Creative Zen Micro - 5GB

Let's start with the specs:

Capacity: 5GB (4.7GB usable) - 166hrs@64kbps WMA; 83hrs@128kbps MP3
Battery Life: Lithium Ion; 12 hours (as stated)
Formats: MP3, WMA, WAV
SNR: ~98db
Screen: 104x106 pixel LCD, Blue EL backlight
Size: 2" x 3.3" x 0.7/.51cm x .84cm x .19cm
Weight: 3.8oz (With Battery)
Price: $250 CDN

What it comes with:
The Player (of course)
Battery (rechargable)
Headphones
USB 2.0 cable
Install CD
Creative Media Source
Quick Install Guide
+ Only with the 5GB model
- Belt Clip, and Stand
- Zen Micro pouch
- Power adapter

The Look:
One nice thing about this player it that it comes in many colors, so pretty well anyone can find one that suits their style. I got the silver model, (since it was the only one in stock); but the ten colors that it comes in are Black, Silver, White, Dark Blue, Light Blue, Citrus Orange, Pink, Purple, Red, and Lime Green. Behind that nice little resistive touch facade, is the fancy Blue light, when it's charging it does it's "breathing" thing, where the light slowly brightens and dims as if breathing.

The size of the player is pretty good, I have fairly big hands, and don't have any problem with the controls feeling crowded. But at the same time the player is small enough that people with smaller hands should not have any trouble navigating the controls.

The Controls:
The controls themselves, are made up of electro-resistive panels, similar to the touchpads on most laptops. There are Back/Rewind, Play/Pause, Next/FFwd, Menu Back, the Scroll Slider/Select, and Context Menu. Normally I like the tactile feel of mechanical controls, but in this case it is nice to not have to worry about dirt and pocket lint getting behind any buttons. Another plus you can easily lock the controls by sliding the power button towards the center of the player. When the "buttons" are used there is an audible clicking sound letting you know that something is happening, and if you really don't want that, you can turn it off.

The Interface:
Just about everything these days has a variation of the iPod interface, and the Zen Micro is not really that different, I mean how much innovation can be made in displaying mode, battery, status, and other info. This is not a bad thing mind you, and I find that I like the font a bit more, (a geek thing... Sure, but when you will be looking at something a lot, the little things are important). You can also customize the menu to allow for quick access to your favorite functions.

The Player Extras:
The Zen micro gives you a few nice little extras that the average MP3 player doesn't do, (at least not natively).
- FM tuner: It's acceptable in a pinch, but I don't think that I will be replacing my car stereo anytime soon. You can record from the radio, which is a plus.
- Voice recorder: Good for some quick notes, but It would have been nice to be able to use an external microphone.
- Calendar: A nice extra, This syncs with your Outlook calendar.
- Contacts: Like the calendar, it pulls from Outlook.
- To Do: Guess where this comes from...
- Alarm/Sleep Timer: Pretty self explanatory.
- Shuffle: Not just for iPods. But this unit also adds a sort of smart-shuffle "DJ" mode, this allows you to listen to just your most popular songs, or the ones you never hear, or even a random album-of-the-day.
- Support for online music: MSN music is probably the only real one you'll use though. I haven't invested in these services yet, so I can't say which is the best yet.
- Removable Disk: Probably the most useful feature is the ability to use a portion of the space as a mass storage device, for PC/Mac/Linux. Essentially it's like having an MP3 player, and a USB thumb drive in one. One of the few times I like "convergence" as a feature of one of my devices.

The Included-in Box Extras:
- Belt Clip and Stand: These are both used with the protective case. The stand is cool, but feels a little too unstable to use very much. The belt clip already snapped... 'nuf said.
- Headphones: Creative knows it's audio, and these earbud style headphones show it. The sound is clear, although like all other 'buds the bass leaves something to be desired, just the nature of the beast. The connector is much like the iPod, with the 180 degree (straight) connector they are great for having in your pocket while listening. Unfortunately like the belt clip, the plastic sheathing cracked, rendering the right headphone useless from the static generated.

The Battery:
The battery is great that it is rechargable, as the rated 12 hours is a bit longer than the average "real" usage time. With the player sitting in clock mode, Backlight set to the minimum shut off, and the Idle shut off set to Off, it lasted about 11.5 hours. Respectable, if I was using it for a clock. The actual time that I have come across for mid-volume play using 64kbps WMA, was more like 9 hours, and about 7.5 for 128kbps MP3, at high (but not full) volume. Decent for a drive to work, listening most of the day, and the drive home. Mind you I do live an hour from work.

Conclusion:
After 6 weeks with the Creative Zen Micro, I really enjoy this player. The screen is prone to scratches, but that's the price you pay for having a screen. The battery life could be a bit longer, but it's acceptable. The only real complaint comes from the belt clip, and the headphones breaking, especially since the headphones are really quite outstanding for a bundled pair. I would suggest using the belt clip only when really needed, get a good pair of comfortable headphones, and if you are planning on taking it on any long trips, I would suggest investing in an in-car USB charger like the ones Belkin sells for their USB cables for PDA's.

If you want a great hard drive player, with some nice extras, at a decent price. The Creative Zen Micro is a great choice.

T.