Rating: 
Summary: Great Player and Easy to Use
Review: After being burned by the 20 GB iPod, which we discovered wont work with Windows 98 after we got it home, and it needed a firewire adapter we didn't have, and we needed after market software, it went back to the store. For $100 less we got the Nomad and 10 GB more. The software was easy to install. We didn't need to read the directions to start ripping CDs. I took this on a trip recently and was able to listen to music for the full 5 hours of my flight. The battery was barely drained. Despite other comments to the contrary, this device is not that much bigger or heavier than the iPod. It fit nicely in the bag that contains my Bose headsets. I took the equivalent of 15 CDs with me in far less space than the old CD player and CDs I use to take. We have started ripping our stories on CD and tape to the Nomad so that we have more than just music on hand. It is easy to convert tapes and music straight from the radio to MP3s. I'm starting to hit sales for new music and stories as this is a great way to have lots of variety handy. I've brought the Nomad to work where I hook it into the auxillary input of my boombox. I set it for random play and have music of my choice to keep me going through the work day. Two things that could be improved are a better backlight on the display (needs to be brighter) and a better button on the side for moving from menu to menu...iPod does both these better. Great price, more bytes...iPod has nothing on Creative Labs!
Rating:
Summary: Very Impressed, took some getting used to though
Review: After my 20 gig Archos nomade croaked in under a year I aprehensive to say the least about going with another hard drive based MP3 player. I decided to give it one more try because nothing else really fitted my needs. My first gripe on getting the product was that it organizes everything based on IDE tags which can be a disaster when so much of the stuff you download is missing it or varies but since I already had all my MP3 file names formatted with the artist name and album title i was able to use a program (MP3 Collector) to automatically go through all the MP3s and fix the IDE tags according to the filename which ended up being its saving grace, otherwise im not sure what i would have done. Now im pleased that i did that because the player makes a lot of use of the tags as you can search and sort more effieciently with them. Player has a quick startup, charges in under 3 hours, lasts for up to 14 I think, not sure since im always fiddling with it. Surprisingly good fidelity thanks to the EAX hardware, slick look, nice backlight scrolling screen and well placed buttons make this a top notch MP3 player. The buttons get a bit getting used to especially the navigation system but once your used to it they end up being very functional. The kicker is it costs about half as much as the IPod, normaly i hate settling for something of lower quality but with this player its definatly not the case.
Rating: 
Summary: Upgraded from Normal to NX
Review: After my old one was stolen, I bought a new one. So here are my thoughts, they may be helpful. 1. No matter what model, if you buy a Nomad Zen then go to www.redchairsoftware.com and buy notmad explorer. This gives you full control over your player, the ability to right click on mp3 files on windows and do a send to, some auto-id generation, and the ability now to stream your player over your network. Basically, it's the software you should get with any mp3 player 2. I'm not sure what is going to happen with the remote functionality. The NX does not appear to have a data connector for the remote, and the previous creative remotes are not compatible. 3. The text size on the screen cannot be resized currently in firmware. 4. The new leather case covers the screen. With no remote to see what is playing, you have to unsnap and open the case to do anything complicated. 5. The jog dial is now a "rocker" switch. While the ability to use it as a clicker is nice, it feels a little less solid and robust. 6. Removable battery (the front cover comes off with a push of a button) is a big plus 7. No longer have to do anything with the case to use the usb, but have to unsnap it for ac power 8. Weighs a little less 9. Sound may be a little better. I think it sounds a little better. The earbuds that come with it are still the ones with one earbud cable short, the other long. Looks sort of stupid. All in all, I loved my previous zen, and I like the new one a little better. If they make a remote for it, put out another leather case, and let me make the text smaller on the display, it will be perfect
Rating: 
Summary: Ended up returning it for a refund.
Review: After spending over 8 hours installing drivers, rebooting, re-installing drivers, rebooting some more, fighting with the Creative web site, then spending over an hour on the phone with Creative support, and doing the re-install reboot thing for the fifth time, I ended up returning this product for a refund. Total cost of (attempted) ownership: $7 (phone call) + $15 (return shipping) + $21 (USB 2.0 card) = $43.00
Not to mention the 8 hours of my life that I want back. I bought an iPod instead and never looked back.
Rating:
Summary: Creatives Nomad Jukebox NX - Hits the spot!
Review: Anyone in the market for a hard disc based player should give this cool player the once over. The best price-to-performance and best price-to-capacity ratio I've seen yet! Apart from a few initial hassles with setting up and getting to grips with creative media source, alls well. (I haven't tried Notmad Explorer from Red Chair, so I can't comment on that.) Transfers with USB 2.0 are fast and hassle free. Although I still wish that it was possible to have the player show up as a removable disc when plugged in, and without the need for any additional software.
