Apple Ipod 4GB Nano vs Creative Zen 8GB MicroPhoto

Apple Ipod 4GB Nano OR Creative Zen 8GB MicroPhoto ???

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SuperG

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 26, 2003
Messages
198
Hi all,

I have a 200 gift cert that I need to spend quick. I have been looking to get a portable MP3 player with atleast 3GB of space for music. I have narrowed it down to two, which both have their advantages and their disadvantages from what I have read. They both cost right around $225-$250. I wanted to get some feedback from the users at this forum, who might have had experience with either or both of these products. The two I have to choose from are:

Apple Ipod 4GB Nano ($250) and the Creative Zen 8GB MicroPhoto ($225):

They both have their pros and cons:

4GB vs 8GB
flash mem vs hard drive
both pretty much the same price
both have color screens
both have photo capabilities
both look very nice (Nano probably slightly better)
Nano scratches very easily vs zen not as easily
Nano slightly smaller and thinner than the Zen
Nano needs proprietary software to store songs vs Zen can drag and drop

I just don't know. I keep going back and forth. I was hoping people here could give their input or suggestions. Thanks again.

SuperG
 
Go with the zen, its twice as much storage and has a way better interface.
 
depends really on 2 things

do you ever plan to rent music or would you prefer to buy music online aside from ripping your own cd's?

if you prefer to rent then go w/ the zen

if you prefer to buy go w/ the imac

i have a zen 6gb and i can tell you the windows plays for sure drm that microsoft uses takes a much much much bigger hit than fairplay on the ipod. theres been some articles about the licenses eating zen batteries pretty hard as well as causing a lot of transfer errors. creative isnt the greatest at getting good firmware updates out. i say go w/ the ipod.
 
Well, just to let you know. The Apple forum is not the place to ask this question. Obviously most who visit this forum are biased towards Apple products. If you want an unbiased opinon, look up site that have tested them and written reviews. Read a few reliable ones from each and then base your opinion on that.

 
ipod, id go for the video tho for 50 bucks u get a bigger screen and 26gbs more space. and its still slim compared to the old ipods.
 
I would go for the Nano just for the flash drive. Flash drive is nice to have when I go run or exercise.

When will you use the DAP?
 
i have the zen and the screen owns, so much better than ANY ipod.

Everything else about it is good.
 
I have a Creative Zen Micro (older 5 GB b/w version) and a 5th gen 30gb ipod. I bought the ipod as an upgrade, and I'm in love with it. However, for a small player, I'd have to recommend the Zen over the Nano. The Zen has a replaceable battery (which is nice since you can bring extras along or whatever) and superior sound quality. It also doesn't get all scuffed up like the Nano, although you can get an invisible shield for that.
 
you posted this in the apple subforum. i say nano, and i think you're already leaning nano because you posted it here.
 
MrSatan said:
Go with the zen, its twice as much storage and has a way better interface.
Click to expand...

Last time I used one it was just an exact mock of the iPod interface.
I agree with Morty, if the Zen isn't solid state, don't buy it.
 
illgiveumorality said:
Last time I used one it was just an exact mock of the iPod interface.
I agree with Morty, if the Zen isn't solid state, don't buy it.
Click to expand...

That is one of the biggest reasons I am leaning towards the Nano, simply because of the flash memory, no moving parts, etc.
 
I borrowed my friends 2gb Nano for a week. Screen was too small and I could only get 260 songs on it. I gave it back to her and decided to get the iPod w/ video.

Video playback was just a bonus as I thought I would use my PSP, but I was wrong. I have 150+ TV shows on my iPod and my playstation is collecting dust. I think I have like 3600 songs, 125 videos and 40 pictures on mine right now with 1 gb left. So forget the Zen, the Nano, and go for the Video. As soon as you start getting more music you will regret only getting 4gb of space.
 
alexheinz said:
I borrowed my friends 2gb Nano for a week. Screen was too small and I could only get 260 songs on it. I gave it back to her and decided to get the iPod w/ video.
Click to expand...
Screen too small for what? I have an ordinary 4th gen iPod, and I think the screen is large enough at the very least. Is it too small for you to efficiently browse your music, or too small for something else?

And you can always encode your songs at a lower bitrate. 128kbps VBR AAC, for example, is most likely more than enough for the sound hardware in an iPod, and even moreso when you consider the headphones. Or you could buy the larger nano, and fit more songs.




But the way I see it, you have two choices: either a small flash-based player, like the nano (or something even smaller), or a full-blown iPod (or compeditive product). 10 gigabytes instead of 4 gigabytes is not a big enough difference for it to be worth the hassle of moving parts. 30 gigabytes, on the other hand...
 
I had a 3g before and I just wasn't used to the screen and unit size difference. Why would I want to switch to something smaller than what I had before, both in screen size and gb? The nano is fine for people that have only a couple of songs though. For the rest of us, the only choice is the iPod.
 
If you're the kind who goes jogging or whatever a lot, a solid state player is probably a much better choice. The hard drives in the iPod etc aren't exactly fragile, but I think a solid state player will have a much longer lifetime.
 
I have broke 2 zens because i dropped it about 3-5 times in it's 1 month life span. I have had my Nano since xmas and have dropped it just as much without a care in the world. I had a 40gig RCA lyra about 3 years ago that i dropped constantly and it got flung to the ground and everything but it didn't break the hard drive kept on ticking so maybe I am spoiled but if a 200 dollar device can't take a couple small drops then it isn't worth it to me.
 
Thanks everyone for their responses. I finally decided on the Nano, because, 1, I don't have that that many songs, and 4 GB should be enough. Also, the flash memory thing is a huge plus.

Now, the next question is..., do I have to use iTunes to get songs onto my new Nano, or is their a third party, maybe open-source alternative to it? Any ideas?
Thanks.

SuperG
 
SuperG said:
Thanks everyone for their responses. I finally decided on the Nano, because, 1, I don't have that that many songs, and 4 GB should be enough. Also, the flash memory thing is a huge plus.

Now, the next question is..., do I have to use iTunes to get songs onto my new Nano, or is their a third party, maybe open-source alternative to it? Any ideas?
Thanks.

SuperG
Click to expand...

Not to ask a silly question but is there any reason you don't want to use iTunes?

The versatility of being able to change which songs go on your Nano (should you ever go over the 4 GB limit) automatically is nice.

Plus the program overall is pretty slick (though the Windows version is considerably less reliable than the OSX version).
 
Are there other ways of getting music on an iPod, other than using iTunes? Yes, several. Are there any other music management apps that are as good as iTunes? No.
 
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