Creative Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra 30 GB MP3 Player

When I first started looking for a portable jukebox, I--like everybody else--was drooling for an iPod. Then I did my research, and here's why I decided on the Zen Jukebox Xtra: (1) the iPod battery is not user-replaceable, you have to pay $60 for a two-year Apple plan in order to get it replaced, and you have to send the unit back to them to get it replaced (evidently it starts losing its charge about six months into ownership); (2) huge storage space--I have my entire CD collection on it plus a whole bunch of downloaded tracks at high quality and I've still only used half the space; (3) sound quality is fabulous, especially if you spring for a decent pair of headphones. As far as durability goes, granted I haven't passed the dreaded 90-day-warranty mark, but it goes with me trail-running daily (because of other reviews I've read, I hold it in my hand over rough spots so it doesn't get jostled too much) and in the car on long drives a few times a week. I've also dropped it from a...Read more

It's passed the 6 month test, no problems w/ it, no shutdown of hard drive. Fingers crossed it can pass the 8 month test...I'm sorry about the horror stories, maybe I just got lucky w/ a functioning Jukebox. I'm pretty active w/ it, jogging, weightlifting, painting w/ it on, even dropped it once or twice, but still works. Course, I don't throw it around or treat it like a stupid little walkman, it *is* a computer and should be treated as such.

I have never tried the Ipod, so I can't compare the sound, interface, ect. All I can say, is that this product is a Godsend at 220 bucks. If you are a finnicky listener like me, and you can't stomach listening to the radio because you have to change the station every other song, if not turn off the radio completely, because you are so freaking sick of stupid music passed off as, well, music, then a product like this is mandatory in your life. You need to have the ability to only listen to what you want to listen to. I have a playlist of...Read more

I waited a full year before writing a review of my Creative Labs Zen Nomad 30GB Xtra, because some products work well for the first 6 months and then break down once its too late to return. Well, after 12 months, I can say this has been a great purchase, with no regrets. I listen to it everyday going to/from work on the train, with no major performance issues. With 30GBs of storage space, I have 4000 songs loaded and use the extra space to store files I need at work. Another plus is that it plays both WMA and MP3 file formats, so I can play all the songs from my CD library, as well as downloaded songs, without having to convert them. The unit itself is not as graceful/compact as an Ipod, but when you consider a 20GB Ipod costs around $300, whereas a 30GB Nomad costs around $225, I think you get more for you money. Plus, you're not forced to download tunes from Ipod's Itunes store at 99 cents/song.

Regarding usage, I use the included Nomad MediaSource Organizer on my PC...Read more