The earphones supplied with the player are junk. They went kaput after precisely a day of listening to some heavy bass. The supplied carry case covers the LCD when shut, which is an irritant, coz i would have liked to skip songs without opening the case. (By the way, the 10GB iPod, which retails for about the same, does NOT include a carry case, or the dock. it uses Firewire, aka Sony iLink, aka IEEE 1394, so most PC users will have to get an additional firewire card installed. PLUS the pod has a chromed back, which is susceptible to unsightly fingerprints and scratches.)
About the iPod-Zen wars; yes the iPod does look fancy, with its track pad and feather touch buttons, Stuff Magazine has rated it as the Must-have gadget for 2003, and it is smaller...but look at how much it sets you back!! And besides, the Zen still sets the benchmark for sound quality. So you have to decide why you want to buy a hard-disc player - to pose with, or to listen to some great sounds. Take my word for it, the Zen's an excellent player, with phenomenal battery life. - extremely desireable and highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: Simply Amazing
Review: Bought this wonderful device just yesterday. Started the install at 10:45PM and by 12 midnight I had over 500 songs loaded. Using USB 1.1 to boot! I imagine it would have been faster had my new USB 2.0 PCMCIA card actually worked. That i can return. The Nomad is a piece of cake to install. I do understand all the complaining about the organizer software. I admit that it is extremely hard to use..
The player's interface is easy to use, menu driven and task-oriented. Very Very happy commute this morning. The battery lasts all day long, without using the EAX though.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Buy!!!! Lousy product, even worse customer support.
Review: Do not buy this piece of junk! Mine just stopped working after I had it for a month. When I sent it in under warranty I was told that the hard drive had failed due to 'physical damage.' The thing is I never did any damage to the device. So after paying $300 to get to use the thing a month, I was told I have to pay another hundred to make it work again.
Rating:
Summary: Great Hardware Mediocre Software 5 stars Hardware 2 Stars So
Review: For the money this player is the best available. Great Sound but get better headphones for it. You'll see why when u do. The software however was not as good as the hardware. The creative media source takes too long to download songs to the player. I recommend the notmad explorer instead. Transfers the song faster better interface (adds your jukebox in the windows explorer). Great buy overall
Rating:
Summary: Excellent player / Mediocre software
Review: I am quite tech-savvy and spent hours researching which player to buy. In the end, my two choices were the iPod and the Nomad Jukebox Zen NX (30GB). Size- and weight-wise the two players are almost identical. Capacity-wise, both give you varied options. Price-wise, however, Apple just makes absolutely no sense. For $$$$ less, I bought the Nomad and boy am I pleased! The player is OUTSTANDING -- superior sound, great capacity, sleak design, light, nice faux-leather cover, and an exchangeable battery, which is key! The only downsides were: 1) The earphones that come with the player are crap, but for under $$$ you can buy great ones from any top brand, and 2) the software. The Creative MediaSource performs well in basic uploading of files to your player, but it does a terrible job with maintaining tag information. Since I have a huge library, that means either manually editing hundreds of tags or ditching the software completely. I'm going with plan B! Besides that, however, I recommend the player over the iPod anyday! Whoever priced the iPod was out of his mind!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible sound with a great pricetag!
Review: I bought the Nomad Zen NX fully expecting to return it and buy an iPod. I was having a discussion about the two players with a friend and he suggested that I buy the Zen NX. At $200 less than the iPod, I was skeptical but bought it knowing that if I didn't like it, I could always return it. I have to say that he was right! The Nomad Zen NX boasts incredible sound quality (remarkably better that the iPod), a replaceable lithium-ion battery and a stylish look, though not as sleek as the iPod. The sizes and weights of the two are quite comparable. However, I do have a few reservations... I don't like that all the controls are on the sides. There are none on the face of the player. This makes it especially difficult to navigate with one hand. The scroller/button is a nice navigation tool, but you have to press it dead-on to be able to select the items you are shooting for. The bundled software is a pain to deal with especially if you are dealing with a huge MP3 library that you already own. It's all good if your MP3 tags are correct to begin with, but if not, you are in for hours of tedious tag editing. Because the player uses these tags to sort your files into albums. (Save yourself some time, buy a copy of Notmad from Red Chair Software.) The bundled earbuds are a joke as with any other player on the market. Buy good earphones to experience the true quality of this device. The included case is nice, but it's annoying that it covers the LCD screen. I have owned another hard drive based player and liked that it had a drag and drop interface. Each folder became an album. Not so on the Nomad. It would be nice if this was a fix in future versions of the firmware. My advice? If you are looking for superior sound quality, buy the Creative Nomad Zen NX. If you are looking for something more sleek and curvaceous with a super-expensive Apple logo, buy the iPod.
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