Creative ZEN MicroPhoto Pink (8 GB) Digital Media Player

Well, I've had my Creative Zen Micro Photo for about 2 months now, and I sure don't regret buying it.

The sound quality is the best (and loudest) of any player I've tried. That is probably the most important aspect of any player for me. The sound has to be able to blow me away, or take me away, depending on the music and my mood. The Zen Micro Photo definitely delivers. Most people I know have iPods of some sort, and I take pleasure in showing them my Zen Micro Photo, and watch them drool over the sound quality and volume. And even at the highest volume, the sound is crisp and clear.

The headphones that come with the player make the sound quality even better, although they are a bit large, and can be uncomfortable if used for prolonged periods of time. However, in both this model (Zen Micro Photo) and the previous model I owned (Zen Micro) the headphones didn't last long. Creative makes the headphones with a vertical jack (it comes straight up out of the player). So when I put the player in my pocket, the wire at the top of the jack works back and forth as I walk, and eventually breaks inside the insulation.

The headphones I replaced them with have an L shaped jack, which seems to prevent this problem. Even with different headphones the sound quality is still much better and louder than most other players, so I'm not complaining much.

The player also has a good FM tuner, FM recording and voice recording. I've used the FM tuner a few times with no complaints, but I've not yet used either of the recorders.

I like the interface from a design standpoint. The full color display is easy to read (unless in full sunlight) and easy to use. However, occasionally it tends to be a bit sluggish when playing large files.

Also, the playlists occasionally seem to do strange things. Twice I've had playlists that were created at nearly the same time, with different track lists, suddenly have the exact same track list a few days after creation.

The screen is a bit small to be an effective display for photos in my opinion, but the few photos I've put on the player are quite clear (just small).

The player itself is not quite as compact as some other players, but it's still quite small, fitting easily into the palm of your hand (or your pocket). I have no problems with the physical size of the player.

The space available, 8GB, is great too. I had a Zen Micro 4GB before and found it to be not enough space. I hated having to try to decide what to take off to make room for other music haha. I've not run into that problem with this player yet.

I've no complaints about the battery life. I've had it running (accidentally) for over 12 hours straight with still some green left in the battery indicator at the end. The ability to remove the battery and replace it is a great bonus too. I do miss having an AC adapter though. You need to plug the player into a running computer's USB port to charge it, unless you buy the travel charger from Creative separately.

The software interface with your computer is quite painless. It allows you to add music, create playlists, modify playlists, add files and photos etc quite easily. It even allows you to set aside some space to be used as a USB removeable storage drive.


Overall a very good player. I give it a 4/5.

If you are an audio book listener, this player will do nicely. I am a first time MP3 buyer and tried to do extensive research on the best player for audio books. There is not much written, so I decided to get my feet wet with the Creative Zen Micro Photo 8g. For the most part, it was a good decision. Volume is excellent (although it takes a while to get used to accessing it) and this can be gotten around by attaching a wired remote. There is bookmarking, which allows you to hold the place on several books if you want to listen to music or look at photos. And, the unit holds your place when you turn it off. I have downloaded audio books from the library and transferred them from my collection – the unit handles it all. It took a while to figure out how to and where to transfer the books, and understand the genres. So far, the unit has resisted my creating a new folder, which just holds audio books – I must put everything into the music library. For genres, I cannot create a new genre and call it “book” – I must use “speech”, “science fiction”, etc. and it will be mixed in the all of the music genres. So, searching for books becomes tedious if a lot of music has been transferred to the unit.

Much has been written about the “intuitive menus” on the Creative Zen Micro Photo 8g. I am 50+ and know my way around computers. This MP3 Player has multiple levels of menus and I would not call them “intuitive”. There is a snooze timer mode (a great feature if you want to listen to a book at night and fall asleep), which is buried deep in the “Player” settings. I have started to reconfigure the menu settings to what I use most, but it is going to take a long time before I get the knack of getting to a menu and finding what I want. Also, which software on my computer to use for downloading and configuring.

The on/off switch – actually a slide -- for the Creative Zen Micro Photo 8g is not easy to use. It is on top of the unit, next to the headphone plug. As an adult, just using my finger pads will not create enough friction to move it; I have to use my nails a lot. And just as the on/off slide resists sliding, the touch pad controls are exactly the opposite. The default setting is “medium”, and the sensitivity of the controls seems off the charts. Any neophyte to MP3 players should turn the sensitivity to “slow” and learn about sliding the power switch to “lock” in order to disable the player’s controls. Again, the wired remote control is a wonderful accessory in controlling the most used functions.

