Customer Reviews

Creative Labs Zen Mozaic EZ300 4 GB MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(49)
4 star:		(39)
3 star:		(19)
2 star:		(19)
1 star:		(35)

 

 

This is the 3rd creative player I have owned. All of them have been excellent. I really like the mosiac the best. The sofware sets up a logical order so I can find stuff like set up the equlizer,turn on speaker ,etc I will say that it did take me while to learn how to navigate the menu options. The speaker is an added bonus. I rarely listen to music mostly audio books. The sound can be addjusted so I can hear the spoken word clearly. I have poor hearing as a result of listening to music to loud when I was younger. Just a word to the younger folks out there. One final thought all of the players Zen nano plus,ZenV plusand the mosiac 300 do freeze up. I just reset the player it always rebulds and goes to where it left off this is annoying nothing more. When I look back to transister radios i listened to when I was a kid this device is a miracle. Jim C PS I would not continus buying creative if I didnot like the product. I did buy a sansa once e140 did not like it

How I use it: Music and podcasts, often while drifting off to sleep in the dark. Never use video. Occasionally use FM radio.

Other players I've owned: Several Creative MuVos, a 2gb Creative Zen (similar to the Mozaic, but a conventional navigation wheel), an I-River I hated so much I can't recall the model, a Sansa Clip I liked a lot and still use.

Thoughts after six months of everyday use: Absolutely no operational problems. Good battery life, my computer sees it every time I plug it in (see below), doesn't need any special software to move files onto it (I use old reliable Total Commander). Menus and navigation are a little counter-intuitive at first, but I figured it out after a day or two. Construction seems solid. Display is big and bright. Haven't noticed any firmware bugs, meaning it doesn't go haywire at random times, as some of my players have. The built in speaker is pretty bad.

If you listen to podcasts or audiobooks, the bookmark feature is indispensable. This is the main reason I keep coming back to Creatives. I can't understand why every player from every manufacturer can't bookmark any audio.

I've had problems with Creatives crapping out after a few months of everyday use. This one holds my Creative longevity record, knock on wood.

Two biggest gripes: (Both related to using in the dark): There is no way to blank the screen unless you lock the player, and the screen is bright! The button pad is unlit, and I've gone nuts hitting the wrong button in the dark at the wrong time. This makes it an absolute bitch to use in the dark. I'm going to get some glow-in-the-dark paint and put dots on each button.

Apparently the Mozaic EZ300, doesn't support MTP protocol, just MSC/UMS protocol. This means the device simply looks like a flash drive when plugged into the computer, and apparently it doesn't support DRM subscription services. No problem for me, but may be for you, depending on how you use it. Haven't had any tag problems.

The unit shut itself off automatically while I was at the beach. The unit was in a beach bag. Thought it failed but after I got home it worked. Battery was fully charged so I knew it wasn't that. Few days later, left the unit in the console of my car. When I came out after work and tried to turn it on. It wouldn't. After I got home, it worked. The only common factor, temperature but in neither case was the unit in the sun. The unit was warm to the touch but not hot. On another occasion the same thing happened when I left it in the car. On a whim, I turned on the air conditioning and held the unit near the vent for less than a minute. It worked again! Obviously, there is a very temperature sensitive component.

Returned the first unit for another one thinking there was a manufacturing defect. The second unit does the same thing. Doesn't always work at the beach; doesn't always work in the car. What good is it? Previously had a Zen V Plus. Never had a problem at the beach or in the car.

I really like the unit, its controls and features but they're of no advantage if the unit doesn't function. There must be a design or component problem. It's return time again, and buy the refurb Zen V Plus 4GB available here.

My Zen died last week. I don't use an MP3 player for music, rather I use it for audiobooks, both purchased and check out from Netlibrary. I decided I wanted to stay with Creative Zen because it is easy for me to use and it is compatible with the book systems I use(audible, [...], netlibrary, etc)

I was unsure if I would like this player as it is so much smaller than my old Zen and I wondered if a player this cheap would be worth it. I am happy to say this player fits all my needs, and at an incredibly reasonable price.

If you want an IPOD like device, this isn't for you
If you want all the bells and whistles, this isn't for you


If you want an easy to navigate mp3 player that will play music and audiobooks and you don't have alot of money to spend, then this player IS for you.

This would be a good choice for a child's first mp3 player, or for someone who just wants an easy to use, basic player.

Creative requires that all video be encoded with the supplied "Creative Centrale" software. I attempted to install a (leaglly purchased)digital copy of Hannah Montana the Movie on this player without any luck. The EXACT same video file will install and play on my other Creative players (using Windows Media Player). For a week, Creative and I sent emails back and forth as I atempted to find out why this file would not install on the Mozaic. They kept answering my questions in circles. I finally gave up when their 5th response was the same as their 1st response. Obviously, they don't know the answer to my question. The bottom line...I bought this player for my 8 year old and she loves it. The menus are easy to navigate and the sound is excellent. Do not buy this product if playing videos is a priority.

I'm a 54 year old female, I use it exclusively for audio books. It is perfect! I have 10-15 full length books loaded on the device at a time. The bookmarking feature lets me have a few books going at a time-- actually I could bookmark 10 places. The specs say the battery lasts for up to 30 hours, I don't doubt it. I can go through a full 20 hour book without plugging it back in. Downside- very limited directions on how to make it work. Luckily I work at a high school and was able to find a kid to help me figure it out. I've had mine for two years and this fall I purchased two for students to check out at school-- we're trying to promote the audio books with high school students. This device is so much better for audio books than ipods. Couldn't be happier with our decision to use them for students.

I bought one of these around 6 months ago, figuring the price was right and I would give it a try. It was stolen from my car after I used it for a couple of months, and I could buy another one fast enough! I use it for downloadable audiobooks, and it is super easy to use. The menu is easy to navigate on the go, and I have no problems syncing with my computer. The battery has plenty of life to get through the average novel, and it holds a charge for a long time. 4 GB doesn't seem like much, but will hold quite a few books. I also like the fact that the USB cable is so short, because I carry it back and forth to work with me and it doesn't get tangled up everywhere.

I had a 30g Creative Zen that I bought about 4 years ago. I never even came close to using all the space so I decided to downsize. I mostly use my mp3 for digital books. For music or books, Creative is perfect. The battery life on this is amazing. They've come a long way with batteries in 4 years! Easy to use! Great product!

This is the the best overall mp3 players I think. It has everything rolled into 1. FM radio,video player,photos,lite weight,easy to see screen and the battery life is awesome. The one thing I would suggest they do though and especially on the black one is to either make the toggle buttons lite up or make the symbols a different color. But once you get used to it there really is not an issue. I highly recommend this player.

The units playback quality and physical appearance are both acceptable. Customer service via internet is reasonably good. Downsides are many however:
1) Instructions that come with the unit (both paper and e-file) are some of the worst I have ever seen. Both depressingly brief and extremely obscure.
2) Some skipping when first loaded. Seemed to clear up on subsequent playing.
3) Operating software is "buggy". Freezeups are pretty common and I have to use the reset button with some frequency when managing the files (deleting, etc).
4) The computor managment software (Creative Centrale) is definately not user friendly. Very non-intuitive. Took quite a bit a head scratching to figure it out. See comments above about the instruction manual.
5) For some strange reason the unit does not play through an album in sequential track order -- i.e. 1,2,3,4 etc. This is a real problem for show tunes and classical albums. Creative's recommended "fix" for this problem is to manually modify all track names by added a numerical sequence number in front of the name proper. Very time consuming/aggravating if you have an extensive library.

I'd definately think hard before purchasing another ZEN MP3 player.