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After much research and being a Creative buyer for a long time, I decided on the Creative Zen 8gb. I was looking for something compatible that had enough memory to use for music, photos and videos. I also liked the ability to use a memory card. I had a Zen V Plus 4gb and the new Zen is so much better. The screen is bigger and brighter and the controls are so easy to use. I would recommend that you buy the Creative charger with it. I tried many other chargers that claimed they worked but didn't and wound up wasting my money and throwing them away. I bought some Creative speakers (I-Trigue 200) and use these at work (they sound great) and the unit can play for 16 hours without a recharge. I also bought the PCMICROSTORE Zen Snap-On Crystal Protective Case Cover, the ZEN Clear Case, a Case Logic Large Pocket, the Zen armband (for jogging) and the Koss KSC22 DVD Sportclip Headphones. The PC Micro case fit perfectly, is thick enough to protect the unit and has cutouts for access to all controls. If it had a lanyard with it it'd be perfect. The Zen clear case is good too, but you can't plug in the speakers when it's in the Zen clear case, although you don't have any problems with the headphones. The Case Logic Pocket is neoprene and has a great lanyard which I took off and put on the Zen case and it works great. I carry the unit back and forth to work in the Pocket and can use either one around the neck, I would highly recommend both. I don't like ear buds (and the ones that come with the unit aren't that good) therefore the Koss headphones. I also put a screen protector on the screen after reading some of the other reviews. In summary if you're buying this unit you need to consider the additional costs of a case, screen protector, charger, headphones and for exercisers, the armband. I would recommend all and am very happy and satisfied with my Zen.

Ok, I'll try and be as comprehensive and thorough as I can be. I've got the 8gb Zen and I've had it for about a month and a half now. Currently, I'm using the 1.13.01 firmware and that clear case with key ring that Creative sells.

Given that this is a music player first and foremost, audio quality is priority number one. While I do not consider myself an audiophile, sound quality is nevertheless important to me. The Zen comes out with honors here.

The sound right out of the box is fantastic. However, it can get even better with the equalizer and sound options. Hey, after all, Creative has just a little experience with computers and audio equipment and they get it really right here.

I've listened to other players that are on the market and I must say that I believe that the Zen is near the top if not at the top in terms of sound quality. Also, there is talk that they will be introducing X-FI to their players which is just going to put them head and shoulders above the rest.

Battery life has improved. Initially I was not getting the advertised 20 to 25 hours playtime, but with the firmware updates, this has improved greatly. Not sure if it's at 20 right now, but its acceptable. The Zen easily gets me through a couple of days before needing to be recharged.

The included USB cable is, uhm, convenient if you are traveling and using your laptop? Maybe? Fortunately, Creative is not using proprietary stuff here and I just switched out that USB cable for a longer one that I already had and I'm doing just fine.

There are actually two schools of thought with how Creative implemented the SD Card and I've become somewhat on the fence with this. First, I know that a lot of people would like to see the SD Card fully integrated (which is where I was), not all features are available for the SD Card. However, as a portable flash drive, it is great! Drag and drop with no hassles with the ability to still use it as extra storage for videos and music. And if 4gb, 8gb, or 16gb is not enough for you, just wait. Creative is coming out with a 32gb - don't know when though.

The other features are nice and I can't complain really about any of them. There's a FM radio, Calendar, Clock, Organizer, Contacts List, Microphone and plenty of customizable options. I just wish it could work better as a PDA (alarm and modify daily tasks) and then I would be completely satisfied! But hey, I got this for playing music not as an organizer.

The included software is really easy to use. Drag and Drop if ya want! The video converter works well, but may take a while to convert your video to an acceptable format. I just watched Battlestar Galactica: Razor on my Zen and it looked and sounded great! However it took over an hour to convert and put it on my player. There are other programs to use.

All in all, I have been more than happy with my Zen. Great, size and looks and sound quality is top notch with some nice features added on. There are somethings I would improve, but those do not keep me from enjoying my player. It does everything I ask of it. I highly recommend this one.

If you are considering the Apple Nano, take a look around. There's a reason the Apple Fan Bois are squirming. There are better options around and this is one of them.

Lastly, just remember, get your hands on one and decide for yourself. The vast majority of people that are happy with something are not going to come to the forums to brag about it. That kind of distorts the image more than just a little. There have been bumps in the road, but Creative is really good at fixing stuff and I'm sure whomever wanted to rush this out in time for Black Friday and all that stuff has been fired...

I am a mp3 player user since 1998, when you had to assemble your mp3 playerusing PC parts, then I bought the first Rio player, the first creative, the first archos, the first Ipod. This is the best deal ever in a mp3 player. The sound is outstanding betas the Ipod 10 to 1. The use is so easy and flexible adaptable to what you really need. I adujsted the menu to show only the functions I use. The browsing of artist, album using the letter at the right of screen is exactly what I need. I am creating a library of SD cards with my favourite music ( just as I did 20 years ago with cassettes) , so I can selct which 4 GB of musci I will use additional to the 8 GB of the player. So far, because of my SD cards library, the virtual capacity of my ZEN is 36 GB, soon I expect I will have my complete colletion of mp3 in SD cards, classified as I want. The quelaity and color of the videos and pictures is the best in the market, but the screen is too small to me.