The battery for the Creative Zen Micro Photo 8g is charged thru the USB Port on your computer. I guarantee that you will become dissatisfied with this quickly and will order an AC and/or Car Charger. Not only does it take a long time to charge (up to 5 hours), but also the unit is unusable during the charge. I have ordered another battery, but it can only be charged in the unit (annoying).

Very little is out there in the way of accessories for the Creative Zen Micro Photo 8g. It comes with a drawstring pouch – I guess we are meant to carry it around in a pocket.

The Creative Zen Micro Photo 8g is packed with features. Beside audio books and music, I have only used the photos feature and am very disappointed – and what should I expect on the tiny screen? Use your photos as wallpaper to personalize your player and forget the rest. This MP3 Player will deliver on audio book and music playing.

Following extensive research and in store comparisons, I confidently chose my new MP3 player. The Creative Labs Zen Micro Photo (8 GB). This is the one, the prime cut, the elite, the finest, the upper class, the crème de la crème, the pièce de résistance; whatever monikers you want to use. It simply beats any mp3 player…hands down. Yes, you too iPod. Listen up ladies and gentlemen! Despite the media blitz, the iPod is not the only mp3 player out there folks. Oops, sorry Apple Corp; did I let the cat out of the bag? The Creative Labs Zen Micro Photo (8 GB) is solid, portable and has incredible sound. It features controls that are very simply…hmmm, what’s the word? Oh yeah...intuitive! Wow, there’s a novelty; controls that make sense. The Micro is small enough to fit in a small pocket, yet not so small that you could easily misplace it or break it in half (iPod Nano). Do you know how to use Windows on a computer? I'd bet you do. Guess wha? This player is for you! Users do not have to learn new software, reformat music files or drag around a cumbersome proprietary cord. Users are able to simply drag and drop files into the music folders. Ah, simplicity! Changing file names is unnecessary. Sweet! The Micro charges with the same cord it uses to upload music. If the cord gets lost, it is not a ridiculously expensive cord…it’s a simple USB cord. This feature is very underrated but, if you do lose it or the dog eats it (believe me, it happens), users will be glad for the effortless replacement. Forget sending Apple another $50 for a new one. Oddly few other players use a normal USB to recharge and transfer files. Oh hey, I forgot to mention the REPLACEABLE BATTERY! What a concept! If you buy an iPod, you will be sorry when the battery finally dies and you have to ship the unit to the manufacturer for replacement. Very nice color options with this unit as well. The backlight feature is really cool too. The color screen is extremely sharp and viewable from angles. Lastly, did I mention that the Creative Zen Micro has an FM radio tuner and is much cheaper?! Take that iPod!

On a scale of 1-10, my Creative Zen Micro-Photo mp3 player is a 9. It does everything it was supposed to do and does it reliably. The only drawback I have found with it is that it doesn't have a volume button or dial. I did buy a "remote control" for it which is actually connected to the player with a cable, but clips on my pocket next to my player. I also bought a charger that plugs into a wall outlet and charges the battery up much faster than my USB port on the computer. I actually found my own digital pictures on my player when I hadn't tried to download them yet. The only complaints I have are with Windows Media Player and itunes which are extremely confusing and really don't work together at all like I would like them to (I only use itunes for podcasts I want to download). It also has enough memory to put many hours of podcasts on with over 700 songs. The Creative Zen Micro-Photo mp3 player is GREAT! I would buy another one and I'm glad I took my time to research all of the different manufacturers and models and features.

After much shopping around I, I finally chose a Zen MicroPhoto. The pricing is super low compared to IPODs of a similiar storage size. (New ZEN is around $189 for 8gb, while a new IPOD is $200 for 1-2gb)

The photos are clear and sharp, although I wish the screen was a touch bigger. It holds all the music I could think of to put on it with room to spare. I am using around 3gb and I have over 2000 songs on it.

The only drawback that I have had is that it is not compatable with Windows ME which is the operating system I use on my laptop, so I do have to load it from my desktop. And the colored enamel will chip around the corners if it gets bumped around alot. I use a swivel case for it but there really is not an abundance of protection.

There are a ton more accessories for the IPOD, but I have found that the generic speakers and car fm transmitters that work thru the headphone jack work just fine for me.

I am very happy with the sound quality and I would definetly purchase this item again.

Plus the blue lights just look neat!!!

And with the extras like voice recorder, FM recorder, FM radio, calender, etc. It will quickly become a favorite for anyone who uses it.