Ipod Alternative? Creative Zen Vision: M

In the world of audio, there are two kinds of people: those that love ipods and those that hate them. When I went in search of my next audio player, to replace my 256 mb mpweenie3 device, I had two options: the ipod or something else. Personally, the decision was made easier for me upon hearing bad reviews from friends who owned various models of ipods. The reviews were pretty consistent too. The two biggest complaints I heard were battery issues and freezing problems. In light of this, I began my search for the "something else."

I based most of my research on reviews from consumers, which in the end I found highly relevant and helpful. Of course you have to take these things with a grain of salt. My search from the beginning instantly narrowed to a few products of which included the toshiba gigabeat, coby mp-c951, and the creative zen vision: m. For one reason or another I settled on the Vision: M, and I do not regret it.

The main features of the Vision are its 30 gb capacity, 2.5" color screen, vertical touch pad, fm radio (and recorder), voice recorder, and photo viewer.

Let's start with audio. The Vision has very good sound. With multiple EQ settings, one being customizable, you can tweek the acoustics to your liking. Getting audio on to the Vision is also pretty good. The software, Creative MediaSource, gathers all your files on to one convenient space. There are slight qualms I have in that cd ripping is rather slow, and also it is slightly difficult to transfer some files already in other locations like itunes folders, to the MediaSource location. Next is headphones. Nothing great, nothing terrible. They are your standard foam padded earbuds. I happen to dislike earbuds in general, as they do not stay in my ears very well. I would recommend spending a bit of money and getting a good pair of headphones to really enjoy the sound quality of the Vision.