OTHER TECH

PERFORMANCE Digital music sounded perfectly fine on the Creative Zen Vision:M with the supplied earbuds. I pulled out my iPod to compare how it handled identical files (also using the Creative's buds). After playing a couple of tracks from various sources, including some MP3s ripped from Franz Ferdinand's self-titled debut CD, I thought the two players sounded nearly identical, with just a pinch of extra warmth and power from the iPod.

The Creative's video chops also impressed. I put it side by side with the iPod, and both screens put on quite a show. Images on the Creative were crisp and clear and a full 30 frames per second - about as good as it gets on a 2.5-inch screen (a cable for connecting to a TV sells for $30). And even though the Zen Vision:M's screen is more than an inch smaller than the one on its big brother, the Zen Vision, it had better color rendition and off-angle viewing.

But it's the little details that really bring the Creative Zen Vision:M down. Besides that annoying touch pad, its hard buttons need just a bit more pressure than the iPod's, making it more difficult to operate one-handed - especially since it's about twice as thick as the 30-GB iPod. The extra girth probably accounts for the Vision:M's superior battery life (4 hours of video instead of the iPod's 2), but I'd prefer something less unwieldy. The battery drains faster anyway, since the screen doesn't dim completely while playing music and the Creative Zen Vision:M portable media player won't automatically pause playback when the headphones are removed, as the iPod does.

BOTTOM LINE In trying to outdo the iPod, Creative only emphasizes why Apple is king of the mountain. Creative has had its greatest success when it's not trying to imitate the 'Pod, notably with the Zen Vision video player I tested last November. With Apple soon to release a video-centric iPod with a 4-inch screen, this would have been the perfect time for Creative to pounce first with an updated and improved Zen Vision. Instead, we get this ... wannabe.

Watch the Zen Vison:M in action!

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