Availability:Usually ships in 1-2 business days Condition:Includes the MP3 player, headphones, AC wall charger-USB cord, original box. No other accessories are included, Cosmetic condition is fair , it does have scuffs on the front and back, from being in a case. 100% functional. No disc or paper work
Features:
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30 GB multimedia device holds tens of thousands of photos, up to 120 hours of videos, or 15,000 songs
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2.5-inch, high definition LCD screen features a 320x240 resolution and hundreds of thousands of colors
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Supports many video formats, such as AVI, DivX 4 and 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, -2, -SP, WMV9, and Motion-JPEG
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Integrated FM radio and recorder, voice recorder
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Measures 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches and weighs 5.7 ounces
Amazon.com Review In its own right, the Creative Zen Vision:M is a very capable digital audio player, video player, photo viewer, FM radio, and more. Indeed, one could go on and on about how it has the right specifications to make it a constant companion for entertainment on the go. The really big news about this device, though, is that it's the first device to boast complete compatibility with Amazon Unbox, the new digital video and music download service from Amazon.com.
The Zen Vision:M has the features, ease-of-use, and power to become your constant media companion. See the Vison:M interactive demo.
Design Let's get things out in the open. The Apple iPod is the 800-pound gorilla when it comes to the digital media player business and, unavoidably, every other device is measured against it. In most respects, the Vision:M matches up pretty well, and there are few things you may even like better. Length and width dimensions are exactly the same at 4.1 and 2.4 inches respectively. When it comes to girth, though, the iPod has the Vision:M beat; the Vision:M is .7 inches thick, while the iPod measures .4 inches. The Vision:M is slightly heavier, too. These details aside, the Vision:M feels comfortable, yet sturdy, in the hand, with curved surfaces in all the right places.
Creative takes a somewhat different approach with the Vision:M's controls, answering the iPod's Click Wheel with a vertical touch pad--which allows you to scroll up and down menus and control volume--plus four buttons that offer navigation through the user interface. The contextual menu button on the bottom right is a welcome addition, allowing you to make quick settings changes and view information about media files on the fly--functions that are more cumbersome on an iPod. Creative could have made the buttons a bit more sensitive--they require a firm press that gives an overall feeling of clunkiness to an otherwise well-designed user interface. Another annoyance is the touch pad's over-sensitivity; it's easy to make selections unintentionally, sending you on a wild ride through the user interface.
The Vision:M's screen, which measures 2.5 inches diagonally, offers sharp details, vibrant color, and excellent response with little or no video ghosting during high-action sequences. The 320 x 240 resolution is to be expected from a device this size, and although it's small, you'll likely have no trouble enjoying video while you're sitting on the subway or a flight, or in the back-seat of a car. Our only nitpick was the screen's less than stellar viewing angle, especially when compared side-by-side with a video iPod. While this can be good for maintaining privacy, the narrow viewing angle also means that friends beside you will struggle to see anything other than a black screen.
Music, Videos, Photos, and More The Vision:M's music organization scheme is standard fare; you can browse playlists, artists, tracks, albums, and genres. Equalizer settings are robust, with a nice range of automatic settings, plus a custom equalizer that's easy to control. The music library's "DJ" function is a nice touch, allowing you to listen to your most popular tracks. It can also pull up the tunes you listen to least frequently--in case you've got some forgotten tunes lying around on the Vision:M's 30 GB hard drive. Sound quality is everything you'd expect from a top shelf digital audio player, and DRM'd Windows Media files played without a hitch. The device fully supports a whole range of "PlaysForSure" download and subscription services, such as Napster and Yahoo Music. Creative also ships a CD-ripping and music transfer application called MediaSource with the Vision:M.
Playback of Windows Media DRM'd video files (WMV9) was also hassle-free. Purchased videos delivered crisp colors and detail, with no frame drops. Video playback consumes a lot of power, bringing Creative's claim of four hours of video playback into serious doubt. Expect under three hours when watching videos continuously. Thankfully, if you need to come back to your video later the Vision:M's software remembers the timecode of where you left off--unless you power the device down between viewing sessions. In addition to protected and unprotected WMV files, the Vision:M can play MPEG 1/2/4, Motion-JPEG, DivX 4 and 5, and XviD formats, making it a very flexible device with respect to encoding options.
The Vision:M can also store thousands of photos, letting you browse through them or set up a slideshow. The device's TV-out option comes in handy here, as you can present slideshows on a TV or projector. Videos can be displayed this way, too. An FM radio with easy preset tuning functions and great signal reception, plus a voice recorder feature, round out the extra media features. There's also a handy application on the Vision:M that formats a portion of the drive for use as USB 2.0 mass storage, letting you set aside up to 16 GB for data storage.
