Creative Zen 2 GB Portable Media Player (Black)

I wanted one of these for quite awhile before finally deciding to buy one. I was quite disappointed when I got it home. While it claims to support "subscription" services and protected WMA files, it would only sync to about 10 songs. So I tried to contact Creative about this, only to find out that they don't have a tech support phone number listed anywhere. Not listed in the manual, not on their website. They want to force you into email tech support, which from previous experience with other companies, sucks. They never actually read your email and understand the problem. So once you wait 3 days for a response, they tell you to do everything you already tried. On and on it goes, for weeks. No thanks, Creative. I returned the Zen and will stick with Sansa who I have never had a problem with.

I wanted a new MP3 player with expandable memory, photo capability, fm tuner. I decided to move away from Ipods because of the limiting nature of itunes as the primary method of music-device transfering. I also wanted to be able to add music on SD cards as the larger capacity ones become available.
I compare this player to the Nano (3 and 4g) and the Sansa Fuze.
Here is what I decided:
Nano:
Pros: Great design, quality durability, support for product while under warranty, screen resolution
Cons: Itunes, transfering music limitations, no expandability, no tuner, screen size is bigger than necesary for music info but too small for video/photo. Battery life less than fuze.
Verdict: Gold Standard for design/media delivery. Does its job very well.
Fuze:
Great mimic of Ipod 3g Nano, MicroSD expandable, ease of use, clickwheel design, tuner, size, value
Cons: okay screen resolution, non traditional USB cable for charging transfering music, clickwheel durability questionable
Verdict: Great overall player for the money, sleek design that rivals that of the Ipod nano Gen3! Worth a real long look.
Zen:
Pros: Screen Resolution/Size, Features/customizability, Expandibility options, traditional usb cable for transferring
Cons: Separate menus for mp3 player library and memory card, battery life worse than Fuze comparable to nano

Overall, all these mp3 are great competitors in the game. Disregard scratched screen issues. If you dont take care of your mp3 players, the same wil happen to almost all MP3 players! The Zen has the best screen,is the most customizable, is open to way more options than the nano. The Fuze is great however it is not as customizable and is only available up to 8gb rather than the Zen which can be had with up to 32 gb of internal space. I am testing a 2gb version, however i am purchasing the available 16gb zen.

And for any mp3 player you choose, if you plan on trying to keep it working as long as possible, a twenty dollar case would not be a bad investment.

You value style,name: Ipod Nano
You want the best value in an ipod look-alike with bonus features: Sansa Fuze
You want a good value player with bonus features and much customizability:
Creative Zen. (If this Zen is still on sale when you read this and your trying to choose between this and the Fuze, choose the Zen!)

Cant wait to get my 16gb player in the mail!
Dont be skeptical! Give the Zen a try, especially with the sale!

UPDATE:
After several days of use, I had to return the product because it kept freezing on me and even after resetting the player, the player would refuse to play music or open photos.

I am heartbroken.
Such a great player, so many options and great features like sound and screen that are let down by such shoddy reliability. It definitley sucks as I wanted a high capacity small player portable, sleek, customizeable, etc., but if it doesnt work, it doesnt serve my purposes.

I returned the product and will make due with a sansa fuze and add a 16gb microSD card. People said this would happen in other reviews...I just didnt think it would happen to me.

You can try it out but SAVE your receipts!

I bought this flash player as a replacement for my Ipod Video (first gen), and so far, everything about it is better. I never was a fan of ipod and their tendancy to break. This mp3 player so far seems more durable even though its more plastic-y. Music, video, radio...it all works perfect, and the screen is excellent too (very bright and sharp).

The only downside about this is that it doesn't have some of the cool, modern features you can find in other flash players, like the samsung p2. It doesn't have a touch screen, or a unique way to navigate through the menus. It seems like its technology is a little bit behind some of the others available.

Overall, I would recommend it over an ipod. Excellent mp3 player.

Creative Zen 4 GB Portable Media Player (Black)
Loved this media player. Easy to use and well worth the money.

I happened to buy this one as a gift[..]. I've had mine for quite a while (maybe a year), and so far I haven't had a single problem out of it. The battery life is still great, and the picture it gives is really sharp. I would recommend this product if all you want is an mp3 player and don't want to take out a second mortgage to buy an iPod.