required
Cons: Slide button a bit sensitive, sync is buggy
Summary: I have owned the monochrome zen sleek for a week now (Gee, I thought the point of a review was to review this product, not complain about past products). So ...
Summary: I have owned the monochrome zen sleek for a week now (Gee, I thought the point of a review was to review this product, not complain about past products). So far I love it. I cannot comment on the sound quality as I use it in noisy environments (planes, cars).
I actually love the touch strip. It allows me to scroll a page at a time or, if you touch the very top or very bottom, it acts like a key repeat, no need to go around in circles (You must be careful when using the scroll up repeat as you can accidentally hit the play/pause button). I heard horror stories about the strip, so I initially set it to low sensitivity. After about 10 minutes I pushed it back to medium and I am going to try high.
The user interface is very intuitive to me. It is very easy to pick the music by artist, genre, album or listen to all songs. It is also easy to create playlists. You can also configure the main menu. One of the first things I did was to put a "Random Play All" item in the main menu.
The screen is good. I have no problem reading it, except in low light. Of course the back-light fixes this problem. I actually hate color screens because I can never read them in full daylight.
One of my complaints is with the button aspect of the slide. I do get false clicks that require you to press the return button (lower left button). Not a big deal, but I wish creative would allow me to set the slide button sensitivity separate from the slide scrolling sensitivity.
I also found an issue with the sync function. I tried to transfer a playlist I made on the sleek to my computer. The playlist on the sleek was 50 songs, but the playlist that wound up on my computer was 99 songs, with many of the 50 songs duplicated.10 out of 10 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A fun and multi functional player!
by quidditchseeker on February 7, 2006
Pros: FM tuner, recorder, change background, great sound
Cons: none, this is my perfect player.
Summary: I love Creative labs. I had a 30gb video iPod and didn't like it as much as the three Creative players I own, including a 20gb Zen Touch, a ...
Summary: I love Creative labs. I had a 30gb video iPod and didn't like it as much as the three Creative players I own, including a 20gb Zen Touch, a 5gb Micro and now the Zen Sleek Photo, which is by far my favorite of the three. I got this player after checking it out at Best Buy. It's a fun player. The battery life is amazing, the sound quality awesome and it has everything and more that I wish the iPod had. If my Pod would have come with some of these features I'd still own it.
One fun thing about this player is there are about 12 different color backgrounds so you can have a different one every day! It has a great FM radio, which you can record as well. I recently used my Sleek to record a college class and was not disappointed, nor did it let me down when I recorded from the FM tuner. The brushed aluminum case is nice and does not scratch, although I would like to get a case for it. the quality of uploaded photos is great and except for not yet being compatible with Audible, that is the reason I bought the Zen Micro before this one was released, the Zen Sleek photo is a truly fun and functional player. Creative Labs listens to their customers and made the ultiamte player I was looking for. Rock on Creative!Updated
I recently upgraded my Musicmatch to version 10. Not only did it know I had an mp3 player it worked flawlessly when I connected my Sleek and both added and removed songs using Musicmatch. That to me is a plus!4 out of 4 users found this user opinion helpful.
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It quit altogether at 4 months
by Paul Tedesco on May 1, 2008
Pros: It was easy to load music
Cons: The screen picks up dirt
Summary: After 4 months the device quit altogether. Before it quit it took 10-15 minutes to find a play list. This morning it just quit altogether. The docking to the computer ...
Summary: After 4 months the device quit altogether. Before it quit it took 10-15 minutes to find a play list. This morning it just quit altogether. The docking to the computer does not work. Music is lost. Pictures are lost. The only thing that works is the radio. Far too expensive for just a radio
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Re: ZEN Sleek and "Drag 'n' Drop" - etc.
by ammatos on June 7, 2007
Pros: Size - Weight - Build - Screen
Cons: Older Firmware that Creative won't upgrade - Screen
Summary: My NINE rating takes my price of $70 into consideration. At the normal price of approx. $160, I'd give it a SEVEN.
