Creative Zen Neeon (5GB)
It has good value for a 5GB capacity device and will definitely stand in good stead for users looking for a customizable, all-round MP3 player.
| The good | Good choice of Stik-On designs; low price for a 5GB player; small form factor. |
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| The bad | Indifferent hardware controls and menu interface. |
CNET Editors' Rating
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CNET Editors' rating
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Rating breakdown
We got to hand it to Creative, it's really good at popping new MP3 player models out of the woodwork. The Zen Neeon dazzles with an eye-catching array of reusable stickers for the faceplate and a low price point for a 5GB player. Unfortunately, it fails to wow us with its recycled menu interface.The MuVo Reborn?
Actually we don't really know. Seems to us that the product guys at Creative decided to mesh together the design of the Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra with the menu navigation of its MuVo MP3 players in a form factor that straddles both.
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The MP3 tiger or just a pussy? |
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At 79.9 x 46.9 x 15.9mm, the Zen Neeon is much smaller than the iPod mini and, with its metallic backplate, it feels at once both solid and compact at the same time. However, there is too much empty space beneath the display, which is quite a waste of real estate. The screen could have been enlarged from the current meager four-line display.
Hardware controls are sparse, to say the least, and includes a Play button that doubles as the Power On/Off on the right side, two volume controls, a Hold switch on the left, and three connectivity ports on the top; line-in, 3.5mm earphone jack and a mini-USB. It looks like Creative's morphed most of the MuVo's controls onto a 5GB player. The Zen Neeon also packs the usual suite of FM radio, line-in and FM recording.
Opening the Stik-On pack
To us, scrolling though 1GB worth of tracks in the MuVo V200 without a search function was already quite a pain in the thumb. Now that the same clickable scroll wheel has resurfaced on the 5GB Zen Neeon, we aren't exactly thrilled, either. The saving grace is that the Neeon supports a drag-and-drop interface as well as folder navigation which makes navigation a little more palatable. The Neeon also enables shuffle play within a folder which is a sweet addition.
Just Skin Deep?
We were spoilt for choice with Creative's initial offering of 16 different designs for the Zen Neeon. In the end, we went with the first Stik-On from the Funky series which features a cartoon of a red-haired gal amidst a lava glow background (always a hit with the guys). As we began plastering on the Stik-On, we realized that we had to bring our screen-protector-application skills into play (honed over many years with our PDAs). The thinness of the material made bubbles inevitable even though it ensures that the Stik-On is less liable to be ripped off by accident.
Creative mentioned the reusability of the Stik-Ons and we were eager to put this claim to the test. After 50 cycles of peeling and reapplying, the adhesive on the Stik-On still remained viable though we noticed, as is normal with most stickers, the corner which we used to pick at the Stik-On was getting frayed after the first 10 removals. It's an aesthetic issue, but nitpickers are bound to be irked by this.
Peel, massage and voila!
The Stik-Ons serves as both decorators and surface protectors, but what we found funny is that there is a hole left exposed on the Stik-On for the LCD display. Creative could have done better by using a transparent layer of plastic to protect the screen. The fact that there is a gap will also translate into accumulated grime along the edges over a period of usage.
It would also be ideal if Creative introduces a line of printable Stik-Ons for users to customize their own.
Last Thing: Does It Perform?
Rock , Jazz, Classical, Pop and a five-band equalizer are the sound enhancements on the Zen Neeon. We felt the presets to be a tad weak and would advise users to stick to the customizable equalizer.
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Fraying at the edges |
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In our test tracks, Diana Krall's They Can't Take That Away From Me had more presence in comparison with the iPod mini's rendition which had a bit of echo. In Garbage's Why Do You Love Me, the bass was empathic and in-your-face.
In our transfer times, the Neeon hit a high of 4.6MB per second with a 0.99MB file but slowed down to 2.7MB per second when trying to shift 240MB worth of assorted MP3 files.
Creative claims a battery life of 16 hours, but based on our test using assorted MP3 files encoded at 128kbps, the Neeon managed 15 hours and 29 minutes in our time trials.
Latest comments
Pros: Amazing sound quality, stylish enough, cheap (after 3,5 years ... :))
Cons: delay between song, small lcd
Summary: Amazing sound quality, frustating user interface
First, I buy this mp3 player because of its price :). After 3,5 years, finally, i could afford it for only $ 45. The most impressive is its sound quality. In my opinion, it's even better compare to ipod shuffle. Deep bass and crisp treble. With its 5 gb capacity, it seems frustating for searching one song from about 1300 songs.
