Im lookin for a new portable unit.
I still have a neo jukebox 2, although the batter life really sux, it still does its job and plays mp3s. which is all that i want it to do.
I really want to get a new unit, but all of them seem to have their own flaws. None seem to stand out.
IPOD's flaw is its price if you ask me. FM is a must for me now. I was also looking at this edigital odessy player http://www.edigital-store.com/odyssey1000.html , but have also heard some bad reviews.
any thoughts?

brian

How much disk capacity is enough for you?

The Creative Zen looks really nice, and gets good reviews www.creative.com FM will be possible with the remote.

If you can wait 3-4 months, Rio will be bringing out the Pearl. Looks pretty nice, and developed by the Empeg guys so software etc should be flawless. I'm in the same boat as you - get an iPOD etc now, or wait for Pearl. I'm waiting for Pearl!!! Not sure about FM on this though.

Although most of those reviews are probably by the same crowd that give every Creative product good reviews. I haven't played with one, so maybe I'm wrong, but I've pretty much given up on ever buying a Creative product again.

I'm waiting for the Pearl too.

Yes, its very hard to get an independent and unbiased review these days. Maybe an Empegger has a Zen and can give a quick review. I think most have iPODs though.

Yeah, I agree. While that 60gig ZEN looks good, I'm also holding out for the Pearl. Rob promised it will be a real iPod killer.

I have a Zen that I was planning to upgrade to 80GB, but with the current file count limitations, that doesn't make sense. If I had heard about the problem before purchase, I wouldn't have bought it.
I'm hoping Creative can & will release a firmware update that increases the ID tag database storage like the new 60GB unit must have.
Aside from that, the Zen is no Empeg (of course). But it's nice, and portable enough for the gym.
I also have an Archos Jukebox 6000 upgraded to 40GB. The Rockbox software really makes these MUCH nicer.

ive an ipod and my roommate has a 20 gig zen.
it seems to be pretty nice, easy access of songs. hes kinda messy though so theres not any playlists made. and not many of his songs are labeled correctly. but... it is fairly easy to search through songs and albums. it does auto create them (playlists, that is) from the id3 tags. the jog dial doesnt seem to accelerate so it can be a pain going from the top of a list to the bottom.
the creative EAX dsp modes are fun to listen to (hall, theatre, bathroom, live, opera and others) but the equalizer leaves alot for the wanting. its got your standard presets and a custom mode. only like six or seven (iirc) bars and no way further customization than your standard up and down. (ive now compared it to empeg. of course it wont satisfy me equalizer wise) it can serve as a portable hdd, which is nice, but cant everything these days?
it supports recording through a wired mic, not sure if its included or not, never used it.
umm... not much else off the top of my head.
over all... ipod is smaller and weighs less, is much prettier and has a coo jog dial on the front.
nomad is little heavier, kinda confusing interface at first, has cool sound distortions and i think is cheaper.

both, imo, are overrated. but id pick the ipod over the zen.

Won't the database size be dependent on RAM? It may not be possible to increase it with firmware.

What hard drives will Pearl use? Its too small to use laptop drives so will upgrades be expensive/hard?

Won't the database size be dependent on RAM?

There is some uncertainty on this issue, at least on the forums I visit. AFAIK no Creative employee has definitively answered this as of now. As far as Creative is concerned there is no problem, because they didn't market the Zen to be user storage-upgradeable. A lot of us early purchasers are hoping the problem can be resolved in software, but no one is sure.
The Ipod and (I think) Perl use 1.8" HDD vs 2.5". I haven't heard of anyone who has upgraded the disk in an Ipod. I suspect it's a quantum leap more difficult than the Empeg or Zen. And there's little to be gained in doing an upgrade, since 30GB is the biggest 1.8" HDD model IIRC.

I think rob posted that the pearl uses a smaller than the 1.8" drive the ipod uses

It's certainly a different form factor 1.8" drive than the one in the iPod.

Rob

You're thinking of what at some points has been refered to as "slicky" which uses the tiny new hard drives. It is really a tiny player when you see it in person, but from the rumors it's going to be expensive for a a lot less of the storage space of a Pearl/iPod.

Matthew

As far as Creative is concerned there is no problem, because they didn't market the Zen to be user storage-upgradeable. A lot of us early purchasers are hoping the problem can be resolved in software, but no one is sure.

I'd guess that Creative's fix will be for you to buy the Zen Gold!

Rob; I have a question about the Pearl (if you can disclose that information).

Will the HD capacity be comparable, less or larger than the capacity of the (new) iPod?

Rob, is the design of Pearl finalised? Is the colour scheme still "1970's orange" buttons?

I believe Rob once said that the chosen colour on the prototype was probably not going to make it in the final product.

Of course, it's possible that they've decided otherwise by now.

I just saw an ad in a music magazine a couple of weeks ago that a friend had (I believe it was some kind of Metal magazine) and the pearl had blue buttons and was "coming soon" and price was "TBD". It looked very slick and tiny compared to the ear buds that it was sitting next to. There was no orange on any of the buttons.

You don't happen to have a scan of it, do you?

Two HDD capacities will be offered, both larger than the equivalent new iPod capacity. The larger capacity is a third larger than the maximum iPod capacity right now.

The colour scheme uses blue buttons. There's no orange anywhere

Rob

I want I want I want I want ! Seriously, if its competitively priced, I'll grab one.

The larger capacity is a third larger than the maximum iPod capacity right now.

That's great! Thanks for the info Rob !

<<kicking self>> I knew I should have scanned it when I saw it.... I'll see if the guy can bring back the ad and I'll report back.

There is a picture of a Pearl in this months Playboy magazine. I dont remember if it had orange or blue buttons. See, I read the articles too.

Since it has been hawked in so many magazines it probably won't hurt to post this image.

Rob

Nice! Still on for a UK August launch? Maybe?

In our dreams me thinks,.... It is May & the US ain't got it yet..... D'oh

Hey Rob, a few players officially sourced through empeg (UK) for the UK masssive / faithfull isn't a possibility is it? (crosses fingers and retires to wait for the inevitable)

Looks dope! Much better than the model with orange buttons and segmented display. I think I must buy one.

I have no idea about European sales. DNNA haven't formulated their European strategy yet (or at least haven't announced it).

Rob