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This is the second attempt at finding an PMP that is not an iPod that is also less than $200.  I previously purchased a Toshiba Gigabeat and things didn’t go so well.  My goals are not so common in that all I really care about is big buttons to navigate with motorcycle gloves and about 12 hours of battery life.  I went with this PMP after reading what were mostly positive reviews (that I somehow missed before) and…well…price.  Again, I bought this from buydig.com for $150 ($200 - $50 rebate).  And again, within about three days, the device was in my hands.  

A blurb from the manufacturer’s description:

The Vision:M is Creative’s newest creation poised with an impressive set of features. The most notable feature is the video playback file support which easily handles MPEG, DivX, XviD, WMV9, and Motion-JPEG. The video, as well as photos, play back on the Vision:M’s bright 2.5” 262k color 320 x 240 pixel screen.

Since my Toshiba experience, I knew that this unit also did not come with a docking station.  In fact, this one came with less:  no wall plug, video out cable, etc.  The only cord that came with it was an USB to device cable for the slow charging.  Knowing this in advance and kicking out $30 on ebay got me all the accessories I’ll ever need including all the cables, a ‘crystal’ hard case, and a silicone skin.

After a 24-hour charge, it was time to find out how to use this PMP.  Like the Gigabeat, it functions very well with Windows Media Player 11 for content management.  Everything is drag and drop.  A couple things I noticed right away were that the screen clarity and color was much better than the Gigabeat.  Second, the button layout was far superior for my needs.

There are four buttons and a touch pad for navigation.  Oddly, there is no button for volume control but…there is kind of.  The upper left button is a “shortcut button” to which you assign your specific feature you want to control.  Volume is one of the features you can select (as I did).  The buttons get you to the menus, and the touch pad used for scrolling lets you operate the lists vertically by movement of your thumb up or down.  A tap in the center serves as the “enter” button.  The touch pad has a sensitivity setting, and even though I chose the lowest, its still alittle sensitive to the touch for my fingers.  Finally, the touch pad is a rocker button.  Press the right side and you skip forward one song, press the left side and you skip backward one song.

What’s cool is that aside from the power button located on the top of the PMP, the screen and all the controls are on the same surface.  For my tank bag PMP pocket, this is the ideal case.  Full navigation with motorcycle gloves through a plastic cover is a breeze.  In this configuration, however, volume cannot be changed.  The touch pad works as a click only, but moving your thumb up and down does not work through the tank bag plastic pouch…there must be direct contact.  So far, that is the only complaint.

I’ll spare everybody about sound quality, etc. because the earphones matter much more than the device on a motorcycle.  Oh yeah, and I’m not an audiophile and don’t really know what the hell I’m talking about anway.

Battery life was just over eleven hours on the first charge at 80% volume.  I drove from Phoenix to San Francisco via Death Valley and Yosemite Nat’l Park.  Needless to say, there were many hours of no broadcast radio reception.  I could have increased the battery life by lowering the PMP volume and increasing the car stereo volume, but that was an afterthought.  I am going to Japan in a couple of weeks and it will get long continuous play, so I should have a better idea of battery life.

One thing I noticed is that the screen did not ’sleep’ when a song was playing.  It would dim, but not go dark.  I am curious as to why not disable the screen after a period of time without button use, thinking that this is an unnecessary draw on the battery.  I did discover that if you ‘lock’ the system, the screen does turn off.

The Good:

• All the buttons are big and easily as well as accurately used with motorcycle gloves
• Battery life seems to be on target at about 12 hours
• Beautiful and bright display screen, even in full daylight
• Total price was $180 with the ebay accessories
• Supposed 4 hours of video play (to be determined)

The Bad:

• No docking station
• No accessories - bare minimum in the box
• Price - without the rebate, it would have been $230 with the ebay accessories

The UGLY:

• I’m not an electronics guy, but my guess is that with a sleep mode for the screen, battery life coud be significantly extended.
• My fingers - I do not have the soft touch to not click the touch pad when I am scrolling.  Hopefully that will come with time.

Overall Rating:

While I have not tried an iPod, I cannot wish for more with this PMP.  There is no guess work about buttons and evry button can be operated with motorcycle gloves.  The bright screen is easily visible in the broad daylight and is brilliant for colors.  While I may be avoiding the best PMP in the iPod, I am totally satisfied the the Creative Zen Vision:M that I now own and would recommend it to anyone that want to have sound with their riding experience…and the ability to make adjustments on the fly.