Creative Labs Zen Nomad Jukebox (Creative Jukebox Zen 20 GB)

Member Name: congee

Product:	Creative Jukebox Zen 20 GB
Date:	20/11/04 (270 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: simplicity, sound quality

Disadvantages: none

I bought two Jukeboxes last Christmas from Amazon, for myself and my son. They were then £199 for the 30Gb model. It came with (rather smart) leather case, rechargeable battery which gives about 14 hours continuous play, USB cable and disc for the programme which you use to load the player with tunes - or data, if you wish.

The sound quality is astonishing - and I am assured it is rather better than the iPod. The function buttons and the menu scrolling is simplicity itself. Playlists can be created, there is a "shuffle" feature so that you can listen to any of the thousands of tracks randomly, and many other features.

A simple lead, bought at any electronic store for about £10, can be plugged into your hi-fi, if you wish to listen to it that way. A cassette adaptor can be bought also for about £10 so that you can listen through a car cassette player. To recharge the battery, just plug the machine into the mains with the lead provided. You can, of course, run it on the mains too.

We love our machines. Yes, they are less pretty than the iPod. However, since they look rather like an old-fashioned cassette player, they are much more discreet and less likely to attract a thief's attention. The leather case is a great plus.

Drawbacks? My son's crashed soon after purchase, but we sent it back to Creative and they immediately replaced it. Mine has a curious habit of turning itself on sometimes. Otherwise, it is a sheer joy, and I wouldn't trade it for an iPod, that's for sure.

I see they are now even cheaper, so they really are great value

Summary: