Creative ZEN Touch user reviews (40GB)

4.5 stars

"Phenomenal!! IPod Eat Your Heart Out!" on May 9, 2005 by itanalyst

Pros: Nice sound, great interface, awesome file transfer

Cons: Power button could be less easier to hit when you're putting it in your case

Summary: I never thought I would find a portable music player that did everything I wanted it to, but this one definitely fits the bill!! Transferring music is as easy as drag and drop, and you can use Musicmatch Jukebox to do it also if you don't want to use the Creative software. The touch pad is great, and you can set the sensitivity of it so that's an extra plus! You can also retag music on the fly, which is really a neat feature. Only thing that should be improved on is the location of the power button, but that's small in comparison to the huge pros of this unit. I would definitely recommend this over an IPod anyday, especially since there is no restriction on mp3s and wmas on this device, it doesn't care about DRM. Kudos to Creative!!!

4.5 stars

"I Love My Zen Touch 40GB" on February 6, 2005

Pros: I can't speak more highly of the Zen Touch 40GB. I've only had it for three weeks now. In that short time I've worked relentlessly putting it through its paces. So far no problems what so ever. I didn't buy it on a whim. I'm pretty notorious for rele

Cons: Carrying case should have cut outs for the controls. Random button should only play the current "Selection" randomly, not all tracks on the Zen.

4.0 stars

"DEFINITELY worth the money!! EXCEPTIONAL value for much, much less money than the iPod!!" on June 29, 2005 by shockinsean

Pros: Aesthetically pleasing look; battery rarely needs recharging; extremely fast ripping & burning capabilities; easy to locate songs; certainly a viable & efficient alternative to the overly hyped iPod

Cons: Touch Pad a bit too sensitive for me; carrying case does not have cut-outs for controls; power adaptor is too big & clunky; don't like location of power button; non-removable battery; a little heavy

Summary: I waited for a month to elapse before I decided to write a comprehensive and accurate review. I have been using this MP3 player for a little over 30 days now and feel that this amount of time was ample to get to know my new Creative Zen Touch. After conducting a lot of research and relying upon my colleagues' personal experiences with their own portable music players, I opted to purchase this one. I was originally intent upon buying the 20 GB but when I came across the 40 GB for the unbelievable price of $239.49, after a $30.00 mail-in rebate, I just could not resist the temptation (newegg.com). Firstly, let me say that you would not be able to find a comparable MP3 player for this amount of money. Secondly, let me say that I did not give this item a 9 or a 10 on the rating scale because I am hoping that Creative incorporates a couple, if not more, of the suggestions emanating from the internet community into their subsequent models. Aside from being somewhat bulkier and heavier than other analogous MP3 players, the software takes a little bit of getting used to for an electronic novice, such as myself. In under one month, this player already FROZE a few times. If you don't have a pin or a paper-clip handy to stick into the little reset-hole, then, you are just plain out of luck, until you do get one. This happened to me within the second week and it just ruined my entire commute home since I had all of my music sitting there in my hand with absolutely no way to access it. When I got home I called Creative's customer service department and, although I had registered my Zen Touch as soon as I cut open the plastic package, the representative asked me to provide the same information I had already provided via the internet. He then suggested that this happened because I had inadvertently bumped the player or dropped it. I was indignant because, not only do I have many other expensive portable electronic items that I have been using for years, but it froze when I was holding it in my hands, while choosing the next song to play. Fortunately, the next time it froze, I was in my office and merely retrieved a paper clip to fix it. The good news is, when it freezes and you reset it, none of your settings or songs, etc, are adversely affected. I was also not happy to learn that Creative provides telephone customer support for only 60 days after your purchase. I was also not enthralled with the bulkiness of the Zen Touch. As a gym rat, I am unable to run on the treadmill with it attached to my body. Creative actually cautions you about running or jogging with this product. So, for now, the usage of this product is relegated to my train commute to and from work. Oh yeah, the provided case actually acts as a decent shock absorber. I recently dropped it while sitting in my backyard and this player never even skipped a beat! I am seriously contemplating purchasing a much better case for it since you have to arduously remove the player from the case every single time you want to select a song or adjust the volume. I am currently looking at "Innovacases.com" for a damn good looking white leather case with the necessary cut-outs. They have one for a little under 50 bucks from France (that is the total price with shipping). Did I already mention that the clip on the back of the Creative Zen Touch case totally sucks? This stupid little clip only adds bulk to it when it's in your pocket and has proven to be useless to me! I am also interested in a future upgrade to Shure headphones. These are some of the priciest headphones I have ever come across, but it seems as though they are well worth their cost. I was rather impressed with the speed and ease of ripping compact discs onto my computer and then transfering them to the Creative Zen Touch. For a little over 50 songs, this entire process literally took less than ONE MINUTE! Overall, I am completely satisfied with the look and capabilities of this MP3 player. I don't believe that I will ever come close to having 5,000 songs on this player, much less the 10,000 songs that they say it can hold. The Creative Zen Touch 40 GB is certainly a worthy adversary to any top notch, and presumably, much more expensive, MP3 player on the market today!!

2.0 stars

"Great sound, not reliable" on August 18, 2005 by seattlesonic

Pros: Great sound, great storage capacity, easy user interface

Cons: unreliable, bad customer support

Summary: When I first got my 40g Zen Touch I was incredibly pleased. Everything worked perfectly. However, after about six months of having the player it started freezing up, I could not play my music, the controls would stop responding and I could not turn the player off. So I returned the product to Creative and what followed has been a nightmare.
At first they said my product was beyond repair so they sent me a replacement. The replacement however, was a 20g model. So I returned the player again. About a week and a half later, they send me another replacement, this time the correct model. Two days later the player freezes up and will not shut down. I am now waiting for yet another player, hoping that it will work for a considerably longer amount of time.
The Creative Zen Touch, when operable, is a great player. But if you buy one, dont expect it to last.