Creative Zen Micro Photo 8 GB MP3 Player Black

Other products by Creative Labs

Product Details

• Item Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Shipping: Currently, item can be shipped only within the U.S.
• ASIN: B000BM6Z60
• Item model number: 70pf165000014
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (239 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #39,732 in Electronics (See Bestsellers in Electronics)
• Date first available at Amazon.com: October 1, 2005

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Description

The micro-sized, coolly styled Zen Micro Photo digital audio player/photo viewer enables you to watch slide shows of your favorite digital images on its stunning, high-intensity 1.5-inch OLED screen while listening to an MP3 or WMA soundtrack. This 8 GB player in black can hold up to 10,000 JPEG images or 4,000 songs. It's also nicely compact, measuring just 3.25 x 2 x 0.7 inches (HxWxD) and weighing under 4 ounces.

The Zen Micro Photo's vibrant, cutting edge OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) screen looks terrific and draws less power than conventional LCD displays. It displays 262,144 vivid colors, ensuring every picture is sharply detailed and extraordinarily clear. Using revolutionary display technology, you can now view photos from any angle. The vertical touch pad makes navigation easy, and the micro-sized player is offers a curved design to fit ergonomically in your hand. The intuitive menus in wild, bright colors makes navigating through those 4000 songs and tons of photos easy and fun.

It's compatible with MP3, WMA, Janus, WAV, IMA ADPCM digital audio files (including DRM protected Plays For Sure WMA files from online stores and subscriber services) as well as JPEG image files. Its 8 GB capacity will store up to 4,000 (266 hours) of WMA files (encoded at 64 kbps) or 2,000 (133 hours) of MP3 songs (encoded at 128 kbps).

This player also features a built-in FM radio with 32 preset stations and the ability to record directly off the radio, enabling you to capture your favorite songs and live radio interviews. The integrated microphone and voice recorder feature enables you to record short notes to yourself as well as important meetings and lectures. Choose from the Zen Micro Photo's custom EQ or eight pre-loaded EQ settings: Acoustic, Classical, Disco, New Age, Vocal, Pop, Rock, and Jazz.

Working perfectly with Microsoft Outlook, you can now organize appointments, business contacts, or even wake up to your favorite song. Additionally, the Zen Micro Photo can be used as a USB mass storage unit, allowing you to safely store your important presentations and documents and transfer them to another PC.

The included removable, rechargeable Li-ion battery provides up to 15 hours of continuous playback time, and it can be charged via a USB connection to your computer or the included USB travel charger.

The Zen Micro Photo works with many online subscription and pay-per-download music services such as Yahoo! Music Unlimited and Napster To Go. The PlaysForSure designation ensures compatibility with Windows Media Player 10 and Windows XP.

What's in the Box
8 GB Zen Micro Photo (black), high-fidelity earphones with dynamic bass response, removable rechargeable Li-ion battery, USB 2.0 cable, pouch, installation CD-ROM, printed Quick Start Guide

Product Description

Be captivated, be spellbound. Creative ZEN MicroPhoto features a revolutionary, vivid OLED color display. Dubbed ZEN Micro Photo by some, you can browse through photos or music playlists from this award winning digital music player's brilliantly clear menus. Color your music with strikingly detailed views of digital photos on this sleek MP3 player. And keep up to 4000 songs or thousands of photos by your side and in your pocket.. And keep up to 4000 songs or thousands of photos by your side and in your pocket. Get some really fabulous ZEN Micro accessories to go with your ZEN MP3 player too!

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

284 of 293 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent! Don't buy an IPod until you read this..., November 22, 2005

By	Zelda Milo (Newark, DE United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creative Labs 70PF165000000 Zen MicroPhoto 8 GB MP3 Player (Titanium Gray) (Electronics)

I chose the Creative Zen Micro Photo over the IPod Nano for several reasons:

1. Storage space - Micro Photo has 8 GB, Nano has 4 (and costs more)
2. Rechargeable AND Replaceable battery - Unit charges through the USB cord whenever connected to your computer (this is a PLUS, because you spend a lot of time connected to your computer managing your music library). Micro Photo holds the charge for at least 12 hours, maybe more. And unlike the Nano, the battery is replaceable, so you can purchase extra batteries if this one dies, or swap batteries to keep music playing on long trips.
3. Compatibility with online music stores - This feature was #1 for me. I'm a big fan of Comcast Rhapsody, and this player (NOT any IPod) is compatible with their Rhapsody to Go service, which lets you have UNLIMITED downloads from their catalog of over 1 million songs for $14.99/month (as long as you have the subscription, your songs will play in your MicroPhoto). ITunes can't beat that. I no longer buy CDs. The day they come out, they are on my MicroPhoto.
4. Price - do your research, for an 8 GB compact-size mp3 player with a color display, this price is a steal.

I haven't even used the Photo features, but I'll love having an album of pictures on my mp3 player to show my friends and family at anytime.

The unit is very small; about the size of my flip-style cell phone. That's bigger than a Nano, but very lightweight and a comfortable fit in the palm of my hand. I didn't necessarily need a credit-card size player. I wanted the storage space and the Rhapsody-to-go compatibility.

