electronics Creative Zen Vision:M (30GB) opinions and reviews

Creative Zen Vision:M (30GB)

In yet another endeavour to challenge Apple’s triumphant iPod and make a mark in the portable video player market, Creative has released its Zen Vision:M, an appliance similar to the iPod consisting of a 2.5-inch LCD display and a 30 GB hard drive.

The styling and structure of Zen Vision:M is not too different from that of an iPod. It is enclosed in dimensions of 4.1 x 2.4 x 0.7 inches and has a weight of 5.7 ounces. Though not as thin as the iPod, it is still reasonably cosy to hold.

Looks are absolutely astonishing and it also houses a better colour screen as compared to the iPod. Available in an assortment of colours, you make a choice from black & white, green, blue, and pink. Creative's superlative scroll pad enhances consumer usability.

Zen Vision:M ships with an AC adaptor, a USB 2.0 cable, good quality earphones and a protective casing.

Creative goes one up on iPod by providing impressive supplementary features which include the FM tuner, voice recorder, and compatibility with a big selection of video formats--DivX, MPEG-2, MPEG-4, WMV, and XviD et al.

That’s not all; with the Zen Vision:M, it is also possible to download tunes from an increasing number of online stores. While iPod users are restricted to iTunes, Creative offers subscription facilities. According to the manufactures of Zen Vision:M, the device is capable of delivering four hours of video playback from its battery. If this indeed is the case, it will outperform the iPod by a big margin as the latter’s 30GB version cannot cross the three hour mark. Battery life for MP3 playback is also acceptable at 14 hours. However, WMA playback shrinks the duration drastically to 8 hours.

Content wise, Creative’s latest offering loses out to Apple’s iPod. There are no iTunes for the Zen Vision:M users neither will you be able to download entertaining stuff like episodes of Lost or Battlestar Galactica. Also infuriating is the fact that complex and prolonged conversions are obligatory for a number of contents included.

Creative Zen Vision:M does come with its positives. It has great looks, ample of useful features and has definitely barged ahead in terms of online music features. But it still has a long distance to cover when it comes to video capabilities. And as long as that’s the case with any device in this segment, Apple iPod is likely to remain the ideal choice among portable video players.