2. Creative Zen V (1GB)
Editors' rating: 8.0
The good: The Creative Zen V offers a cute, pocket-friendly design without sacrificing screen real estate, and the vivid OLED display is viewable from any angle. The player packs in some nice features, such as voice and line-in recording, photo playback, and compatibility with subscription WMA tracks. Oh, and the sound quality is great, too.
The bad: The Creative Zen V's joystick is really small and has a cheap feel to it, and we wish Creative had included all the buttons found on the Vision:M. The screen is difficult to see in bright sunlight, and there's no UMS support. Also, you don't get the FM radio and video playback found on the Plus version.
The bottom line: The Creative Zen V is a good choice for anyone looking for a compact flash MP3 player with recording features and great sound quality. However, the more feature-filled Zen V Plus is a better value.
Read CNET's full review
Price range: $78.83-$95.99
Photo by Creative
