When shopping for a digital music device, it becomes clear that there are dozens of mp3 players to choose from. One of the most popular is Creative Labs’ Zen Touch mp3 player. So what makes this mp3 player so popular with digital music enthusiasts? Well here are some things that people have agreed on absolute strengths of the Zen Touch device:
1. Long battery life. The Zen Touch simply beats the competition – it has a much longer battery life than Apple’s popular iPod.
2. The sound quality is quite good. Most users rate the sound quality as the best attribute of the device.
3. Easy to use touch panel. It’s easy to use and the options are helpful.
4. It has a nice, simple and durable design. Its overall design won’t differentiate it, but its simplicity makes it easy to handle, transport, and use.
5. Compatibility. It is compatible with a wide range of online music stores and music formats (MP3, WMA, WAV).
6. Reasonable price. A comparable iPod device costs about $ 50 more at some retailers.
Now here are some negative reports:
1. The battery cannot be removed. However, this depends on the model you buy. The newer model (20GB), for some strange reason, doesn’t have a removable battery.
2. The LCD screen could be better. There is a contrast problem between black text and blue backlighting that can cause some problems when reading the screen.
3. The new touch panel may be too sensitive.
The Zen Touch has some nice additional features that deserve some attention. For example, the nice FM tuner and FM / Voice Recorder plug-in (for an extra $ 50) is something that many mp3 devices haven’t been around since their introduction. For many, the added cost is probably worth it. Additionally, Creative’s Zen Touch is capable of playing protected WMA and WAV files, a feature not yet found on Apple’s iPod and some other devices.
Zen menu options include Music Library, Now Playing, Playback Mode, Settings, and Information. The Music Library offers a collection of songs sorted by playlist, album, artist, genre, and recordings. You can also choose to view all song files at once. And unlike iPod, you can name these playlists.
Creative Lab’s Zen Touch mp3 player is without a doubt a competitor in the mp3 player market. Its new touchpad design will be seen by many as a much-needed improvement over previous Zen devices. Also, the sheer compatibility will surely be of great help to users. Our overall evaluation: very good; a safe competitor.