Creative Zen Neeon 5GB Review
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Comparisons
| Specifications | Creative Zen Neeon 5GB | Olympus m:robe MR-100 5GB | Creative Zen Micro 6GB | Apple iPod Mini 6GB |
| Picture |  |
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 |
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| Dimensions (inches) (mm) |
3.15 x 1.85 x 0.63 79.9 x 46.9 x 15.9 |
3.5 x 2 x 0.6 90 x 52 x 14.9 |
3.3 x 2 x 0.7 84 x 51 x 19 |
3.6 x 2 x 0.5 93 x 51 x 14 |
| Weight | 75g/2.6oz | 100g/3.5oz | 108g/3.8oz | 102g/3.6oz |
| Capacity | 5GB | 5GB | 6GB | 6GB |
| Battery Life | 18hrs | 12hrs | 12hrs | 18hrs |
| Battery Type | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion | Lithium Ion |
| removable? | No | No | Yes | No |
| Frequency Response | 20Hz - 20kHz | No info | 20Hz - 20kHz | 20Hz - 20kHz |
| Signal/Noise Ratio | up to 90dB | No info | up to 98dB | No info |
| FM Tuner | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| FM Transmit | No | No | No | No |
| Recording | FM/Voice/Line-In | No | FM/Voice | No |
| Realtime Encoding | Yes, IMA ADPCM, MP3 up to 160kbps | No | No | No |
| Connectivity | USB1.1/2.0 | USB1.1/2.0 | USB1.1/2.0 | FireWire 400, USB2.0 |
| Remote Control | No | No | Yes (Asian version) | No |
| LCD | 1.1" (diag) | 1.7" (diag) | 1.4" (diag) | 1.5" (diag) |
| Colour? | Mono, 7 colour backlight | Mono, Red | Mono | Mono |
| Specifications | Creative Zen Neeon 5GB | Olympus m:robe MR-100 5GB | Creative Zen Micro 6GB | Apple iPod Mini 6GB |
| OS Support | Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP | Windows 2000/XP | Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP | Mac OS X, Windows 2000/XP |
| Formats | MP3, WMA, WAV | MP3, WMA | MP3, WMA, WAV | AAC, MP3, AU, AIFF, Apple lossless, WAV |
| Upgradeable firmware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Audio effects | 4 EQ presets, 1 5-band custom EQ | 16 EQ presets | 8 EQ presets, 1 5-band custom EQ | 20 EQ presets |
| Can use as external HDD? | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Price (USD) | S$329 (approx US$199) | $180 | $250 | $249 |
Summary
| What's good | - Smallest & lightest player around - Many possibilities of personalisation with 10 brush-metal coloured backplates, 7 backlight colours and a variety of Stik-On skins - Really a mass storage class device (unlike "partition" system of Zen Micro) - A much improved FM tuner - Voice, FM and line-in recording at up to 160kbps MP3 - Sounds good, comes with 5-band custom EQ - Amazing battery life - Good quality bundled earphones - Reasonably priced |
| What's bad | - Small 4-line LCD screen - Non-removable battery - Music screen does not show Artist and Album info - Slow scrolling through songs & FM tuning - Slow startup time - Creative Sync Manager software takes three times longer to transfer music than Windows Explorer - No AC adapter included - Track Detection mode could be improved |
Conclusion
Creative is making a big deal about the Stik-On skins. However, iPod users will know that this isn't a new concept. There are stickers for the iPod, iPod mini, and even the iPod Shuffle! In fact, HP even has it's HP Tattoos, which let you print your own stickers for the iPod! What Creative is doing, however, is provide a solid base in terms of the variety of stickers. So instead of relying on third-party companies for supplies, which might be limited, Creative kicks off with a bunch of designs, and possibly let third-party companies carry on from there. Who knows, we might see printable Stik-Ons soon.
On the whole, it seems as if Creative has taken a step backwards. The Zen Neeon has no touchpad, no removable battery, no colour screen, and to top it off, has a very, very small screen that can display only 4 lines of text. Browsing your music collection 3 lines at a time is a serious pain in the butt. What's more, the scrolling is very slow.
On the music playback screen, only the track title is displayed. If you want to know the artist or the album, you're out of luck. On a 5GB player, this is very bad, since that's really a lot of music.
However, as Creative kept emphasising, the Zen Neeon is targeted at a large segment of the market that appreciates an MP3 player that looks cool, fashionable and is easy to use. For the user who wants more functions in a player, there's always the Zen Micro. The aim of the Zen Neeon is simplicity and ease of use. It is for the user who chooses looks over function. And in this area, Creative has succeeded. While I thought the Olympus m:robe MR-100 was the smallest player, the Zen Neeon makes the MR-100 look big. Think of the Zen Neeon as a Zen Micro after a diet.
With an FM tuner, FM and voice recording, as well as realtime line-in recording, the Zen Neeon does pack a punch in a really small package. With so many possiblities of personalisation, each Zen Neeon will be unique in it's own way. And with the various Stik-On skins, your Zen Neeon can be changed to match your clothes or mood.
I did an informal survey by asking a few ladies what they thought of the Zen Neeon, and whether they would choose it over a Zen Micro or iPod mini. The general answer was "yes". Some liked the Stik-On designs, while some loved the small size.
Digital audio players are becoming a lifestyle product. As with fashion accessories, whether you decide to buy a Zen Neeon is a simple matter of whether you like how it looks. And with so many different Stik-On skins available, there will surely be a design you like. If you can forgive the small screen and clunky scroll, you might want to consider the Zen Neeon.
The Zen Neeon gets 8 out of 10 stars.
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