Creative MuVo Micro N200 (512MB, Black)

We understand that a simple MP3 player with no extra features or even an LCD appeals to some people, but we prefer a device that gives us a little more bang for our buck. That's why we'd choose Creative's MuVo Micro N200 over Apple's iPod Shuffle any day. At $129.99, the 512MB MuVo Micro costs just $30 more than the Apple flash player and includes an LCD as well as advanced features such as FM tuning and line-in recording. Even better, the N200's overall user experience is a pleasant one. We just wish the screen was a bit bigger.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. Unlike its predecessor, the MuVo TX FM, the Creative MuVo Micro features a seamless construction without a built-in USB interface. The benefit of this design is that it affords the N200 the luxury of being smaller (2.6 by 1.3 by 0.5 inches) and a touch lighter (1.3 ounces) than its older sibling. Of course, you give up the convenience of having a built-in USB key. The player does come with the requisite USB cable, but we wish Creative had thrown in a USB adapter key for added portability. That said, we highly appreciate the inclusion of a belt clip, a case, and an armband in the box--the MuVo Micro is certainly a gym-worthy player.

You might assume that the MuVo Micro's tiny size is its most distinguishing feature, but actually it's the selection of bright colors in which the player is encased. You can choose from a palette of eight hues, including black, white, orange, red, dark blue, light blue, pink, and lime green. Our nail-polish-pink test unit definitely pops, but better yet, it seems quite resistant to scratches.

The controls on the MuVo Micro are minimal, which actually make the player a breeze to use. Rather than fumbling with a bunch of buttons, you access all features through the one menu toggle, located along the bottom edge of the player, that you press in to view your choices. This same switch scans through tracks when not in Menu mode. To the left of this switch are the two dedicated volume keys. The only other control is a button that controls play/pause/power. A small LCD, a USB port, and jacks for headphones and line-in audio round out the physical characteristics of the device. Creative is nice enough to include a line-in cable in the package. There's no Hold switch per se, but this function is easily accessible in the first layer of the menu. About that small LCD: Thanks to the high-res display, the text is easy enough to read, if you have perfect vision, anyway. The main screen shows only the song name, the time elapsed, and minuscule icons for battery life and play mode. It would be nice if the screen was large enough to display album and artist info as well.

Initial setup and use of the MuVo Micro is a snap, thanks to its Microsoft PlaysForSure designation: just plug it in and start using Windows Media Player 10.0 or Windows Explorer drag-and-drop to transfer files. Note that Creative's quick-start guide instructs you not to plug in the player until you've installed the driver and software from the included CD, but this isn't necessary if you're running Windows XP. Users of other Windows platforms, however, should follow Creative's directions. Creative also includes its own MediaSource music management software, but we prefer not to use it since it's not as convenient as Windows Media Player.

The Creative MuVo Micro really shines in the features department, especially when you consider its relatively low price. As is becoming the standard nowadays, the player supports DRM-protected WMAs, so you can transfer songs that you've purchased from stores such as Wal-Mart Music Downloads. So far, there's no compatibility with Windows Media DRM 10.0 (for subscription-based tunes), but hopefully we'll start seeing this in flash players soon. The player also supports AA files purchased from Audible.com and, of course, MP3s.

Along with standard playback features such as shuffle, A/B loop, and repeat, to name a few, the MuVo Micro features a five-band custom EQ as well as five presets: Normal, Rock, Pop, Classical, and Jazz. The player also offers several settings options, the coolest of which is LCD orientation; this lets you flip the screen to optimize it for either right- or left-handed use. Screen settings for contrast, backlighting, and language are also available.

Now for the fun stuff: The MuVo Micro includes an FM tuner with Autoscan and 32 preset slots. The tuner is blissfully easy to use: simply select Autoscan from within the menu when you're in FM mode; the player will scan all frequencies and save all the ones that come in as presets for future use (you can also scan manually if desired). You can record from the radio, and the player has a built-in mic for voice recordings as well; these recordings are saved as WAV files. The icing on the cake, however, is the line-in recording option, which encodes tracks directly to MP3. You can choose between three bit rates (96Kbps, 128Kbps, or 160Kbps) and even enable a function called Sync Track that automatically splits tracks. Do note that the MuVo Micro's line-in port is smaller than the norm, so you'll always want to have the included cable on hand for such recordings.

The MuVo Micro isn't without its flaws, though. There's no option to sort songs by artist, album, or genre, and there's no playlist support. Songs are listed in alphabetical--or numerical, if you name your files with track numbers preceding the song title--order. As such, the most logical way to transfer music, if you want some organization, is to use Windows Explorer and drag and drop album or artist folders (with no subfolders) directly from the My Music window; you can then browse through separate folders on the player.

As we've come to expect from Creative players, the MuVo Micro sounded good in our tests, even through the included earbuds. The signal-to-noise ratio is listed as simply "up to 90dB," which is average, but we noticed no background hiss at normal volume levels, and audio sounded rich and clean. We did note the same issue that several users have complained about: the backlight produces some feedback, though it's mostly perceptible when your music is paused and thus doesn't hamper overall sound quality.

Although the Creative MuVo Micro's maximum bit rate for line-in encoding is 160Kbps, recordings sounded quite good, and the track-splitting (Sync Track) function worked accurately. Voice recordings also came out clearly, although you have to hold the player fairly close to the sound source to avoid a muffled quality. The FM tuner worked a treat too, with the autoscanner picking up all local stations.

What we were most pleased with, however, was the battery life recorded by CNET Labs. The MuVo Micro lasted more than 19 hours, beating Creative's own estimate by 4 hours. Its average transfer time of 1.76MB per second was decent for USB 2.0.

File-transfer speed
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

MB per second

Cowon iAudio U2 (1GB)

1.76

Creative MuVo Micro N200 (512MB)

1.76

Apple iPod Shuffle (512MB)

1.31

MPIO FY400 (128MB)

0.79

Battery life
(Longer bars indicate better performance)

In hours

Creative Muvo N200 (512MB; AAA)

19

Apple iPod Shuffle (512MB; rechargeable)

15

MPIO FY400 (128MB; AAA)

14.1

Cowon iAudio U2 (1GB; rechargeable)

11.8

Cambridge SoundWorks Radio CD 740 (ivory)

We're big fans of Cambridge SoundWorks' overachieving Radio 730. It's far and away the best-built, best-sounding table radio we've ever heard, and we've tried all the serious contenders. The only thing the 730 is missing is a built-in CD player, but thankfully, you can now find that in the step-up Radio CD 740, which is listed at $400.

Available in black or ivory, the 740 is a near twin of its radio-only predecessor, measuring 14 inches wide, 5 inches high, and 10 inches deep. The unit's 12-pound heft inspires confidence.

Inserting a disc into the 740's motorized, front-loading slot calls up information on the 32-character display. For CDs, you see the tracks, their times, and any available CD Text data. With MP3 CD-Rs, the names of folders and files appear. As for the radio, programming AM and FM station presets is easy. An automatic dimmer reduces the screen brightness in dark rooms and maintains good legibility in bright light. The display even shows Radio Data Service information: real-time text such as the song's title, the artist's name, and the station's call letters.

Two quality speakers and a built-in woofer, all three fed by separate amplifier channels, provide stereo sound. The 740 is magnetically shielded, so you can place it near a TV or a computer monitor.

The 740's alarm clock, which lets you easily program two setups, can wake you up with beeping, your favorite CD or MP3 track, or the radio. A 9-volt battery gives the alarm enough backup power to sail through a blackout up to 48 hours long. The credit card-style remote is a model of efficient design; it's highly legible and not crowded with a lot of useless buttons.

The Stereo selector lets you choose between Stereo, Mono, and Wide. We really like the Wide setting because it opens up the sound. The bass, treble, and loudness controls let you fine-tune the tonal balance. We were surprised at just how far we could crank up the bass before the 740 emitted any buzzes or rattles.

The radio's FM reception and sound quality were excellent, and AM results were also above average. Of course, CD audio was even better. The 740's remarkably rich sonics and generous volume capabilities compare to those of the better mini/shelf systems.

Normally, we wouldn't have much to say about a table radio's connectivity, but the 740 is surprisingly well endowed. The AM and FM antenna inputs accept jacks instead of bare wire leads, which are fussier and harder to attach. The 740 has three 1/8-inch stereo minijack inputs: the one on the front handles quick hookups, leaving more-permanent connections to its two back-panel counterparts, one of which can combine a line-out signal (from your computer, for example) with the radio's sound or feed a recording device such as a CD burner. Oh, there's also a front-panel headphone output.

Cambridge sells the 740 direct with an in-home 45-day trial period, so you can check out the radio for yourself. Chances are you won't return it.

