creative zen vs. cowon d2 vs. iriver clix 2...which to buy? please help dont know which mp3 player to get......one of these 3 seems to be the choice.......any advice? which is easiest with vista, and which is easiest with music download sites? thanks so much..... creative zen vs. cowon d2 vs. iriver clix 2...which to buy? please help dont know which mp3 player to get......one of these 3 seems to be the choice.......any advice? which is easiest with vista,... » Read More creative zen vs. cowon d2 vs. iriver clix 2...which to buy? please help dont know which mp3 player to get......one of these 3 seems to be the choice.......any advice? which is easiest with vista, and which is easiest with music download sites? thanks so much..... « Show Less
1418499
I download audiobooks from my library through Overdrive so I can listen to protected wma files. I can also listen to audible and standard mp3.
1418500
I finally purchased with cowon d2 and am very happy. I listen to audiobooks on it and it can bookmark, but play the next track after the bookmarked track (extremely important).I had the creative zen for awhile and returned it as it didn't have as many features as the d2.If you have any questions about the d2, please feel free to ask.
1418501
I like it very much. If you have any questions about it, just let me know. The do post firmware upgrades frequently. I had upgraded to the latest, but had to roll back as there was a bug in that update where it quit playing my protected wma files. I put an issue in their bug tracker and they said they'd resolve the issue soon. But I really haven't found the need to upgrade the firmware anyway.
1418502
Thank you! That's what I needed to know.I have gone ahead and bought the Cowen D2....finally! It's been hours of research but you were so helpful! I never heard of Cowen until I read your postings this morning. I'm very excited!
1418503
I'm glad you warned me. I notice there are firmware upgrades on their site. But why would I have to upgrade a brand new player? One of them said it was necessary to listen to audible books? I hope not. I may very well get back to you with questions. Thank you again!
1418504
I downloaded it just because of habit. Then I just rolled back. The download wasn't necessary for me for what I wanted to do. It says it had a few minor bugs to fix like shuffling over a folder boundry or something, but I don't use that feature anyway. I believe that the firmware it ships with allows you to play audible. I have listened to a few audible books so I know it works. I have firmware 2.51.
1418505
A reason you would need to update the firmware on a brand new device is because it likely was manufactured months ago. Firmware can be released in a matter of days. It's nothing really to be concerned about.
1599997
It seems that other than the Sansa products, the main alternative is the Creative Zen Mozaic. But some of the customer comments on the Zen were that it freezes up when you try to fast forward or fast rewind. The Sansa seems to be better in that regard. It also seems that the Fuze has an automatic bookmark feature. I can't tell if the Clip has this or not. It does seem that the Sanza products do not have manual bookmarking that would let you keep your place in several books at the same time. That seems to be a feature that Creative Zen has had in some models. Larry
340870
***********David W. Wilkins says:What is the difference between MP3 downloads and ITune downloads? Can they both go on an Ipod Classic? Thanks. ********The biggest difference is that most music on iTunes (and most other download services) has activation DRM on it. You don't own what you're "buying".You're MUCH better off buying MP3s from Amazon's music store, which doesn't have DRM. (Note that Amazon's video store DOES have DRM). Or of course the best choice is buying a CD, which has no DRM, and the highest audio quality, and can be easily ripped at any bit rate or format you want for your iPod. ***********David W. Wilkins says:What is the difference between MP3 downloads and ITune downloads? Can they both go on an Ipod Classic? Thanks. ********The biggest difference is that most music on iTunes (and most other download services) has activation DRM on it. You don't own what you're "buying".You're MUCH better off buying MP3s from Amazon's music store, which doesn't have DRM. (Note that Amazon's video store DOES have DRM). Or of course the best choice is buying a CD, which has no DRM, and the highest audio quality, and can be easily ripped at... » Read More ***********David W. Wilkins says:What is the difference between MP3 downloads and ITune downloads? Can they both go on an Ipod Classic? Thanks. ********The biggest difference is that most music on iTunes (and most other download services) has activation DRM on it. You don't own what you're "buying".You're MUCH better off buying MP3s from Amazon's music store, which doesn't have DRM. (Note that Amazon's video store DOES have DRM). Or of course the best choice is buying a CD, which has no DRM, and the highest audio quality, and can be easily ripped at any bit rate or format you want for your iPod. « Show Less
1522996
i had the 4gb zen and i loved it so much, i sold it to get a bigger capcity. this is a very cool player and for the price, you cant go wrong. as far as the sd card goes, it is kept seperate from the internal library, which is good and bad. i personally like them to be intergrated, but sounds like you want to keep them separate, which is good for you. its like having two separate libraries! for example, i put over 800 songs on the Zen and i had a 2gb sd card ( only $15 on amazon) which i was able to put almost 200 songs and around 8 tv shows. so if i wanted to watch an episode of say, House, i select sd card on the menu and voila! now all the content i stored on my sd card appears. but if your playing music from the internal library and select "sd card" the music will stop and now your in the sd card library. pretty easy and straight foward player. i havent used the Unbox service, i just used Slysoft software called Clone Dvd Mobile to convert my own dvds to generic avi? i forget, but you have to select 320x240 res. or it wont work. that is the max resolution the zen can take. but its very sharp and clear and everything worked fine for me on the zen. but i can imagine if you press too many buttons at once, it could result in the player freezing up and i have done it before. not on this Zen, but on my old ZVM and ZV. so i learned to just be patient when dealing with any pmp or dap. hope this answers your question. ps: you might want to contact Amazon about the Unbox service and the ZEN. i read it was compatible.
