Creative Labs Zen Mozaic EZ300 4 GB MP3 Player (Black)

This is the 3rd creative player I have owned. All of them have been excellent. I really like the mosiac the best. The sofware sets up a logical order so I can find stuff like set up the equlizer,turn on speaker ,etc I will say that it did take me while to learn how to navigate the menu options. The speaker is an added bonus. I rarely listen to music mostly audio books. The sound can be addjusted so I can hear the spoken word clearly. I have poor hearing as a result of listening to music to loud when I was younger. Just a word to the younger folks out there. One final thought all of the players Zen nano plus,ZenV plusand the mosiac 300 do freeze up. I just reset the player it always rebulds and goes to where it left off this is annoying nothing more. When I look back to transister radios i listened to when I was a kid this device is a miracle. Jim C PS I would not continus buying creative if I didnot like the product. I did buy a sansa once e140 did not like it

How I use it: Music and podcasts, often while drifting off to sleep in the dark. Never use video. Occasionally use FM radio.

Other players I've owned: Several Creative MuVos, a 2gb Creative Zen (similar to the Mozaic, but a conventional navigation wheel), an I-River I hated so much I can't recall the model, a Sansa Clip I liked a lot and still use.

Thoughts after six months of everyday use: Absolutely no operational problems. Good battery life, my computer sees it every time I plug it in (see below), doesn't need any special software to move files onto it (I use old reliable Total Commander). Menus and navigation are a little counter-intuitive at first, but I figured it out after a day or two. Construction seems solid. Display is big and bright. Haven't noticed any firmware bugs, meaning it doesn't go haywire at random times, as some of my players have. The built in speaker is pretty bad.

If you listen to podcasts or audiobooks, the...Read more

The unit shut itself off automatically while I was at the beach. The unit was in a beach bag. Thought it failed but after I got home it worked. Battery was fully charged so I knew it wasn't that. Few days later, left the unit in the console of my car. When I came out after work and tried to turn it on. It wouldn't. After I got home, it worked. The only common factor, temperature but in neither case was the unit in the sun. The unit was warm to the touch but not hot. On another occasion the same thing happened when I left it in the car. On a whim, I turned on the air conditioning and held the unit near the vent for less than a minute. It worked again! Obviously, there is a very temperature sensitive component.

Returned the first unit for another one thinking there was a manufacturing defect. The second unit does the same thing. Doesn't always work at the beach; doesn't always work in the car. What good is it? Previously had a Zen V Plus. Never had a...Read more