Creative ZEN Touch (40GB)

Creative has a long history of delivering decent, hard drive-based MP3 players. Its latest flagship model, the Zen Touch (40GB), takes the Creative name to new heights. Redesigned from the ground up, the Zen Touch includes modern delights such as an innovative touch-sensitive scroll pad (dubbed the Touch Pad), an aesthetically pleasing and durable form factor, and rock-solid battery life. Factor in its great sound quality, its compatibility with most online music stores, and a competitive price, and you have a top-shelf contender. Experienced Zen users might be disappointed with some tweaks to menu functionality, and others might wear out their thumbs acclimating to the Touch Pad. Nevertheless, after a lengthy wait, the Zen Touch has finally made its curtain call.

Editor's note: We have changed the rating in this review to reflect recent changes in our rating scale. Click here to find out more. Make no mistake: The Creative Zen Touch isn't your daddy's tired, old Nomad Jukebox. Encased in a tight metallic-alloy and glossy white body, the device is smooth to the touch and easy on the eyes. At 4.1 by 2.7 by 0.9 inches and 7.1 ounces, it's definitely larger and heavier than the latest Apple iPod. Yet its overall look and feel is balanced, ergonomic, and durable--much like its second cousin, the Dell DJ. And the Zen Touch doesn't scratch as easily as the iPod does.

The primary feature that ushers the Zen franchise into the 21st century is the touch-sensitive Touch Pad, which drastically improves scrolling and navigating through songs and menu options when compared to previous Zen models. Sliding your thumb upward or downward on the slick pad (the manual actually suggests that you gently rub it) moves the onscreen cursor accordingly. As with any good touchpad, the farther your finger wanders from the center, the faster you scroll. Pressing the physical OK button at the top of the pad makes a selection. Furthermore, the pad can be set up for tap selection, meaning you don't ever have to use the OK button.

Although it takes a few minutes to get used to the feeling--the pad's sensitivity can be adjusted in three steps--it beats the tar out of using the annoying little jog dial on previous Zen editions. We do wish Creative had placed the selector button above the Touch Pad rather than within the pad area or, better yet, recessed to the level of the pad. As it stands, the button gets in the way of the natural scrolling motion. We would also appreciate a tap-to-page-up and -down feature, as thumbing through thousands of songs can get tiring--at least you're going in circles with the iPod.

The combination of the Touch Pad and the larger display make navigating the Zen Touch interface a breeze when compared to earlier Zen models. The 160x104-pixel display is easy to read, but because of low contrast between the black text and the blue backlight (and lower resolution overall), the menus don't pop off the screen as the iPod's do. Alas, tweaking the contrast level in Settings doesn't help. Still, plenty of data, such as the track title, artist and album info, the EQ setting, the play mode, and an elapsed time bar, is elegantly displayed.

The majority of control buttons line either side of the Touch Pad. These include player controls and Menu, Back, and Random buttons. Creative has dedicated a button to Random, which immediately shuffles and plays all songs in the library. This oft-used instant-shuffle feature reminds us of the iPod's top-menu Shuffle Songs. We did note that one-handed operation of the Zen Touch can be a strain on the hand as primary buttons are located close to the edge, requiring a bit of thumb acrobatics.

The left side of the Zen Touch includes the power button and convenient, dedicated volume controls. The top of the device includes a headphone jack with integrated remote-control support, a USB 2.0 jack (the Zen Touch can be recharged via USB), and a Hold switch. The only thing located on the unit's right side is a power-adapter connector, which further emphasizes this player's minimalist nature.

Creative also throws in a USB cable, some decent earbud headphones, and a fake leather carrying case. Two minor design miscues: the lithium-ion battery can't be swapped by the user, and the power adapter (consisting of two cables and a brick) is bulky and inconvenient.Despite the fact it isn't loaded with extra features such as a recording function or an FM radio, the Creative Zen Touch is a top-notch digital audio player compatible with MP3, protected WMA, and WAV files. You can get an optional wired remote with a built-in FM tuner and FM/voice recorder for $50.

Some despise the Creative interface while others swear by it. It's now much cleaner, and the Touch Pad actually makes it usable. The Main Menu options, accessed by hitting the Menu key, include Music Library, Now Playing, Play Mode, Settings, and Information. Music Library allows you to select tracks by playlists, album, artist, genre, or recordings, as well as all tracks. Creative players were among the first to use a playlist-centric interface, in which selected or played tracks are automatically added to the current playlist (called Selected Music). For example, if you select All Tracks, all tracks are added to your playlist, which then can be saved or deleted on the player itself. Unlike on the iPod, these playlists can be named.

As always, Creative employs a Windows-like, right-click style of selecting and deleting songs and for building playlists. In other words, when you select a song (or an album or artist), a pull-down menu displays a wealth of options. These include Play, Add to Selected, View Details, Delete Track (or Album or Artist), with each set of options slightly different for songs, albums, playlists, and so on. The new Touch Pad helps this two-click process immeasurably, though you can simply click the Play button once to start a track. Searching for specific tracks, artists, or albums is a breeze thanks to the Zen Touch's alphabetical Find feature. One more useful tidbit: touching the pad in the Now Playing mode will display Selected Music, so it's easy to find another song.

All these options can be useful to those who really like to manage their playlists, but these choices can be confusing to some users as well. To simplify, Creative has removed some old options, including reordering songs in a playlist and bookmarking a track.

Those who download music can be assured that the Zen Touch will be compatible with virtually all WMA-based online music stores and services. Sometime in October, Creative plans to release a firmware upgrade that will make the Zen Touch both MTP and Janus-compatible. Among other things, the former will permit autosyncing with Windows Media Player 10, while the latter will allow for subscription-based downloads that time out when the user is no longer a paying subscriber.

Unfortunately, the Zen Touch will not show up as a drive in Windows, so you'll have to use the included Nomad Explorer software to transfer personal data files. Next month, Creative hopes to release a firmware upgrade that will bring up the Zen Touch as a drive letter. While Creative's bundled MediaSource software will allow you to encode and organize music, burn tracks, and transfer tracks to the player, most users will find Windows Media Player more convenient for this function.The sound quality of the Creative Zen Touch impressed us, thanks in part to its signal-to-noise ratio of less than 97dB. We hooked it up to a quality home stereo and enjoyed rich, powerful sound. We recommend a good pair of headphones to take advantage of the warm sound, as the included earbuds don't do the Zen Touch justice. If you wish, you can employ a four-band custom parametric equalizer with eight presets to fine-tune your audio. To little fanfare or concern, Creative has done away with EAX environmental effects presets in this version of the Zen.

Creative boasts that the Zen Touch has "the longest battery life ever for a digital audio jukebox." Managing 24 hours would double the rated battery life for a new iPod, an amazing and useful performance spec, indeed. The patient CNET Labs was able to squeeze an ear-popping 26 hours out of the Zen Touch. Unlike the Zen Xtra before it, the Zen Touch doesn't have a handy removable battery. Nevertheless, on an extended trip away from civilization, the Zen Touch, with its remarkable battery life, would be our first choice. It does take about 4 hours for a complete recharge using the power adapter. Transfer of files took a modest 2.7MB per second over USB 2.0.

Creative Zen Vision (30GB, Black)

The Zen Vision, Creative's latest effort to craft the ultimate portable video player (PVP), improves on its predecessor, the Zen Portable Media Center, in almost every way. Though it's smaller and more elegant, it packs a larger 30GB hard drive and a longer list of features, all for a lower price ($400). True, it can't compete with the kitchen-sink feature set of PVPs such as the Archos PMA430, but that device costs almost twice as much. Plus, the Creative Zen Vision has two enviable features the Archos lacks: a VGA screen and support for content recorded on TiVo DVRs. Unfortunately, it can't record video or audio directly, and copying and converting files can be a time-consuming hassle, especially for novices, as Creative really skimps on the instructions. But the payoff is worth it because the Creative Zen Vision's screen dazzles like no other. It's no slouch when it comes to music, photos, and FM radio, either.If Apple ever decides to produce a video iPod, it may look something like the Creative Zen Vision. We tested the pearl-white version, which to our eyes seems classier and cleaner than the magnesium-black alternative. It's a sleek, sexy device that, at 4.9 by 2.9 by 0.8 inches, measures only a hair longer and thicker than a Dell Axim X50v PDA, and it's considerably less bulky than Creative's last PVP, the Zen Portable Media Center. Likewise, at 8.4 ounces, it's only a bit heavier than a PDA. We had no qualms about stowing it in a front pants pocket.

OK, we have one qualm: We'd be heartbroken if a piece of pocket flotsam scratched the Zen's 3.7-inch, 262,000-color screen. It's by far the most eye-pleasing LCD we've ever seen on a PVP, thanks in no small part to its VGA (640x480-pixel) resolution. Everything looks stellar, from photos to video to the interface itself. Thankfully, Creative supplies a soft drawstring case to help keep the screen pristine. The only downside is viewing angle; unless you face the screen head-on or a bit to the right, you'll see almost nothing.

