Creative Zen VS new iPod nano3

Part Three: Performance

iPod nano:

1. Sound Quality: The iPod Nano's sound quality still sounds just middle-of-the-road. Users do get more than 20 equalization presets to choose from, ranging from subtle enhancement to dramatic bass boosting. Compared to products such as the Creative Zen, the iPod's sound quality still leaves room for improvement.

2. Video Performance: We were highly skeptical that we'd enjoy watching video on a 2-inch screen, yet the Nano's superfine 204ppi screen looked refreshingly sharp and bright. We still prefer the video experience of a larger player, but it's not far-fetched to imagine watching a full-length movie on the Nano.

3. Battery life: Apple rated the battery life for their third-generation Nano at 24 hours for audio playback and 5 hours for video. Our official testing squeezed out an impressive 29 hours of audio playback and 6.7 hours of video.

Creative Zen:

1. Sound Quality: The Zen did not disappoint--once we swapped in the Shure SE530 headphones. (For their part, the included headphones were passable.) Perhaps the best thing is that all genres of music sound equally great. The bass of Zen's disco house track "Disco Patel" was tight and enveloping without overshadowing the sparkle of the high hat and minute ting of the triangle. In the Bangles' high-end heavy intro to "Hazy Shade of Winter," the detail of each instrument was crystal clear, and the relatively quiet Spanish guitar was not lost among the frantic chorus of the rest of the track. Overall, music was rich, warm, and detailed...and it just made us happy.

2. Video Performance: The Zen's screen is fabulous. Photos look vibrant and bright, with excellent color saturation and good detail. Videos are similarly impressive--clear and bright with no noticeable pixilation (though we did notice the occasional blurring around some sharp edges)--and the viewing angle from side to side is excellent. Even the interface looks stellar, right down to the transparent icons on the main menu. It's a nice screen to look at for sure.

3. Battery life: The Creative Zen also boasts plenty of volume to drive a full-size set of 'phones--we only had it up to about a third with some noise-isolating buds. The rated battery life of 25 hours for audio and 5 hours for video is good, if not all that awe-inspiring.

In total: They both has good video performance. And the iPod nano has the average-sounding audio quality which is poor than Creative Zen. Battery life is the same - about 4 hours for video or 24 for audio, give or take.

Part Four

Except the control pad feels cheap, Creative Zen has bigger screen, is expandable, and cheaper than the Nano .we're hard-pressed to find anything not to like about the Creative Zen. It's a great option for anyone looking for a great-sounding, pocketable MP3 player with an excellent, video-capable screen and plenty of extra features.

The iPod Nano is still one of the smallest, thinnest, and most exquisitely designed MP3 players on the market. If you are a fashion guy, it is what you want.

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