Zen Mp3 Players
Raymond Sabo
Mp3 players are handheld devices that can store music, and sometimes photo and/or video files. Mp3 players have, in recent years, proven themselves to be one of the most popular entertainment tools available. Creative Labs adds to this market its line of Zen mp3 players, now Apple's top competition against the iPod.
Creative Labs has introduced into the technological race their line of Zen mp3 players. In this line are players which vary from 512MB, which we see in the Zen Nano Plus, to the 60GB available in the Zen Vision W. With the Zen mp3 players we see products created for simple music listening, such as the Nano Plus, and the Stone series. For a player more specified to video watching, a Vision W or the original Zen player might be more desirable, as they have bigger screens. Looking for a player made for music and videos? Try the Vision: M or one of the players from the V series. With its vast variety of products, each user is sure to find one that suits his or her needs.
The apple iPod is by far the most popular mp3 player today. However, many consumers opt for the Creative Zen mp3 players as an alternative. There are several reasons for this. With iPods, users must use the iTunes software that comes with the player or can be downloaded from the internet for free. While the Creative Zen mp3 players also come with specific software, Windows Media Player can also be used to sync media files to the player.
Two more reasons for buying Zen mp3 players instead of an iPod are the color variety and the video transferring ease. First, the Zen players are available in a large variety of colors, which allows the owner to have a more personalized design of their Zen. iPods, however, are extremely limited in their color choice, with the iPod Nano being the only player to come in more colors than black or white. In addition to this is the great ease of transferring any types of video files to the Zen mp3 players. While it is difficult and confusing to transfer to an iPod videos that were not purchased from iTunes, it can be done in one simple step with the Zen players.
How much do they cost? Zen mp3 players are seen over a wide-span price range. The Vision: M and the Nano Plus are very closely related in cost to their close cousins, the original iPod and the iPod Nano, respectively. These players range from less than $50 to around $300. The video players, like the 80GB Vision W, are on the upwards side of the range, at more than $300.
For a little over a year now, I have been the proud owner of a light blue Creative Zen Vision: M. So far, my experience with my player has been one of great delight. The only problem I have had with my mp3 player was with the album art, but this was fixed with a simple software update. One other complaint about the Zen line is the software which comes with the player. Unlike many programs, such as iTunes, the media files on the player are viewed in a window much like Windows Explorer, and, like Explorer, are seen in a file view, rather than as Artists, Albums, or Track Titles. However, with the software update comes a new organizing program, in which my preferred view is available. Overall, I would greatly recommend Zen mp3 players to any who wish to veer from the popular iPods.
With their small size, large capacity, and sleek designs, mp3 players have quickly monopolized the market of portable music players. While Apple iPods still own this arena, Zen mp3 players are rapidly catching up.
produced and edited by Raymond Sabo http://www.cellphones-mp3.com
Raymond Sabo brings to you the http://www.cellphones-mp3.com/ updates and knowledge for the Zen Vision mp3 players and more.
|
