The Zen Experience!!

Photos courtesy www.creative.com

Got myself a Creative Zen Vision : M (30 gig) portable media player. Its the equivalent of an Ipod Video. But much better.

Postives
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1)4 hours video viewing time vs. the Ipod's 2 hours video time
2) Divx & Xvid format supported on the Zen
3) Built in FM Receiver
4) Built in Microphone
5) Extras like Calender, Organizer & Tasklist. Can sync with Outlook express for task list and contacts!
6) Comes with a leather pouch & wall charger unit
7) Can play video straight into a TV (requires additional wire which is 8$ i hear)
8) Noticeably better sound quality than the Ipod
9) Can create playlists on-the-fly just like the Ipod.
10) Don't have to use the Itunes interface to download songs to the player
11) Can upload songs back to the computer from the Player (the Ipod cannot do this)
12) Can create a separate partition for Data and use it as a Jump Drive.
13) Same price as the Ipod and hence better value for your money

Negatives
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1) A tad bit thicker than the Ipod. Otherwise the dimensions are the same.
2) Doesn't have the click wheel. Has a stripe pad instead. The stripe pad is cool, but, I find it a little too sensitive. I think I will take a while to get used to it!
3) Doesn't look as sleek as the Ipod. Having said that, I'd say the Zen still looks cool.

So.. weighing the facts, I'd say that the Zen is a much better deal than the Ipod. Cool, I am happy with the choice I made! Time to get clickin'