[kmkkid]

Now, to be quite honest I've never even thought about buying an mp3 player other than the iPod. But this thing is just so damn cool, and it does so many things.




FEATURES

Loads of entertainment without the load

ZEN VISION:M - Loads of entertainment without the load Smaller and better than ever before. The ZEN VISION:M does more than play your videos, photos and music. It displays them in their true glory on a vibrant, large full-color screen. Perfect for road trips long or short, carry your entertainment in the palm of your hand. Available in a light 30GB model, take your pick from 5 dazzling colors - blue, green, pink, black and white.

120 hours of movies

Big screen blockbusters, yesterday's picnic with your best friends, and even your favorite TV shows4. They now fit in your pocket and are perfect for sharing. ZEN VISION:M supports many video formats, such as DivX™ 4 & 55, XviD5, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG4-SP, WMV9 and Motion-JPEG, which simply means more choice and less restrictions on the types of video formats you can use.

Tens of thousands of photos

View precious memories - tens of thousands of them - in 262,144 vivid colors at 320 x 240 resolution. Featuring a True Resolution image display, you can now view any photo you import without loss in quality or having to resize it. Take a closer look at your photos with the Zoom function, or scroll through your entire photo collection easily with the touchpad.

An amazing 15,000 songs

Perfect for taking with you on the road or around the house. Your music will sound as good as it looks, thanks to Creative's world-renowned audio clarity, custom equalizer and 8 preset EQ settings.

Movie and Photo Slideshows

Connect the ZEN VISION:M to a projector or TV with the video cable, and delight friends with big screen movie magic.

2.5" high-definition LCD screen

Watch movies and photos in their full glory on the large 2.5" LCD screen, even under bright lighting. Displaying up to 262,144 vibrant colors, get crisp, clear detail in every image in high-definition 320 x 240 resolution.

Vertical Touch Pad

Ergonomically designed, the innovative touch pad control enables quick, comfortable access to menus and settings.

Rechargeable Li-Ion battery

Enjoy up to 14 hours of music3, or 4 hours of movies with the rechargeable Li-Ion battery. Perfect for watching an entire movie non-stop anywhere you are.

FM radio & recorder

If 15,000 songs aren't enough, listen to more with the integrated FM radio. 32 station presets let you switch stations whenever you want.

Personal Organizer

Store and view all the information that's important to you - daily tasks, contact lists and even a calendar. ZEN VISION:M syncs easily with Microsoft Outlook, and lets you edit your information with Creative Media Explorer.

Voice recorder

Meetings, lectures, even voice memos to yourself - record them all with the integrated voice recorder, which stores hundreds of hours worth of recordings.

Full access to online music stores

Select from more than a million songs from a myriad of online music stores - Napster To Go, Yahoo! Music Unlimited, Rhapsody To Go, and so much more. With PlaysForSure support, you will always be able to play any digital music you purchase.

Fits your life perfectly

Select from an extensive line of accessories that make ZEN VISION:M the perfect companion. Pamper and protect your player with the chic leather case and LCD screen protector. Or choose from the wired remote, docking station, and car adaptor kit designed to make life easier.


It doesn't mention it in the feature list, but it also allows live radio recording, and plays MP3, WMA (inc MS PD DRM), WAV. Oh and it's $330.

Wow, just wow. Very cool for something not designed by apple. Only things that would make it perfect are album art, and maybe better designed controls.

[moonmonkey]

Looks good, what's the PC software like, does it work with Macs?

[wilsonng]

ROFLMAO

Creative's reputation doesn't seem to live up to the dictionary term "creative."

I must say it does look interesting with the wider variety of movie formats it supports and the longer battery.

I'll never understand why people would want FM radio. The reason I got an iPod was to get away from the same 10-song playlist that radio stations try to feed us. If I have 5,000 songs on my iPod, there's absolutely no reason to listen to radio except for listening to sports scores and local hourly news.

At first, I felt upbeat about the first Creative Zen Vision. It looked promising but then later reviews talked about a crappy washed-out LCD display turned me off to the Creative Zen Vision.

Another iPod killer? Maybe..... It may be more technologically advanced than the iPod but we'll have to see if the competing online music stores will be able to help prop up the Vision: M.