Though this is an old 'toy', Creative ...Summary: My NINE rating takes my price of $70 into consideration. At the normal price of approx. $160, I'd give it a SEVEN.
Though this is an old 'toy', Creative has recently dumped about 700 units in a fire sale. So for the newbies, some notes re Windows XP.
The main complaint I've seen in many posting about this toy, on various boards, is the fact that you CANNOT "Drag 'n' Drop" - because the Sleek does not appear in "My Computer" as a drive with a drive letter. This is true but it does appear as "Other" - My Zen - Storage Device - and here you'll see the directories: Music, My Playlist, Picture, etc. At this point you can do your "Drag 'n' Drop" routine.
The Sleek also pops up in the "Device Manager" under Portable Devices -- Creative Zen Sleek Photo. Here you can Enable and Disable the device; when Enabled the unit is Docked so that you can use WMP or Real Player or Other or "Drag 'n' Drop" to load you media and charge the unit. When Disabled the unit is usable as player that is being powered/recharged by the computer.
It should also be noted that the Vision:M and Sleek accessories are interchangeable, so you can attach the Vision:M's ZEN Sync Adapter to the Sleek. From here you can use the Sleek's power supply to recharge the unit, and by attaching the ZEN Vision:M Video Cable you'll get Audio Line outputs as you'd get from the unavailable Sleek Docking Station. The Vision:M's ZEN Sync Adapter seems to have been discontinued (dumb) as an accessory, it been replaced by the less portable ZEN Multifunction Cable. This new cable will allow you to do the same things you could with the Sync Adapter. Yes, you can use the Sleek's power supply to recharge the Vision:M. Yes, you can use the Sleek's Sync Cable on the Vision:M to sync and charge (also seems to have been discontinued as an accessory). And yes the Sleek will fit in the Vision:M's docking station, just note that it will fit loosely because the Vision:M is .7 in. thick, while the Sleek is thinner at .63 in. of thickness, but it will work.
IMHO, the sleeper accessory for either the Sleek or the Vision:M are their wired remotes; yes these units are also interchangeable. It is a pity that these 'toys' are rarely promoted and poorly documented, but I find them indispensable. They gives you: On - Off - Lock - Player/FM - Volume (up 'n' down) - Play/Pause - FastForward - Rewind and an earphone jack. The full assembly is 35" long, with a spring power clip on the control end's back. A lovely 'toy'.
May all your Music be Sweet.
a.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Reliable; Just as Good as the Apple Ipod
by nopohboy on April 7, 2007
Pros: Dependablity;
Cons: Little bit of learning curve but if you have every had an Mp3 player ; they all have learning curves.
Summary: I've had several MP3 players and they are all based on preferrence. I started with the Dell Juke box which I have not seen in rotation for a few ...
Summary: I've had several MP3 players and they are all based on preferrence. I started with the Dell Juke box which I have not seen in rotation for a few years( maybe I am not looking harde enough after the experience I had with it.) The dell Crashes several times before I decided to give it a proper burial which driving 80mph on the high way. I had the ipod which is a mp3 player that has alot of hype, short battery life and is too delicated for my likes. I dropped it once and it died on me. I have had two creative labs. This creative lab is an upgrade from the Zen 30g I had The color screen is nice and the addition feature make it more attractive. I usally don't use a lot of the other features but I love to customize alot of stuff i own. There are skins but the screens and menus can be customized. The software has a learning curve to say that I had one of these in the past. Once you get the hang it's great. It's built like a tank and THE BATTERY LIFE IS GREAT. One day I played it for eight hours without charging it and turned it off and played another 6 hours before recharing. In my opinion, It's apersonal choice but if i lost it I would probably buy another one.
