Creative Labs Zen Micro Interactive Review [Archive]

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Jason Dunn

01-04-2005, 11:45 PM

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=10795&nav=1' target='_blank'>http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=10795&nav=1</a><br /><br /></div>In November, I was given a Creative Labs Zen Micro. At the time, it was flashed with a somewhat unstable ROM, so I didn't want to write a review that was unfair to the product. I've continued to use it anyway though, and with the latest ROM update, it seems to be quite stable. Rather than a traditional review, I figured I'd do it Q&A style instead: if you have specific questions you'd like answered about the Zen Micro, ask 'em, and I'll answer. Let's go! :-D<br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/zenmicro-quicklook.jpg" />

Gary Sheynkman

01-04-2005, 11:49 PM

Does it have line-in recording?

if so....at what bit-rate

Zack Mahdavi

01-04-2005, 11:54 PM

Can you describe the sync process? Is it seamless, or does it require a lot of user intervention? Do DRM-protected songs transfer and play seamlessly between computer and zen?

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 12:11 AM

Can you describe the sync process? Is it seamless, or does it require a lot of user intervention? Do DRM-protected songs transfer and play seamlessly between computer and zen?

Proir to the latest firmware update, you needed to install the Creative Labs software, and do the sync through that. Cumbersome, ugly. With the latest firmware update, it has MTP support, which means any PC with WMP10 installed can sync/move data to and from it. When it's connected you have an icon in My Computer that lets you drag/drop files to it easily. It also connects in WMP10, and gives you the ability to sync manually or using auto-playlists like a Portable Media Center can do. It's quite slick, although there are still a lot of issues with how the sync works. You can tell it that you only want 5 star tracks synced, only certain artists, etc. Most of my issues related to the Napster integration - it tries to sync stream files and other crazy things.

PlaysForSure is SUPPOSED to include Janus support, but I've been unable to sync my Napster subscription tracks, so that part is broken - they mention in the text on the site that DRM subscription support is "coming soon".

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 12:17 AM

Does it have line-in recording?

Nope. It does have a voice recorder through an internal microphone, but there's no line in support.

Video11

01-05-2005, 12:30 AM

How are you finding the battery life?

There are reports in several Creative Forums stating that the Zen Micro is not achieving the fully advertised 12 hours of battery life. I got my Zen Micro in mid-December and while I have not really done a full blown test of my batteries (I got one of the special editions that came with an extra battery) I seem to be getting 8 - 9 hours of playback. Not bad, and that might improve when I stop playing around with it, loading and unloading music, building playlists, looking at the cool blue light etc.

Video11

01-05-2005, 12:34 AM

Oh, and with 10 colours to choose from, which did you get?

I really wanted the orange, but the only one I could get my hands on was silver. And I only got that one by getting friendly with the local Best Buy and finding out when the stock was arriving.

Phoenix

01-05-2005, 01:38 AM

I read what you wrote above about the sync process... so in other words, a person can just use WMP10 only, to rip, encode, manage, and sync music to the Zen? There's no need for additional software beyond WMP10?

Would you say that ripping, encoding, managing, and syncing is just as easy to do with WMP10 (or whatever software you're primarily using) as it is with iTunes? Do you like using it just as much as iTunes? (I haven't upgraded to WMP10 yet and I've been using iTunes, so I'm curious about this).

Do you get good performance out of the FM radio?

What format and bitrate do you encode in/at in WMP10 that you feel gives you the best balance between sound quality and file size? And based on that, how many songs could you fit on the Zen's 5GB HDD?

How would you rate the sound quality/performance output of the Micro compared to the Ipod/Ipod Mini?

Do they have any plans that you're aware of, to put a larger HDD in the Zen Micro? I like the looks and feature set of the Micro better than their larger DMPs, but I'd like to see more along the lines of 15-20GB microdrives in the Micro. Of course, this will depend on how microdrive technology is progressing, but if Toshiba has anything to do with it, maybe it won't be too long now - Toshiba developed what they call their perpendicular bit technology (which I'm sure you're probably already aware of) for their microdrives that are supposed to allow for 20GB capacities on only one platter (40GB on two) in their 1.8" drives. I just didn't know if you've heard anything more about this technology finding its way into DMPs or when it might be available.

I do have to say, the Micros look really nice.

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 02:32 AM

I seem to be getting 8 - 9 hours of playback. Not bad, and that might improve when I stop playing around with it, loading and unloading music, building playlists, looking at the cool blue light etc.