Most of the Zen's simple, straightforward, and tactile controls are grouped to the right of the screen. Even novices should have no trouble making sense of its Back, Menu, and Shuttle buttons, which reside above and below a five-way control pad. The latter is a bit small, particularly the OK button in the center; on a few occasions, we accidentally hit the pad instead of the button. Zooming in and out of menus on the Zen Vision's sweet interface is a joy, though more than once, we instinctively pressed the right nav button to select an option rather than the Select key itself.

The Zen's dedicated volume controls and power/hold switch reside along the top edge. A spring-loaded door protects the CompactFlash slot on the left side of the unit, while a rubberized tab hides the power and A/V-out ports on the right side. At the rear, a sizable battery comprises most of the Zen's backside. It's removable and stylish, with a pond-ripple accent surrounding a circular Zen logo. All that's missing is a kickstand, so you'll have to hold the Zen upright or find something to lean it against while watching a movie. Alternatively, you can purchase the optional dock for $40, which props the device at a reasonable viewing angle.

The built-in CompactFlash Type I slot is a nice touch.

The aforementioned CompactFlash Type I/II slot permits viewing and downloading digital photos, though, admittedly, only higher-end cameras such as the Canon Digital Rebel rely on CompactFlash media these days. If your camera takes a different kind of card, you can purchase an adapter that supplies SD, MMC, Memory Stick, and xD slots. Other available options include a wireless remote ($30) and the docking station mentioned above.

Navigating the Zen is a snap, thanks to its nine-item main menu and straightforward submenus. Interestingly, you can customize the main menu to your liking, hiding items you don't necessarily want and adding others you do. By adding the submenu All Tracks option, for instance, you can go straight to your track listing without first having to delve into the Music Library menu. The only downside is that these additions appear at the bottom of the main menu instead of immediately below their respective top menus. There's no way to manually organize the list.

The Creative Zen Vision doesn't have every bell and whistle in the book, but it comes with the ones that count. It plays MP3, DRM WMA, and WAV audio files; JPEG photos; and AVI, DivX, MPEG, Motion-JPEG, and WMV video files. It also plays and records FM radio; records voice notes via a built-in microphone; and supports PlaysForSure audio and video. Unfortunately, there's very little video to choose from at the moment: a tiny selection of D-grade movies at CinemaNow and a smattering of content at MSN Videos. We're eagerly awaiting a PVP that can play the complete CinemaNow and Movielink libraries. In the meantime, if you want to watch movies on the Zen, you'll have to rip and convert your DVDs, which requires both time and know-how.

As for other videos, some will play natively on the Zen, while others will require a pass through Creative's Video Converter utility. Thankfully, the program will tell you if a video file is already compatible and doesn't need conversion. (It's difficult to determine compatibility without using the utility.) In our tests, some files played fine; others required conversion. We discovered by accident that certain files that were listed under "conversion required" would play on the Zen without conversion but that certain features on the player (such as fast-forward) wouldn't work for those files. That said, you may want to forgo the conversion in some cases, as the utility can output to only a maximum resolution of 320x240 pixels--an inexplicable waste of the Zen's potential.

The real problem is that Creative provides almost no instruction on moving video content to the Zen Vision. The electronic user guide mentions the video converter and online movie stores only in passing; nowhere does it explain how to work with either of them. Likewise, if you want to view TV shows recorded on your TiVo, you're on your own--and may end up frustrated and disappointed.

The process isn't difficult; just install TiVo Desktop 2.2 on your PC and copy a few shows to it from your TiVo Series2 DVR. Then, fire up Windows Media Player 10 and sync the shows to the Zen. Unfortunately, we couldn't get this to work on either of two computers, both of which ran Windows XP Media Center Edition. On a third machine, this one with Windows XP Home, the sync process worked fine.

Before you even attempt TiVo conversions, you'll need a compatible MPEG-2 decoder (visit TiVo's Web site for a list), which your system may or may not have. We think it's a bit disingenuous for Creative to tout TiVo To Go compatibility without mentioning that it requires third-party software not included with the Zen.

There is another option: the bundled Video Vault PVP utility. It can convert not only TiVo files but also unprotected DVDs. Unfortunately, Creative supplies only a 14-day trial--and it's the wrong version! We had to download a newer build that included TiVo support. Once that was done, we had no problem converting our shows and copying them directly to the Zen--until the trial period expired.

It's worth noting that WMP can easily, albeit slowly, convert TV shows recorded with Windows XP Media Center Edition. It's also worth noting that the Zen can output video to a TV or audio to a stereo using an included RCA patch cable. What it can't do is record from external sources, a definite letdown, given the ease with which the latest Archos PMPs record both video and audio. The only recording option is the built-in microphone, which lets you record up to 10 hours' worth of voice notes as 16kHz, 128Kbps WAV files.

As a music player, the Zen offers the usual amenities and then some: on-device playlist creation; shuffle and repeat modes; support for up to 10 bookmarks; eight equalizer presets and a five-band custom setting; and a bass-boost feature. Its cool DJ feature can serve up Album of the Day, Random Play All, Most Popular (based on your ratings), and Rarely Heard. We particularly like the Smart Volume option, which keeps volume levels consistent across all your tracks. However, the Zen doesn't display album art, a disappointing waste of its jaw-dropping screen. It shows each song's genre and year alongside the usual track name, artist name, album info, and so on, but it's not uncommon for ID3 tags to lack these designations, so don't be surprised to see Other or Unknown listed for genre and 0000 for year. It would be nice if the Zen let you choose what ID3-tag info to display.

On the plus side, the Zen lets you listen to your tunes while viewing a slide show of your photos. Obviously, you can also browse and view photos individually, even marking favorites for a custom slide show. However, when selecting the My Slideshows option, the Zen refers you to Creative's Media Explorer utility for creating slide shows on your PC. Problem is, there's no such option in that software, nor does the help file include any reference to slide shows. It's another instance of incomplete documentation.

The Zen provides solid FM radio features, including a lightning-fast autoscan that fills as many of the 32 available preset slots as possible. You can also manually add presets; assign names to the stations; and record any broadcast just by pressing and holding the play/pause button. Alas, the Zen lacks a timer for scheduled recordings, a feature we really wish it had.

Creative's Sync Manager makes simple work of copying your Outlook data such as contacts, appointments, and tasks to the Zen, though sync is something of a misnomer: It's a one-way transfer, and it doesn't happen automatically; you have to sync every time you want to copy the latest data from Outlook. On the Zen itself, you can view your data, but there's no option to edit or sort it.

The Zen Vision Media Explorer program handles most PC-to-Zen connectivity chores, including creating and managing playlists, converting video files, ripping audio CDs, and Outlook/media synchronization. For most music-related tasks, however, you'll want Creative's MediaSource Organizer, a basic but handy music manager. Interestingly, if you want to use the Zen as a portable hard drive, you have to allocate a chunk of space--anywhere from 512MB to 16GB--for that purpose. Then Windows Explorer can drag and drop files to and from the Zen, no drivers required.

The Creative Zen Vision leverages its VGA screen to deliver incredibly crisp, colorful video. We've never seen an episode of The Simpsons look so vibrant on a portable device. Likewise, the added resolution (four times what you get from a typical 320x240-pixel PVP screen) vastly improves content that might otherwise be poorly suited to a small screen. We loaded up Robin Williams on Broadway, which includes a number of pull-back shots of the stage, but still managed to see the comic legend in all his frenetic glory. Even a movie such as Lord of the Rings, with its innumerable wide-angle action sequences, looks dramatically better on the Creative Zen Vision than on players with lower-resolution screens.

However, after all the hassles we experienced copying TiVo recordings to the Zen via Windows Media Player, we were aggravated to discover that playback was extremely choppy. Thankfully, files converted by Video Vault PVP played just fine, as did various AVI and MPEG files converted by Creative Media Explorer.

Keep in mind that the process can be painfully slow for videos that require conversion. For example, it took us about two hours to convert a one-hour DivX file. At least music transfers are relatively speedy: using Media Explorer, we copied our 10GB song library to the Zen in about 35 minutes. For the record, Windows Media Player took 10 minutes more to do the job.

Once we started listening to music on the Zen, we didn't want to stop. It cranks out full, resonant audio at an unusually high 97dB signal-to-noise ratio. We were particularly impressed by Creative's stellar-sounding foam-padded earbuds. For once we didn't immediately reach for our favorite headphones instead. And the built-in speaker sounds better than you'd expect.

FM radio reception was good but not great; even outdoors, we had a hard time pulling in stations that came through loud and clear on a car stereo. In our tests of the voice recorder, we had to hold the Creative Zen Vision close to our mouth to achieve good recording volume. You'll have to forget about using it to record, say, a lecture; the mic just isn't sensitive enough. We also felt that occasionally, the processor had a hard time keeping up with our navigation commands, whether we skipped through tracks or surfed from menu to menu. These delays usually last for only a second but are definitely noticeable.

