 |
| Date Reviewed: 05/10/2007 |
|
Strengths: Ultra-compact. Crisp screen. Voice recorder. FM Radio.
Weaknesses: A dock would have been good to have in the package. A clip of some sort would be great for the exercise-maniacs.
Summary: Fantastic player - doesn't weigh much. you don't have to care for it - scratch-resistant - no moving parts - so toss it around for all you care.
It works with PC and Mac (with the superb free XNJB utility). I don't understand why these guys do not make interface programs for the Mac - just because they are outmarketed by the ipod and Apple makes the ipod and the macs. I think their options only increase with mac compatibility.
The joystick is much like the nonsense found in cell phones like nokia e61 etc. except that it doesn't protrude quite as much. It works reasonably well - I really can live with the minor nuisance - look at what I gain = An excellent radio, clean voice recorder, reasonably loud volumes, mp3 etc. player, plays videos too - although I am not personally too keen on squinting my eyes for any length on time watching miniscule characters hop about.
I do agree that the joystick is not as slick as the scroll wheel on the ipods - but ah well, $50 extra should surely buy you something more. in my case, I think I fiddle with the contraption less and use it to listen more. YMMV.
In all, a fantastic little device.
 100% of People (6/6) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
 There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 03/07/2007 |
|
 Tiny Little Powerhouse of Sound; Little Quirks Take Getting Used to Strengths: * Super small size.
* Pretty color screen.
* Great sound.
Weaknesses: * Build feels cheap.
* Does NOT come with a wall charger
* Menu inconvenient to scroll through
* FM transmitter autoscan tool too sensitive
Summary: - I was truly impressed out of the box at this player's tiny size. I was expecting something a lot larger from all the pictures I saw of the player online.
- The screen is tiny too, but very clear. You get a host of color schemes to pick from, and overall it's intuitive to start using right away.
- Navigation is achieved through the little joystick (the black dot in the middle of the blue circle - the blue circle has no function); you can go up, down, left, right, and also push down on it to select.
- Sound seemed good to me, but then again I'm no audiophile. There are several EQ presets you can choose from.
- And now, my gripes. This does NOT come with a wall charger. The only accessories that come with it are a USB charger that plugs into your laptop to charge, a lanyard, a line-in cable (a major reason I purchased this model, actually), a pouch, and some earbud earphones. To me, if I were travelling, I wouldn't necessarily have my laptop with me the whole time to be charging it. Creative's proprietary wall charger is $30 (!!!) but you can get universal USB wall chargers elsewhere for much less. That's fine I guess, but you'd think that'd be included ...
- The menu. As much as I hate to admit it, this is where the iPod really shines with its rapid scrollwheel thingy, where you can navigate fast. The joystick on this player means you have to go one by one through the menu, no jumping straight to something. And the worst part: once you get down to the bottom of a menu, YOU CAN'T KEEP SCROLLING DOWN TO RETURN TO THE TOP. I find this extremely inconvenient. So, I have to go up on the joystick as many times as I went down to accomplish this.
- The radio functionality (thus allowing this player to have "Plus" designation) works fine. The autoscan tool was a bit too sensitive though. Of the 32 presets it decided on setting through the autoscan, maybe oh, 7 of them are real radio stations?
- The software is alright. My computer has hanged a few times in the course of converting video over for use in the player. Decently easy to use otherwise. I've only used the Media Explorer, or basic software, to transfer files. Tried porting all my Outlook contacts into the player; that worked, but the player does not support Asian fonts, so those came out as gibberish.
- I haven't yet tried the line-in or microphone recording capabilities. The Line-In capability seems to be unique to this model in Creative's line of mp3 players.
- If you're like me and don't want to follow the iPod herd, here's a nice alternative, though I will admit iPod has some advantages over the Creative Zen V Plus.
100% of People (4/4) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 06/18/2007 |
|
Strengths: Plays audio, video and much more, small, compact easy to use
Weaknesses: Screen is little but not a big deal.
Summary: 2007-07-12 06:15:58 I recommend this product, mostly because it's affordable, has great features and user friendly. This is my second creative MP3 player and I am a fan of their products. It's a must buy at this price.
100% of People (1/1) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 12/20/2006 |
|
Strengths: the size easy to used 15 hours
Weaknesses: none yet
Summary: when open the box and i see the size from this mp3 was amazing is very small the lcd have good quality for small videos and the mp3 is very good i dont understand why creative take too long time for sale this in market is more cheap from nano buy.com 140.00 less 30 rebate
0% of People (0/1) found this review helpful. Was this review helpful or unhelpful for you?
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 09/25/2008 |
|
 Decent player Strengths: Sound quality and multi-function settings
Weaknesses: The length of time it takes to load songs, the size of the "joystick" and the potential for frequent freezes.
Summary: It is a decent MP3 player it for the money spent, but it is definitely not worth buying if you can afford its newer upgrades. The sound quality is its best feature. It freezes too often, and it takes a long time to load songs.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 11/21/2007 |
|
Strengths: Color screen; lots of menu/playback options; plays video; small and light form factor; easy to use.
