Creative Technology Zen Micro Black (5 GB) MP3 Player

I originally bought an iPod mini 4GB but decided to trade in for a Creative Labs Zen Micro. Why did I switch... two main reasons.

First, the Zen Micro has an accessible battery. Depending on usage the battery is estimated to last about 1 or 2 years. With the Zen Micro you could simply buy a new battery. If you own an iPod and the battery dies you have to send it in to Apple and have it serviced which at last check was just short of $100.

The second reason I changed from and iPod to a Zen Micro was the storage size. For a little less money I could purchase Zen Micro with an entire 1GB more storage. Additionally it was getting better reviews on reputable websites than iPod. I'm guessing it was the underdog vote for ZEN that rocked iPod off the boat (figuratively speaking)! But the overall factor for changing was the battery. I was constantly reminded of the pains I had suffered with my Palm when the unaccessible battery died. I ended up selling my iPod on eBay for a decent amount.

Thus being said, I would rather have my iPod back instead of the Zen Micro. Zen Micro's transfer software is far from being as user friendly as iTunes. The wheel on an iPod is also more user friendly than Zen's pad. I don't use my Zen Micro that much simply because I lost interest in it because it is not as easy to load new songs on it and keep it organized as it was with an iPod. Even when ripping straight from a CD there are things that annoy me. Using Zen's software to directly rip from CD to Zen I am not even able to preview the song when selecting what songs I want. I end up opening the computer's CD player to listen to the song to decide if I want to upload it to the MP3 player.

Other small things that a like BETTER on Zen Micro than with iPod.
* Zen has an FM tuner with favorites presets. The iPod equivalent does not
* Zen has a microphone
* Can be used as a "Removable Disk" for files other than Mp3.
* The lock (key pad) switch is easier to engage than iPod, though with iPod you don't need the lock as much as you need it with Zen.
* You can delete a song from your computer and keep it stored only on the ZEN, even burn directly from CD to Zen. With an iPod the songs are mirrored on the iPod with what is on the computer. If you delete either side at the next upload the other side will loose the song too.

Other small things that I liked better on iPod than with Zen
* iTunes is a great program, very user friendly.
* Podcasts are organized better.
* I feel the screen on iPod is better since it is not recessed as it is on ZEN.
* I liked the overall look and feel and user-friendly features better on iPod.

I hope this review and comparison of Creative Labs Zen Micro was helpful for you. In all both Mp3 players are good and if you get a great deal on a ZEN go with it. If you get the same great deal on an iPod... sit and think of the differences before you decide. My money would go to Apple, but your decision could be different - hopefully I contributed to your decision making process.

Thank you for your time reading my review. Have a great day!