Negatives (and there are only two minor ones):
1. The world is made for IPods, so there are not as many accesories available for Creative players as there are for IPods. However,[...] has a nice selection.
2. The touch controls are very sensitive and take some getting used to (I figured it out within 2 days).

My husband has an old Creative Zen Nomad (30 GB and the size of a small brick) and although it's no longer "in style" it works well. I know my Micro Photo will hold up well over time.

Friends, family, and coworkers were critical of my decision to purchase a Micro Photo instead of an IPod. Now, many of them want to trade their IPods for one. Do your research - the Rhapsody-to-Go compatibility and 8 GB hard drive were enough to sell me on the Micro Photo.

177 of 185 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The True iPod Killer, November 21, 2005

By	David Weiner (New York, NY USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Creative Labs 70PF165000000 Zen MicroPhoto 8 GB MP3 Player (Titanium Gray) (Electronics)

For anyone that has at least half a brain and realizes that, not only are they not all called iPods, there are other brands out there that produce incredible portable mp3 players, this unit is for you.

First, what most people disregard as minor, this is one of the only mp3 players that charges with the same cord it uses to transfer files. To top that off, it's a standard USB cord! That means Universal Serial Bus, silly... it's the cord that comes with every computer, digital camera, blackberry, etc. That means you probably already have several of them! So what, you ask? Now you can charge your player and transfer files from any computer! This is no minor feature!!!!

Besides this feature that I love (that is so hard to find in other players), the Creative Zen Micro Photo also features a replaceable battery. To all of you iPod owners that have to charge your iPod every 4 hours I don't need to emphasize this. Top it off with great battery life!

What else? The quality of the picture on the screen is tops; the sound quality is great (the earphones are good too); the size is perfect; and the backlight is too cool. It looks great and is the best mp3 player on the market, bar none.

67 of 71 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Looks cool and special. Easy to use. Great for travelling, March 16, 2006

By	redhill (London, UK) - See all my reviews

Disclaimer: I had an iPod before switching to the Zen Micro.

Features I love
===============
1. Looks.
There are those who buy things because others got it. But there're things in life cooler than military-issued white. In fact, I got my Sony MDR-EX71 ear-buds in black because white ear-buds are so passe now.

2. Uses standard USB cable.
This might seem like a small thing, but really appreciate the fact I just need one cable when travelling to sync and charge my MP3 player, cellphone, and digital camera. No more tangling mess of cables and charges, and I can always buy a USB line almost anywhere for less than $5 if I forgot to bring one.

3. No drivers required. Works like thumb drive.
The most significant consequence is that I can plug the Zen to the USB port of any PC, and be able to use the Zen like a USB thumb drive. My previous iPod needed to install drivers, which is a luxury I don't have with other people's PCs, or office PCs where they restrict your admin rights.

4. Music Subscription.
This is the best invention since iPod itself. I have been die-hard fans of only 2-3 artists, die-hard meaning I buy every single album and singles they produce. For everyone else, there are plenty of songs I 'kinda like' but I didn't feel they were worth the money to buy.

With this subscription thingy, I get to download entire albums simply to try out entirely new songs and artists to see if I like 'em. I doesn't bother me I lose them if I stop my subscription - they are songs I probably won't pay in full in the first place. But sometimes, not buying a song doesn't mean not worthing listening to it once in a while.

5. Solid construction.
The Zen has a solid metal casing that not only feels sturdy and resistant to scratches, it can actually survive a four-feet drop without injury. (I've actually tried this, though not intentionally.) Couldn't say the same about my iPod. (My experience positively confirms that an iPod cannot survive a swinging knock against the subway door while inside a shoulder bag.)

6. Ease-of-use.
The menu system is customizable and intuitive just like in iPod. (In fact, I heard the patent for the iPod menus are held by Creative Labs.) Synching songs is also piece of cake. Just plug-in and either WMP or Napster can sync up my library. This is probably standard feature now after iTunes set the standard.
At the end of the day, I can always resort to drag-n-drop straight from my windows explorer, for not only my music files but also data files. (See point #2 above.)

8. Battery Life
I do 10-hour shuttles from the West Coast to the Other Side of the Pond at least once a month, and the iPod used to just flat out with less than 10 hours of playing. The Zen can not only sustain the entire trip, but also the train rides to/from the airports ony each side. And I bought an extra battery in case I miss a chance to charge up in between. The "stamina" of most batteries decreases with such consecutive high mileage use, and with the iPod I wasn't able to do anything about it other than to buy a new one or send it back to the factory. With the Zen I have an immediate solution for $30 in the local Circuit City.


Features I don't like
=====================

1. No dedicated volume button. Need to go back to "Now Playing" screen to adjust the volume. Can't do it while I'm tweaking other things in different menus.

2. No podcast aggregation in Windows Media Player. Ok. This is more a WMP shortcoming than the Zen's. iTunes has the best podcast browser (though not the largest selection), so I continue to use iTunes to subscribe to podcasts, and let WMP automatically detect the new files and add to my player. It can be done, but I wish it can be done in one-step, one software.

These two dislikes mean it's not perfect for me, so, four stars.