All the talks about mp3 players seem to be focused on the iPod video. The iPod brand name will be tough to break. Consider the use of the word Xerox.... "Can you xerox a copy of your application for me?" I also remembered when the word Discman became synonymous with any kind of portable CD player.

There will be iPod killers and there will always be the iPod.

I'll wait until it finally comes out before I make a solid opinion of it.

[kmkkid]

Originally Posted by moonmonkey

Looks good, what's the PC software like, does it work with Macs?

The software is XP only it appears, but adding files to an mp3 player will work on any OS via drag and drop through the OS I'd assume.

[icruise]

Bah. It does add a few features that the iPod doesn't have (radio & voice recording) and it gets better video battery life than the iPod, but it about twice as thick and also more expensive. There doesn't seem to be a 60GB version available either.

I do like that it supports video formats like DIVX, but it doesn't do h.264. All in all, it looks to be a solid entry, but hardly an iPod killer when you consider things like the scroll wheel, iTunes, the iTunes music/video store, and the large number of iPod accessories out there.

And let's be honest here -- design-wise it looks like a total iPod ripoff, right down to the interface.

[wilsonng]

Well, Apple and Creative will be suing each other left and right.

Creative claims the patent for the user interface and Apple can probably claim that the Zen Vision: M is a total ripoff of the iPod 5G.

I also thought the first Zen Vision was a solid entry but it still hasn't done much to whip Apple.

Look in the newspaper for articles talking about "most wanted gadgets for X-Mas." The Xbox 360 and the iPods are on that list. Creative isn't there and is left standing outside the door to the party.

The nice thing is that this keeps a fire lit under Apple's ass to constantly improve the iPod.

It's a riot to see Creative getting their panties all twisted up in a bunch and has to resort to patent lawsuits to cash in on some of Apple's success.

Radio and recorders are nice but Creative will have to do alot more to live up to its name.

[glideslope]

Originally Posted by wilsonng

Well, Apple and Creative will be suing each other left and right.

It's a riot to see Creative getting their panties all twisted up in a bunch and has to resort to patent lawsuits to cash in on some of Apple's success.

Agreed.

[icruise]

This whole patent thing really annoys me. Maybe I'm wrong, but the idea of organizing music by artist, album, genre etc doesn't exactly sound like something that should be patentable. It's sort of like patenting "alphabetical order" or something.

[chabig]

The Zen is ugly! Although it looks OK from the front, take a look at the side view--it looks like a soapdish!

http://monsternet.org/imgview/zenvis...appleipod3.jpg

Chris

[slugslugslug]

Originally Posted by wilsonng

[something something]
I'll never understand why people would want FM radio. The reason I got an iPod was to get away from the same 10-song playlist that radio stations try to feed us. If I have 5,000 songs on my iPod, there's absolutely no reason to listen to radio except for listening to sports scores and local hourly news.

[etc etc.]

Apparently neither you nor your acquaintances have been afflicted with NPR Addiction. I used to be exposed to it all day every weekday for a few months and it took a long time for me to get used to its absence. I still wind up listening to it whenever I have my phone with me, even though the phone can do mp3 and AAC. (FWIW, I am usually on a bicycle, where talk radio seems safer than music)

[slugslugslug]

By the way, is it time yet for an "iPod Killer!" forum?

[chabig]

Originally Posted by slugslugslug

Apparently neither you nor your acquaintances have been afflicted with NPR Addiction. I used to be exposed to it all day every weekday for a few months and it took a long time for me to get used to its absence. I still wind up listening to it whenever I have my phone with me, even though the phone can do mp3 and AAC. (FWIW, I am usually on a bicycle, where talk radio seems safer than music)

Who needs a radio to hear NPR?

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

Chris

[hickey]

Originally Posted by Icruise

This whole patent thing really annoys me. Maybe I'm wrong, but the idea of organizing music by artist, album, genre etc doesn't exactly sound like something that should be patentable. It's sort of like patenting "alphabetical order" or something.

almost like trying to patent the way to tie your shoes with that whole bunny goes into the hole and back around crap. Thats just the way its done.

[slugslugslug]

Originally Posted by chabig

Who needs a radio to hear NPR?

http://www.npr.org/rss/podcast/podcast_directory.php

Chris

Touché.

