Creative Labs NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX 30 GB MP3 Player

I bought the Nomad Zen NX fully expecting to return it and buy an iPod. I was having a discussion about the two players with a friend and he suggested that I buy the Zen NX. At $200 less than the iPod, I was skeptical but bought it knowing that if I didn't like it, I could always return it. I have to say that he was right! The Nomad Zen NX boasts incredible sound quality (remarkably better that the iPod), a replaceable lithium-ion battery and a stylish look, though not as sleek as the iPod. The sizes and weights of the two are quite comparable.

However, I do have a few reservations... I don't like that all the controls are on the sides. There are none on the face of the player. This makes it especially difficult to navigate with one hand.

The scroller/button is a nice navigation tool, but you have to press it dead-on to be able to select the items you are shooting for.

The bundled software is a pain to deal with especially if you are dealing with a huge MP3 library that you...Read more

This is my first mp3 player purchase. I had toyed around with an iPod at an electronics store and was almost sold on it. It was just so cool. But after thinking things over I decided it wasn't worth the price. So I started looking into the Zen. I was close to buying it when the Zen NX was announced, so I held out for it. I am sure glad I did! I was able to buy it for less than $300, but even for that it's an incredible deal. 30GB, incredible sound (according to professional reviewers it has the best sound of any mp3 player, including the iPod), well-designed navigation, and cool EAX features. Unlike some people, I didn't have any problem at all with the software it comes with. However, I had ripped all my software beforehand with other programs, so my ID3 tags and everything were all set. I only used Creative's program to upload them to my Zen. My only complaint with the player is the scroll wheel is a little hard to click. While the screen is small, it's sharp and easy...Read more

I am quite tech-savvy and spent hours researching which player to buy. In the end, my two choices were the iPod and the Nomad Jukebox Zen NX (30GB). Size- and weight-wise the two players are almost identical. Capacity-wise, both give you varied options. Price-wise, however, Apple just makes absolutely no sense. For $$$$ less, I bought the Nomad and boy am I pleased! The player is OUTSTANDING -- superior sound, great capacity, sleak design, light, nice faux-leather cover, and an exchangeable battery, which is key! The only downsides were: 1) The earphones that come with the player are crap, but for under $$$ you can buy great ones from any top brand, and 2) the software.

The Creative MediaSource performs well in basic uploading of files to your player, but it does a terrible job with maintaining tag information. Since I have a huge library, that means either manually editing hundreds of tags or ditching the software completely. I'm going with plan B!

Besides that, however,...Read more