Creative Zen V 2gb reviewed - can it hold up against the Nano?

It's easy to overlook other DAPs when Apple keep insisting on refreshing the iPod range every twenty-three minutes, but they're there alright, jumping up and down, waving their arms, screaming until their little voices are horse about their added features.  Jenn at Pocketables took pity on one of them, the 2gb Creative Zen V, and decided to put it through its paces.  Did it succeed in making her forget about fruity market-leaders?  Read on to find out...

 

The Zen tested is a pretty basic model, lacking video support and coming with a relatively bland set of accessories.  While Jenn was impressed by the sound quality, the OLED screen was a let-down and the six hour charge time via the supplied USB cable frighteningly poor, especially given that Creative have saved a few dollars by not including an AC adaptor. 

Likely to be a surprise to anybody picking up the Zen is that the green circle is not, in fact, a scroll-wheel but... just a green circle.  Navigation is done by the trackpoint-like joystick in the middle.  The whole unit also looks a little plump to me, but maybe I'm just picky.  Anyway, hit the link for Jenn's full review and see whether you should send your hard-earned dollars in a direction other than Cupertino.

Review: Creative Zen V [Pocketables]