iPod Video or Creative Zen Vision W?

I'm going to the US in a few days, so I'm trying to decide if I should get an iPod Video or a Creative Zen Vision W. If I decide to get a iPod I can buy it for cheaper down there than up here in Canada, but I will have to buy a Creative Vision online if I want a decent price.

The dilemma is that both devices are very similar. Both are 30gb. Both play video, music and view pictures. The iPod battery goes 14 hours with music and 3.5 with video, whereas the creative goes 13 hours audio and 4.5 hours video. The creative has a larger and higher resolution screen, as well as a CF card slot for viewing pictures and transferring, which is great for me so I can offload my cameras memory card without my laptop. The iPod has hundreds of accessories, and is $50 cheaper than the creative.

I'm in a bind and not sure which to pick, but I think I'm leaning toward the Vision W, or the normal Vision for that matter, but the widescreen is much nicer. Anyone own one and like it? Any problems with it? I know enough people with iPods to know all about whats wrong with them...

EDIT

After searching the internets, I have found that I can aquire a 30gb Zen Vision for only $250 canadian. The higher res screen (640x480) vs the W's 480x272 is more appealing to me, and at a much lower price than even the iPod, I can't really consider the thicker W version anymore.

 

Hold off entirely... There's proper rumours (ie apple politely demanded the original site to pull it) about a 6G iPod (presumably a proper video ipod) coming out very soon, t'was on engadget a couple days ago.

Personally I'd wait, but if you have to have it now.. then I'd still go with an iPod but i'm an apple whore.. what can I say...

 

I hadn't thought about that, and totally forgot all about the 6G iPod which was hyped quite a bit back in late 2006. Its size looks appealing, but it looks far too easy to ruin, being all screen, for my tastes, and I know wiping the screen every time I touch it will drive me out of my mind, because my greasy ass hands will muck it up entirely.

Plus I don't really like Apple anymore, they're just too mainstream, buying anything from Apple gives me the same feeling I'm sure I would have if I bought a Dell.

 

I'm not all that bothered with the whole wiping the screen thing, my 5g ipod hasn't been too worse for wear, sure it's got some scratches but I keep it in an isock most the time...

Personally I think people are far too precious with iPods and stuff, it's a device that invariably will be used until the next generation of thing then it'll get put in the gadget graveyard box/ebay... then rinse and repeat.


As for Apple as Dell... I can see what you mean, but I still maintain that Apple while they like to rape your wallet at even the merest whiff of an Apple Store.. They are still really decent systems, for instance my PB, owned it from new about 2 years or so.. I can count on one hand the times it's seriously crashed, and all of them are my fault so I dunno. Battery life hasn't been a problem really as my PB and all batteries are covered by the recall/exchange program... so if one battery bricks it I just order a fresh one for free And it's also the most robust laptop I've ever owned and used. Even though in my first 24 hours of ownership I managed to put a nice dent in the lid heh oh well.

To be honest I'd rather just get something prebuilt for a purpose these days... I'm too old to be faffing about (20... but I'm an old git inside) unless it's for something very specific. I know I'm likely to get flamed for that, but it just makes sense to me, if I want a cheap server for torentflux etc I'd rather just get a cheap Dell unless I have components about....

Eugh... maybe this whole Apple thing affected me more than I knew.....

 

Don't forget that you get charged very hefty duty fees for purchases over $50 per person when coming back from the States.

 

Hi, ZEN vision M owner here.

I switched to zen for the main player last year. No problems with it so far, except it became a bit sluggish after a while. I e-mailed tech support and was told I can defrag the hard drive. Indeed there is this "clean-up" option and it did the trick. Great player, I am sure W is even better. I have 30 gig version, there is also 60 gig version - a fat one (from 2006 I think) and new, slim one - size of the 30 gig. So keep that in mind when buying.

Btw. this chap "talked me" into getting the ZEN player. A kind of video review, anyway some handy info for you before you pull the trigger, perhaps:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=trbG1hRL8QU

 

Zen. iPods are so easy to break. Zens are pretty much indestructible.

 

cough archos cough

404, 504, 604 depending on what youre after, (404 is only £110 atm)

 

ipod, because then you can put rockbox on it.

 

get an iPod, I love mine

 

I've never been impressed with Rockbox, its always been too difficult using a clickwheel to control its more complex aspects. I'd rather lug a trusty laptop, PDA or cell.

I think I'm going with the regular Vision, it looks to be worth every penny. Thanks for your help guys.

 

Vision m plays more file formats out the box and has a lot clearer screen than the ipod.

 

Looked at the Zune? I was impressed when I had a play with one last time I went over.

 

Vision m... more compatible, more reliable = win.

 

iPod's suck. Got one, screwed up in 3 months (right after the warranty ended conviently). I truly do not like them anymore.

So, if it wasn't obvious, I obviously support your choice of the other player.

 

Between the two? Get a creative. Ipods suck.

 

Get a Creative Zen, as said previous, their built like tanks, ive droped mine onto a concrete floor, not from a large height mind you, but it only got a small dent, and it still plays fine. Granted, the volume level isnt as loud as an ipod, but you want to be able to hear for the rest of your life don't you?

Sam

 

I bought a Vision for $250 US off ebay after shipping to Canada, and it should be waiting for me at my dads house when I get back from my vacation.

 

If you had to buy now, the iPod sound quality is said to be SLIGHTLY (literally, not noticeable unless you are an audiophile) worse than the Zen. But the iPods interface is so good, and it is great that Apple are still using it (I have a 1st gen iPod), cus it is really much better than the rest. This is one of the only Apple products that I would consider perfect.

 

Amen!