Creative's 16GB Zen gets reviewed

Creative's Zen -- which comes with 16GB of built-in storage as well as an SD slot for expansion -- may not be a real iPod challenger in the eyes of Apple fanboys and those sold out to the click wheel interface, but for those with vast DivX collections and no real allegiance to another brand name, this new PMP looks to be a winner. In a recent review, the player's support for a variety of formats, decent design, and impressive amount of flash storage were all hailed as major pluses, but the 2.5-inch display isn't exactly large enough for (comfortable) extended movie viewing. Overall, Creative's 16GB Zen managed to garner quite a bit of praise from the folks at Popular Mechanics, but they pretty much mirrored our own sentiments by concluding that "you'd be an absolute idiot to buy the Zen before Apple's September 5th announcement."

[humpty @ Aug 29th 2007 5:40AM]

Its incredible how snobbish and short sighted some people are... especially Apple Fanboys (ie. basically all the blogger on engadget).

[Deluxe @ Aug 29th 2007 5:49AM]

I think you guys would be more succinct replacing the entire article with "Get an iPod" and enjoy your bags of 'donations'.

[Jon @ Aug 29th 2007 5:50AM]

Only an idiot Apple fanboy and Engadget blogger would not buy this regardless of whatever announcement comes in September.

If it is good then recommend it, why hold back your money for Steve Jobs?

[ark_v2 @ Aug 29th 2007 9:00PM]

Best comment EVER

[Jagannath A @ Aug 29th 2007 5:52AM]

LOL its funny how the popular mechanics website states the amount of Flash memory as 16MB in the review... hehe

;)

[Gihan @ Aug 29th 2007 6:01AM]

"but for those with vast DivX collections ...."

Uh...hello Engadget....isnt that EVERYONE?

[Alan Strangis @ Aug 29th 2007 8:56AM]

No kidding, but according to Popular Mechanics (and engadget) I really SHOULD wait a week or two, because I TOTALLY see Apple adding DivX support. :)

[Alan Partridge @ Aug 29th 2007 9:23AM]

Noob question, Can i just copy and paste my Divx videos onto the Zen and they will work? Even if they're higher than 320X240?

[Alan Partridge @ Aug 29th 2007 9:28AM]

Noob question, can I copy and past Divx/Xvid files onto this and they'll just work? Even if they're higher than 320x240?

[Neebs @ Aug 29th 2007 10:12AM]

Zens have commonly been Drag and Drop, so yes. Resolution, I don't know.

[Dan @ Aug 29th 2007 4:23PM]

Yes. The Vision:M supported 640*480. I don't know if this will though.

And, yet another, yes - it can play Xvids right off the 'net.

[bob @ Aug 29th 2007 6:34AM]

"Only an idiot Apple fanboy and Engadget blogger would not buy this regardless of whatever announcement comes in September. "

i think yourll find only an diot would make a comment like that with no knowledge of forthcoming products, you call apple fanboys but not even considering apple is just dumb and spiting yourself. If anyone is a 'fanboy' surely, you are it. And your post neither helpful nor interesting.

[Jon @ Aug 29th 2007 6:47AM]

"helpful nor interesting"

As opposed to yours?

If everyone plays the waiting game then as a consumer we won't ever buy anything. Oh we can just wait till the next Steve Jobs announcement in October or the "Apple store is closed" announcement in November or the surprise Jobs announcement in December etc. etc. etc.

[bob @ Aug 29th 2007 6:51AM]

yes, but it isn't really the same, this is waiting for 6 days for the industry leader to release a rumored significant update at a confirmed event.

[Alan Strangis @ Aug 29th 2007 8:58AM]

sorry bob, but I have a huge DivX collection. You think Apple's adding support for that next week?

Transcoding FTL

[bob @ Aug 29th 2007 9:31AM]

nope, i dont, because h264 is better (as aac is better than mp3) and is more open and divx is for pirates

[Dan @ Aug 29th 2007 4:25PM]

"divx is for pirates"

Duh, why the hell do you think most people on here care about it being supported?

[bob @ Aug 29th 2007 4:34PM]

Duh, why do you think a company with film studio deals doesn't support it? dumb ass, you people just make stuff up to argue about.

[Jules Morgan @ Sep 4th 2007 1:08AM]

Sorry but this point isn't really valid unless you work for Apple. It's their problem to balance their deals with film studios against the HUGE number of people with Divx/Xvid content.