Yeah, I haven't gotten 12 hours yet myself either, but I haven't done any hardcore tests either. I'll try a hardcore test tonight to see how it fares. I have a strong feeling 12 hours of battery life is tested with 32 kbps MP3 files and the volume on "1". :roll:

Fitch

01-05-2005, 03:33 AM

I'm having a hard time getting it's size. Can you photograph it next to it's iPod competitors? How about next to a pencil or a US Quarter?

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 04:13 AM

I read what you wrote above about the sync process... so in other words, a person can just use WMP10 only, to rip, encode, manage, and sync music to the Zen? There's no need for additional software beyond WMP10?

If you have the Zen Micro with the latest firmware, yes. Unfortunately I had to load the Creative software up just to flash it. Then I system restored back to before I installed the Creative software. :twisted:

Would you say that ripping, encoding, managing, and syncing is just as easy to do with WMP10 (or whatever software you're primarily using) as it is with iTunes? Do you like using it just as much as iTunes?

Well, I use WMP10 now, so for me it was very simple. As I mentioned, there are some quirks with the auto synching, but in terms of saying "Put this music on my device", it's brain-dead simple. I've only dabbled with iTunes - I think WMP10 is almost as easy, though I prefer some of the subtle differences that iTunes offers...but since I use WMA, iTunes isn't much of an option. ;-)

Do you get good performance out of the FM radio?

Until tonight I had never really tried it. :-) The interface was a bit confusing - it had 32 presets already programmed in, but they were mostly static. It was a bit confusing to get it into a simple "tuner" mode, but once there I was able to find my radio stations and they sound quite decent for FM radio. It's able to record radio, which is pretty cool. :-) It records the radio at 22khz and 177 kbps. Those seem like strange settings to me, but they must be optimized for radio recording.

What format and bitrate do you encode in/at in WMP10 that you feel gives you the best balance between sound quality and file size? And based on that, how many songs could you fit on the Zen's 5GB HDD?

I rip in 192 kbps WMA for my computer, and I don't re-rip for a mobile device - I just carry less music. So for me, I care only about audio quality - I have 512+ MB cards in SD and CF, and now a 5 GB player, so for me storage isn't much of an issue. I have about 12,000 songs though, so I don't even try to fit them all onto a media player. ;-) The 780 songs in my "Recent Albums" folder are 2.86 GB on my hard drive, so they all fit onto the Zen. You could certainly cram a LOT more onto it if you were using 64 kbps WMA, but I personally don't like the way they sound.

How would you rate the sound quality/performance output of the Micro compared to the Ipod/Ipod Mini?

No clue - I've only ever fiddled with an iPod before. No one I know has one, so I have almost no exposure to them.

Do they have any plans that you're aware of, to put a larger HDD in the Zen Micro?...Toshiba developed what they call their perpendicular bit technology (which I'm sure you're probably already aware of) for their microdrives that are supposed to allow for 20GB capacities on only one platter (40GB on two) in their 1.8" drives.

Players this size use 1" drives, so I think it will be at least two years until we see 15-20 GB hard drives in players this small. The 5 GB Seagate drives are only a few months old, and they're the biggest 1" drives around right now, so I think you're in for a very long wait. ;-)

I should also note that I really like the UI on the Zen Micro - believe it or not, I've never owned an MP3 player before. 80 I've always used my Pocket PCs for mobile audio, so I'm coming into this with zero bias about how media players "should" work - and the Zen Micro succeeds on almost all counts. It was very easy to start using - very intuitive.

One thing I don't like about the Zen is that I don't think it's maximum volume is loud enough - don't get me wrong, on max it's louder than I'd normally listen to it at, but to me the max setting should be painfully loud just in case you're in a noisy environment and need that extra volume. Then again, I've been playing bass for 13 years so maybe I'm half deaf. :lol: I normally listen to it set on 20 out of 25.

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 04:14 AM

Oh, and with 10 colours to choose from, which did you get?

I have the silver. Since it was given to me, I didn't have any choice, but I like the way this one looks. ;-)

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 04:21 AM

mcsouth

01-05-2005, 04:28 AM

What are the controls like? The central "bar" is a scroll bar, right? Does the scrolling speed change as you move your finger on that bar? How easy/comfortable is it to search through your music on the device? Oh, and can you create your own playlists on the device itself, or does that need to be done in WMP, and then synced over? Or for that matter, do WMP playlists sync over?

