Creative Zen 8 GB Portable Media Player (Black)

I bought this player because of it's numerous great features at a very appealing price.

However, I can only give this product 2 stars because of all of the software/connection issues I keep encountering. After two weeks of owning this product and attempting to load 6.5 Gb of my music, I have been completely unsuccessful for the following reasons:

1. The player locks up when connected via USB and I have to reset it.

2. The player constantly connects and disconnects via USB, not allowing me to stay connected long enough to transfer anything or syncronize through the provided software via drag and drop.

3. The player tells me it's out of space even though it has 4.5-5 Gb still available (this is when it usually locks up or disconnects).

I do have the latest firmware and have followed the steps listed on Creative's site to correct errors, but nothing has helped.

To be fair, this product does have some strong points as well:

1. The FM radio works great.

2. The SD card feature is nice to have.

3. What little music I have been able to hear out of it sounds very good.

I am considering returning this product and buying something else, but I want to give it another week to see if it finally decides to cooperate. As an FYI, I have encountered the exact same problems with Vista x64, Windows XP, and a Mac.

The anti- Ipod mp3 player, if you could say it. No touch screen, but that's okay. It's small, just the right size. Bigger than the nano, but smaller than the huge touch. It is the size of a credit card, literally. I love mine, the screen is adequate enough to watch videos on.
The only problem is that the player can freeze numerous times during the first few months of use... but that's easily fixable via a recovery tool that comes with it if you just look at creative's website.

Purchased my first unit, brand new directly from Creative on June 6th 2008 - It refused to work immediately. Called Creative (on my own dime as they offer NO toll-free service or support) and was given the two hour run around. After finally getting to the right person, I was told to return the unit which I did and a couple of weeks later I got another. This one, obviously not new as it was scratched and a corner was dinged, worked for about a week but never properly, hanging frequently during the boot process. Another call to Creative, another two hours on hold during which I managed to find and download the updated firmware myself from their site. The new firmware made absolutely no difference and I was told to return the unit for yet another replacement. I refused to do so and demanded an advanced replacement which after much cajoling I was granted. About a week later it arrived and I returned the second unit. Today, 12/30/2008 I called about returning this one and was told that I could only be given an RMA online as I was not entitled to free phone support! Here's the catch, the online form won't accept my serial number so I'm unable to submit. Yes, eventually I wrote Customer Support an email and eventually, according to the automated reply, someone will respond within an average of 48 hours. The bottom line here is that the products are junk and perhaps the only thing worse is the customer service.

Save yourself some money and some aggravation and buy a Zune or something else.

do not get this it breaks easily you have to keep resetting it and it is horrible i am disappointed i wish i could get my money back.

Sound quality: stellar 5/5
Build quality: good 4/5
Ease of use: OK 3/5
Worth the price: Yes

The sound quality from the Zen is outstanding. And that is really what it is all about, right? The included earbuds are too large and uncomfortable for me to use. Listening through my 15 year old Sony headphones is breathtaking.

Build quality is respectable for the price/value rationconsidering you get 8GB memory AND a SD slot for extra storage. Hard plastic with cleanly desgned curves and controls. The controls can be a bit on an issue. I thought 3 different controls was a good idea at first. But after fumbling with the controls on a dark bus a few times I can see the beauty of a simplified control interface. Not a deal breaker, but definitely a consideration if you plan to do alot of moving around in the menus especially while in poorly lit surroundings.

I still think this is the best value for an 8GB flash plaer out there right now.

I would buy it again.