As a user I couldn't care less about a company's situation. I just care about having a player which plays my content.

[3rdsun @ Aug 29th 2007 6:50AM]

I would be that idiot to buy this over any ipod past or present. Have you seen the chubby lately, just a regurgitated design. As in most Apple products nothing much is changed.
This Creative Zen on the other hand screams style, functionality, class. Hell just for Divx support it gets 10 out of 10.

[Oscar @ Aug 29th 2007 8:01AM]

You're talking about the iPod design being regurgitated?

Take a look at the Zen Vision : W and then look at this again...yes, Apple aren't the only people who reuse control schemes and design.

[wombat @ Aug 29th 2007 9:50AM]

You're assuming that bad photoshop job is the real thing.

Well, as far as I'm concerned, it's fake until I see it on Apple's homepage.

[disciple83 @ Aug 29th 2007 10:15AM]

Actually Oscar, you can look at the new Nokia phones and see a similar button layout for their directional pads and softkeys. It just resembles the ZVW because 1) it's also made by Creative, 2)it is glossy black and set up in a landscape format like the ZVW and 3) it is a much more successful design than the scroll bar that was present on the ZVM. Don't get me wrong, I

[disciple83 @ Aug 29th 2007 10:18AM]

wow it cut me off... Anyway, I love the ZVM, but the scroll bar gets annoying if you casually brush it with an incidental hand or something.

I just think the new layout is more user friendly, which is why it can be seen in similar formats on several products from many brands. Just be thankful this thing doesn't look likethe Zen WAV.

[3rdsun @ Aug 29th 2007 7:01AM]

"may not be a real iPod challenger in the eyes of Apple fanboys and those sold out to the click wheel interface"

I hate that frigging click wheel gimme a D-pad anyday. I dont need my thumb stressed out.

[Miker @ Aug 29th 2007 8:09AM]

I remember reading various magazine and online reviews for the Zen Vision M when it first came out and the iPod and compared how the same magazines and websites reviewed them...it was gob smacking the bias lauded onto the iPod. The Zen had a built in radio, could record radio and voice, had a MUCH better screen for your videos and photos, had MUCH better battery life, you could use it on MANY online music stores you weren't tied into iTunes, and yet they would get the same scores in the same magazine and websites. However when these same people were reviewing OTHER MP3 players they'd mark them down for not having these features. It makes me so angry that common sense flies out the window any time something has the word Apple stuck on it - they've done a great job brain-washing the masses. The iPod is a good MP3 player, but it's in no way the god-like entity people seem to portray it as.

[PG @ Aug 29th 2007 8:34AM]

It has been proven time and time again that Creative players beat anything Apple makes in terms of sound quality, features, and price. Oh, and that UI that Apple fanbois like so much, was a direct rip off Creative, which was proven in court.

[Dave95 @ Aug 29th 2007 9:29AM]

Was it really proven in court? Or settled out of court?

[PG @ Aug 29th 2007 10:18AM]

Put it this way: Apple would not fork over ten of millions $$$ if they weren't guilty.

[Daniel @ Aug 30th 2007 9:29PM]

The "Zen" patent was for using a list-based hierarchy on a portable media player. Apple has been using list-based hierarchies long before Creative ever did. Furthermore, Rio (remember them?) had been using list based hierarchies in their portable media players before Creative ever got into the business. I'm no Apple fanboy, but as far as I can tell, Creative didn't "invent" the list-based GUI, it was just the first to successfully patent it.

[Gerald @ Aug 29th 2007 8:49AM]

How is this supposed to be better than their previous 30gb Zen Vision M?
http://www.pixideal.ca/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage.tpl&product_id=2942&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=1

[Alan Strangis @ Aug 29th 2007 9:18AM]

Gerald: Because it uses Flash memory, it's smaller and lighter, and I wouldn't doubt the battery life is much better to boot, a fair trade off, especially for 16GB of storage.

[Tim @ Aug 29th 2007 8:54AM]

I recently bought a Creatuve Zen Vision M (60GB) and it is great, converting movies and using Napster for music ideal for a family who listens to music - as the cost a month can be shared. But I do agree with the comment from 3rdSun about the click wheel I do prefer a d-pad and with Zen M having a touch pad and a d-pad together it is great.

