Creative has decided to call its latest Zen the ... er ... Zen. Not Zen Classic, not even Zen Visionary,just Zen. More imaginatively though, it also decided that this Zen should accept MC music files. That means it'll play all but DRM-protected iT unes music. Also lovely is the Zen's SD card expansion slot - for around 20 quid you can double this machine's memory. And for long¬haul trips, or if you're nostalgic for the bygone days of unlabelled mystery cassettes, take a bunch of pre¬loaded cards with you. For the easily distracted, there are numerous other features - an FM radio, a voice recorder and an Outlook-friendly calendar.

Creative also displays the gulf between this Zen and smaller rivals by including its own software. The Zen will work with Windows Media Player or you can use Creative Sync Manager instead, but most welcome is the simple-to-use Video Converter: we hand-stingingly applaud anything that simplifies getting video content onto your portable. Let's also cheer the screen quality: its 340x240-pixel image is smooth and full of detail, handling fast¬moving images with ease, and is challenged only by offerings from Apple and Sony. Punchy music delivery tops off one of Creative's best-ever players.

Scratch the surface: The Zen isn't the classiest looking player here - and experience tells us the black finish might lose some of its smooth shine. Top idea: The Zen's upper rim houses an SD card expansion slot, meaning you can effortlessly boost your player's memory, and - for longer trips - go equipped with a library of content-packed cards.Left behind: The fascia layout. if you're a southpaw, is incredibly difficult to operate. Whoops, Creative, there goes around 10 per cent of your potential market. ..



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