Now I gotta get me one of them damn iPods. I do always seem to miss Science Friday and listen to it later as a podcast..

[Cadaver]

WTF?

[lenox]

proper iTunes integration is enough to keep me from swaying away from ipod towards another player.

[SpaceMonkey]

I think it's tagline is hilarious, at least:

Loads of entertainment without the load

Quite funny when it's thicker than the iPod. And "load" just makes me think of...other things. Maybe it's just me.

[ddma]

Actually I saw this little gadget in the computer centre in person in Hong Kong this weekend... The first thing impressed me was the appearance... It looks quite similar to an iPod. However, the finishing and feeling is not as solid as the iPod. The feels of the enclosure can be describle to the feel of a multi-button mouse which you can see the gap between to buttons, etc. It's 1/3 thicker than the iPod with same capacity.

However, the features are quite good as it can do FM radio & audio input. However, for me I don't listen to FM radio much (the radio quality is not as good as 128Kpbs AAC), iPod is a more perfect match for me.

D.

[johnnybatters]

Ipods are simply the best there is. Ipods/MP3 players

[JoshuaZ]

Sue them.

Nah, people won't buy it. This is why Creative saw an 80 something percent drop in profits last quarter.

[IFLY2HIGH]

What online companies actually have content to buy and download Music, Videos, Audiobooks, Podcasts, ect ect onto this new device? Will I have to "Illegally" download music and video's in order to use this device's potential because there is no online content store? Or I guess I have to get in my car, go drive to the store, buy my cd's and dvd's of the TV shows, spend the time to import and decode the DVD's and try to fit it all into 30 gigs of space. Oh and also have to watch out for the new sony blundered cd's that still won't let me copy them and screws up my computer. The software already looks like crap acording to the latest G4 Tech Tv review of both devices in comparason. Plus the device is more of a lump in your pocket instead of songs, video's, and photo's in your pocket.

But atlas, I have an iPod 60 gig Video model where I can just pull up iTunes go shopping, one-click buy, and transfer to my pod all from the comfort of my fuzzy slippers.

[icruise]

You can't criticize this for not having enough online music store support -- it actually supports many more music stores than the iPod (which can only use iTunes). Of course iTunes is by far the most popular store, but it's not like you're unable to download legal music for this. And depending on how you look at it, you have more choice than the iPod, since you can use it with several different services (including "subscription" services, I would imagine). Of course I greatly prefer iTunes, but saying something like this just makes you sound like you don't know what you're talking about.

It is true that they don't have a good equivalent to the iTunes Music Store for videos just yet.

[blackbird_1.0]

Some idiot posted this on another message board:

[icruise]

I love how they say the iPod plays ATRAC files...

[andreas_g4]

This must be James.

[raymond]

Why do people post these threads, there are quite obviously two kinds of people out there ... those that buy an DAP/PMP and those that buy an Ipod. Quite clearly those that frequent this forum are of the latter variety and are interested mostly in the Ipod image.

Personally I couldnt care less about I-Tunes as if I buy music I buy it on CD as I like my music to sound as good as possible and vinyl isnt too popular these days. If I want to listen to it on the go I compress it to a lesser quality and load it on a portable player, but I wouldn't even consider connecting one of those things to my amplifier much less listen to the less than perfect sound they produce ............

[icruise]

Originally Posted by raymond

Why do people post these threads, there are quite obviously two kinds of people out there ... those that buy an DAP/PMP and those that buy an Ipod. Quite clearly those that frequent this forum are of the latter variety and are interested mostly in the Ipod image.

I'm sorry, but I am sick to death of this talk of the "iPod image" -- as if the only thing iPods have going for them is that they are perceived as "cool." Well I've been using iPods since the very first 5GB model, and I've bought several since then, not because they are "cool" but because they (in conjunction with iTunes) are excellent MP3 players. End of story. I imagine that the majority of regular visitors to this forum have similar motives. Do you think we just sit around here and talk about how cool our iPods are? No, we talk about how to get the most out of them, how to solve problems, etc.