Pros: cheap, easy to use, lots of features, reliable
Cons: a little slow at times, volume could be a bit louder
Summary: Great value player!
apart from the above listed, not much else to say. just a great value mp3 player, i've never had any troubles at all with mine :)
Pros: If it is working, the interface is ok.
Cons: Reliability and support leave a lot to be desired
Summary: Stay away from this one!
I purchased two Zen Neeon 5 gb units for my kids for Christmas 2005. One started actin real slow within a week, so my daughter took it back, got the cash, and bought an iPod. The other one worked for a while, then just froze. After a long battle with the support group (it seemed like their objective was to get you to try everything, even if it was a waste of time, instead of providing the information to return the unit). I finally got the opportunity to send it in along with $25.00. It came back in 10 days. We loaded a bunch of songs on it and it worked for 2 days. Now, it hangs when it starts up and the computer doesn't recognize it when it is plugged in, so there isn't anything we can do but send it back. Boy, that really makes me feel good. Hey, it's your money.
Pros: its okay quite small and its realli worth it for a 5 GB
Cons: scroll button(would get used to it) , when it comes to the next song mus wait for a few seconds
Summary: the ZEN neeon
on the whole i think that the ZEN neeon is a realli gd 5 MP3 player. Could have done more changes to it and more nice designs for the stick-ons.
Pros: Small, stylish, colorful backlight, drag-and-drop playlist, and funky stickers
Cons: Annoying scroll whell
Summary: You can be stylish and hip as long as you let your song go random play
This gadget can really go a long way. The battery life is decent enough to withstand the Manila rush hour. You can walk around and shop around with the small but funky player. One thing that makes this gadget annoying is the side scroll wheel. It will take ages for you to scroll to find a song and it takes a while to find the arrow to lead you back to your customized folders. Thank goodness for the sound of the Zen Neeon as this compensates for the slip-up with the wheel.
Pros: 5 GB, lasting battery, easy controls, customizable, great size, quick loads, good look
Cons: fingerprints, no "extra" features
Summary: Good Customizable MP3 Player
A great MP3 player overall, its design is great, great capacity, fully customizable look to fit your style, perfect sound, only bad thing i can think of is limited FM stations it can pick up, easy to see fingerprints, and doesnt come with a good case.
Pros: size(at time of purchase), capacity, extras ie. radio, microphone & price
Cons: controls, layout of menu, sound quality & software
Summary: could be better
lots to improve on here for creative if they want to compete with ipod, no decent accessories or software and annoying menu system means i will be buying an ipod next time around
Pros: Great sound quality, FM radio, Line-In recording, 7 interchangeable backlight colours
Cons: Loading times, Short battery life, black finish attracts fingerprints and scratches like a magnet
Summary: A good solid player with very few drawbacks
I have had this player since Christmas Day, and other then the 5-10 second loading times and afew scratches (which are unnoticeable whilst using a Creative 'Stik-On'), this player has done me good. This is great for the person who doesn't want to bust their budget but wants a feature packed MP3 player with a sence of style. With only a max of 16 hours of battery life on its lowest power settings (i.e. no backlight, .wav file) it is not ideal for long plane trips. For that, may I suggest the Sony NW-A1000/3000. Overall, the Zen Neeon was very well worth the $300AUD; much cheaper then most players we see today
Pros: Small, Long battery life, Features packed
Cons: Player hangs, delay in a few seconds when playing and small screen
Summary: A so-so Little unit
sorry but to add in one more con.. for a music lover with a vast music database, it will be very tedious to scroll through with the little wheel on the right. if you dont mind i say get this little unit but if you are quite a tech geek. find something else..
Pros: Size, battery life, quality build and awesome sound
Cons: If your not use to the scroller wheel, it will take some time getting use to it.
Summary: Awesome little unit
I have 3 MP3 players and this one certainly equals as the best one. The sound and volume beats my 20GB iPod as does the build quality. In my opinion, the build is solid enough to take to the gym. I really appreciate the size and weight of this little unit and the battery life so far is just over 19 hours on a single charge compared with about 7 hours on my iPod. Unfortunately, battery life wont beat my Sony as I get around 40 hours using a single AA battery. The handy thing with this unit is that you charge it via an ordinary USB 2.0 output. This makes is easy enough to charge in the office as well as back home. You get the additional AC-DC charger which i might consider later on. As it stands, and after only a week of playing with this unit, very very impressed. Ohh, upgrade the headphones as the ones supplied, like everyone else is average. I would recommend the Sony MDR-EX71.
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