Customer Rating: 
Summary: Great little player!
Comment: This is the third Creative Zen that I have purchased over the past few years. I have one for the car, one for workouts at the gym, and one I use during yard work. They have enough memory to store almost 500 songs at 64 kbps, and the quality of playback is plenty good enough for my "getting on old" ears. I can say for sure that I would not have bought a second player of this type and manufacture much less a third if I was not sure they were able to deliver as advertised, convenient, and long lasting. I know that the manufacturer has followed latest trends to upsize their flash memory in their newer model MP3 players, but the 1-2 GB size is about right for the use I put my three to. I hope there will still be some around in the future when and if I look to replace mine. Here are what I see as their best characteristics, not necessarily in any particular order:
- they use triple A batteries for playback of 12-15 hours, so no added expense to buy a charger or finding myself out of reach of an AC charger - just change the battery out "on the fly" and keep the tunes a coming.
- they are small and take up almost no room - carry easily in shirt pocket
- they are quite durable when kept in their soft outer shell which clips to the armband
- they are cost efficient for the sound they deliver, and not costly to replace if they do break - which hasn't yet happened to mine (oldest is now 3 years)
- are less likely to be stolen because thieves target the larger, more versatile, and more popular players manufactured by Apple
- they store more than enough music so that one does not become quickly bored with the playlist
- FM stations come thru with quality sound
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great for the price
Comment: I received this MP3 player as a gift two years ago and it still works great! I bought my fiance a different brand for Christmas and it was too confusing to even figure out how to download music so I returned it and bought him the same exact one that I have!
Customer Rating:
Summary: Few complaints for this economic MP3 player
Comment: I purchased my Zen Nano over a year ago from an overstock-type site for around 35 dollars. I can't recall exactly but it may have been an open-box return, which might explain the only problem I have had with it (see below). Having tried other zen players, an old Muvo flash-drive player, and after sampling several different ipods, I have found this to be the best option, as well as the cheapest.
The functionality is something unrivaled in most players I've tried. It includes line-in recording so that you don't actually need a computer to load it. An FM tuner, with admittedly limited reception, works in a pinch if I need to walk to the store in the middle of a football game. It has a small microphone that is useful for note-taking, though not much else.
These lesser functions are somewhat basic but do not detract from its main function of music playback, which works excellently. The sound quality is every bit as good as any player I've tried, as long as you are willing to pay out for some more expensive earbuds(sony EX51s are nice but break relatively quickly) than the ones included, which are the same quality as the tinny pieces of junk you would get with an ipod.
The player's operating softare includes playlist organization, mp3 encoding (which I've never used), and even a basic equalizer with presets which helps when I change audio inputs from my over-bassed Koss Sparkplug earbuds to my home stereo. I should note that some have complained that there is no gapless playback on this player, which is true although I'm not even sure gapless playback is possible with Mp3s, as they don't usually contain that sort of information (I could be wrong).
The interface may provide some problems for those who are less familiar with computers like the elderly or perhaps those who simply don't have the dexterity for smallish buttons (for instance: the very very obese) but I found the interface perfectly comprehensible and transparent, including a faux-scroll wheel, an on/off/play/pause button, and two dedicated volume buttons.
The only problem I have found with the player, which may be because I did not buy it new, is that the battery case cover on mine broke fairly soon after I bought it, making it very easy for it to fall off in my pocket. This is not a huge problem, as it comes with a belt-clip plastic case I can put over it, preventing the battery from falling out. The downside is that it increases the size of the player by about a third, but this is minimal in my opinion as the player is already a little smaller than the average disposable cigarette lighter.
For what I paid for this player, I would still be happy with my purchase if it died completely tomorrow. It outlasted the more expensive earbuds I purchased for it, and if you are willing to pay the extra money it costs at Amazon, you can return it for a new one if it is DOA, as plenty of electronics are.
Customer Rating: 
Summary: My new best friend, but for how long?
Comment: I've had this about 2 weeks now, and I'm really happy with it. I was able to use all the advertised features within minutes of opening it up. I also downloaded all my music using the drag-and-drop feature which is a must-have if you don't want some proprietary software converting all your files and then deleting them (I've had this happen!) Most of the files I have are ripped from CD using software for the Zen Stone since I had some problems finding anything simple for the Zen Nano Plus. The radio is better than the one in my car, and recording both the radio and lectures is very straightforward.
There's only one minor problem with this player (for the price) and that's it's shoddy case. Don't get me wrong, it's the right size and heft, but within one day the plastic crevices were caked in dust and it looked like the two halves are trying their hardest to split apart. I might have to duck tape it together because I want this player to last me at least a couple years.
Customer Rating:
Summary: Great MP3 Player
Comment: I have had this MP3 player for well over a year and still love it. I have taken it boating, camping, shopping, bike riding, hiking, and it still works. I also have gotten it wet twice. I am rough on things, as you can see. I liked it so much, I bought one for my husband and daughter.
It has all the features more expensive MP3 players have, except bigger screen, but cost a lot less. My daughter likes the radio. I just like to take mine shopping so I can ignore all the "Mom, can I get...".My husband uses his at work, and enjoys having all his music. I would reccomend it. It is a great buy.
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