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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A good buy
by wisdom_of_trees on April 6, 2007
Pros: battery life, weight, hard drive storage
Cons: accessories, dust, playlists
Summary: I'm a real fan of my Creative Zen Sleek Photo. Some of the drawbacks are that dust accumulates under the screen after a period of time, and I also ...
Summary: I'm a real fan of my Creative Zen Sleek Photo. Some of the drawbacks are that dust accumulates under the screen after a period of time, and I also don't really care for the file management, sometimes it's hard to find the song I want using the Menu. Also, I'd like to have some more accessories available for it, maybe a few skins or something!
The things that I DO like about the Zen is that I can just drop files into it. It acts like an external hard drive, so I can put my papers, pictures, and music in it. Also there is no crappy software bundled with that that you HAVE to use. It comes with a Media Explorer, but you don't have to use it. Instead you can just access the drive from the "My Computer" tab, which is nice, because Apple's I-Tunes software is a real headache!1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Great bargain, nice sound, good battery life
by cliff_marsland on February 2, 2007
Pros: improvement over predecessor, better layout, no random button
Cons: goofy charging system, didn't come with belt-carrier, unlike the Zen Touch.
Summary: I purchased mine when it became a discontinued model, so I got a great bargain. The sound is nice, it has a pretty user-friendly interface, the song transfer software and ...
Summary: I purchased mine when it became a discontinued model, so I got a great bargain. The sound is nice, it has a pretty user-friendly interface, the song transfer software and playlist management is much better than the previous one.
I use Sony MDR-V900HD and/or Ultrasone's HFI-650 for the on-the-go headphones. It delivers good volume to either. These are much more powerful headphones than the supplied ones, so battery time is circa 10-16 hours for larger headphones.
I don't care much for the goofy charger setup, having to unplug the USB from the puter to turn it off to charge it in the conventional manner. The Zen Touch had a better recharge setup. I also had to reuse the Zen Touch belt-carrier to house the Sleek Photo, as the belt clip for that was unavailable at the time I purchased it.
One improvement; NO random play button. I HATED that on the Zen Touch, as it was forever being triggered if the player was unlocked. The buttons on this model are better laid out and don't go off as often if the player is unlocked.
By the way, it doesn't play 16 khz or below, in the rare case that you have a file that small.
It's a great product for the price - it doesn't play movies, but who wants to play movies on a tiny screen?1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
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Excellent player, but no video/photo-while-listening
by shadowman3478 on January 14, 2007
Pros: FM, good photo quality, excellent sound quality & good battery life
Cons: cant listen to music and view photos at same time, dust under screen
Summary: I've had my CZSP for about a month now, had no problems. System works excellently. Case doesnt attract scratches or smudges being aluminum, screen does though. My only major ...
Summary: I've had my CZSP for about a month now, had no problems. System works excellently. Case doesnt attract scratches or smudges being aluminum, screen does though. My only major turn off after having this player is the dust under the screen. the only way to cleen it is to actually peel off the screen cover which is glued on, clean the screen, then glue it on again.
other than that this player has excellent sound quality, good (but not perfect) picture quality, and a very good touch pad. the OS is a good build similar to the ipod OS. you can change background picture but fonts dont appear as well on lighter pictures. but when setting pictures as background, you can change the color of the picture it self to be darker, slightly tented orange-ish, or change it to the color of the theme so font appears better
don't need both the cables necessisarily. as long as where ever you might be going to has a computer, you can charge via USB and transfer music/photos. can use WMP 10 to transfer music. but i find that the software that came with it is very good for transfer (but only for ripping to player/computer; not to transfer from computer to player its buggy that way.)
overall this is a very nice player, would like to see pic's while listening to tunes, but not a big turn off.
