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| Brand: Creative Labs
Category: CE
List Price: $279.99
Buy New: $259.96
You Save: $20.03 (7%)
New (19) Used (5) from $212.73
Rating:  73 reviews
Sales Rank: 1875
Color: Silver
Media: Electronics
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: Yes
Display Size: 2.5
Size: 32 GB
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 3.3 x 2.2 x 0.5
MPN: ZXFI32GBBK
Model: ZXFI32GBBK
UPC: 054651157903
EAN: 0054651157903
ASIN: B001CB0RT0
Shipping: Eligible for Super Saver Shipping
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
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| Customer Reviews:
 Not intended for all users November 2, 2008
If you're not PC savvy or originally an iPod user, then this mp3 player device isn't for you. I consider myself a little more knowledgeable than the average gadget-user and I loved the sound that came out of this little toy, not to mention the great price it was compared to the iPod Touch 32gb; however, I was extremely frustrated in catering this device to my needs. Let me explain.
On top of listening to music I also subscribe to podcasts (for those that don't know what this is, they're basically recorded audio/video programs on the internet that you can subscribe to via rss feeds. A lot of radio shows now have them and you can find them in website directories like Podcast Alley, Blubrry.com, AllPodcasts.com, iTunes directory, etc). If you would like some specific examples of podcasts you can check out NPR.com or just go to any radio show you like and they're bound to have a podcast of some kind on their website. Even CNN, MSNBC and HBO have some. Anyway the issue with this is that some shows were under different file formats (protected m4a or m4v or some quicktime format) that wasn't compatible with this device. Sure if you have the right converter program anything is possible, but the average user isn't going to jump through as many hoops, as I did this past week, to get things to their liking if there is a simpler way.
Also, as I said in the first paragraph. If you're originally an iPod user, chances are, when you imported your CDs into your computer, iTunes did so under there proprietary AAC format that won't be compatible with this device (not to mention any song that's bought through the iTunes store that's under their proprietary drm-protected AAC format). As I said earlier, you could convert all your files to mp3 (not sure how successful you will be with any song file bought through the iTunes store) or just start anew and re-import your CDs, but I have somewhere around 8,000 plus songs and that would be a hell of a side project.
In summary, if you're computer savvy and this is your first mp3 player product I suggest you check out the "anythingbutipod.com" forums and learn some tricks on all the many ways you can tinker with this product as well as just listen to your music or video with great quality sound. Otherwise, stick with the iPod, where the ease of use and seamless integration of iTunes/iPod is beyond compare (The iPod is the closest thing to plug-and-play that I've experienced) and you'll never have to spend hours and hours of research on converting tools and such to enjoy your device.
 Zen X-Fi 32GB rocks! November 2, 2008
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
Summary: the Creative Zen X-Fi 32GB MP3 player provides incredible quality in sound even without 'X-Fi Crystalizer' and/or 'X-Fi Expand' enabled. I've owned several MP3 players (and borrowed others from friends) one of which is the Creative Muvo T100 but this is by far the best sounding player I've listened to, bar none. I have not tried the wireless feature yet so this review does not cover it.
Pros: Sounds excellent with or without the X-Fi stuff enabled. Big storage space even if you rip songs @ 320 bit rate like I do. You can also add a SD flash memory card to increase storage space even more. Considering the size of SD cards out today, storage space will not be a concern. Cool interface that is intuitive and easy to use without needing a manual. Size is small, about the size of a credit card but obviously thicker. Controls are adequate even when driving and not looking at the buttons.
Cons:
- A bit pricey.
- Occasionally after a full battery recharge, the player won't boot. Thankfully the ez fix is to depress the reset button. Again, thankfully nothing is lost during these periodic events. If you buy this player now, it ships with the updated firmware that obviously makes this defect much more tolerable than some of the older reviews you'll see on this site and others.
- X-Fi Crystalizer/X-Fi Expand settings enabled...results in a dramatic volume increase right after a quiet period in the song or at song starts. If you have the volume cranked up, get ready to have your eardrums blown out. Say you're listening to a hard driving, loud rockNroll song with a quiet period in the middle followed by a loud finish...the volume will auto-increase way high during the quiet period. This is a downer when you're not ready for it. If you can get past this odd problem, the X-Fi settings really do enhance the sound quality and depending upon configuration can make the song sound like a live recording. Thankfully, this player really sounds incredible without the X-Fi settings enabled. Rip your songs with a high bit-rate and you really won't need what X-Fi has to offer.
- The Creative software that goes on your PC to allow import and management of the MP3's and playlists is at first non-intuitive. But keep at it and you'll figure it out. To make things easier, I use Windows Explorer to copy/paste songs into artist_name/album_name folder structure in the player. Then use the Creative provided software to manage playlists, genres etc.
Sharp Videos with Fantastic Music November 2, 2008
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
I bought this after doing a lot of research. I was deciding between Ipod Touch, Microsoft Zune and Creative Zen.
I decided on Creative because they replied 2 of my queries promptly with detailed explanations. Ipod gave me no reply and Zune replied 1 of my 2 queries briefly.
The video was great as promised. So was the music. Been using it for 2 months and had no problems at all.
Friends are just amazed by the video quality of this toy of mine.
No regrets. Fantastic value for money.
Zen-tastic! November 1, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I must admit I was very skeptical about purchasing another creative product, due to experiencing their lack luster customer service when you have an issue with their products. I previously owned a Zen Micro Photo 8gb, that went dead and all I got from creative was an invitation to view the refurbished stock to purchase a replacement. That really sucked, but not as bad as realizing that there were not many choices by way of decent, affordable mp3 players on the market. Yeah my player was out of warranty, had been dropped more times that I could count and there was an incident involving a cup of water and some spillage, but all that is beside the point, I think. Anyway, After looking at Ipod's for about 2 weeks while going through withdralw without my tunes (did I mention I hate the Ipod and all Ipod related items) and having to stop my self from making that purchase several times, I came across the Zen X-Fi 16GB.
Pros :
X-Fi Sound Enhancement, Large Screen, Wi-Fi Video and Music Streaming and Downading, Album Art on Screen, Price/Memory ratio, Expandable SD Memory Slot, FM Radio, Speaker, Exceptional Earphones, Battery Life, Chat Feature, Sleek Look and Feel(It's gorgeous), Overall Size
Cons :
SD Memory Not Integrated With Built-In Memory, Small Buttons(I have large "Man Hands", so ladies you should be fine)
What You Should Know:
If you purchase this player check for updates to the firmware regularly.
Firmware updates have already fixed issues with the shuffle feature, X-Fi Enhancement, and Chat feature set-up.
The button layout for texting is tedious, not laid out like your phone.
Video files need to be converted w/ included software before playing.
All things considered if you are an "anything but Ipod" type of person, this is hands down the player for you, the 16gb is affordable and you get the Wi-Fi feature with the 16 and 32gb players. I love mine so much I even bought a clear plastic case for it, the fingerprints were driving me crazy. Also, If I decide to sell this one it will be in mint condition.
Hope this review helps, Good Luck!
It's what I ordered.. October 31, 2008
I received the X-Fi and after charging for 4hrs.(necessary) I began to load it with music, It worked wonderfully. It has a slight learning curve; Install the software on your PC first. It also shows pictures and videos nicely, even with the small screen. My only problem, which is not "Creative's" was that the software kept crashing(OS: MS Vista), Which was resolved when the software finally was able to update. Video, Pictures, Music, Radio work well but, the wi-fi will only connect if you can set up the media server function in the Creative software; Which seems to work only if you are a computing engineer. All in all a great little device, Just do not rely on the wifi.
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