Like you, I have primarily relied on my PPC as my mobile music player, but have finally given up on that - I just never seem to have enough room to keep all of the music I want at my fingertips. I purchased a Creative Muvo TX FM 256MB recently just to try out a dedicated music player, but it just whetted my appetite - now I want something bigger! So far, the new iRiver HD10 player is looking nice, but since shipping dates don't appear to have been announced yet, I'm not sure how long a wait that will be......

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 04:33 AM

A few other random thoughts:

- I pulses blue when charging. It's totally sweet. :-D
- Boot up time is about 3 seconds
- Shut down time is about 5 seconds
- Screen is crisp and clear, decent in strong sunlight
- It has a button lock, which is handy to have when carrying it in your pocket
- The touch buttons are sensitive, but not overly so. It has three settings
- Five band custom EQ or you can chose from six or so presets
- SmartSound is, I think, audio normalization
- You can configure between 128 MB and 1 GB of storage space to be partitioned off for data storage
- USB 2.0 doesn't seem very fast when you're filling up 4.7 GB...there's definitely some overhead that slows things down

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 04:48 AM

What are the controls like? The central "bar" is a scroll bar, right? Does the scrolling speed change as you move your finger on that bar? How easy/comfortable is it to search through your music on the device? Oh, and can you create your own playlists on the device itself, or does that need to be done in WMP, and then synced over? Or for that matter, do WMP playlists sync over?

1) The controls take a bit of getting used to, and now and then I make mistakes with them, but overall I'd say they're quite good. The selection speeds up/slows down depending on how fast you scroll. I find it quite comfortable, even a bit "fun" to use - likely because I'm so used to the boring touch screens on Pocket PCs. ;-)

2) You can create playlists on the device, and it also syncs over playlists from WMP. You can add songs to the playlists, not sure if you can delete songs from them (likely). There's also a DJ mode where you can have a featured album of the day, etc. Pretty cool. :-D

Gary Sheynkman

01-05-2005, 06:55 AM

How would you rate the sound quality/performance output of the Micro compared to the Ipod/Ipod Mini?

I think I can help you out with this one...

Unless the quality is notably bad (which is getting rare these days) the sound quality will depend on what phones you are listening through. Personally, I love the Shure earphone and although I find their E5c model (the one I tested) a bit on the expensive side, the E3c model sounds great as well. Also, Etymotic and various other high-end manufacturers probably produce at least one model that will fit your bill and ear. I cannot stress the importance of good phones enough; and although I do not reccomend going the uber-audiophile route of getting a portable headphone amplifier, I do reccommed that you look around for some decent cans.

:wink:

Lee Yuan Sheng

01-05-2005, 12:41 PM

Coolness! Time to check with my friends in Creative for a demo for the Micro..

hoffm11

01-05-2005, 02:08 PM

I would highly recommend that anyone getting a mp3 player, check out www.redchairsoftware.com. I have a Creative Nomad Zen Xtra and this software is very easy to manage and nice. It comes with a SQL engine so you can query your music and also a built in web server.

Check it out for yourself.

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 05:24 PM

Here's how I tested the battery: I loaded a single 256 knps MP3 onto the Zen Micro and set it to loop. I set the volume at 20 out of 25, which is what I listen to it at. I plugged in DJ-style headphones and inserted a microphone so it was touching the inside of the headphones, then used Sound Forge 6.0 to record a WAV file of the resulting playback from the headphones. The result?

9 hours 29 minutes 20 seconds of audio playback until the Zen Micro died. If we assume that a 256 kbps MP3 takes more decoding power than, say a 64 kbps WMA, and assuming a lower volume, I can see where they'd get 12 hours from.

I was a little surprised at the results - it "felt" like I was getting maybe 6-7 hours of playback from a single charge, but looks like my feelings were wrong.

When I return from CES I'll see if I can do some further benchmarking. I'm curious to know if file format has an impact on battery life.

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 05:27 PM

One other thing I don't like about the Zen Micro: the battery indicator isn't very granular - it only has three stepping points, which isn't detailed enough for my liking. What's worse is that they don't even tell you the exact battery life in the system infomation screen, which is the perfect place for it. All in all, a minor complaint, but coming from the mobile devices world where I think about battery life a lot, I would like the Zen Micro to show me greater battery details.

Schade

01-05-2005, 06:58 PM

Can you explain what you meant by 'auto-sync', or did you mean 'syncing auto-playlists'?

Can you change any of the meta-info on the unit itself? (Like the star ratings, that would be really nice, imo.) And if you can, will that new info be updated on the host computer?

Can you use it with WMP10 on two different computers? Home and work for example.

sub_tex

01-05-2005, 07:28 PM

- You can configure between 128 MB and 1 GB of storage space to be partitioned off for data storage

So the whole device isn't a plug and play hard drive? That sucks. I was hoping for a small 5 gig drive that could be used as an mp3 player.

