Customer Reviews

Creative Zen Nano 1 GB MP3 Player (Black)

5 star:		(14)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I got mine a while ago for $125.

it was originally called the Muvo Micro N200.

Pros:
- VERY smalL.
- great battery life
- comes with belt clip and armband
- good sound quality.
- pack with features (fm, voice recording, line in mp3 encoding)
- great mp3 player for jogging or gym.
- rugged. I droped it alot of times and ran in the damn rain (tho not exposing it to water) and it still runs fine.
- Unit seen as a removable drive when plugged into computer (so no need for their software) and can be used to store regular files.


Cons:
- limited info on the LCD but it's understandable for something this small.
- minimum set of buttons. but it gets the job done well.

GREAT mp3 player for the price

My review can be summed up in one sentence: You can get a BUNCH of songs on this VERY SMALL player and play them for a VERY LONG TIME!

It doesn't have all the cool cache' of the iPod nano. Neither does this unit have the FM tuner and other features of the Zen Nano Plus, but most people aren't using those features much anyway. It is still one of the most optimized little player I have had the pleasure to review. The bottom line is that this little guy gets the job done.

The Creative Zen Nano is lighter than the competition, and is actually much smaller than the iPod Shuffle. Unlike the shuffle, however, you can actually see your track names! The little LCD isn't high resolution, but it's perfect for a player this size. Also, you can play REAL mp3s!!

The controls are simple but effective. A 2 way toggle wheel let's you forward or reverse from song to song. There's a play / pause button on the front panel and forward & reverse buttons on the side by the toggle wheel. Other than a headphone jack and a line in jack, the unit has a USB B port and the battery panel. That's it. I think these controls are the best possible for the form factor. The only potential negative is that they might be on the small size for somebody with larger fingers.

What about sound? The sound is great, and it comes in in pure stereo. As usual, you will hear complaints about the earbuds. I've yet to use a pair of standard earbuds so I won't hold that against Creative. I will say that the armstrap could have been better designed to be also used as a wriststrap. This unit definitely does not have the power output of the iPod Nano, and as such may not be loud enough for those who really love to blast it. But as a result, the power consumption is the best I've seen. I've gone over a week on a single AAA battery!

For those needing more space, the Zen Nano doesn't have larger storage options. This unit is ideal as a player and not for those who primarily want to use it for recording. Even with a HUGE music collection, I can get a great deal of music on here and take it with me everywhere.

The price isn't a give-away, and this unit won't make it through any battles, but it strikes a good enough balance to meet your needs for a long long time to come. Highly recommended.

Pros -
- great stereo sound
- light-weight
- voice recording
- Direct line-in recording!!!! ( for those without a PC )
- ergonomic design
- great navigation and sorting features
- Microsoft PlaysForSure compatible (for those who are into that)
- USB 2.0 connectivity
- replaceable battery!!!

Cons
- smallish buttons
- Average shuffle feature
- mediocre backlight ( but it can be disabled )
- some song transfer issues on older computers
- FM tuner not avaiable on regular models ( get the Zen Nano plus if you need that )
- not enough size options
- no slot expansion

Check out my review of the Plus unit here:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0009F3SGE/sr=1-5/qid=1141027623/ref=sr_1_5/103-2689184-4809417?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Check out my review of the Sansa here. http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000BONJXU/ref=cm_pdp_review_teaser_product/103-2689184-4809417?n=172282

The Zen Nano looks great on paper, in the pictures, and in the packaging, but as soon as you take it out you can feel how poorly constructed the player really is. The casing and buttons (which look metallic at first) are made of soft plastic that scratches VERY easily. I can see 50% of owners breaking or losing the battery cover within a week. Sometimes the random playback feature has a glitch that causes it to repeat the same few tracks over and over, and the software that came with the player will often inexplicably rip only part of a CD. On the other hand, this player has a ton of nice features and is at a decent price point. I wouldn't buy it again if I had the option, or I would have at least bought the white model instead.

Little latch that hold the battery door broke off! Other than that I would say it's the best mp3 player I've ever had, and I've had plenty! It's small, lightweight, uses replaceable batteries, has good sound, does audible books, never crashes, takes a licking and keeps on ticking, HAS DRAG AND DROP FILE TRANSFER, and lasts forever (I've had mine for about 2 years of constant daily use at work!) I kind of wish it would die so I could upgrade, LOL!

The Nano could be improved, however. It could be louder (make sure you record at a high level!) It could have a better scroll button (it's kind of hard to advance to the next song without bringing up the menu)! The battery door WILL break after enough time! Could have better earbuds (they are WAY too big for my ears and fall out quickly!) The voice recording should give you a better choice of format (wav files are SO big, I would like to have voice recording at like 32kps mp3.)

I would like to upgrade to a 2 gig model of some kind, but I'm afraid whatever I buy will give me grief, like most of the other mp3 players I've had. Maybe I'll just upgrade to the 1gb creative nano, although I would like to like the Apple Nano Ipod. I'm just afraid I will be disappointed in the Nano like I was when I bought a 10gb Ipod. It was supposed to be SO great and all that, and I was really disappointed.

