| When an excellent product comes out, like the iPod, | | | | though they are not as small and thin as the nano, they |
| there will always be the ones who follow with more | | | | are still small and thin enough to carry around your |
| advanced technology, improving upon the original | | | | neck. Most reviews say its sound quality is superb, |
| product. That is how technology moves up the rings of | | | | depending on the quality of ear buds, but customers |
| the ladder, with the development of additional superior | | | | who know Creative Labs recognize that they are |
| products, stepping on the backbones of previous ones. | | | | considered leaders in the industry for sound cards and |
| With this in mind, the one presently at the top of the | | | | digital sound devices (so why wouldn't the sound |
| ladder of success is Creative Labs' Zen Micro player, | | | | good?). A previous problem of the Zen Micro was its |
| the latest alternative technology in regard to digital | | | | issue with jack plugs breaking on the headset – |
| music players. | | | | which supposedly was taken care of about a year |
| Creative's Zen Micro has been designed with | | | | ago. The problem was not Creative Labs but the |
| ergonomics in mind, fitting into the palm of the hand | | | | customers, such as the stores, did not replace the |
| while placing the touch-sensitive control pad in direct | | | | defective merchandise on the shelves, keeping them |
| line with just one finger. The purpose of the digital | | | | and running them out. |
| player is to play music – not just look pretty. And | | | | The nano has a lot less features than the Zen Micro, |
| the Zen plays music, considered a work horse in | | | | such as having an FM radio which has the capability to |
| comparison to the iPod. It stores 2,500/3,000 songs in | | | | store 32 FM stations and record them on your |
| WMA or 1,250/1,500 in MP3 for the 5GB/6GB hard | | | | demand, in addition to having a built-in voice recorder. |
| disk. Also the Zen Micro can be used for on-line music | | | | Plus the nano gets scratched up more on the surface |
| services and Window PCs, being able to download up | | | | as compared to the Zen Micro. Another top |
| to one song per second via the USB 2.0 port. | | | | advantage of the Zen Micro is their battery, as the |
| Customers who have a choice between the iPod | | | | largest complaint about the iPod has always been its |
| nano and the Zen Micro, seem to choose the Zen | | | | battery life and the fact it was not removable. Once |
| more often, but a lot depends on the customer. The | | | | you bought it – you had it! The new Zen Micro |
| Zen Micro has a more availability for a larger music | | | | has a removable rechargeable 12-hour playtime with |
| library, a micro-drive player, its memory is 2.5 times | | | | MP3/WMA or 16 hours with the FM radio. Zen's |
| larger at the same price than the iPod nano with less. | | | | battery, which right from the start, has grabbed |
| The Zen Micro is bulkier than the iPod nano, but a lot | | | | dissatisfied iPod customers who have been having |
| depends on what a person wants. The Zen design is | | | | massive problems with the iPod's battery. |
| totally different than the iPod nano, with the younger | | | | Overall, most customers who have purchased both |
| crowed preferring the nano for its slim stylish looks, | | | | digital players prefer the Zen Micro over the iPod. The |
| while the older customers tend to place emphasis on | | | | price is a large factor, in addition to its capability to hold |
| sound fidelity and quality, which slides over to the Zen | | | | a whole lot more music. Also, it doesn't scratch as |
| Micro. | | | | much as the iPod does, which is a drawback. After |
| Many customers say the iPod nano is impressive | | | | awhile – it just doesn't look "cool" anymore. The |
| when first taken from its box: initial impressions are | | | | sound quality is excellent, with no complaints about it. |
| excellent, flash based, decent sound, familiar set-up | | | | The thing that is noticed quite a bit, it a lot of iPod |
| from the iPod mini, functional, and portable – and | | | | buyers switched over to Zen Micro, but people who |
| so on. But the Zen Micro has a large variety of colors, | | | | purchased Zen Micro first – never switched to |
| has a background perimeter and touch pad blue glow | | | | iPod. Says a lot, doesn't it? |
| which is good at night or in subdued lighting. Even | | | | |