I have done a lot of research on a lot of players recently before purchasing this player and found this one the best player for its price. (found it for 129$ at walmart.com, may be sold out now.) syncs with microsoft outlook and has an auto tune feature that finds all good sounding channels in the area for FM radio.
i give this product an 9 because ive seen better/bigger screens for pictures, and at the same time it has everythign else someone who doesnt care much for squinting at ANY screen smaller than 20 inches for video. if you do like video though i suggest the creative zen vision M or W.1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
Specifications
- Manufacturer: Creative
- Part number: 70PF180000012
- Description: The elegant way to enjoy share music and photos! Creative's Zen Sleek Photo with bright color OLED display is the stylish way to share images and enjoy audio. Its slender profile, in aluminum and white, is easy to hold and the advanced touchpad control places all functions a fingertip away. Much more than just an MP3 player, it can store and display thousands of photos as well as up to 10, 000 songs and gives playtimes up to 19 hours. The advanced color OLED screen displays photos with extra brightness and a wide angle of vision. With built-in FM radio and microphone as well, the Zen Sleek Photo is the personal fun center for people who like to share!
General
- Product type Digital player / radio
- PC interface(s) supported Hi-Speed USB
- Signal-to-noise ratio 96 dB
- Total harmonic distortion 0.1 %
- Flash memory installed None
- Digital storage Built-in 20 GB Hard disk drive
- Weight 5.5 oz
- Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.3 in x 0.7 in x 4 in
- Body material Aluminum
- Color Aluminum
- Included accessories [Jul 2, 2008 from CDS: Miscellaneous] USB cable
- Software type Creative MediaSource,
Creative Media Explorer,
Microsoft Windows Media Player 10 Carrying Case
- Case type Pouch
Digital Player / Recorder
- Supported digital audio standards WAV ,
MP3 ,
ADPCM,
Protected WMA (DRM) ,
WMA - Playback modes Random play / shuffle,
All tracks repeat,
One track repeat,
Playlist,
Repeat shuffle - Edit functions Erase
- Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Supported bit rate 320 Kbps
- ID3 tags support Yes
- External hard drive function Yes
Built-in Display
- Audio system built-in display OLED
- Diagonal size 1.7 in
- Resolution 160 x 128
- Backlight display Yes
Audio Features
- Sound output mode Stereo
- Timer Sleep,
Snooze - Built-in clock Alarm,
Timer,
Digital clock - Addtional features FM radio recording capability ,
Calendar,
Upgradeable firmware,
Microsoft Outlook synchronization Video Playback Features
- Still image format JPEG
CD System
- Playback modes [Jan 21, 2011 from CDS: CD System] Random play,
Repeat one/all,
Program play - Digital audio standards supported WMA,
MP3,
WAV - ID3 tag support Yes
Equalizer
- Equalizer type Built-in
- Equalizer factory preset qty 8
- Equalizer band qty 5 bands
- Equalizer center frequencies 13000 Hz,
80 Hz,
1000 Hz,
250 Hz,
4000 Hz Radio
- Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
- Station preset qty 32
- Tuner bands FM
Microphone
- Microphone type Built-in
- Microphone operation mode Mono
Headphones
- Headphones type Ear-bud,
Binaural - Sound output mode Stereo
- Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
- Sensitivity 111 dB
- Impedance 32 Ohm
- Connectivity technology Wired
Connectivity
- Cable(s) included 1 x External,
USB cable - - Connector type 1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm,
1 x Docking station Battery / Power
- Battery Lithium ion Rechargeable Player battery
- Mfr estimated battery life 19 hour(s)
- Power device type [Feb 24, 2011 from CDS: Power Device] Power adapter
System Requirements
- Peripheral / Interface devices [Dec 3, 2010 from CDS: System Requirements] USB port
- Operating system Microsoft Windows XP Professional x64 Edition,
Microsoft Windows XP SP1 or later - Min RAM size 64 MB
Manufacturer info
- Manufacturer profile
- Browse Creative products on Shopper.com
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- Manufacturer:Creative
- Address:
1901 McCarthy Blvd. Milpitas, CA 95035, Milpitas, CA 95035 - Phone: 800-998-1000
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