- Average user rating: 3.5 stars out of 198 reviews Back to product review
- My rating: 0 stars
Full user review
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28 out of 28 people found this review helpful
4.0 stars
"NOT SURE? READ THIS FOR INFO. MY RESEARCH!"
Pros: Pack with a variety of features; Stylish; Reliable; Radio; Recorder (voice, radio,etc.)
Cons: Read Below for more info
Summary: -I've been spending hours for a few days now doing research on mp3 players, so read this for a well rounded info on the top picks.
First of all, there is no doubt that the Zen Micro is a great mp3 player, packed with features, but here are SOME of the problems that SOME people come across.
-FIRST, is the problem with the battery not standing up to 12 hours as mentioned, but that problem is said to be fixed by updating the firmware. The firmware also is said to fix some other minor issues, so try updating the firmware first. If that does not help, thats alright because YOU CAN REPLACE THE BATTERY. Creative might update the battery for a longer runtime.
-SECOND, the headphone jack is said to break if you repeatedly plug and unplug your headphones, but Creative does a great job replacing it due to their customer service.
-THIRD, the latch for the battery is said to become loose and might fall off. Please keep in mind that not everyone has this type of problem. I do not know how you can solve that other than taping it =)
-FOURTH, the touch pad seems to be an annoyance for a few people, but they tend to get the hang of it after a while. There are also settings for sensativity, so this should not be a major problem.
-FIFTH, the Zen Micro breaks easily, tends to freeze, buttons arent responsive, etc. These problems are probably true for one out of every million person who owns one of these. So if you do fall into this problem just try updating your firmware first and if that does not help them contact their customer service.
-REMEMBER THAT THESE PROBLEMS ARE THE MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE READ ABOUT, SO IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS.
-DONT GET IPOD MINI:
Based on my research, i do not recommend getting an Apple ipod mini because the problems you come across can be worse than any of the ones i've mentioned above. Also if creative decides to create a longer lasting battery, you can just replace it. But, with the ipod there is no way you can upgrade.
-ALTERNATIVE:
You may want to look at is the Rio Carbon 5GB (Silver). It boasts 5GB, it has excellent battery life (up to 20 hours), it's small and sound quality is great, and it can record. The cons to the Rio Carbon, which i will not fully talk about like i have with the Micro are:
-RIO CARBON CONS:
Its scroll button tends to break easily, it does not have any radio, there is no armband or belt clip that is available, there is hold button, but you have to hold the menu button and press the middle button at the same time, and there are very minor issues navagating through songs.
-PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THE CONS FOR THE RIO CARBON ONLY OCCUR TO A FEW PEOPLE. JUST BECAUSE I HAVE STATED THE CONS, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. THERE ARE WAYS OF GETTING AROUND PROBLEMS BUT I HAVE NOT ELABORATED ON THEM. I MIGHT LEAVE A COMMENT FOR THE RIO CARBON...PLEASE LOOK OUT.
-OTHER ALTERNATIVES:
These two are flash drives, so you can store information and not just music on them. The "Creative MuVo Slim 512MB (Silver") and the "iAUDIO U2" Based on my reasearch these two are basically head to head in quality and features. The only difference is the style/appearance. Although the iAUDIO does comes in either 256mb up to 2gb.
-FINAL THOUGHT!:
I am having a hard time deciding between the Zen Micro or Rio Carbon (Silver) only because of the price difference. While the Rio Carbon comes with less features, it is cheaper. The price is the only obstacle in the way. Either choice is would be fine. If you want more features, then pay a little more to get the Zen Micro, but if you aren't picky about too many features, then go for the lower priced Rio Carbon.
As for the MuVo Slim and the iAUDIO...they are flash drives and not mini hard drives like the micro and carbon...the price for the slim and iaudio are the only obstacles ...
I HOPE THIS HELPS =) GOD BLESS!Updated
-I've been spending hours for a few days now doing research on mp3 players, so read this for a well rounded info on the top picks.
First of all, there is no doubt that the Zen Micro is a great mp3 player, packed with features, but here are SOME of the problems that SOME people come across.
-FIRST, is the problem with the battery not standing up to 12 hours as mentioned, but that problem is said to be fixed by updating the firmware. The firmware also is said to fix some other minor issues, so try updating the firmware first. If that does not help, thats alright because YOU CAN REPLACE THE BATTERY. Creative might update the battery for a longer runtime.