Creative promises up to 4.5 hours of movie playback time and 13 hours of music from the Zen's removable lithium-ion battery. CNET Lab tests confirmed the rated battery life for video, which came in at 4.4 hours. Not bad, but in our audio drain tests, we consistently got around 8.2 hours, far short of Creative's claims and much too low for our ears. An optional extended-life battery ($70), available in white or black, promises to double playback time.

Creative Zen Sleek Photo (20GB)

Creative's been superaggressive this year with the launch of a number of products, including the toylike MuVo Micro and the refined Zen Vision PVP. Recently, the Zen Sleek quietly and unofficially became the replacement for the aging Zen Touch, which will still be available for a while. Now, Creative pulls yet another device out of its lab coat: the Zen Sleek Photo, available in November for $299.99. This 20GB color OLED version of the original Zen Sleek includes an FM tuner and support for subscription-based music services such as Rhapsody To Go.

Upside: Two chief complaints about the Zen Touch were its bulky build and its lack of an FM tuner. Creative listened by adding an FM tuner, as well as a voice recorder, and making the Zen Sleek Photo, well, sleek. At 4 by 2.2 by 0.6 inches and 5.4 ounces, it's significantly slimmer and lighter than the Zen Touch--and lighter and narrower than a 20GB iPod. Its striking design is a quarter iPod Mini, a quarter Zen Micro, and a half Dell DJ-20. The Creative Zen Sleek Photo also boasts a bright OLED that makes digital photos look vibrant from any angle, and the glowing interface--with blue buttons and GUI themes such as Jungle and Fire--has a classic retro modern feel. The device plays MP3, WAV, and DRM10-protected WMA files, so users may not only purchase tracks but also join a to-go subscription service--that is, fill the player up with songs for as little as $5 a month. The easy-to-use Sleek retains the touch strip used by many of Creative's hard drive-based players but features big tactile buttons for the other controls, such as play/pause, fast-forward, rewind, and so forth. Sound quality (97dB signal-to-noise ratio) and battery life (rated up to 19 hours) are excellent.

Downside: If Creative had launched this thing a few months earlier, it might have caught the eyes of those who have purchased a Cowon iAudio X5, an iRiver H10, or even an iPod Photo. Like the Zen Micro and other players that utilize a vertical touch strip, the Creative Zen Sleek Photo may not appeal to some users, though the unit's other buttons are thankfully tactile. The glowing screen is quite a statement, but it's only 1.75 inches, compared with the iPod's 2 inches. Additionally, the display is difficult to see outdoors. While Creative manages this better than Apple, the lack of dedicated volume buttons is frustrating, as is being forced to use a proprietary USB cable that includes an input for the power cord. Let's face it: carrying two cables sucks. Images look crisp, even though our production sample's colors seemed washed out; however, you can't listen to music while you enjoy your photos--at least not yet. Plus, there is no way to transfer pictures directly from a digital camera, a feature that is built into players such as the Cowon iAudio X5 and the Archos Gmini 402. Those of you who enjoy viewing album art will be disappointed, as device does not support the feature. Hopefully, Creative will fix these issues.

Outlook: There will always be room for another high-profile, high-capacity MP3 player, especially if it can break the mold and offer not only extra features but also good battery life and ease of use. The Creative Zen Sleek Photo stands out mostly because of its screen, but it's also a good-sounding, feature-heavy device that plays nice with subscriptions (though who doesn't these days, besides Apple?).

Creative Zen Micro Photo (8GB, black)

The MP3 editors at CNET have been patiently waiting (and waiting) for the official U.S. debut of the Creative Zen Micro Photo ever since Creative originally announced the color-screen version of the Zen Micro back in January at CES 2005. Well, it has finally arrived, and we're happy we waited. The retail version of the Zen Micro Photo is an improvement over the prototype in key areas, notably hard drive capacity. The microdrive MP3 player is actually a hair smaller than its predecessor, yet it offers 8GB of storage for a reasonable $249.99; originally, the player was slated for 5GB and 6GB drives at $299 and $349, respectively. As a portable audio player, the Creative Zen Micro Photo is top-notch, and it makes a decent photo viewer. Unfortunately, it doesn't integrate the two as we'd expect at this point in the photo MP3 player game.Surprisingly, the Creative Zen Micro Photo is a fraction smaller (3.3 by 2.0 by 0.63 inches) than its monochrome-screen sibling, yet it manages to pack in 2GB to 3GB more storage, offering an 8GB microdrive, or about 2,000 songs. It doesn't pack on any extra ounces either, keeping its lightweight status at 3.8 ounces. And you still get the easily removable and replaceable battery, a standard mini USB connection, and a hold switch. There's also a choice of 10 colors--black, gray, white, pink, purple, green, orange, light blue, dark blue, and red--though some shades are slightly different than those of the Zen Micro. But the main difference, of course, is the Zen Micro Photo's small, but nice, full-color OLED screen; it measures 1.6 inches diagonally, can display 262,144 colors, and is viewable from any angle.

The Creative Zen Micro Photo has an easily removable battery that any user can replace.

The innovative touch pad that made its debut on the Creative Zen Micro carries over to the Photo, though it has been slightly improved. Foremost, Creative has decreased the sensitivity of the Low setting so that the pad doesn't seem nearly as touchy as on the original Micro's. Also, the face of the player has a textured feel to it, lending a more tactile sensation to the controls. Still, those used to pressing real buttons might need some time to adjust. The layout of the touch pad remains the same, with a vertical scroll strip flanked by Back, rewind, play/pause, fast-forward, and menu keys. This, combined with a great user interface, makes for highly intuitive navigation.

The Creative Zen Micro Photo (pink) next to the Apple iPod Nano.

Creative recently patented the interface found on the Zen Micro Photo. In fact, the Creative interface is used on many popular MP3 players, including the Apple iPod. The interface is hierarchy-based, which means you navigate to a genre, then an artist, then an album, and finally a track. Of course, you can also go directly to any of the last three, as well as straight to a playlist that you've created on the PC, then transferred over. In addition, the Zen Micro Photo includes a DJ that will decide for you. This MP3 player's interface is a breeze to use.

The Creative Zen Micro Photo ships with a soft pouch, a USB cable (used for both transferring and charging), a pair of decent earbuds, a user manual, and an install disc. The last includes Creative's MediaSource software, a music-management app that we largely ignored, as well as Windows Media Player 10 and Adobe Acrobat Reader. The most important thing on the disc, though, is the Creative Zen Micro Photo app, which establishes the connection between player and computer. It also encompasses a digital user guide and two useful programs called Zen Micro Photo Media Explorer and Creative Media Tool Box. The first is a Windows Explorer-like program that lets you easily access and organize files on the player, while the second includes convenient tools such as an automatic tag cleaner (operating via Gracenote's Music ID service) and an automatic organizer (based on ID3 tag info).

The Creative Zen Micro Photo is certainly not lacking for features. It's an MP3 player that also accepts WAV and WMA files, including those downloaded as part of Rhapsody To Go and other on-the-go music subscription services. Additionally, it's a photo viewer with a nine-by-nine thumbnail grid for previewing and the ability to support separate albums, represented as folders on the device. Unfortunately, Creative does not successfully marry these two concepts; you can't listen to music and browse photos simultaneously--a bummer since having something to look at while you jam to your favorite tunes significantly adds to the experience. Also, album art isn't supported, but we can forgive this more easily since we'd rather see track info and time elapsed anyway. Remember, the screen is fairly small in the first place.

On the left, the Zen Micro Photo's interface screen using one of eight color schemes; on the right, you'll find the nine-by-nine photo thumbnail grid.

Fortunately, your eyes won't get too bored because you can tinker with the eight "themes" while your music plays. The themes are a variety of interface color schemes, and if they don't interest you, you can set your favorite photo as wallpaper. The Creative Zen Micro Photo also offers shuffle, repeat, and resume playback settings as well as eight preset EQs (Acoustic, Classical, Disco, Jazz, New Age, Pop, Rock, and Vocal) and a five-band user-defined mode. There's also a Bass Boost option and a Smart Volume setting that levels the volume across all tracks.

If you get tired of your digital music, you can tune into the Creative Zen Micro Photo's FM radio, which picks up even the weakest broadcast signals. The radio includes a handy autoscan function and offers 32 preset slots. If you feel so inclined, you can record FM transmissions, and there's a built-in mic for voice recordings. All recordings are saved as good-quality WAV files, though with noticeable white noise. Audiobook lovers will appreciate that the Creative Zen Micro lets you set up to 10 bookmarks. We're still waiting on confirmation as to whether the player supports Audible.com content.

The Zen Micro Photo isn't compatible with Macs, but it's one of the very few MP3 players that can sync your calendar, contacts, and tasks from Microsoft Outlook--a handy feature indeed for people who don't need the full functionality of a PDA. The player also works as a rudimentary alarm clock if it's hooked up to external speakers. There's a wake timer onboard that can be set to the FM radio or the music library.