Weaknesses: Plastic body is a little fragile; screen hard to view in sunlight; sometimes playback pauses w/o action.
Summary: The Creative Zen v plus is a nice little mp3 player. For it's size, it's light, easy to carry around or just drop in your pocket to take any where and comes quite feature packed, especially the color screen.
It's a bit small, and it's hard to read in direct sunlight, but as a "mini-mp3" gadget, I think it looks and works great. Videos as well as mp3s can be loaded onto the player and so far, no problems. Although I wouldn't exactly watch anything longer than say an MV on this thing.
Audio quality is solid and there's the typical playback options, along with a decent smart sound volume limiter and EQ, so you can tweak the sound to your liking and not go deaf...hopefully. FM radio works, not the best quality, but better than nothing.
All in all a great little mp3 player for the commute, working out, and even solid enough to be your main portable player, if you don't need loads and loads of GBs.
The only thing is that the plastic body does feel...well plastic, and you have to be a little careful not to abuse it too much or the thing could be vulnerable compared to say a player made with metal outer. But so far, it's been holding up and playing like a champ, so hopefully they'll be many more months/years of that!
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 09/23/2007 |
|
Strengths: Very compact
easy navigation
good features
Weaknesses: screen too small for video
Summary: a lot more affordable than an ipod, but there is a new ZEN coming out so you may want to wait for that instead. But overall, it's really easy to use and light to carry around anywhere.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 09/14/2007 |
- c0l8759
- Member Since:
Aug 2007
View Member's:
Reviews
|
Strengths: It's small and easy on the eyes. I've had people commenting on what a neat looking little mp3 player it is, and I'd have to agree.
The price is very reasonable for a 4GB player with an FM radio
Weaknesses: Charging by USB
It does NOT get the battery life indicated in all its ads
Summary: I bought mine because of a special which led to it costing me only $35 or so. Heh. Even though I got this baby on the cheap, I do have some dissatisfaction with it. Overall, though, I like it a whole lot.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 09/14/2007 |
- martensite2000
- Member Since:
Aug 2007
View Member's:
Reviews
|
Strengths: Sound quality is crisp, clear.
Video quality is very high, surprisingly enjoyable even on its small screen.
Extremely protable-- light and tiny.
Scratch free surface
Weaknesses: Location of buttons, though not a big deal once you get used to it.
Headphones supplied does not fit tight in ears
lack of good accessories.
Summary: This is a good like player. i didnt spend too much on it and it works great. sometimes it will freeze but it doesnt happen often.
I must admit I'm liking it a lot, in spite of its flaws.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 09/07/2007 |
|
Strengths: Small Size, Battery Life,Voice recorder. FM Radio.
Weaknesses: Small thumbstick, Plastic build and fragile.
Summary: I would surely recommend this for anyone looking for a do it all MP3 player with a budget. It is very light and compact for a 4Gb player, and battery life is great. The color screen is very clear and easy to read. Easily drag and drop files to it from Windows Explorer without loading the included software.
On the downside the thumbstick is really too small and build quality is poor(some kinda fragile plastic).
Overall, the Creative 4GB Zen V Plus is an excellent purchase for the price.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 08/28/2007 |
|
Strengths: Size, Battery Life, screen
Weaknesses: Menu navigation, small thumbstick, earbuds
Summary: I have been very pleased with this player in the time that I have had it. It is very light and compact for a 4Gb player, and battery life is more than adequate. The color screen is very clear and easy to read. Being able to drag and drop files to it in Windows Explorer without loading the included software is also a big selling point for me. Unfortunately, it isn't flawless. The menu navigation is not exactly intuitive and user friendly, and the thumbstick is really too small to be able to operate by touch. The included earbuds are not that great, which I know isn't really a surprise, but it would be nice if they would at least stay in your ears. Also, I would much rather that they include a case of some sort than the cheesy little bag that it ships with. All in all, this player is an excellent purchase for the price, and the shortcomings aren't enough to make me regret the purchase.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 08/15/2007 |
|
Strengths: Ultra-small, bright screen
Weaknesses: Fragile, no memory expansion slot
Summary: This is a great player for the price. The screen is nice and bright, and it even plays videos! The only down side for me is that the shell is made of plastic and seems kind of fragile, but it hasn't broken yet. Also, I wish it had a memory expansion slot (similar to Sandisk's Sansa line of products) so I could stick in an extra 2GB card to bump it up to 6GB. Still, for the money - great deal!
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
| Date Reviewed: 03/31/2007 |
|
Strengths: Small Size/Compact, Great Media Organizer, Fantastic Color Screen, Easy to Setup, FM Radio, Recordable Option
Weaknesses: No AC Adapter, Joy stick takes time to get use to.
Summary: You can read a hundred reviews that say this player is tiny, but seeing it in person will blow your mind. This looks like a small toy, but its not close to being a toy, and it is extremely light. It fits easily into any pocket! I have many friends that have iPods. The Zen V Plus blows them all away. Hands down the best MP3 player for the value and price. Amazing number of features in such a small package.
There are no comments for this review. Post a comment.
|
|
|
Report this as 