Connectivity and Synchronization A Creative Sync Adapter ships in the box with the Vision:M, making it a snap to connect the device to a USB 2.0-capable PC. With the connection made, Windows XP recognized the device right off the bat and Windows Media Player immediately asked us if we wanted to load the PC's music onto the Vision:M. Music management and synchronization has come a long way on the PC, and the experience of organizing and transferring music to and from the Vision:M was, barring a few curious click-through boxes, pretty seamless. The Vision:M also supports synchronization of your Outlook contacts, calendar, and tasks, in case you want to use it as a personal organizer of sorts.
Amazon Unbox Integration To be truly successful, the Vision:M has to be more than a great media device, it has to integrate with Amazon Unbox and make the process feel like second nature. Although the Vision:M was tested using a beta version of Amazon Unbox, things are looking good already. Amazon Unbox and the Vision:M go together like peas in a pod, making the process of purchasing, downloading, and enjoying content on the go a real cinch. The Amazon Unbox Video Player, which queues, downloads, organizes, and plays your purchased movies and TV shows, recognized the Vision:M right off the bat. An icon for the Vision:M appears in the devices panel of the application, and you can immediately begin transferring downloaded content to the device. Once you're all loaded up, the Vision:M offers a great way to bring Amazon Unbox entertainment along for the ride.
Pros
Crisp, vibrant color screen is great for video
Generous video format compatibility
Excellent sound quality and music management functions
Cons
Narrow screen viewing angle may be a problem for some
Finicky controls for some functions
Slightly more bulky than other competitors
What's in the Box Creative ZEN Vision:M, earphones, Sync Adapter, USB 2.0 cable, pouch, user's guide, and installation CD that includes Creative MediaSource and Creative Media Explorer software. Note: As of July 2006 Creative no longer ships the Zen M with the AC power adapter.
Amazon.com Product Description The Zen Vision:M MP3 and Video Player lets you take all your movies, music and photos in a light, pocket-sized device that is loaded with 30 GB of memory. At this capacity you can carry tens of thousands of photos, 120 hours of movies (500 Kbps MPEG4-SP), or up to 15,000 songs (WMA encoded at 64 Kbps), all in the palm of your hand. You can also tune in the radio (32 station presets), record your favorite talk show, or make personal voice memos with the built-in microphone.
The Zen Vision:M can hold thousands of songs, photos, and movies in its 30 GB memory. View larger.
See the Zen Vision:M in 3D.
Today's big screen blockbuster, yesterday's picnic home video, and even your favorite TV shows--they all now fit in your pocket and are ready to be shared. Zen Vision:M supports many video formats, such as AVI, DivX 4 and 53, XviD4, MPEG-1, -2, -SP, WMV9, and Motion-JPEG, which simply means you have more choices and less restrictions. Instead of busting out your wallet to show snapshots of your kids, you can enlist the Zen Vision:M to give viewers a glimpse of your precious memories--tens of thousands of them. In 262,144 vivid colors and 320x240 resolution, complete with a thumbnail gallery, this device makes it easy to scroll through your entire photo collection. Of course, music files are a big portion of anyone's digital canvas. Perfect for taking with you on the road or just around the house, this device makes all your music sound as good as the Zen Vision:M looks. And with eight preset EQ settings and 97 dB signal-to-noise ratio, you can fine-tune your listening experience for any musical genre.
You can also connect the Zen Vision:M to a projector or TV with the included AV cable, and put on a big show from this little device. Synchronize music files with photo or video montages for a taste of spectacular, personalized big screen magic. Viewing images on this device is a pleasant experience. The 2.5-inch, high definition LCD screen features a 320x240 resolution and hundreds of thousands of colors. What this means is you see crisp, clear detail in every movie and photo, even under bright light.
Creative didn't scrimp on design, either. The Zen Vision:M features an ergonomic design with an innovative touch pad control that enables quick, comfortable access to menus and settings. And you'll get loads more playback time with the built-in rechargeable, battery. Enjoy up to 13 hours of music or 4.5 hours of movies on a single charge. The optional extended-life battery pack lets you double playback time, so you can enjoy days of uninterrupted entertainment. Other features include a personal organizer that you sync with Microsoft Outlook, and an integrated voice recorder that can store hundreds of hours worth of recordings. Take a closer look at all the Zen Vision:M features.
The Zen Vision:M MP3 and Video Player uses PlaysForSure technology. Look for the PlaysForSure logo if you're shopping for a portable music or video device and you want to make sure the digital music and video you purchase will play back on it every time. Match the PlaysForSure logo on a large selection of leading devices and online music stores. If you see the logo, you'll know your digital music will play for sure. Choose from a large number of digital music and video stores, including MTV's Urge, Rhapsody, Yahoo!, MSN Music, MusicMatch, MusicNow, Napster, Wal-Mart Music Downloads, and many more.
What's in the Box Creative Zen Vision:M, earphones, sync adapter, USB 2.0 adapter, pouch, user's guide, and installation CD. Note: As of July 2006 Creative no longer ships the Zen M with the AC power adapter.