-SECOND, the headphone jack is said to break if you repeatedly plug and unplug your headphones, but Creative does a great job replacing it due to their customer service.
-THIRD, the latch for the battery is said to become loose and might fall off. Please keep in mind that not everyone has this type of problem. I do not know how you can solve that other than taping it =)
-FOURTH, the touch pad seems to be an annoyance for a few people, but they tend to get the hang of it after a while. There are also settings for sensativity, so this should not be a major problem.
-FIFTH, the Zen Micro breaks easily, tends to freeze, buttons arent responsive, etc. These problems are probably true for one out of every million person who owns one of these. So if you do fall into this problem just try updating your firmware first and if that does not help them contact their customer service.
-REMEMBER THAT THESE PROBLEMS ARE THE MAJOR PROBLEMS THAT I HAVE READ ABOUT, SO IT DOES NOT MEAN YOU WILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS.
-DONT GET IPOD MINI:
Based on my research, i do not recommend getting an Apple ipod mini because the problems you come across can be worse than any of the ones i've mentioned above. Also if creative decides to create a longer lasting battery, you can just replace it. But, with the ipod there is no way you can upgrade.
-ALTERNATIVE:
You may want to look at is the Rio Carbon 5GB (Silver). It boasts 5GB, it has excellent battery life (up to 20 hours), it's small and sound quality is great, and it can record. The cons to the Rio Carbon, which i will not fully talk about like i have with the Micro are:
-RIO CARBON CONS:
Its scroll button tends to break easily, it does not have any radio, there is no armband or belt clip that is available, there is hold button, but you have to hold the menu button and press the middle button at the same time, and there are very minor issues navagating through songs.
-PLEASE KEEP IN MIND, THE CONS FOR THE RIO CARBON ONLY OCCUR TO A FEW PEOPLE. JUST BECAUSE I HAVE STATED THE CONS, IT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL HAVE THESE PROBLEMS. THERE ARE WAYS OF GETTING AROUND PROBLEMS BUT I HAVE NOT ELABORATED ON THEM. I MIGHT LEAVE A COMMENT FOR THE RIO CARBON...PLEASE LOOK OUT.
-OTHER ALTERNATIVES:
These two are flash drives, so you can store information and not just music on them. The "Creative MuVo Slim 512MB (Silver") and the "iAUDIO U2" Based on my reasearch these two are basically head to head in quality and features. The only difference is the style/appearance. Although the iAUDIO does comes in either 256mb up to 2gb.
-FINAL THOUGHT!:
I am having a hard time deciding between the Zen Micro or Rio Carbon (Silver) only because of the price difference. While the Rio Carbon comes with less features, it is cheaper. The price is the only obstacle in the way. Either choice is would be fine. If you want more features, then pay a little more to get the Zen Micro, but if you aren't picky about too many features, then go for the lower priced Rio Carbon.
As for the MuVo Slim and the iAUDIO...they are flash drives and not mini hard drives like the micro and carbon...the price for the slim and iaudio are the only obstacles ...
I HOPE THIS HELPS =) GOD BLESS!
- 6 replies to this review
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thinking of buying the zen micro 5gb but i heard the headphone jacks are screwed... and i also hear its fixed.. so how do i know which ones are fixed and which arent??
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I have been looking for a while and i found that if you go to amazon.com the silver zen micro is cheaper than the Rio So i would go with the Zen
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Thanks for this information. I've been going through the same thing trying to find a good mp3 player (I'm really sceptical after an incident my my iPod), and I'd just like to thank you for taking the time to put together a quick summary of the pros and cons of this player.
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Rio is only offering you a 90 day warranty and our Rio Nitrus died in 6 months. The manufacturer does not have faith in it's product if they are only offering 90 days. You can return it to the store in 30 so that means they are really giving you 60 days.
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I just saw your opinion...funny, I do not have those problems at all. Go for the Micro. You will not be disappointed!
G -
Great review! very helpful. Based in your comments I prefer the Zen Micro, I think its worth the extra cost over de Carbon. And what about the Cowon's Iaudio X5 or X5L? It's like an 20Gb Ipod Photo but better! Anyway, this is another category. Thanks!!!
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