Do you need sofware to add/remove tracks or are you just using WMP10 for the auto sycnhing features?

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 10:25 PM

Can you explain what you meant by 'auto-sync', or did you mean 'syncing auto-playlists'?

Windows Media Player 10 has the ability to automatically sync content to supported devices based on user-defined criteria: "star" ratings, new playlists, new music purchased, music that hasn't been listed to in a long time, etc. You also have the ability to set up rules and created customized sync rules.

Can you change any of the meta-info on the unit itself? (Like the star ratings, that would be really nice, imo.) And if you can, will that new info be updated on the host computer?

No, I haven't seen how to do that. Changing data is very difficult on a device with no keyboard and no touch screen. ;-)

Can you use it with WMP10 on two different computers? Home and work for example.

It can only have the "autosync" partnership with one computer, but you can move data to and from it manually of course.

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 10:28 PM

So the whole device isn't a plug and play hard drive? That sucks. I was hoping for a small 5 gig drive that could be used as an mp3 player.

I think it might be for computers that don't have WMP10 installed, in which case it shows up as a removable drive. I'm not sure, since I can't test this because every computer I have has WMP10 installed. I can access it and put all sorts of files into the DATA folder very easily.

Do you need sofware to add/remove tracks or are you just using WMP10 for the auto sycnhing features?

Without WMP10, yes, you need the Creative software. With WMP10 installed, you can access it like a hard drive and simply drag and drop music to/from it.

MyquiH

01-05-2005, 10:38 PM

Hi Jason,

1) Can you enter ratings for each track on the device a-la iPod (rate it as it's playing)?

2) Will the device charge while it is synching? I had, for a short while, a Dell Pocket DJ and it was not only slow to synch, but while synching it would not charge at the same time, so synching would almost always drain your battery completely! Really bad design there...

3) I've heard the big drawback to the Zen series is that the slider touchpad is horribly sensitive and make precision scrolling nearly impossible. Is that still the case, or have they adjusted it?

Thanks!
Mike

Jason Dunn

01-05-2005, 10:45 PM

Can you enter ratings for each track on the device a-la iPod (rate it as it's playing)?

No, you can't.

Will the device charge while it is synching? I had, for a short while, a Dell Pocket DJ...

Yes, absolutely - it charges via the USB port. I've fully charged it several times this way, though it's not as fast as a real AC charge.

I've heard the big drawback to the Zen series is that the slider touchpad is horribly sensitive and make precision scrolling nearly impossible. Is that still the case, or have they adjusted it?

Well, as I mentioned in an earlier response, it took me a minute to get the hang of using it, and now in general I find it ok. Sometimes I'll make a mistake, but I find the touchpad a decent solution. There are three sensitivity levels as well, so if you're heavy-handed you can make it less sensitive and more force is required to use it.

Jason Eaton

01-05-2005, 11:35 PM

I'm having a hard time getting it's size. Can you photograph it next to it's iPod competitors? How about next to a pencil or a US Quarter?

I have neither a US quarter or a pencil here, nor any iPods (you guys must think I have every gizmo ever made) but I photographed it on top of a DVD case and next to a pen (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/zenmicro-comparison.JPG), so that should give you some sense of scale. It's pretty little. :-)

While not the ideal side by side shot;

Click for iPod mini on DVD case with pen (http://webpages.charter.net/john_smith/ipod_mini.jpg)

The thickness is just about equal to the thickness of the pen. Hope that helps you get a sense of size, Fitch. :D

Phoenix

01-07-2005, 11:52 AM

Do they have any plans that you're aware of, to put a larger HDD in the Zen Micro?...Toshiba developed what they call their perpendicular bit technology (which I'm sure you're probably already aware of) for their microdrives that are supposed to allow for 20GB capacities on only one platter (40GB on two) in their 1.8" drives.

Players this size use 1" drives, so I think it will be at least two years until we see 15-20 GB hard drives in players this small. The 5 GB Seagate drives are only a few months old, and they're the biggest 1" drives around right now, so I think you're in for a very long wait. ;-)...

Oh, I see. 1" drives. With players like the Zen Micro and the Ipod Mini, that makes sense. It's just the larger players like the Ipod and so on that have the 1.8" drives I'm talking about. So yes, we'll certainly be waiting awhile for the higher capacities I'm talking about with the 1" drives.