Product Description Creative's Zen Vision: M is the ultimate player for people who want to enjoy music and movies on the go. This stylish, versatile system features an advanced 2.5-inch high-resolution color screen that can display movies! The Zen Vision: M's rechargeable battery delivers playtimes up to four hours with video and music. For live entertainment or capturing those special moments there's also a built-in FM radio and voice recorder. The Zen Vision: M supports popular music, video and photo formats. It can also be connected to the TV to share images and videos with friends and family.
Still Playing StrongAugust 27, 2008 I purchased my Zen Vision M shortly after I bought one for my son for a birthday present 2 years ago. Although I've had to replace my sons twice due to mishandling, mine is still going strong. My Zen has been very reliable. I leave it in my car overnight during the winter months (western Massachusetts) and never have had any problems with the screen cracking or anything else. I have a leather case on it and have dropped it in my driveway and in my work parking garage several times. It still works. Maybe I'm lucky. I know putting it in a duffel bag or a back pack is not a wise idea, for those things tend to get thrown around without consideration as to the contents (see my son's luck with Zen). I use it everyday and update the play lists at least once a week. The touch pad is a little sensitive for my liking, even after configuring it for the least sensitive setting. But I can live with that.
Works great with Windows XP and Windows Vista. There are some software "glitches" that can be worked around if you are a little computer savvy. The software that comes with it has an "Vision M Explorer" which does seem a little slow to respond at times, so I don't use it and instead use Windows Explorer to browse and manage the folders on the player. I use Media Player to Sync or get music from My PC to the Zen and Syncing is only as fast as your computer, so don't blame Creative: it's the PC. Along those lines, the video quality of the Zen is only as good as the video quality of the video file you are trying to play. If it looks good on your Pc, there is a good bet it will look good on the Zen; if it looks grainy on your PC, don't expect something better on the Zen.
FM radio is fine. Stations I get are within 30 to 50 miles, but I don't know their wattage. I think with radio's reception is subject to where you are.
There is still plenty of space on it even with having many videos on it.
As far as the extended warranties are concerned, that is a separate review unto itself, but I will tell you READ THE FINE PRINT. Some companies like Square Trade will not cover accidental damage unless you purchase that as an added on expense. And then that type of coverage is buried in their literature on page whatever, so you never get to it before going blind or falling asleep. NEW however covered one of my son's replacements no questions asked and it had a cracked screen, however it did take over a month to get the process going (I have a review for them it was not good). However it was worth it even though it took a lot of time and frustration to get the replacement. And of course once they replaced it, the original warranty was no longer valid, so when he broke it again, I had to buy another one on EBAY where I was offered the Square Trade warranty. The warranty differences really were the only negative things I could say, and since that is not Creative's problem it gets 5 starts from me.
A great alternative to iPod, but ...August 25, 2008 It's bigger and heavier, and not as elegant as most iPods. However, the bigger screen and more storage was what made the choice for me, at the time. I can store a few movies on this thing, in addition to podcasts and music and audiobooks.
The touchpad needs to be slowed down (and can be, from the settings).
Another point to keep in mind is that there are umpteen accessories made for iPod, and almost none made especially for the Zen. If that's not an issue, this is a great little player.
Creative Zen Vision:M great product!!!August 24, 2008 You can have your Apple Ipod. I love my Creative player. I take it with me everywhere! So much of my life is in that little player. Pictures, movies, videos, music, books, old radio shows, you name it probably on there!
I bought mine off of ebay for a lot less than most other places. Much less than $200 USD. The sound and the video screens are so crisp and clear. The sound can be customized to your ears very easily. My boyfriend wants one even though I have given him a Philips 30 gb player.
A very easy product to get used to. May be a bit bigger and slightly heavier than an iPod but I wouldn't want this to be smaller.
I highly recommend this product. You won't be sorry.
Excellent player with lots of perks!August 16, 2008 I have had this player for several years and I could not be happier with it. The sound is excellent, and when I put videos and photos on it I was amazed by the quality of the picture. The storage is virtually unlimited- I have several thousand songs and many videos and have only used 7 of the 30 GB. The software it comes with makes it very easy to add media and keep files synchronized. I love that I can put wma and m4a files on it as well. The idle shut-off is great if you're like me and listen to music when you're going to sleep. It's also very customizable. It has good battery life, and with a wall charger it charges in less than an hour. All in all I find it to be an excellent player that does everything I could want and more.
What a steal!!!!!August 3, 2008 After putting up with my old Dell Pocket DJ for years, the Zen is like a breath of fresh air. I still can't believe I was able to purchase it for only $125.00. Apparently, it was a closeout because one week later there were none left. The sound quality and ease of operation is outstanding and the volume balancing between songs actually works! The only criticism I have is that the software that comes loaded is quite prone to lockups, especially when dealing with large volumes of music. Once I downloaded the latest software form their web site, the Zen has not locked up once. I have a large collection of MP3 and WMA files and they work like a charm. Once I realized what an excellent player this was, I went back to Yahoo to purchase another but they were gone. If you can still find one, buy it!
