“Apple Computer’s iPod remains the king of digital music players, but robust pretenders to the throne have begun to emerge in the Windows universe. One of them is the Zen Touch, from Creative Labs… which compares favorably with the iPod,” John P. Mello Jr. writes for The Boston Globe. “Selling on the Internet from $219 to $254, a 20-gigabyte model will put less of a dent in a bank account than comparable Apple units, which cost $289 to $299.”
“Its controls are more conventionally designed than the iPod’s. I found them more intuitive to use. Call me hopelessly reactionary, but I like dedicated buttons to turn an appliance on and off and to raise and lower the volume. The Zen Touch has them; the iPod doesn’t. I also found the Creative unit’s touchpad more instinctive to use. Its vertical shape better reflects its function — moving a selector up and down on its 2.1-inch screen — than the iPod’s circular arrangement,” Mello Jr. writes.
“While the iPod is wedded to one PC jukebox, iTunes, and primarily one music store, Apple’s, the Zen Touch can accept purchased music from a variety of Internet listening posts, such as MusicMatch and Napster,” Mello Jr. writes. “Better yet, the Creative music player is compatible with the recently released Microsoft Windows Media Player version 10. A nice feature of that software is that it supports multiple storefronts. That allows you to transfer tracks bought at several online stores to the Zen Touch through a single application.”
Mello Jr. writes, “The Zen Touch is a next-generation digital music player that gives listeners flexibility not found in the Apple universe. For PC users, it’s an antidote to iPod envy.”
Full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: Who needs an “antidote to iPod envy” when one can purchase an actual iPod that works with Mac and Windows? Flexibility? iPod users have iTunes with the world’s largest library at the same or better prices. Some of us, gasp, even prefer AAC to WMA. Microsoft’s fouled up the PC world so much, do you want them to foul up your music, too? iPod’s control wheel is patented for a reason and it sure isn’t surpassed by a bunch of dedicated buttons; only the most hopeless Windows PC user would believe Zen beats iPod here. Since when does cluttered redundancy trump minimal elegance? Face it, if you met your friend somewhere and pulled out your iPod, he’d leave his Zen Touch securely in his pocket unmentioned. And that, dear readers, is just the way it is, no matter what John P. Mello Jr. scribbles.
The click-wheel is continuous. If you have a long list of songs, it’s a breeze to jump far down the list to find something. A vertical touchpad requires you to remove your finger at the bottom and start again at the top… repeating a very uncomfortable motion. I’ll bet the reviewer only had a handful of songs to work with.
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The should make it so you don’t have to do that.. by having the distance from the center being the speed of the scroll…
so if you’re at the bottom it’ll scroll really fast, and if you’re in the middle it won’t move..
“Connecting the Zen Touch to a PC wasn’t as smooth as it could have been.” and
“I was asked for log-in information for that service, an annoying interruption.”
Why am I not surprised by these comments?
Oh well, can’t blame ’em for trying, nor Mr. Mello for giving it a go either.
I too am worried about cheap knock-offs reducing iPod market share to minimal levels… hopefully won’t happen this time.
I wonder if he wrote that article with his new box of Crayola brand crayons?
The number of WMA players flooding the market is the real concern for Apple – who need to upgrade battery life and add features if they are to remain in front with the iPod.
“The number of WMA players flooding the market is the real concern for Apple – who need to upgrade battery life and add features if they are to remain in front with the iPod.”
Obviously this is not the case as the pretenders have been flooding the market all year with so called iPod killers, yet Apple’s market share has climbed to 82%. This truely seems to be a case where the best product continues to dominate. My opinion. Your mileage may vary. Semper Fi
I, too, prefer dedicated buttons for commonly used functions. My 3G 15GB iPod isn’t the easiest device to navigate and operate. It operates well and yes, it takes about less than a minute to figure everything out, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to navigate.
Will I buy a new mp3 player anytime soon? Nah… the 3G iPod is still a joy to have. When it craps out on me, then I’ll be on the lookout for a replacement – Apple, Creative, Dell, or other.
Hopefully, by then (I imagine a couple of years from now), the new breed will provide a better user experience.
Creative does put out some nice wares.
I, too, prefer dedicated buttons for commonly used functions. My 3G 15GB iPod isn’t the easiest device to navigate and operate. It operates well and yes, it takes about less than a minute to figure everything out, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy to navigate.
Will I buy a new mp3 player anytime soon? Nah… the 3G iPod is still a joy to have. When it craps out on me, then I’ll be on the lookout for a replacement – Apple, Creative, Dell, or other.
Hopefully, by then (I imagine a couple of years from now), the new breed will provide a better user experience.
Creative does put out some nice wares.
Why the angst regarding what portable digital music device someone else uses? The free and open market place is the pure and final arbiter of form and function. Don�t worry about it.
Are you content with your iPod? If you are confident in your ability to make informed and objective decisions regarding digital music players. Don’t worry about what other people choose.
Are you not content with the iPod? Then buy a better product for you. Don’t worry about what other people choose.
Personally, I like my pod. I�m happy with it. Life goes on.
The advantage of dedicated buttons is that you don’t need to look at the screen to change tracks, playlists, FM station, volume or EQ, great when you are in bed at night or having your siesta.
By the way, iPod’s dial would make a great FM station selector.
On the one hand you could buy an Ipod for whatever ridiculous amount it’s going for now and have in your hand an mp3 player with mediocre sound and an expensive replacement battery setup, OR, buy the Zen, made by a company who’ve manufactured quality soundcards for eons. Doesn’t anyone care about sound quality these days? (Hey kids, get some decent headphones for your personal player!, Beyer Dynamic?). If only Creative would release some half decent Os X software for my G4Dual at work, . . .hmmm