I've looked at Cowon, Iriver, Samsung, Toshiba, Sandisk, Olympus m:robe, Apple, Creative Zen, and many others, and I just can't find one that has the features I want like the Creative Nano! It really is hard to beat the Creative Nano. The one that does come closest is the Nano Ipod, though it is 50% more expensive (doesn't Creative care about them stealing the Nano name?) I like the sturdy construction, the sex appeal, the color screen, and GUI of the Ipod. I dont like the nonreplaceable battery, having to use Itunes, and the fact that it's an Apple product. Hmmm.

Comparison of an Samsung YP and a Creative Zen Nano, concentrating on features important for listening to audiobooks.

I used a Samsung YP for about 6 months until it would no longer boot. The best feature of the YP is that it takes an AA battery, which lasts 40 hrs plus. The worst feature is that there is no pause function-when "paused" the unit turns off after about 5 seconds. It also takes a long time to boot up. So, it is very annoying when you are interrupted by someone talking to you, or if you need to concentrate for a few moments on a task-you have to turn off the player, and hope that when it turns back on, it will be at the place you stoped. The player forgets where it stopped about 30% of the time. It is also very easy to turn the unit off by accident-which is very annoying. The vinyl case is crappy and offers only cosmetic protection.

The Creative Zen Nano has a much nicer form factor (shape) than the YP, but uses AAA batteries, which translates into about half the battery life. The best feature of the Nano is that it has a true pause function, and it is almost impossible to turn the unit off by accident. The thick pliable case offers real protection against drops, etc. but ruins the nice form factor (with the case [and belt clip], the Nano is actually bigger than the YP). The earbuds are too big for my ears-and therefore are uncomfortable. The earbuds also have an exaggerated bass response-perhaps good for popular music, but not for voice recordings. Ironically, I find the $2 airline earbuds to fit better and produce voice better.

For both units, you can load (MP3, regular WMA, etc.) music or audiobooks using Windows Explorer-the included software of both is clunky and unnecessary. Documentation is unintelligible for both. Secure WMA files must be opened in Windows Media Player and then "synced" to the player. Neither unit is usable for voice recording (mostly because of inadequate control-recording is just too complicated).

Let me save you some time... if your player starts shutting down, tech support will tell you it's a DRM thing and that you have to use a specific program to transfer files, that you have to upgrade the firmware and drivers off of their site. It all works pretty well, although a clumsy process... but if you want your unit to continue to function properly, you need an older driver. Try to find this version: ZenNanoPlus_PCFW_LF_1_10_03 (it's the version before the current one, so it's bound to be floating around out there somewhere... just keep looking or demand it from Creative) - I just reformatted and flashed my firmware using this version and it now works just fine. GOOD LUCK!!! [...]
I should also mention that this would be the PERFECT player if:

1) the little tooth on the battery compartment sliding door didn't break off so EASILY.

2) The firmware wasn't sush a mess (they blame record labels and DRM restrictions...)

3) and the recording quality was something better than, like about 32 kHz wav. 192 mp3 would be better.

Otherwise I LOVE the unit and the ease of operation.

If you're stuck in solitary confinement, or have a cousin in Abu Ghraib get an 30GB iPOD.

However, if you are mobile, have any inclination to simplify your life, and listen to less that 9 hours of music a day get the
Creative Zen Nano 1 GB MP3 Player.

This is it. Or one like it with more memory.

No spinning drives. Highly efficient battery use. Small and relatively indestructable. Several different ways to playback music (in order, shuffle, etc.). Mini Equalizer. Several different display options (orientation, baclight timer, etc).

Plus its basically a USB drive so you dont need special rippers to move music between devices.

Drawbacks: USB 2.0 (slow). Also, you can't display dirty pictures of your partners, and dont get to be cool like the people in the iPOD commercials (you can, but it's a hack called your imagination).

After 3 months of daily use it stopped working. The reason; sweat got inside the Zen Nano and corroded the solder juctions. I am a hobbyist, so it caould be fixed, but probably not for long.
They should have made the case close better or applied silicone to prevent sweat or miosture from getting in. The target market includes active sports where sweat and humidity are common.
If you jog, use it in a plastic bag.
Other than the corrosion, the Zen Nano is a good player, has intuitive controls, allows coppying files to and from the PC and works well. Just not for exercise.

Bought it to use while traveling. I download audio books to listen to while I am driving. Works well. Screen is a little hard to see.

Good price for a 1 gig that makes it possible for playlist folders. Ive dropped it numerous times ..hehe.. with no problems. Very easy to use buttons and software. After your first time using it, right when you plug it in the USB a little comment pops up taht says "organize now" or something and you just click on it and there you are.. drag and drop. The only small problem is that the earpieces hurt after a long time in my ears. This could just be my weird ears, but id like to point it out. They are, however, good sounds quality and if you wanted you could get replacements for 5 bucks at walmart. Very good buy overall.