Creative Strikes Again!

Creative Zen Mozaic

A couple weeks ago I mentioned the Creative Zen and it's latest version, the X-Fi.

Today, I'm not impressed with the next Zen creation.

The Mosaic is a glorified palm computer without the ability to download or edit. Perhaps I'm not all about having photos to carry around with me. I have three children and I don't carry a single foto of them with me out and about. I love my pets and my family. They aren't carried with me every day either. I have them in my head and my heart. I don't need digital fotos to carry with me 24/7.

I don't have a need for photo and video storage that can play music and the radio too. Please, I work for a living. The only times I have need of my music player is if I'm working out, driving around town (using an old tape-cd adapter to use my car speakers), or doing any kind of housework when I want to block out the world and focus.

Pics and vids I do not need.

The Creative Zen Mosaic (and consequently, the video/photo parts of the X-Fi for that matter) are geared towards the student and the traveller, so they may take a little bit of home with them every where. Also for the commuters who do not drive themselves. How else could you block out and while away the time on the "L" or the subway? Reading a book would take too much attention and thought!

What the X-Fi has over the Mosaic: Quality. The focus of this product is on the music, the higher quality, bringing your mp3's back up to the quality the artist intended on CDs. While I cannot condone the massive downloading of mp3's for distribution or simply because you're a cheap skate, occasionally it is hard to find a specific song. Or you want to know if you're going to like the album, so download the music and take a listen, buying the cd later. What's the harm, right?

That's another blog for another day, since I myself have downloaded mp3's and ripped from my cds and shared them on P2P programs. But I digress...

Once you've got the cd, it seems rather ridiculous to carry this book of cds around with you. That's the point of the mp3 player after all. But we all know cd-ripping technology is not designed for the consumer. The X-Fi reportedly fixes the scratchy and deadened sound of your legitimately ripped mp3's.

Did I mention it also has Wireless LAN built it???

But what does the Mosaic have over the X-Fi? How about the pics and vids? A lot of people want all of it. Not every one is so focused on the quality of the music they are listening to (and I'm not referring to talent or genre, simply sound quality.)

The Mosaic is CHEAP! Starting at $59.99 compared to the X-Fi $199.99, it's quite possibly a steal. My current MP3 player, the original Creative Zen, was just over $70 (included tax) and was exactly what I needed for work.

Parents could really get behind this latest player. For after school-to after work delays, for quiet rides with little to no fighting... $60 bucks a kid makes it worth it.

There's my electronic thought of the week.
Later,
~E.