Creative Zen Micro 5GB vs. Apple iPod Mini 4GB
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Apple iPod Mini
Navigation System
Navigation is what you would expect from Apple: straightforward, and simple.
There are two kinds of "off" state. One is like the "suspend" function of the computer, and another is the "real", completely off. In the so-called "suspend" mode, pressing any button, switching off "hold", or plugging in earphones will switch on the player immediately. When the iPod is completely off, you have to press and hold the "Select" button for a few seconds.
Once it is switched on, you will see the main menu.
Select "Music" and you can view your music by Artist, Album, Song title, Genres, even Composer.
Selecting "Albums", for example, lists your music by the album title. Selecting the album will list the songs for that album.
I deliberately chose a Chinese album so you can take a look at the way the iPod Mini renders non-English text, which we shall compare with the Zen Micro later.
Selecting a song will play it, and you will see the "Now Playing" screen. The "Now Playing" option will also now be visible in the main menu.
Pressing the "Select" button will cycle between track seeking, rate track, and back to track progress.
Now we go to the "Extras" menu.
Selecting "Clock" shows the current date & time. You can also set a sleep timer or alarm.
Contacts and Calendar allow you to import your present data from software like Microsoft Outlook. Notes allows you to copy any text file (like an eBook) to the iPod.
One of the little things that I like about the iPod Mini: the games.
Music Quiz randomly selects a song, plays a short clip, and gives you five choices to choose from. As the clip plays, the score drops, and the choices start to drop one by one. This can really test how well you know your own music collection.
Sure, the games aren't that great, and you probably have more colourful, interactive games on your mobile phone. But playing Solitaire on the iPod Mini is a great excuse to hold it in my hand to show it off.
Moving on to the "Settings" menu.
Selecting "About" shows information about the iPod Mini.
Selecting "Main Menu" allows you to customise the look of the main menu, by turning on or off functions.
And "EQ" lets you choose from 20 EQ presets. No custom EQ here.
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