1802003
I highly recommend any of the Sansa Clips; I have the Clip and the Zip. I also recommend getting the RockBox firmware to replace the system that comes with them because of all the enhancements that RockBox gives you, such as better sound (yes, the highly rated sound of these devices can be improved), an incredible amount of additional features and tweaks, and the apps and games that come with it -- I can play chess on this thing! Awesome!
639063
Hi there,i'd like to buy a new 8GB mp3, but, i'm confused between the new ipod nano and zune. people say that the 3rd gen nano has a great battery life now, but, i'm discouraged from transferring my music files to itunes and changing the format (i've been using windows media. so, they're mostly in .wma)Is it true that Zune's software is crippled?being an experienced useer, would you recommend zune or nano? =)thanks a bunch!!
2276554
I first bought a Coby -- incompatible with Overdrive. My only experience is with Sansa -- check BestBuy online; there was a good deal on 4 GB last month. It took me over 6 months to discover how to put Overdrive books into the Book section, rather than Music -- so, I am sticking with the Sansa Clip Zip.
309556
I am buying the creative W. From looking at a competitor's website, it appears the the archos has less choices for download possibilities. In other words, the creative W has more choices. I am buying for the image viewing and mp3, but I want the capability of watching videos in the future
2048204
If I had to pick one, it'll be the D2 because of sound quality and how the SD card integrates into the library. Checkout "anythingbutipod" website for reviews on wide variety of MP3 players.
2018062
i don't recommed this player at all. when it plays mp3 cds it dosen't complete it programing or normal cd's. you just throwing you money away. the company sells defects. that's why i'm very angery about this player. my best bet is going to ebay or amazon. if i was you. i buy brand name that you can trust. not some of brand name that you don.t know nothing about. try coby audio cd players. don't go some other department store. find it cheap on web site so you can save money. happy holidays and happy new year.
1519505
Cowon uses Windows Explorer (or whatever operating system you have on your computer) to see the music you have (MP3's usually) and you just drag and drop them to and from the player. Simple and effective. That is one of the major reasons why I chose a Cowon (quite apart from the music quality being 10 times better than iPods!). No stupid, pain-in-the-rear iTunes!!!! Any other questions, please let me know.
1041509
If you TRULY do not care about video I would go with the Cowon iAUDIO 9. You can get the 16 GB for about $150. I have the 8 GB iAUDIO 9, and it is a great player. The sound is amazing, it is small (smaller than a 5th gen iPod Nano), simple easy to use interface, it even have a place to attach a lanyard so I can wear it when I workout. It is prone to finger prints so get a UV screen protector to help with that.But if you think you might want video (or need 32 GB) then go with the Cowon S9, the 16 GB model is about $170 and the 32 GB for $220.
1651111
Well, I couldn't get my money refunded through Amazon, so I returned the broken Zen Micro to Creative. They had the nerve to send me a refurbished Zen V Plus instead of repairing the Micro. I've now filed a complaint with the BBB. Meanwhile I bought a Sansa e250. It doesn't have bookmarking, but so far I'm very happy with it. Of course, it's only been a few days. There's been no reason to reset it or remove the battery or go looking for solutions to strange problems, all of which I had to do within a few days of receiving my original Zen V.
1114291
I use the Creative software, some people don't like it, but it gets the job done and its very simple. You can also just drag and drop your music files into the Zen's hard drive, or you can use Windows Media Player or Media Monkey to both manage your music library and transfer the songs to your player.
896677
Folders are nice but take some time a get a 32Gb or 64 Gb card for the Zen. Then you can build folders if you want too or you can just place your music in position that you want. The Zen is a tremendous entertainment tool and will bring many hours of pleasure. Above all, do not limit yourself to possibilities. Happy Listening. Gramps.
1548208
i just bought one at best buy the other day. it's the iriver one. i have't used it yet and won't, because i bought it for my boyfried. but the sales associate at best buy told me that is the only one this mp3 is compatible with.
1880182
I gotta say that I know quite a bit about mp3 players and I have no idea what those extensions mean. The player is the YP_P2. Anything else is just manufacturers jargon. JA_ means 4GB whereas JC_ means 8GB. The letter after that is the color. Unlike the Sony Walkman series, Samsung doesn't have like five players that differ by one or two features. If you see a P2 and the price is right, just go for it. I would be surprised if XEU meant something different. Also did you have any questions on which one you should buy? :)