We've come to expect top-quality audio performance from Creative's MP3 players, and the Creative Zen Micro Photo doesn't disappoint. With a signal-to-noise ratio of "up to 98dB," the player delivers truly impressive detail and vocal clarity with almost imperceptible background hiss; we could detect it through only the best of headphones. Bass response is more than respectable, and the mid-to-high ends come through nicely with no muddling, even at the loudest volume. And all this through the included earbuds; swap in a high-end pair of headphones, and sound remains excellent, perhaps slightly improved (we used the Shure E4c). Happily, the Zen Micro Photo gets plenty loud, which can't be said of its monochrome-screen sibling. This is truly an audiophile's MP3 player.

The Zen Micro Photo's processor also does well overall. Photo thumbnails take just a few seconds to load, and the lag between standard MP3 files played on random is barely noticeable. Out of the box, the player annoyingly lagged between Janus tracks, but this was reduced when we updated the firmware; we still think this needs more work, though.

Performance in CNET Labs testing was also pretty good. Files transferred at a rate of 3.6MB per second, which is a hair above average. In testing, CNET Labs just inched past Creative's rated battery life of 15 hours, squeezing out 15 hours, 3 minutes of playback. It's not an amazing amount of juice, but it's definitely sufficient, especially considering that you can pick up another battery ($39.99) and swap it in on the go.

Creative Zen Sleek (20GB)

Not to sound like a broken record, but there's a reason why Apple's iPod dominates the MP3 landscape like King Kong dominates Skull Island--its intuitive design and seamless relationship with iTunes make it accessible to the majority of consumers. Competitors such as the Creative Zen Sleek ($270) strive to make themselves different by adding appealing extras, which include an FM tuner, voice recording, and compatibility with subscription services. Despite the fact that the 20GB replacement for the aging Zen Touch has these features, along with crystal-clear sound quality, the overall package is uninspiring; however, it's the right fit for those seeking a high-capacity audio-only WMA player on the cheap. Those looking for a polished high-capacity player that plays video should check out Creative's Zen Vision:M. The Zen Sleek Photo is now a discontinued product.At 4 by 2.3 by 0.7 inches and 5.8 ounces, the metallic silver (with white accents) Creative Zen Sleek is iPod-size but much thicker. It's durable, solid, and sleek to the touch, and its 2-inch blue-backlit monochrome display is bright and large enough so that song and menu information is not squeezed--though the overall design does have a retro look about it. The vertical touch pad made famous on Creative's own Zen Touch and Zen Micro, as well as iRiver's H10, is slightly easier to handle than pads of past, and thankfully, the other controller buttons are tactile. These controller buttons fit the standard Zen mode: rewind and forward buttons up top flanking the play/pause buttons. Down below are the Back button and the contextual menu button, which is where you go to create on-the-fly playlists. The top of the Zen Sleek includes the microphone, the headphone jack, the hold switch, and the power button. Unlike the Zen Touch, the Sleek has no dedicated volume controls.

We must point out that the proprietary dock-connector system can be a royal pain, since the USB cable also integrates the power input. Although you can power the Creative Zen Sleek via USB, you'll need to carry two cables to get fast charging on the go. In some cases, you'll be charging up the Sleek with the attached USB cable inelegantly hanging off your player.

The Creative Zen Sleek ships with decent white earbuds, a power adapter, a USB cable-to-dock connection cable, a software CD, and a protective soft pouch. You can opt for the optional wired remote ($20) or the docking station ($40).

Functionally, the Creative Zen Sleek interface is standard enough to be intuitive the first try, though the player features a submenu button that gives users choices depending on what mode they're in. The Zen Sleek will play back MP3, WMA, WAV, and Audible files, and it's compatible with music store purchases and subscription files. You should update your Sleek to the latest firmware (2.01.03) if you haven't already.

Conveniently, the Creative Zen Sleek offers an FM radio with 32 presets and the ability to record radio content. The voice recorder gives the Zen Sleek an additional edge over the iPod(the iPod can't record without extra accessories), but most other WMA competitors have included features such as recording and an FM tuner. Those looking for extras such as photo viewing or video playback should try elsewhere. Needless to say, you won't get album art on this model.

Like most Creative offerings, the Creative Zen Sleek lets you sync with Outlook calendar, tasks, and contact information. The device ships with Creative MediaSource Player/Organizer and Zen Media Explorer, but its works best with Windows Media Player 10 for most tasks. You can also customize your menu by bringing oft-used options to the top menu.

The Zen Sleek has excellent data transfer speeds. Our test MP3s traveled to our Sleek via USB 2.0 at a charged 5.9MB per second. Overall, system performance is nice and smooth, though the touch pad might be a bit too sensitive for some folks, no matter how much time they've spent with it.

We did notice the Creative Zen Sleek's proclivity to slip into shut-down mode of its own accord, then freezing up before completing the shutdown. We weren't curious about the inclusion of a reset pinhole next to the docking port on the bottom of the player for very long.

On a positive note, the Creative Zen Sleek supplies big and crystal-clean 97dB signal-to-noise sound, plenty of volume, a "smart" volume setting to compensate for uneven digital modulation, and a variety of music-specific EQs to personalize your sound. The FM radio provides good separation between stations, a must in Manhattan and other frequency-filled metro areas, and a bit of tinkering led us to the correct method of setting the copious 32 presets. Battery life is rated for 18 hours, which is decent but is nothing compared with that of the Cowon iAudio X5, the Cowon X5L, the Sony HD5, and a few other high-capacity competitors.

Creative Zen Vision:M (30GB, green)

Although we had fond feelings for Creative's Zen Vision, the portable video player (PVP) with the dazzling VGA screen, Apple's video-capable iPod quickly stole our hearts away. Now Creative has wooed us again with the Zen Vision:M, a decidedly iPod-like device with a better screen, more features, and even more choices of colors. Music fans will find it particularly appealing, as it plays nice with most online stores and subscription services. Admittedly, Apple still has the edge in video content; Creative has yet to land any content providers for TV shows or movies, though video podcasts now stand ready, courtesy of Creative's new ZenCast service. But we're willing to bet it won't be long before you can download Battlestar Galactica or Kung Fu Hustle for on-the-go viewing. Also, video subscription is coming, with Starz Vongo leading the way. And you'll be able to watch longer thanks to the Vision:M's four-hour battery life--a major improvement over the iPod's two hours. Watch out, Apple: Creative's latest is no mere pretender to the PVP throne.Physically, the Creative Zen Vision:M can't escape comparison with the 5G iPod. It's exactly the same height and width (4.1 by 2.4 inches), though definitely a bit thicker and heavier at 0.7 inch and 5.7 ounces. Curved and slightly tapered at the rear, the Zen feels good in your hand--not quite so fragile as the iPod, perhaps--and slips comfortably into any pocket.

The 30GB Zen Vision:M next to the 30GB 5G iPod.

Creative offers the Vision:M in five colors: black, white, pink, green, and blue. After spending a few days with the black model, we discovered that the entire front face was covered with faint scratches--just like the black iPod and the iPod Nano, though not as extreme. If you want to avoid this problem, choose a lighter color. However, save for white, we couldn't help feeling that the other colors lent the Vision:M a toylike appearance, perhaps because they betray the all-plastic nature of the front face. Ultimately, Creative's latest just isn't as elegant as the iPod, and it will never have the same cachet.

Of course, one could argue that the screen matters more than the container, and here the Vision:M definitely has the iPod beat. Although both devices have 2.5-inch, 320x240-pixel LCDs, the Vision:M's displays a whopping 262,000 colors to the iPod's 65,000. Video and photos positively pop off the screen, which exhibits excellent viewing angles and much better brightness and color than the iPod's--and we thought that screen was good. Now Creative just needs to line up some content to take advantage of it (see the Features section for details).

In the meantime, Creative deserves kudos for making the Vision:M reasonably simple to operate. It has just four function buttons: Play/Pause, Menu, Back, and Shortcut, all flush with the front of the case, not raised. Thus, you actually press the case itself, which feels weird at first (and makes fingerprints inescapable). The buttons are stiff but provide audible, tactile feedback. Some may complain about the buttons' stiffness, but we think they will wear well with use. Plus, they light up blue--a cool touch.

Anyone familiar with Creative's past players, such as the Zen Micro and the Zen Touch, will recognize the Vision:M's touch pad, which improves on the previous models' design but still can't hold a candle to Apple's Click Wheel. It works much like a notebook's touch pad except that it's exclusively vertical: You run your finger up and down to scroll and tap to select an option. You can also press and hold the top or bottom edge to engage rapid scrolling. It's an intuitive control but not always precise. We often found it hard to land on exactly the selection we wanted, though with practice we got better at it. We're actually most impressed with this version of the touch pad, as it does the best job so far in addressing sensitivity. Furthermore, we love the narrow and tactile left and right buttons that flank the touch pad; they serve as the Vision:M's shuttle controls and represent an excellent use of minimal space.

