Creative MuVo Vidz (1GB)

By Edvarcl Heng
Feb 3, 2006

The Creative MuVo Vidz is quite possibly the first MP3 player not designed in-house by the Singapore firm. Though Creative is keeping mum on its origins, we seriously suspect that it's a rebranding of the Sorell SF-3500 since the features, dimensions and even the weight of the Vidz mimics that of its Korean counterpart.

Design
The MuVo Vidz bears an entirely different form factor from the previous MuVos. It's more boxy at 32 x 66 x 15.7mm and it has an OLED screen compared with the older monochrome display. We felt the screen was plenty bright, though we were doubtful it could win over any video fans with its 1.18-inch display.

	Spot the difference?

The trademark rocker switch of the previous MuVos has been swapped in favor of a quad-directional joystick, which is better suited to the new menu. The joystick offers plenty of tactile feedback and is surprisingly easy to use despite its diminutive dimensions. Hardware controls also include Play, Record and Navigation buttons. These are arranged in a row on one side of the MuVo's body and though the buttons are well spaced out, it proved difficult to manipulate when the MuVo was sitting in a pocket.

The MuVo Vidz has the typical plastic façade of the MuVo series, but Creative may have tried to jazz up the design with a matt metallic plate overlay which proved rather scratch-proof. The curvy corners of the Vidz help to soften its hard corners and confer a little elegance. We also like the silver mirror finish bordering the display. Minute details, yes, but combined, these add a bit of style to what could otherwise become a bland looking MP3 player.

For content navigation, the MuVo Vidz's player menu follows a root directory-styled format, while a graphical interface is retained for the main functions. With such a tiny display, it's actually preferable a root directory view is employed; it makes things easier to read.

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