Creative Zen V Plus

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Specifications

FEATURES

FM Radio     Yes.      Organizer     Yes.      Display     Brilliant full color 1.5" 128 x 128 pixels OLED display      Mass Storage Device     Yes. For data files only      Size     43.5 x 67.5 x 15.9mm      Supported Music Services     PlayForSure, Audible (2,3 and 4)      Built in Microphone     Yes.      Video Support     Transcoded Video Format      Audio Customization     Custom EQ and 8 Presets EQ.      ZENcast     Yes. Supports audio podcasts.      Image Support     JPEG, Album Art      Weight (g)     43.5g      Audio support     MP3, WMA, IMA ADPCM, WMA DRM      Voice recording     Yes      Battery Life/ Playtime     Up to 15 hours for continuous audio playback      Battery Type     Li-Polymer      Line-In Recording     Yes      Photos     Hundreds of Photos      Connectivity     USB Cable

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Performance

Going away from the conventional LCD screen these days, the V Plus is equipped with a 1.5-inch OLED screen that shows 128x128 pixels. This I believe helps a lot in conserving battery, which is also one of the plus points of the player (more of this later though). The OLED screen, however, has a very slow refresh rate and this kind of makes it a lot strenuous while watching videos or album artwork.

Below the screen you will find the four-way navigational joystick and the play/pause, back buttons. On the right side of the player, you will find some more orange — the volumes keys — and the record button. The buttons are a bit less responsive than I expected them to be. After a long while of getting used to jabbing the buttons twice at times, I lost faith in them.

Also the keys are placed on the right hand side, which according to me is lame. I’m right-handed and would have found it easier to have the keys on the left-hand side.

On the left, a small slider duals as the start/shut button when pushed delicately towards the right and locks the player when slid in place on the left. The 3.5mm jack is situated on the top alongside the mini USB slot and the mini mic jack.

All in all a not so good-looking player! You also get the player in other colours. If you are buying this, then do go for the one in white. That one too has the orange banding, but it looks awesome

 

Conclusion

The Creative Zen Plus is a great player, which not only has the looks to kill but also provides amazing sound quality. However, the price of 7.5 grand for 1GB seems a little steep. Also the 2GB costs 9 grand, which is again expensive. The bundled software seems to be the only bonus point that keeps me from lowering the rating any further. If you don't mind shelling an extra grand or 2 for a player way better than the IPod, this is a great buy.

 

Reviews of latest mp3 player, portable audio/video player