Apple may have an edge in the controls department, but the Vision:M's interface is just as fast and easy to use as the iPod's. Plus, you can customize it in various ways, adding or removing menu options and choosing one of six colorful themes. You can also set any photo as your wallpaper. Creative's best innovation is the Shortcut button, which you can configure to perform a commonly used function: for example, randomly playing all your tracks, starting and stopping recording, adding a track to an on-the-fly playlist, and so on. We preferred using ours for volume, since the Vision:M lacks dedicated volume controls. All portable players should have a Shortcut button, though we would love to see EQ added to the list of possible shortcuts.

Most MP3 players should also have removable batteries, which the Vision:M doesn't. Luckily, battery life isn't quite as problematic as it is on the 5G iPod, as explained in the Performance section. A removable battery would have been a clincher for many prospective buyers.

Connection to your PC comes courtesy of a Sync Adapter: a small dongle that plugs into the bottom of the Vision:M and supplies power, USB, and A/V-out ports. It's too bad Creative couldn't have engineered these ports into the player itself, as the dongle is just one more thing to bring along--and potentially lose. Still, the player charges over USB, so you wouldn't always need to haul an extra cable, but we like how Apple handles this situation with the USB power adapter, though it bugs us to no end that Apple doesn't include it in the iPod package. Creative at least includes the adapter, which might partly explain the Vision:M's higher price.

The Zen Vision:M's USB, power, and A/V-out adapter is a bit of a downer.

In the iPod-vs.-Vision:M smackdown, there's no question which device gets the headlock--at least in regard to features. On top of its superior screen, the 30GB Creative Vision:M has an FM radio tuner and recorder, a voice recorder, and sync tools for carrying around your Outlook data. Equally important, or perhaps more so, Creative's player supports DRM-protected WMA files, meaning you can stock it with songs purchased from any number of online stores. The iPod, of course, limits your shopping to iTunes Music Store. The Vision:M is also Janus compatible, so you can stuff it with tunes downloaded from subscription services such as Napster To Go. At the moment, iPod users have no such option.

iPod users can, however, grab some first-rate TV shows from iTunes Music Store--a prospect Zen owners will have to envy for the moment. Creative has no video store to offer its customers, no episodes of Lost or Battlestar Galactica available for quick and easy download. Nor can it record video from external sources--though the iPod can't either. For that, you need a PVP such as the Archos AV500. Of course, you can pretty easily copy TV and movies from a Media Center PC, and TiVo Series 2 owners can also take advantage of free TiVo To Go software to copy recordings. However, the latter option is a complex and time-consuming process: you have to copy shows from your TiVo to your PC, then convert them with Windows Media Player 10. To make matters worse, Creative doesn't mention this capability anywhere in the Vision:M manual or on the product's Web site; you have to delve into Creative's online knowledge base to find instructions. While the TiVo To Go support is admirable, it's far too cumbersome for most users. Still, it's a capability iPod users don't get (yet), and it's likely just the tip of the video-to-go iceberg.

This year promises to bring any number of Vision:M-compatible services, so it probably won't be long before a few simple clicks stock the player with TV, music videos, and even feature-length movies. A good example is Starz Vongo, a new flat-rate movie-download service that's compatible with Portable Media Center devices. The Vision:M isn't one of them, but we suspect the service will soon broaden its device support to include PlaysForSure devices. In addition, you can currently visit MSN Video Downloads to get free news and entertainment clips for your Vision:M, and you can find content on Google Video as well. The video-content universe for WMV devices is indeed growing.

In the meantime, the Vision:M supports a much wider variety of video formats than the iPod: DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV, and XviD among them. Users who already have a library of videos will find it relatively easy to copy them to the player: Creative's software automatically converts the files that require it. What's more, the Vision:M isn't entirely without downloadable-content options. In beta at the time of this writing, Creative's new ZenCast service provides easy access to podcasts (here dubbed ZenCasts, natch) of both the audio and video variety. Armed with a free download of ZenCast Manager, you can stock your player with popular 'casts such as Rocketboom, 60 Minutes, and Tiki Bar TV. If you want a podcast that's not already in the large ZenCast directory, just click Subscribe and paste in its address.

However, ZenCast Manager is symptomatic of a typical Creative problem: scattershot software. Instead of integrating everything under one roof, as Apple has done with iTunes, Creative forces you to use four separate programs: ZenCast Manager, Media Explorer, MediaSource Organizer, and Sync Manager. They're all simple, capable applications, but we wish Creative would unify them into a single program. We also wish the company would provide more documentation. The included 30-page manual covers only the basics, and there's no expanded, supplemental PDF to view on your PC--only a text-heavy help file for Media Explorer. There's no documentation at all for ZenCast, online or elsewhere, though that's likely because of the newness of the service.

Software and documentation notwithstanding, you're sure to enjoy the Vision:M's various secondary features. Its lightning-fast FM tuner, for instance, fills as many of the 32 available preset slots as possible. You can also manually add presets, assign names to the stations (though navigating the onscreen keyboard is no fun), and record any broadcast just by pressing and holding the play/pause button. Alas, the Vision:M lacks a timer for scheduled recordings--a feature we really wish it had. What's more, you have no control over recording quality: all FM recordings are saved as four-bit, 22KHz WAV files. Voice recordings, meanwhile, become four-bit, 16KHz WAV files. The Vision:M has no provision for recording from line-in sources.

The Vision:M does, however, let you listen to your tunes while viewing a slide show of your photos. You can also browse and view photos individually, even marking favorites for a custom slide show. However, when selecting the My Slideshows option, the Vision:M refers you to Creative's Media Explorer utility for creating slide shows on your PC. Problem is, there's no such option in that software. You have to delve into the help file to find out how to create custom slide shows (which, thankfully, is drag-and-drop easy).

Creative's Sync Manager makes simple work of copying your Outlook contacts, appointments, and tasks to the Vision:M, though Sync is something of a misnomer: it's really a one-way transfer, and it doesn't happen automatically--you have to sync each time you want to copy the latest data from Outlook. A newer, system tray-resident version of Sync Manager promises to remedy that issue, but currently, Creative was still shaking out the bugs. You can view your data on the Vision:M itself, but there's no option to edit or sort it. Also, there's no way to password-protect it--something to keep in mind if you're carrying sensitive info.

Lest we forget, the Vision:M is first and foremost a music player, and it's no slouch in that department. It features on-device playlist creation; support for up to 10 bookmarks; eight equalizer presets and a five-band custom setting; and a bass-boost feature. The Vision:M's "DJ" can spin Album of the Day and Random Play All, as well as Most Popular and Rarely Heard tracks. We particularly like the Smart Volume option, which keeps volume levels consistent across all your tracks. As a bonus, the Vision:M displays album art--something its big-screen predecessor, the Zen Vision, didn't do. Also new to the mix is a Lookup Artist option, which takes you to the artist listing for whatever track is playing, and Purchase This, which queues the current track for possible purchase (if you're listening to it on a subscriber basis) the next time you sync with Windows Media Player 10.

In addition to the usual accessories--earbuds, a software CD, and a USB cable--Creative supplies a goofy soft-sided drawstring carrying pouch. We think most users would prefer an armband or a belt-clip case. Missing from the package is an A/V-out cable for connecting the Vision:M to your TV. It's available separately for $18.99.

Using the Creative Zen Vision:M is a treat. It takes only a few seconds to start up (though sometimes it takes a bit longer, which we don't understand)--a nice change from its slowpoke predecessor, the Zen Vision. Likewise, its menus are snappy and its controls responsive, even when you're shuffling through subscription tracks--a notoriously processor-intensive process. As with most hard drive-based players, songs and videos don't start the moment you press Play; there's usually a delay of a couple of seconds, but we found it negligible. Even when queuing up 2,500 tracks for random play, the Vision:M keeps you waiting only four to five seconds.

Video playback was buttery smooth, without so much as a dropped frame. Your mileage may vary depending on the source material, but we found that even action scenes in various movies and TV shows played smoothly while maintaining a sharp picture. Many PVPs tend to blur the action.

As we've come to expect from Creative players, the Vision:M sounds outstanding, thanks in no small part to its 97dB signal-to-noise ratio. That translates to audio that can get plenty loud without introducing any noise, and our earsplitting experiences bear out the numbers. Creative's foam-padded earbuds allowed us to listen in relative comfort, though we enjoyed better sound quality when we switched to our reference Shure E3c 'buds.

FM radio came through loud and clear, with better reception than we expected in indoor environments. Even in a basement, we were able to pull in several local stations. And when the signal was good, our FM recordings sounded splendid. In voice recordings, on the other hand, background noise often manifested itself as a faint hum or whine. It's livable, but a bit distracting, especially if you're listening to a long recording.

When we used Sync Manager to copy over our library of 2,500 MP3s, the process took more than an hour--quite a bit longer than we thought it would, given the Vision:M's USB 2.0 connection. Similarly, the newer beta version of Sync Manager seemed sluggish in copying a handful of video podcasts, though this was most likely because it was converting them to the proper format. Raw transfer time of MP3s to the Zen Vision:M was a brisk 5.95MB per second over USB 2.0.