Phoenix

01-07-2005, 12:02 PM

Fitch

01-10-2005, 11:34 PM

I'm having a hard time getting it's size. Can you photograph it next to it's iPod competitors? How about next to a pencil or a US Quarter?

I have neither a US quarter or a pencil here, nor any iPods (you guys must think I have every gizmo ever made) but I photographed it on top of a DVD case and next to a pen (http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/zenmicro-comparison.JPG), so that should give you some sense of scale. It's pretty little. :-)
The thickness is just about equal to the thickness of the pen. Hope that helps you get a sense of size, Fitch. :DThanks! How did you get the same pen? :D

Jason Eaton

01-11-2005, 02:10 PM

Thanks! How did you get the same pen? :D

Wha?!? You don't work for supplies and ordering do you? :? :wink:

The pen 'happened' to find its way home from work. It is a uni-ball vision.

The model in question is the 'fine' version and in this instance uses a green ink. Made by Sanford this extra ordinary pen is quiet capable as a writing instrument and is able to accurately reproduce a solid line that is only limited to the abilites of its user.

With a 'see-thru' window embedded into the side owners are able to guage the amount of ink left in the unit. This is a great feature when you are away from a work station allowing you to estimate how much writting potential is left in the device. Lower priced models in the Sanford line use only a two step ink indicatory of either has ink or not.

One complaint with the Uni-ball vision is that the ink cartridge is not user replacable. While it would be possible to ship the pen out for that type of service I expect the makers are hoping you simply go out and buy a new pen.

While this pen is of good quality for the price, I think readers would be better off saving a few more pennies and 'upgrading' to a Cross Ion (http://www.staples.com/Catalog/Browse/skuset.asp?PageType=2&SkuSetID=982423&bcFlag=True&bcSCatId=1&bcSCatName=Office+Supplies&bcCatId=11&bcCatName=Writing+Supplies&bcDeptId=1408&bcDeptName=Fine+Writing+Instruments&bcClassId=140439&bcClassName=A%2ET%2E+Cross). A smaller, more compact, version with user replaceable ink cartridge, expanding and collapsing writing tip, and lanyard style cap. However like many companies developing their own standards buying this device will lock you into buying their own house brand of ink cartridges.

Some in the community hope that the government will soon step into the ring and punish this practice through anti-monopoly laws, while yet others signal the companies 'future-loss' in the writting implements market due to its closed practices, and even a third group who like the Cross pen lines see no wrong in the companies endeavors.

I for one believe, however, one should look at a product and let it stand on its merits for fufilling a role and delivering the best value for the dollar spent.

gettinbranded

01-11-2005, 08:20 PM

http://images.apple.com/ipodshuffle/images/specstop20050111.jpg

$99
$149

Jason Dunn

01-14-2005, 06:23 AM

The iPod Shuffle is a totally different type of player - the Micro has a screen and 5x more space. ;-)

crynyd

01-18-2005, 04:39 PM

Now that I've registered just to ask a question...

Is playback on the Zen Micro gapless?

Jason Dunn

01-19-2005, 12:39 AM

Now that I've registered just to ask a question...Is playback on the Zen Micro gapless?

Dang, I guess I'd better answer this one then. ;-) I guess it depends what you mean by gapless - it has no cross-fading, but in the tests I just did, immediately after the song ends the next one starts - less than one second later the next one starts. To me, that's gapless...but I don't have any live material handy where the tracks flow into one another to test out perfectly gapless playback.

Hope that helps a bit!

crynyd

01-19-2005, 01:28 AM

Yeah, that sounds good enough. I guess I'd only be really concerned with it while playing live shows, but if there's no gap or a very very small gap I should be okay. Crossfading's not my gig, anyway.

Thanks for your help!

Jason Dunn

01-19-2005, 03:39 AM

Glad I could help, and welcome to our community. Ask more questions. :-D

Jason Dunn

02-03-2005, 05:03 PM

Zen Micro Pet Peeve: deleting files via direct manipulation (My Computer) takes WAAAAY too long. We're talking 15+ seconds to delete a folder with 10 songs in it. What the hell is it doing? :?

saleen7

02-17-2005, 01:13 AM

I was looking into the Zen Micro, it seems to be just what I was looking for, but I had a few questions.
Right now I use a portable CD player with a car kit in my car.
Will I be able to use the Zen Micro in my car, like with a tape adapter? What about charging, if I got the proper cigarette lighter charger, would I be able to charge it in my car like I do my cell phone?? And about the battery, it sounds like you get pretty good battery life, but do you have any idea how many charges you get out of a battery before it totally dies out on you?
Thanks for your help :D
Catherine

Jason Dunn

02-28-2005, 11:13 PM

Will I be able to use the Zen Micro in my car, like with a tape adapter? What about charging, if I got the proper cigarette lighter charger, would I be able to charge it in my car like I do my cell phone?? And about the battery, it sounds like you get pretty good battery life, but do you have any idea how many charges you get out of a battery before it totally dies out on you?

