Creative Technology Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra (40 GB) MP3 Player

This was the first MP3 player I bought. Ipod just came out and were the big thing, but the price, man give me a break! I went hunting through the web and saw this on the creative site, the price was GREAT for a 40 gig model! I picked it up right away.

After getting it, it took ma a few hours to figure out how to run the organizer, I'll agree that thing could've come with better directions, but after that, I was off and running. I have a HUGE collection of CD's, so just started putting them in. Running the player itself took no time at all to learn to use, I never did read the instruction booklet.

I listened to an Ipod of my friends, and mine is just as good. How can I tell? I put mine in his ears and didn't tell him which one he was listening to. He picked mine 2 out of 3 times, something he swore would NEVER happen LOL. And he paid over $120 dollars more than I did, and got less space. And he has to carry his around in his pocket.

IF you want a good player for a good price, BUY ONE!!

I've enjoyed my Creative MP3 player for over 2 years now. I used it in my previous job when I would travel extensively throughout the US and abroad. This little gem never failed me! It offers extremely long battery life (approximately 13 hours on a fully-charged battery). You can also buy replacement/spare batteries at reputable dealers on-line. The player's sound quality is excellent. The navigation to playlists/genres/albums, etc., is intuitive.

One recommendation is to purchase "Notmad" software for uploading MP3s to your device. The software runs for about $19.00 but the flexibility it offers you in terms of categorizing music and artists is far superior to the software that's packaged with the Nomad.

THIS IS ONE GREAT DEVICE!

This MP3 player looks and sounds great. The best part is that it didn't cost much for the exceptional amount of space available on it. It is just what I needed and wanted to be able to listen to my ENTIRE music collection at school or whereve else I need to! I think the menu navigation is very easy to get used to and easy to use in general. The software that comes with it is fairly easy to use also.

I have had no technical problems with this player yet... except for a low battery after neglecting to charge after a while :) I'd say that the battery usually lasts a good five or six hours on a high volume before it needs to be charged again.

I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a MP3 player with all the general necessities, great sound, and saving money.

Yeah, the buttons are on the side, the software requires the user to be on the winning side of the learning curve and the player is as large as an engine block from a '58 Chevy truck, but pound for pound, the value of this player cannot be matched. It sounds great, holds nearly everything I have, has great battery life and can be used as a brick. The Jukebox's most attractive feature is the ability and ease to replace batteries. No prying with a screwdriver and freeing the battery loose from it's gluepoints, just lift off the cover, lift out the battery and pop the new one in. Besides, who would want to watch Friends or some other crappy show on a two-inch screen?

I owned two of these in the past 3 years. Normally thats not a good thing but I'm surprised at how much damage it took considering it made it through two deployments before the first kicked the bucket. The only negatives are that it is a little bulky, and it does not compare to the ipod for easy of use, plus the software takes some time to get used to. But for the price, and durability I give it a thumbs up.

I bought this fine piece of gear before heading out to Kuwait in support of OIFII. I was taken aback at the price of iPods. I figured one mp3 player is as good as any other, right? I had the old Rio 500 from Diamond Multimedia. I was using mp3 before mp3 was cool. I knew it didn't matter what you played songs on.

I WAS WRONG!

I caught myself in envy of the folks with iPods. From the easy to use iTunes software to the simple front dial, any price premium they paid they got back in spades. Who the heck needs 40GB of music to lug around anyway?! The Creative Software is a ridiculous mess. The ironically named “Organizer” is anything but organized. I found this software to be constant source of frustration. Getting the player to synch was a disaster. I did like the integration with windows explorer. In the end, that method was the only reliable way to transfer songs into the player. I still could not transfer playlists though, but I figured out a work-around using iTunes.

My recommendation: If you are short on cash and need a big mp3 player (40GB is 40GB) then this is the player for you. If you want ease of use, stylish looks and a reliable way to transfer mp3’s, go IPod. I am putting mine up for sale on eBay and hoping to get an older generation iPod on the cheap.