Battery life is rated at 14 hours for audio--a decent but not spectacular number--and 4 hours for video, which is nearly twice the iPod's current video battery life. If you're really into video, that extra battery life makes a world of difference, as we have consistently run out of juice prematurely when multitasking with an iPod. CNET Labs was able to coax 15.9 hours per charge out of the Zen Vision:M when playing back MP3s and with the LCD turning off after 10 seconds (you must activate the hold switch in order to make the screen go dark; otherwise, the screen will simply dim and eat up more battery life). Video playback lasted about 5 hours, another reason that the Zen Vision:M is a prime-time video player. Finally, playing back subscription-based WMA files, the Zen Vision:M's battery life notably came in at 12 hours, about 3 hours less than standard MP3 playback. Subscription battery life is a figure that should become more prominent as the associated services become more popular.

Creative Zen Nano Plus (1GB, Dark Blue)

We understand that a simple MP3 player with no extra features or even an LCD appeals to some people, but we prefer a device that gives us a little more bang for our buck. That's why we'd choose Creative's Zen Nano Plus N200 over Apple's iPod Shuffle any day. At $129.99, the 512MB Zen Nano Plus costs just $30 more than the Apple flash player and includes an LCD as well as advanced features such as FM tuning and line-in recording. Even better, the N200's overall user experience is a pleasant one. We just wish the screen was a bit bigger.Unlike its predecessor, the MuVo TX FM, the Creative Zen Nano Plus features a seamless construction without a built-in USB interface. The benefit of this design is that it affords the N200 the luxury of being smaller (2.6 by 1.3 by 0.5 inches) and a touch lighter (1.3 ounces) than its older sibling. Of course, you give up the convenience of having a built-in USB key. The player does come with the requisite USB cable, but we wish Creative had thrown in a USB adapter key for added portability. That said, we highly appreciate the inclusion of a belt clip, a case, and an armband in the box--the Zen Nano Plus is certainly a gym-worthy player.

You might assume that the Zen Nano Plus's tiny size is its most distinguishing feature, but actually it's the selection of bright colors in which the player is encased. You can choose from a palette of 10 hues, including black, white, orange, red, dark blue, light blue, pink, purple, gray, and lime green. Our nail-polish-pink test unit definitely pops, but better yet, it seems quite resistant to scratches.

The controls on the Zen Nano Plus are minimal, which actually make the player a breeze to use. Rather than fumbling with a bunch of buttons, you access all features through the one menu toggle, located along the bottom edge of the player, that you press in to view your choices. This same switch scans through tracks when not in Menu mode. To the left of this switch are the two dedicated volume keys. The only other control is a button that controls play/pause/power. A small LCD, a USB port, and jacks for headphones and line-in audio round out the physical characteristics of the device. Creative is nice enough to include a line-in cable in the package. There's no Hold switch per se, but this function is easily accessible in the first layer of the menu. About that small LCD: Thanks to the high-res display, the text is easy enough to read, if you have perfect vision, anyway. The main screen shows only the song name, the time elapsed, and minuscule icons for battery life and play mode. It would be nice if the screen was large enough to display album and artist info as well.

Initial setup and use of the Zen Nano Plus is a snap, thanks to its Microsoft PlaysForSure designation: just plug it in and start using Windows Media Player 10 or Windows Explorer drag-and-drop to transfer files. Note that Creative's quick-start guide instructs you not to plug in the player until you've installed the driver and software from the included CD, but this isn't necessary if you're running Windows XP. Users of other Windows platforms, however, should follow Creative's directions. Creative also includes its own MediaSource music management software, but we prefer not to use it since it's not as convenient as Windows Media Player.

The Creative Zen Nano Plus really shines in the features department, especially when you consider its relatively low price. As is becoming the standard nowadays, the player supports DRM-protected WMAs, so you can transfer songs that you've purchased from stores such as Wal-Mart Music Downloads. So far, there's no compatibility with Windows Media DRM 10.0 (for subscription-based tunes), but hopefully we'll start seeing this in flash players soon. The player also supports AA files purchased from Audible.com and, of course, MP3s.

Along with standard playback features such as shuffle, A/B loop, and repeat, to name a few, the Zen Nano Plus features a five-band custom EQ as well as five presets: Normal, Rock, Pop, Classical, and Jazz. The player also offers several settings options, the coolest of which is LCD orientation; this lets you flip the screen to optimize it for either right- or left-handed use. Screen settings for contrast, backlighting, and language are also available.

Now for the fun stuff: The Zen Nano Plus includes an FM tuner with autoscan and 32 preset slots. The tuner is blissfully easy to use: simply select autoscan from within the menu when you're in FM mode; the player will scan all frequencies and save all the ones that come in as presets for future use (you can also scan manually if desired). You can record from the radio, and the player has a built-in mic for voice recordings as well; these recordings are saved as WAV files. The icing on the cake, however, is the line-in recording option, which encodes tracks directly to MP3. You can choose between three bit rates (96Kbps, 128Kbps, or 160Kbps) and even enable a function called Sync Track that automatically splits tracks. Do note that the Zen Nano Plus's line-in port is smaller than the norm, so you'll always want to have the included cable on hand for such recordings.

The Zen Nano Plus isn't without its flaws, though. There's no option to sort songs by artist, album, or genre, and there's no playlist support. Songs are listed in alphabetical--or numerical, if you name your files with track numbers preceding the song title--order. As such, the most logical way to transfer music, if you want some organization, is to use Windows Explorer and drag and drop album or artist folders (with no subfolders) directly from the My Music window; you can then browse through separate folders on the player.

As we've come to expect from Creative players, the Zen Nano Plus sounded good in our tests, even through the included earbuds. The signal-to-noise ratio is listed as simply "up to 90dB," which is average, but we noticed no background hiss at normal volume levels, and audio sounded rich and clean. We did note the same issue that several users have complained about: the backlight produces some feedback, though it's mostly perceptible when your music is paused and thus doesn't hamper overall sound quality.

Although the Creative Zen Nano Plus's maximum bit rate for line-in encoding is 160Kbps, recordings sounded quite good, and the track-splitting (Sync Track) function worked accurately. Voice recordings also came out clearly, although you have to hold the player fairly close to the sound source to avoid a muffled quality. The FM tuner worked a treat too, with the autoscanner picking up all local stations.

What we were most pleased with, however, was the battery life recorded by CNET Labs, which tested the Zen Nano Plus's sister product, the MuVo Micro. The MuVo Micro lasted more than 19 hours, beating Creative's own estimate by 4 hours. Its average transfer time of 1.76MB per second was decent for USB 2.0.

Creative Zen V Plus (4GB, black)

Creative Labs has a history of turning out great MP3 players, and the Zen V and the Zen V Plus--available in July and August, respectively--are no exception. These cute and pocketable flash devices are packed with features and offer impressive performance, making them an excellent option for anyone looking for a lower-capacity, solid-state MP3 player. Of course, since the Creative Zen V Plus adds two desirable extras to the package (an FM radio and video playback), yet costs only about $25 more than the Zen V, we think that the Plus is the way to go--more bang for your buck. You can pick up the 2GB for $79.99, the 4GB for $109.99, the 8GB for $169.99, or the 16GB for $249.99. Comparatively, the Zen V lists at $59.99 for the 1GB, $74.99 for the 2GB, and $99.99 for the 4GB (Creative discontinued other capacities for this model). In either case, it's a better deal than the iPod Nano.

The accent colors are functional in that they indicate the capacity of the device, but we also appreciate the added flare.

The curvaceous design of the Creative Zen V Plus echoes that of its larger sibling, the Zen Vision:M, though its small size makes the style a bit more toylike (in a good way), almost reminiscent of a Tamagotchi. Also, The Zen V Plus isn't available in the same color palette as the Vision:M. Instead, you choose from white or black versions, and you get different color accents shown around the joystick, on the volume rocker, and through the seams of the player: orange for 1GB, green for 2GB, and blue for 4GB and 8GB (black only). Creative is also set to release a blood red-accented version of the 8GB, though that model was not yet available at press time. It's a nice look, complemented even further by the vivid 1.5-inch OLED display. Unfortunately, while the screen is viewable from any angle, it's tough to read in bright sunlight.

The Creative Zen V Plus's controls leave just a little to be desired. We like the dedicated volume rocker and the combined power/hold switch, but the joystick is tiny and seems prone to collecting dirt or sand around it. Also, we're not sure why Creative didn't include all the buttons found on the Zen Vision:M, as there's plenty of room to the left of the joystick. Gone are the contextual menu and shortcut buttons; however, you can hold the Back button to get to the contextual menus. That said, the player's compact body (2.6 by 1.5 by 0.5 inches), light weight (1.6 ounces), and smooth, rounded edges make it a pleasure to hold. Also, the Zen V Plus can fit easily into any pocket, and because it's not long and thin like the iPod Nano, it has a much sturdier feel. Also, owners of the V Plus get an extra option for selecting the orientation of their screen; the aspect ratio remains the same, but you can orient the controls as you see fit.

