IPOD Nano or Creative Zen Micro? Help decide on a nice gift for my wife...

E

EngineChauffer

Limp Gawd
Joined
Sep 22, 2002
Messages
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Well I guess this is technically computer audio, so here goes:

I am looking to buy my wife an MP3 player for her birthday. She will use it quite often riding into work on the bus, so I want something sturdy and of course, the most for my money.

I was looking at the IPOD Nano (black) which holds about 2 GB. I hear everyone rave about them, but then I check out the Creative ones.

For around the same price, I could get the Creative Zen Micro (blue) which has 6 GB of storage.

What are the pros and cons of each of these models? Sound quality? What would you get? Any other thoughts?

We don't care about videos, not going to spend 400 on something that can easily be lost/broken/stolen so those high end models are out.
 
Well, I love love love my Zen Micro. Better battery life than the Nano, better sound quality (to me at least), looks cooler, removable battery is a huge plus. I also like the feel of the entire model better than that of the Nano.

edit - one con is that the original run of Zen Micros had weak headphone jacks that would break after time. They reinforced the headphone jacks in the later models though, so whatever you buy now should be safe.
 
Well, I personally hate itunes. It's a resource hog even when not running. If you two are using the same comp and you're jealous of your cpu cycles, get the creative player.
 
Nano is a total rip off. $200 for 2gb, that's insane. I have a non-color zen. It's 5gb amd supports WMAs. I just hope they fixed the headphone jack, it gets loose after a while.
And when you get a new MP3 player, you can make it a 5gb pocket-sized flash drive
And sound quality doesn't differ from player to player. But you can increase/decrease sound quality using the software provided, but it will increase/decrease the size of the music file.
 
Do you have existing music files? Are they mp3s or wma? This should weigh into your decision as well.
I have to say, nothing beats the nano in the looks department, but it is slightly too small for men's hands to use comfortably. Women probably don't have the same problem. My wife doesn't.
 
jeez are you buying the DAP for yourself or her?

Go with the brandname. It'll make her happy.
 
synergyo1 said:
jeez are you buying the DAP for yourself or her?

Go with the brandname. It'll make her happy.
Click to expand...
My thinking exactly when I bought my wife a Nano for Christmas. iTunes is easy to use, and it's what everybody else is using, and that's what women want. Also, you can't even come close to the amount of available accessories for iPods. It is staggering really.
 
nanos are sexy and when she shows it off to her friends they'll all ooo and ah. Show a Zen and they'll say, "Whats a zen. He's to cheap to get an ipod?"
 
Opie said:
nanos are sexy and when she shows it off to her friends they'll all ooo and ah. Show a Zen and they'll say, "Whats a zen. He's to cheap to get an ipod?"
Click to expand...

iPod is a status item, since it seems we are becoming more and more the iPod Generation.
 
I say get the ipod: its a fashion accessory, and she will want the brand. I can see her wanting the ipod over the zen.
 
go with the Ipod for her, unless your wife is a geek. Itunes is far more user friendly, and she will appreciate that greatly. Just be aware of a few things:

1) set Itunes to rip to MP3 format instead of AAC. That way if you want to buy something other than an iPod for yourself, you can still read those tunes

2) Music downloaded from iTunes will only work with apple players, for same reason as mentioned above.
 
i personaly like the nano, even tho it is a hefty price tag, it defenetly is a great mp3 player. its just soooooo light!
 
The Nano destroys the Zen Micro for general usability although it hasn't got the features. The screen's amazingly clear for something so tiny too. Makes even the ZM's slightly better specced brother (Zen Micro Photo)'s screen look like a joke. As much as I like the Zen Micro from my point of view, it's got to be the Nano. Sole problem is that it scratches easily. A skin or a case (Agent 18 Nano Shield is great, but the iKitty may be worth considering :p ) would be a good gift to give at the same time.
 
Well i am an iPod F anboy...so I say go apple. I had my 1G ipod for 4 years, until I traded it in (fully working) for a 5G. Nuff said.
 
I had a Nano, and within a few months, had sold it and bought the Zen MicroPhoto.

The Zen is a much better player overall in my opinion -- the only thing Apple has going for it are looks (big deal IMO) and accessories. The Zen has much better sound quality (even to the point of offering an EQ that doesn't distort near as easily as the Nano's), has more features, and lasts longer on a battery charge.

As for iTunes being easy to use, the Creative players aren't that much more difficult (even if you use MediaSource).

iPods are so overrated IMO.
 
The Zen Micro IMO has a fuzzier sound than the Nano but it's better specified, has a working (if further fuzzy) EQ and after you get used to the controls, pretty good to navigate. For a gadgethead I'd say it's a better player. The Nano is more immediate though and generally speaking, more versatile for use in-car / sports / etc. The Micro is not a wife player in my opinion. Most women I know who have bought or have been bought Zen Micros have dumped them for Nanos. One even went out of her way to call it crap. Her Karma-toting other half agrees. I wouldn't go that far but it doesn't look particularly pleasant, it doesn't 'disappear' in your pocket like the Nano does and it's not as well executed overall. And Mediasource, while vastly improved recently, is still not a patch on iTunes. I would seriously mull over the Micro over a Nano, although I personally have a Nano. But for the wife I'd definitely say the Apple over the Creative.
 
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