The answer to all of your questions is "sure, if you have the right hardware". The audio jack on the Zen Micro is standard, so if you have a cassette adaptor that works with another MP3 player, it will work with the Zen. As for a car power adaptor, I haven't seen one, but I'm sure they exist somewhere out there. And for the battery life, I'm not sure of the cycle - probably in the 200-300 range, but it's removable and replaceable, so there's no concern about getting stuck with an audio player that can't keep a charge. Hope this helps a bit!

josh007

03-21-2005, 12:13 AM

My question is, is the Zen micro compatible with REalPlayer?? If it is, is there any special firmware i need to install to get it to work with it??? :)

Jason Dunn

03-21-2005, 03:59 AM

My question is, is the Zen micro compatible with REalPlayer?? If it is, is there any special firmware i need to install to get it to work with it??? :)

If you're asking whether or not the Zen Micro can play RA (Real Audio) files, the answer is no. I did a quick Google search and I couldn't find any portable audio players that work with RA files...maybe they're out there, but they're pretty obscure if they are. :-)

josh007

03-22-2005, 01:12 AM

Okay, since the zen micro is not compatible with real audio files, I want to know if it is compatible with .rax files from realplayers music store. I went to a link that followed me through to a page that showed all of the compatible players that work with the realplayer music store, it said that it is compatible!! But, im still skeptical because it wont play real audio files, I am also still skeptical because i have read some reviews that says it will work with real player, and some that say it will not work with realplayer!!!

Thanks
I hope this question gets answered as quickly as my previous question :D

Jason Dunn

03-22-2005, 01:23 AM

Okay, since the zen micro is not compatible with real audio files, I want to know if it is compatible with .rax files from realplayers music store.

Looking at the Zen Micro specs page:

http://www.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=10795&nav=1

"Plays MP3, WMA, WAV files"

That's it - I don't see any mention of support for RA or RAX. You're sure the Real Audio service doesn't transcode the file into an MP3 or something? Can you point me to the page that shows what players are compatible?

josh007

03-22-2005, 02:02 AM

Here is the realplayer site that shows compatible devices!!! Hope it helps!!! also... i have read on realplayers on-line tech support that yes "music store ready"(which is next to all of the devices) means that realplayer is compatible with the device!!

http://music.guide.real.com/musicstoredevices

(gosh im so confused on which music sites are compatible with the zen micro)

Thanks!!!

Jason Dunn

03-22-2005, 02:55 AM

You're right, according to their compatibility charts, the Zen Micro is indeed compatible...even though I can find no shred of evidence on the Creative page, or anywhere else, that it will work.

Have you considered using another music store, something that uses WMA? Something that will for sure be compatible with the Creative Zen Micro?

josh007

03-22-2005, 03:00 AM

I don't know any other music stores that support wma than napster!!! And, I don't want to use napster because it charges 15 bucks a month just to rent there music!!!

So, Jason... since you are so smart at this stuff, could you give me sum mp3 websites that support wma???

Thanks!!!

Jason Dunn

03-22-2005, 04:06 AM

Here are all of Microsoft partner stores:

http://www.playsforsure.com/AdvancedSearchResults.aspx?searchtype=BrowseStores&cat=StoreTypePanel&index=9

ale_ers

03-23-2005, 07:27 PM

I don't know any other music stores that support wma than napster!!! And, I don't want to use napster because it charges 15 bucks a month just to rent there music!!!

Thanks!!!

That is not true, you can buy a song for $0.99 from Napster just like with any other music store and you will own that song. You can tranfer it, burn it or just listen to it, just like with real or iTunes.

The $15 a month Napster to go is just another plan that they offer, which by the way works great with the micro. If you have a Micro I suggest you try the 15 day Trial of Napster to go. You will have to remember to cancel it when the time is up, but then again you may not want to. It is truly nice to have access to all that music for only the price of one CD.

josh007

03-24-2005, 02:42 AM

Yes, I know that napster to go is an awesome thing!!! $15 dollars a month for unlimited acces to over a millions songs, yes very good deal indeed!!

but, they screw you over by not allowing you to keep the songs once you stop subscribing!!! And they will not even let you burn for free with napster-to-go! S0, basically u r going to have to pay $15 dollars a month forever if you want to keep your music!! Well... unless you do the winamp hack thing which will allow you to convert the format and save it to your harddrive, or something like that!!! But, that sounds to tricky to me!!!