While the "coolness" factor does have something to do with the iPod's status as a "must have gadget" I find it ridiculous that people write off the iPod as "all style and no substance." iPods were successful initially because they were easy to use and looked good. The image of coolness only came a long time after the iPod had developed a large following. It's not like it's all the result of some masterful Apple advertising campaign. Because let's face it, Apple really isn't that great at selling its own products.

Personally I couldnt care less about I-Tunes as if I buy music I buy it on CD as I like my music to sound as good as possible and vinyl isnt too popular these days. If I want to listen to it on the go I compress it to a lesser quality and load it on a portable player, but I wouldn't even consider connecting one of those things to my amplifier much less listen to the less than perfect sound they produce ............

You shouldn't confuse the iTunes music store with iTunes the program. You're not obligated to use the iTunes music store if you have an iPod. If you really want to listen to "perfect" CD sound, you can always buy CDs and rip them to a format like AIFF or Apple Lossless. You can still use them on an iPod. You won't get as many on the iPod as if they were compressed, of course, but it's a hell of a lot better than carrying a discman and a wallet of CDs around with you.

[kmkkid]

Originally Posted by raymond

Why do people post these threads, there are quite obviously two kinds of people out there ... those that buy an DAP/PMP and those that buy an Ipod. Quite clearly those that frequent this forum are of the latter variety and are interested mostly in the Ipod image.

Personally I couldnt care less about I-Tunes as if I buy music I buy it on CD as I like my music to sound as good as possible and vinyl isnt too popular these days. If I want to listen to it on the go I compress it to a lesser quality and load it on a portable player, but I wouldn't even consider connecting one of those things to my amplifier much less listen to the less than perfect sound they produce ............

I posted this thread because this is the most viable competition for the ipod yet. It looks good and does more. I of course will be buying an iPod Video probably right before Xmas, but it doesnt hurt to have alternatives.

[hickey]

Originally Posted by Icruise

Do you think we just sit around here and talk about how cool our iPods are?

I've seen this happen, as im sure many other of the frequent posters have. We're far beyond talking about how great our trendy gadget is. Thanks.

[IFLY2HIGH]

The problem is that everybody seems to be mad at Apple because of their sucesses, and they can't get a part of it. Apple was smart, they built a nice small portable mp3 player. They also at the time created custom software to utilize the device, then created a music store to sell music to it's customers. Perfect little circle and it was a hit. The nice thing for us is the market keeps booming in the iPod direction and keeps growing and no one else can compete. With the iPod being the only real multi PC/MAC device, from Apple no less, makes it even better because everyone can use it. Look at the Zen, where's the mac support? This is why the iPod is so great, it doesn't matter if your a pc user or a mac user, they have excellent software, and a perfect little store to go along with it. No subscriptions, you do own the music granted it's protected, but alas the pc's DRM stuff is as well no? You don't have to go look at 4 music stores to find what you want, have to manually download podcasts and install them, the iPod makes it all so seemless. Creative might have a good show, but imo, they lack the support for it. They are depending on the other music stores and other online content providers to supply stuff for their mp3 player. Now those people that sit here and say oh I go and get cd's blah blah, ever since iTMS opened that was it for me, and alot of other people, note the such sucess on the store itself, and stopped buying cd's. Even the record company's saw that hey, we make alot of money off apple and itunes, lets raise prices and make even more! Look at all the excelusive content you can get now. What other online store can compete? Should the record companies do the same for napster, supply them with the same content as they do for Apple and iTMS when the market is almost all Apple/iPod?

We here at macnn are a small user base in the mp3 world. We can bicker all we want, but in the end if you look at the suscess of the iPod and Apple, vs all the other several companies that keep trying and trying to compete have failed so far. I believe alot of this is the reason on that Apple has made it simple for anyone to use on any computer, and has full content to go with it the moment it comes outa the box, no if's and's or but's. This is not to say as well the hardware is just damn nice too.

If creative sat there and did the same thing as apple with a Creative Music Store no doubt things could be different today, but all they did was make mp3 players and let the customer figure it out as they go like others as well, and Apple said here you go, all this at your fingertips, have fun!

[quiklee]

personally, i think it looks great and has great features,

BUT

it doesn't have the software to back it up . . . nor does it have anything like itunes to back it up . . . .

UNLESS

it Creative strikes up a deal with MS and MTV!