The Neeon has traditionally been targeted at the Asia market. The Singapore-based company also must think we are a conservative lot, seeing that it has kept the same basic scroll wheel since the Zen Nomad. So what's new? Lots of things. Least of which includes a new video playback feature for the Neeon 2 and a healthy dose of Creative's patented graphics user interface (GUI).

Design
Based on the Zen Neeon, the Zen Neeon 2 is the second update to Creative's Neeon line since its debut in November 2005. Unlike the first Neeon which used a 5GB hard drive, the Zen Neeon 2 utilizes flash memory as a storage option. It comes in three flavors: 1GB (S$179), 2GB (S$239) and 4GB (S$319). By using flash, the Neeon 2 maintains a waifish 50g weightage and a svelte 81 x 42 x 12.5mm figure. The new form factor also makes the Zen Neeon 2 very slick; the metal backing and sloping lines on the front plastic face give it a lifestyle feel that's missing from the first Neeon.

	Compared to the nano.

The former also used a monochrome display. In keeping up with the times, its successor now employs a 1.5-inch color screen. The display has a maximum resolution of 128 x 128 pixels and we like that fact that despite the small screen size, Creative has added a thumbnail feature for images (JPEG only).

The Zen Neeon 2 boasts the same GUI as the Creative Zen V Plus. Clean and bright, there are four selectable color themes (white, green, pink, blue) and the GUI delivers an "almost" intuitive experience. It's "almost", because while it features contextual menu functions (sub-menus relevant to a highlighted function), it still retains the older jog-wheel used in the Creative Nomad players which favor right-handers.

	It's obvious whose thinner.

How you enjoy the Neeon 2 user experience depends very much on how comfortable you are with the scroll wheel. While most MP3 players these days choose to rely on a five-way joypad, the scroll wheel offers a two dimensional navigational experience. This effectively slows down navigation speed, but Creative inserts an option to "escape" back to the main menu in the sub-menus as recompense.

The Neeon 2 retains our gripe about not having equalizer controls tied to the music contextual sub-menu, which requires the user to navigate out to the main menu in order to tweak his music. It also lacks the keyword search feature that is present in the Zen Vision:M and Zen V Plus.

Button tactile response is good on the Neeon 2 and the unit feels sturdy in terms of construction. Oddly, though, Creative bundled in a pouch that can easily hold two Neeon 2s side-by-side. It's too big. We would have preferred a more form-fitting carrying solution. For sticker lovers, a free Stik-On is included in the package to start you off on your Stik-On collection.

Features
Besides video playback support, the Neeon 2 supports voice/line-in recording and FM radio. While there is no on-the-go playlist creation feature, the bookmark function serves as an adequate compromise. But the user will have to rewind to the beginning of the song in order to bookmark the entire tune itself.

	Controls on all sides.

Like the Zen V Plus, there's support only for a proprietary video format, which translates to more hassle; the user will have to use the provided video converter software to reconvert clips. Though the Neeon 2 supports the common AVI container, it's using a rather obscure video format (RGB565) which is not likely to reside on anyone's computer. So conversion is a must.

Note that there will be slight letterboxing during playback, effectively making it a 128 x 96-pixel video. The converter software will also resize videos to accommodate this display size.

The Zen Neeon 2 sports eight preset and one user-defined five-band equalizer. Creative has also included a bass boost feature for true-blue headbangers. There is adequate support for the more popular audio codecs (MP3, WMA, WAV), though only one picture format is supported (JPEG). We noticed in picture viewing mode, there is no option to magnify.

There're also four color themes to select from for the Neeon 2's GUI. For recording bitrates, the Neeon 2 is good up to only 128kbps, and while it's selectable for line-in, there's an undetermined setting for the microphone.

Performance
The FM autoscan feature performed well in our test location (high-rise building in the central business district); it captured all the major radio stations, though reception was scratchy for some.

	Speakers to boost performance.

The transfer speed for the Zen Neeon 2 was average. Using 240MB of assorted MP3 files, we found that at 1.23MB per second, it pipped the Creative Zen V Plus (1.21MB per second), though it still fell behind speedier players like the Sony E005 (2.6MB per second). We also timed how long it took to convert and transfer two MPEG-4 files into the Neeon 2. The result: A rather slow 0.26MB per second.

We tested the Neeon 2's picture display quality by using a 1,600 x 1,200-pixel image and discovered that it would cramp the picture to fit its display limitation. Do note that in order to fit the image onto a 128 x 128 pixel display, the final picture may look a little cramped with visible jagged lines.

We auditioned the Neeon 2 with Diana Krall's You Are Getting to be a Habit with Me. Trebles and mids were well-rounded and, on Massive Attack's Angel, bass was decidedly resounding as is the wont of Creative MP3 players.

For a 1.5-inch screen, it was pointless to compare video quality since there would undoubtedly be quality issues due to the compression required. Since there are few videos designated for a 1:1 display resolution, in order to properly display our 4:3 and 16:9 videos, the Neeon 2 had to resort to significant letterboxing which resulted in an even smaller image.

Audio playback time was above average. Using 240MB of assort MP3 files, the Zen Neeon 2 managed 23 hours 40 minutes.