I think im gonna go with music match... most cd's are $8.50-$10.00 so, thats a pretty good deal to if you ask me!!! I just don't know what firmware i need if any to get my zen micro to work with it(i don't have one yet... im just trying to find out all this stuff before hand) Any ideas??[/list]

josh007

03-26-2005, 02:24 AM

Im having a little bit of a dilemma!!! My dilemma is, i can't decide on which mp3 player to get. Either the zen micro or rio carbon!!! Both seem like great little players!!! Could i plz get some suggestions??? Also, plz don't give me the old "get an ipod mini instead" response, because i just dont want one!

Maybe you could do a comprehensive comparison of the two players, that would be great!!

Jason Dunn

03-26-2005, 06:42 AM

I think I've helped about all I can - get a Zen Micro, it rocks. :D

josh007

03-29-2005, 03:11 AM

Okay, this is B.S. I sent an email to musicmatch asking them about if the zen micro is compatible with it(i was just checking cuz i was almost positive is was cuz they both support wma) listen to this, they send me an e-mail back saying they do not support it!!! What kind of crap is this!!! Grrrrr.... it infuriates me!!! :evil:

Jason Dunn

03-29-2005, 06:48 PM

I think they have out of date information: the Zen Micro, with the latest firmware update, makes it a PlaysForSure device that should work...but ultimately it's your call if you want to risk buying something that the vendor says won't work with it.

Lee Yuan Sheng

04-01-2005, 05:48 AM

Jason, having used one for some time, has the touch strip bothered you? For me it was extremely fiddly and kept on thinking I was issuing a tap command instead of a scroll command!

Jason Dunn

04-01-2005, 06:22 PM

Jason, having used one for some time, has the touch strip bothered you? For me it was extremely fiddly and kept on thinking I was issuing a tap command instead of a scroll command!

Nope, I got used to it in about five minutes. With any new type of interface, there's an adaptation period - most people give up too soon. There's also a sensitivity level that you can change if you're more heavy-handed.

josh007

04-03-2005, 03:02 AM

Jason, having used one for some time, has the touch strip bothered you? For me it was extremely fiddly and kept on thinking I was issuing a tap command instead of a scroll command!

hmmm... this is the main reason i cant decide whether to get a zen micro or not. half the pple from reviews i have read say that the touchpad is hard to use... and the other half say you get used to it after a few minutes? :roll: I guess ive got a 50% chance of being able to use the touch pad with no probs!! :D

crazy890

04-08-2005, 07:03 PM

JennWin

04-14-2005, 11:20 AM

I really love my Creative micro eventhough I could only get it in black, the touchpad is really not that bad and you get used to it pretty quick and I turned the touch pad sensitivity down to its lowest setting so it is really not a problem for me (and I am heavy handed). I take it to them gym and it has never skipped while I am running and even in my car w/ a radio transmitter. I love using WMP but it comes with its own software that is really cool to use to. I love it and I think it is a good choice for anyone

Jason Dunn

04-14-2005, 05:16 PM

Thanks for chiming in JennWin - hope you'll stick around. :-)

Shinryuu

04-21-2005, 08:26 AM

If you guys have anymore Zen Micro questions or want to ask Zen Micro users any questions, come down to www.nomadness.net forums and look for the Zen Micro link. We have one person from creative and one person who's the #1 poster in Creative's support forums. Most of us are friendly people, some people may be mean only if you own an iPod and want to bash on us. So no creative bashing, we don't care if you go to iPod or any other company like iRiver. We just provide facts and known issues.

Or just go here to get there.
http://www.nomadness.net/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewforum&f=29

BTW, You don't need to register, although it would be better, just don't abuse the guest privileges. :)

Anyway...
I just came on this forums after reading some reviews about some stuff. Then I looked on the Zen Micro and see that it's only a forum of people asking questions about it. I'll help some of you guys out too if you have any questions. I own my micro for about 1 month and learned a lot from www.nomadness.net and Creative' support forums.

For firmware updates, there are two different ones. All I know is that the latest 1.X gives support for Creative's software, like Mediasource and Nomad Explorer. 2.X gives support for "Playsforsure". I'm not a "Playsforsure" person, but check some sites out that supports it, email them, contact them, anything before you try. WMP10 works on both firmwares but I do not like the syncing and the interface of WMP10. Even though it's simple for most users I rather use Creative's software. I don't care about ease of use as long as it works.