The Zen V Plus's small size and light weight make it perfect for working out. Creative will offer an optional belt-clip case and armband package for $29.99.

There's a lot to like about the Creative Zen V Plus, including its ease of use. If you're already running Windows Media Player (we recommend version 11), you don't even need to install any software to start syncing content to the player. However, the included Creative software is a worthwhile install, as it includes several useful apps, particularly the ToolBox, which can convert and transfer video files to the player, and ZenCast, a program that offers a one-stop spot for subscribing to, organizing, and transferring podcasts. Unfortunately, the device uses MTP, so you won't be able to sync it with any machines that aren't running Windows XP.

Once you get some content on to the Creative Zen V Plus--supported formats comprise MP3, WAV, WMA (including subscription), and Audible audio; AVI video (natively; other formats such as WMV and MPEG-4 can be transcoded with the included software); and JPEG photos--it's a breeze to navigate through the options. All menus are straightforward. Music is sorted by playlist, album, artist, and so on, while photos are conveniently sorted into folders. Open these folders, and you're greeted with an attractive three-by-three thumbnail grid of your pictures.

The Zen V Plus is covered in a scratch-resistant coating, but if you want to dress it up, you can pick up one of six colorful skins for $19.99.

There's a lot to like about the Creative Zen V Plus, but it really shines in the features department. There's photo and video playback; an FM tuner with 32 autoscannable presets; FM, voice, and line-in recording; an alarm clock and calendar; and even PIM functionality, with the ability to sync tasks and contacts from Outlook. Plus, you can set any of your photos as wallpaper and choose from several color themes for the interface. The only things missing are USB host capability and built-in Wi-Fi, but since these extras are more of a luxury, we don't count their absence against the player.

The Creative Zen V Plus is a splendid little performer too. Music played through the included earbuds sounds decent, but if you really want to experience the player's high-quality audio, swap in a pair of premium 'phones, such as the Shure E4c. And we're happy to report that this Zen--unlike previous versions--gets plenty loud. Battery life was also impressive in our CNET Labs' tests, lasting more than 20 hours (and much longer than the rated 15 hours). Transfer times over USB 2.0 were a subpar 1.25MB per second. Photos and videos looked good, though small, on the bright color screen; there was a noticeable screen-door effect, but it wasn't too big a deal, since you likely won't want to stare at such a small display for very long.

Creative Zen V (1GB, white)

The Creative Zen V is the same as the Zen V Plus, except without an FM radio or video playback capability. For more information about this MP3 player, please read our full review of the Plus version.

Creative Zen V (1GB, white)

The Creative Zen V is the same as the Zen V Plus, except without an FM radio or video playback capability. For more information about this MP3 player, please read our full review of the Plus version.

Creative Zen Vision W (60GB)

The Zen Vision W quickly brings Creative up to speed in the blossoming world of portable video. And how could it not, with its splendid 4.3-inch wide-screen display, intuitive control set, removable battery, and CompactFlash slot? Bulkier than the aging Zen Vision, this aggressively-priced 30GB ($299.99) or 60GB ($399.99) portable video player definitely marches to its own beat, forgoing the DVR functionality that makes the Archos 04 series and Cowon A2 so special. But with more sources of compatible video content becoming available via online stores and TiVo, should we care?

The silver and black Zen Vision W makes the Vision look and feel wimpy. At 5.27 by 2.95 by 0.86 inches and 9.7 ounces, the 30GB version is much heftier than its predecessor (4.9 by 2.9 by 0.8 inches and 8.4 ounces). The 60GB W is a tad thicker and heavier. It's substantial in the hand, and while pocketable for sure, it's more of a backpack device. In other words, you don't want to be jogging with this thing, though it's extremely durable, thanks in part to the magnesium skin.

The 30GB Creative Zen Vision W (right) next to the older 30GB Zen Vision (left).

Of course the payoff is the gorgeous 4.3-inch TFT screen, which boasts a resolution of 480x272 pixels with 262K colors. Photos and video pop off the screen, and unlike the Vision's 3.7-inch 4/3 screen, it has an exceptionally wide viewing angle (however, when viewed head on, the Vision's 640x480-pixel screen is impressive). The antireflective screen is vivid and sharp, and you can adjust its brightness and choose any background image you like. Personally, I think the Archos 604's screen edges out the W's, but both are great in my book. I was also impressed with the W's ability to output video and photos to an external display at a maximum of 720x480.

The W's blue backlit controllers, exactly the same as the Vision's, are quite intuitive, and the GUI is classic Creative, simple and to the point with conveniences such as the context-driven options and a customizable main menu. A five-way controller plus Back, context menu, and playback buttons lie to the left of the screen--designed for right-handed use all the way. The buttons are tactile and actually offer resistance. Some users may not like the popping sound and sensation of the buttons.

Below these buttons is a built-in mono speaker--some fidelity with very little oomph. The right spine includes the headphone jack and a rubber cover, which hides the DC input, as well as the A/V-out jack. You'll find a Type II CompactFlash (CF) slot on the right spine. This is handy for many digital camera users, particularly those with Microdrives. In addition to photos, you can import videos via the CF slot (and you get the option to transfer the latest 10, 20, or 50 of the latest files). Transfers are quick and photos look great onscreen. Though you can zoom, create slide shows, and rotate, I prefer the Archos 604 as a photo viewer, though you won't get a CF slot.

The Type II CompactFlash slot distinguishes the Vision W from much of its competition.

A standard mini USB and a dock connection port (no dockable accessories yet) reside on the bottom, while up top, you'll find the power/hold switch, pinhole microphone, and dedicated volume buttons. I love dedicated volume, but I often instinctively use the main up/down controls, which of course don't work (though Creative could implement this if it wanted).

On the back, you'll find the thin and easily removable lithium-ion battery pack--a useful and rare design feature (the Archos 604 also has a removable battery). An integrated kickstand for hands-free viewing would have been useful. The bundled accessories include passable earbuds, a wall-wart power adapter, a USB cable, a software disc (with Creative Media Explorer, Yahoo Music Engine, and other utilities), A/V-out cables, and a felt case.

The removable battery is a great design feature, especially for travelers.

The Creative Zen Vision W with its bundled accessories (minus the CD and manuals).

The W can handle MP3, WAV, and WMA (including subscription music) audio files. This time around, the Vision supports album art, albeit as tiny thumbnails. The W is decent as an MP3 player and holds it own in sound quality, and it includes handy features such as playlist creation and the Creative DJ (that is, Album of the Day and Rarely Heard). However, you should justify the unit's size and weight by using it for video.

The Zen Vision W supports a large number of video formats, including WMV, MPEG-4 SP, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, DivX 4/5, and XviD. In most cases, Windows Media Player will do the converting for you, if necessary, though the bundled Creative Media Explorer will do the job (as well as help you create slide shows). Here's a bonus: the device is compatible with TiVo To Go, which means you have your TiVo content in the palm of your hand, but only after some slow TiVo-to-PC transfers and conversions. Also, new WMV video stores such as Amazon's Unbox can feed the Vision W with content. Our experience transferring and viewing Unbox movies and TV shows was nice and smooth. The device and store seem made for each other, though you won't get the all-inclusive feeling you get with iTunes, since you need to use the Unbox software to transfer content to portables.

The handy bookmarking feature allows you to mark an exact point in a song for up to 10 bookmarks. Videos get bookmarked automatically when you exit the video. You'll also get a decent FM radio with up to 32 autoscannable and namable presets, but no radio recording. Reception is good. The Microphone feature is decent sounding (16kHz mono ADPCMWAV). I like that you get a visual volume level meter. Finally, the Vision W continues the Zen support for read-only Outlook syncing, and the MTP device can be used as a hard drive on Windows and Mac machines, though you need to first partition the drive within the menu.

Battery life is rated for 13 hours for audio (mediocre) and 4.5 for video (decent). CNET Labs was able to muster nearly 17 hours of MP3 audio on a single charge; video fared well, too, with a solid 7.6 hours of playback per charge. You can recharge via USB, but it will take twice as long (6 hours vs. 3 hours) to fully recharge. Our sister site in Asia posts battery results in its review.

Overall processor performance is above average (start-up is quick), though you'll hit occasional one-second delays, especially when scrubbing through video tracks. The Archos 604 feels more precise with video scrubbing. The way a new screen slides into view when navigating on the W seems sluggish to me.

Sound quality is very good (though not as good as the Creative Zen Vision M's) and the numerous preset (and five-band custom) EQs are effective (as is Bass Boost). I just don't like having to navigate to audio settings to apply EQs; this should have been included in the context menu.

Overall, I think the Zen Vision W is well suited for those who already have large collections of videos (and those who use TiVo To Go) and for those who take lots of photos. It's a bulky beast, but an impressive display, good video format support, a sweet price, and nice sound quality make the W a solid playback-only choice.