On the other hand I knew that Creative were bringing out a new product to replace the M, but this is no competition to the Vision M (at first sight) sorry.

[Kris Burbidge @ Aug 29th 2007 9:29AM]

You don't have to be a fanboi to want to wait until 9/5. What if Creative drops the price of this new model in response to whatever SJ has up his sleeve? This only comes once a year. I personally think the Nano is too small anyway (I have big hands). I could go for a 160GB touchscreen iPod for $349 though.

[SansaFTW @ Aug 29th 2007 10:31AM]

hahaha, unleash the doggz of the intarweb war..

[Timmay! @ Aug 29th 2007 10:43AM]

Unless the announcement is that the iPod is going to get a bigger screen, have a much broader list of supported formats than it has now, and an improved UI, I won't be swayed back towards it.

Yeah, the iPod's good, but compared to to the long list of other PMP's out there, it doesn't match up too well.

[Don @ Aug 29th 2007 10:50AM]

So the new iPods will all of a sudden have adequate sound quality? I sure hope so, the click wheel is fantastic (please don't remove it), but I can only stand listening to audio books with the iPod, music just does not sound right.

[jasmineflower @ Aug 29th 2007 12:45PM]

NOT A REVIEW!!! The Creative Zen is still undergoing engineering for the firmware and all units currently available to reviewers are only engineering samples. It's not a real review if it's not the final product.

[Josh @ Aug 29th 2007 12:59PM]

It's not a review, regardless. It's an iPod advertisement.

[Jules Morgan @ Sep 4th 2007 1:10AM]

Ignore that, replied to the wrong comment...

[Jules Morgan @ Sep 4th 2007 1:05AM]

Sorry but this point isn't really valid unless you work for Apple. It's their problem to balance their deals with film studios against the HUGE number of people with Divx/Xvid content.

As a user I couldn't care less about a company's situation. I just care about having a player which plays my content.

[LooP @ Aug 30th 2007 4:12AM]

will this thing support video podcasts?

[kickenchicken @ Aug 30th 2007 9:34PM]

wow. i hope you all know that this ISNT the ZVM replacement, mearly an upgrade for the V Plus, think of it as the adult version of the Zen V Plus. and the day that apple supports more formats and includes a microphone, radio and worthy features will be the day the that i consider apple to be the true market leader. But for now, there not in my eyes. its a 99.9% chance that they wont add new codecs. i guess no one takes in consideration that the ZEn supports Sdhc cards.. plus aac AND subscription music? plus the revamped Zen GUI. and 16.7 million colors. i wont be surprised if apple only upgrades to a 262k screen while Creative upgrades to 16.7 million color screens, if they keep a 65k screen, thats awfully embarrassing.. it would then have 256X the amount of color. Plus, cant wait for the X-Fi dap, which may be here soon..

[iansarchibald @ Aug 31st 2007 9:05AM]

I completely agree. Even though I don't use it much anymore what with satellite radio and 90GB of music on a network drive here at work, I love my ZVM. I might end up buying one of the next generation ZVMs if they are flash based or maybe even one of these, now that a good amount of flash storage can be had, especially since these support SD expansion. So come on Creative, give me that 16+GB flashy PMP with 16.7M color 3" color screen, I know I'll need it once i see it.

[jbm0592 @ Sep 4th 2007 6:38PM]

this is honestly the best looking mp3 player ive ever seen, with it's 16.7 MILLION color support. wow, and all the features, how small it is, and the endless capacity amount of the sd memory card slot. and since creative specializes in sound, they sound better than ipods too, apple always makes ipods with absolutely NO features, crappy sound, and there always over priced, i mean the 4 gb ipod nano is 200$ and creative zen v plus 8gb is 170$ ipod just rips people off, because the know that people are too stupid to realize it

[Constable Odo @ Sep 15th 2007 11:55PM]

iPod killer or not, that's a heck of a nice package. Much nicer than a nano. Bigger screen and good codec support. That's a winner.
The SD slot is a fine addition. Shame it's not SDHC.

It's a pity that only ten thousand or so will be sold in the entire US.

[Joshua @ Oct 20th 2007 11:42PM]

It does support SDHC, and I'm sure there will be as many as needs to be sold in the USA.
This also supports crappy Itunes, so all of you who would like to convert to real MP3 players can without losing your Ipod proprietary crap.