The reason why the touchpad is so hard to get use to is because it is set at high sensitivity at default. This is why everyone hates it in the beginning, but you have to give yourself some time to get use to it. You have to try manage to at least set the sensitivity to low, some people still complained that low still feels high. I believe that once you are expose to the touch and it's high sensitivity everything is sensitive. It took me while to get use to the optical mouses because they were way too sensitive but it took awhile to adjust to it. How long did it take for me to get use to my Micro? About 5-10 minutes. Everything is pretty much touch and not press. Taps of the finger will control your Micro. And sliding it up and down will control the scrolling. If you slide your finger to the far top or bottom you can do a continous scroll, some people have a hard time doing this. I don't, but the problem with these LCD screens and fast scroll is I can't see a thing when scrolling. But it doesn't bother me that much.

The Sound quality is great. People say that it's better than the iPod, and some say it's the same. The Micro gives you a 5-band customizable EQ and 8 presets. I use Acoustic now instead of the 5-band because I can't seem to get clarity with my own settings. It's probably just me because everytime I use a EQ, I tend to up the bass and treble very high which then causes distortion in music. I heard that iPod doesn't give you a customizable EQ but it gives like lots of preset ones. And if you want better sound, get new headphones or earphones. It's really hard to enjoy the music without better ones. So don't start complaining about sound quality is bad, check your headphones first. And make sure they are good quality ones.

Some interesting things about the micro. That thing is so small, but not as small as the Rio Carbon. In my opinion, it looks better than an iPod mini. But the problem with the micro's color is that only the front is colored. And the back and side is just white. Which is bad for me, so only two colors matches the micro, Silver or White. Black and White maybe but the other colors are just weird. If the Micro was one whole color then things would change. Still if you don't care about the white outside and the colored front, then go for it. Most of the time you'll be using a case anyway to protect your micro so mainly the front will be displayed a lot. How small is the micro? You can fit in an Altoids tin, which most of us at Nomadness made as a custom case. We also bought some silicon skins online, like ebay, boxwave, and flexiskins. If possible you can use various cell phone cup holders that are a little large in it's width and it might fit the micro, you should test this out. There are digital camera cases that the micro can fit into. You can even use those baseball, basketball, magic the gathering, pokemon or whatever Plastic card sleeves and it works as a thing plastic case.

Known problems with the micro. So far I have not gotten a serious problem with my micro. It has froze on me once only because the software I was using froze on my computer. All I had to do was remove the battery for away and replace it. It resetted the micro and everything was back to normal. There are known cases of battery drain issue, headphone jack problem, connection problem, and firmware problems. I'm not sure what the iPod mini is suffering from, you have to check for yourself.

I know that iPod also suffers from headphone jack which looks much worse than how the Micro suffers from. I've seen a picture on how the iPod would break into pieces. So far the Micro's problem is that it just gets loose. Headphone jack problems just tells you that you should provide absolute care to your players. Do not treat it like crap or else it'll stay that way.

The battery drain issue is a problem that creative is currently fixing right now. The problem is that the Micro is on standby for 24 hours. Standby helps restore your micro back to the track you were last playing at the time you shut it off. It takes about 3-5 seconds to get there while a cold boot takes about 10-15 seconds. Problem is that the standby drains the battery so you might loose some battery life even with the micro. Some people solved this by removing the battery. But Creative will make a firmware to reduce the standby to 4 hours. As for my battery life, it doesn't bother me that much, I don't mind charging my micro regularly.

Firmware problems and other software programs probably occured from misuse of firmware flashing, faulty player, or faulty USB cable. This is a small percentage though.

I think that's all for now. You can ask any questions and I'll help you answer it if I have time. You can also ask in www.nomadness.net. I like the community there.

Jason Dunn

04-21-2005, 04:53 PM

The battery drain issue is a problem that creative is currently fixing right now. The problem is that the Micro is on standby for 24 hours. Standby helps restore your micro back to the track you were last playing at the time you shut it off. It takes about 3-5 seconds to get there while a cold boot takes about 10-15 seconds. Problem is that the standby drains the battery so you might loose some battery life even with the micro. Some people solved this by removing the battery. But Creative will make a firmware to reduce the standby to 4 hours. As for my battery life, it doesn't bother me that much, I don't mind charging my micro regularly.

That's very interesting! I wondered about how it was able to resume the last track so quickly, but also why the battery kept draining even when it was off. Very interesting - thanks for sharing!