Apple may only just have added video playback capability to its Ipod, but Creative has been making portable video devices for some time. None, though, have been as small and attractive as the Zen Vision: M.
Available in five different colours (green, pink, blue, black and, of course, white), the Zen Vision: M is roughly the same size and shape as an Ipod, although Apple’s device is slightly slimmer.
Instead of a scroll wheel, the Vision: M uses a vertical touch pad to navigate through menus and media. It’s not as intuitive as the wheel approach and takes some getting used to. There are just four other buttons on the front of the device; Play/Pause, Options, Menu/Back and a useful user-assignable shortcut button.
Along the top edge you’ll find the power on/hold switch, along with a headphone socket. Underneath there’s another odd-looking port; clip the supplied dongle to this and you can connect the Vision: M to a PC via a USB cable, plug in the power adapter, or hook the device up to a TV or Hi-Fi to play back tunes and video. Unfortunately, the special cable required to do this isn’t included in the box.
On paper, the Vision: M is compatible with a wide selection of video formats, including WMV, MPEG, DivX and XviD. For some reason, however, the supplied software refused to support many of the video file types we had stored on our test PC. In addition, when we did manage to use the Video Convert tool to transfer something, the Zen told us that the file’s audio format wouldn’t work. All of which suggests that the video aspect of media players like these still needs some fine-tuning.
The Vision: M has a 30Gb hard disk, which can hold about 15,000 songs, or 120 minutes of video. The unit can also be used to store and display photos as well as synchronise with the contacts and calendar on your PC. Like the Ipod, the Zen can also act as a portable storage space, with a portion of the disk reserved for holding files.
It can also store and play music downloaded from Napster and others services that use DRM-encoded WMA files. It won’t play files downloaded from Itunes, however.
There are a number of things that distinguish the Vision: M from its competitors. Firstly, the device has a built-in FM radio. This might not be the most technologically advanced thing in the world, but it’s welcome, particularly since you can record straight from radio to disk.
he Vision: M also has a built-in microphone, useful for making voice notes or just digitally documenting tidbits of sounds while out and about.
Verdict 9/10
The supplied bud-style earphones are good, as is battery life, with between 12 and 14 hours of continuous music playback. The 2.5″ colour display, meanwhile, is very watchable. It’s both bright and sharp, and may just have the edge over the new Ipod’s screen.
www.creative.com/products/mp3/zenvisionm
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