As with any product you have good ones and ones with a few flaws even fresh out of the box! I have had my 40 gig for 4 years and dropped it many times on concrete, (not on purpose of course). The only time I had a problem with it was when the battery started crapping out on me after only three years. simple fix, got one for $14 popped open the hood release and dropped the new one in. the program that comes with it is so easy even a caveman could do it. Navagating the menu is a no brainer! The only thing bad about it that I have expierienced is that my hard drive is making a little clacking sound once in a while due to being dropped on it'd head too many times, but the thing still works! Some advise for when you plug it in to your computer to load stuff always plug the power adapter in so you don't drain your battery. when your hooked up, the hard drive runs continuously awaiting input. When you are just playing it the hard drive only runs when it's built in memory needs a refill of your selected tunes. Over the years I have had the same unit as friends and aquaintences have bought ipods just to have them break down in less than a month. Friends don't let Friends drive ipods! So far Zune is not all that great either, Sorry microsoft, you'll get it right eventually with time.

I bought a new (used) Zen because the hard drive crashed on my 2 year old Zen after too many drops. The units work well. The software needs download / upgrades to be good. the hard drives are 2.5" and easily replaced. The battery is replaceable. They're a larger, but longer-living alternative to iPods.

Why waste your time and money on an iPod when this mp3 player handles non propriatary formats, does not erase your files if it is no longer on your system, and sounds great. Seriously. This is my first portable mp3 player. I had heard of problems with earlier versions, but this unit does not seam to have them. I liked the unit so much, I bought a second one for my wife! Just get it. You will be very satisfied. Battery life is 14 hours.

I just bought my second one today... My other one was stolen from me... I find this item better than an Ipod because it is cheaper, yet still easy to use. You don't have the non-itunes compliant mp3 problems that ipod is notorious for. So I do not have to convert my mp3's to the proper format. Easy program comes with it and is a click highlight and drag type of program...VERY easy to use, I mean I taught my dad how to do it... He barely knows how to turn a computer on and off... He barely knows how to check email... If you want more bang for your buck, get a nomad NOT AN IPOD!

the sound is great to me. i have one already and this one is for use in my truck. bought the second one because i have been impressed with the setup and the button arrangement. i can operate it with one hand in the palm of that hand. i would recommend this player to anyone who was wanting to buy one.

Excellent player, excellent quality. I especially like the fact that components are so easy to access. Most importantly, the battery is simple to change. I've two of these now. One has outlived several ipods (1 mini, 2 Gen 4).

It is too bad the craze went for smaller and smaller. People had criticized this unit for being too big. Smaller and more cosmetic flash do not necessarily bring usability or quality.

Only dislike: Creative discontinued it. They should bring back the player with a flash drive to replace the old hard disk. The potential low cost of such a solution could get a nice hold in certain market segments.

I have TWO of these darn things and I love them both. One of them I thought was wearing out, but it turns out that the battery charger is faulty, not the unit. So now I have two beauties. What I especially love is the fast download time for MP3's plus using this unit as a hard drive for other things. It's really a shame that Creative stopped making these models, because as far as IPOD's go, they have them beat by a country mile. All of the sound and effects installed in this unit are amazing. I don't care if it's "big", it just takes a little getting used to. My brother had one of these, and paid a lot of money for it about five years ago. After listening to his, I knew I wouldn't ever buy or bother listening to anything else.

And by the way, Creative Labs has a "trouble shoot" area, so you can download updates even tho' they call these units "archived" now. You can hook these up to your auto sound, or you can just use headphones and enjoy them, as is.

I just wanted a nice mp3 player that could hold a lot of songs that was cheap!! I buy this and within a week the bloody thing crashed!! Now I have to try to install the system on it again!! My advice is to just stick with Ipod or something reliable!! That is what my next Mp3 is going to be and I don't care about the price because I am just paying for reliability!!

Creative Zen are great players. Bought 20gb four yrs ago. Still work's great, WANTED TO ADVANCE TO BIGGER PLAYER. Only had to repair mic. input last year. 40gb. is just as great, I like cause i like to take lots of music on the road, and listen to for hours, and never hear same song. Pick what i want for whatever mood i am in for the day. Better than sirius satellite radio. Purchased 40gb here on Ebay, and picked it up at a very good price. Thank's again to you Ebay, and the folk's that use it to sell item's there.

After a couple years of research I chose the Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra as my MP3player. Now that I've used it for a couple of years, I wouldn't exchange it for anything else. It's easy to use. I enjoy the long battery life. I love the way it sorts and plays music in so many different ways and the EAX Audio options are great when playing it on the car or home stereo. I have contacted creative customer service with questions, and they were very helpful. If size matters, this is not a small player. Overall, this player is a 10 in my book.

I bought this MP3 player because it had 40 GB Memory. I am glad I bought it. It is easy to use and has more features than I realized. I was a bit unsure about purchasing on ebay, but the seller was excellent and shipped my item very fast.