Creative - ZEN Touch 2 Review

Personal music players are nothing new. But long-time maker Creative's new ZEN Touch 2 is something different. It runs Android, the operating system that has set the smartphone sector alight - and it's a far cry from the blocky, black-and-white-screened original ZEN Touch.
The Creative ZEN Touch 2 comes in three versions. The 8GB model costs £149.99, while the 16GB model costs £159.99. Both of these sport a microSD card slot on one edge, which enables you to add up to 32GB more storage. Lastly, there's a version of the 8GB model that features built-in GPS.
 
The Creative ZEN Touch 2 looks and feels so much like a phone that you'll wonder why Creative hasn't gone the whole hog and thrown in SIM support. You've got Android 2.1 providing the control system, and the device itself is roughly the size and weight you'd expect of a modern mobile, at 120x60x13mm and 122g, respectively. For many people, carrying this around is going to be like carrying a second mobile.

There are some compromises. There are a mere three home screens to populate with widgets, and the array of widgets is less than you'd get on a mobile, but the look and feel is similar.
There's Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and even a rotating screen and 2-megapixel camera on board. There's an 8GB version that comes with GPS - but no 16GB version with it, which seems odd. The build quality is, to be frank, more shoddy than we are used to seeing in Mobile phones.

The original Creative ZEN Touch was an iPod Classic-like white block with touch controls and a small monochrome screen. So things have really moved on here, with a 3.2in, 480x320-pixel touchscreen. It's resistive, though, and not hugely responsive to screen taps. Also, Creative has hamstrung Android by removing the Market and requiring you to use its ZiioSpace instead, streamlining down the full range of apps.
On our 8GB non-GPS review version, there was access to Email but no Google Maps; to a web browser but not YouTube; to a calculator but not a calendar. The Pure Android Audio widget is one of just a few on board. It lets you connect Bluetooth headphones easily.

The absence of an FM radio on the device is a real irritation. If you want one, you'll have to opt for the 8GB GPS-equipped version. The music player can manage playlists and party shuffle modes, but in the end it's audio quality that lets things down.
The onboard speaker is quiet. Quality through the provided headphones is OK, but not fantastic. Substituting headphones does improve things, though. Worse, for a music player, there's no equaliser.

 

We don't see what Creative is trying to achieve with the ZEN Touch 2. It has hampered Android by removing some software features including the full Android Market, and doesn't boost audio quality enough.

 

BEST POINT: Ability to extend built-in storage using microSD cards.
WORST POINT: Hampering Android by removing apps; no equaliser; no FM radio in two versions.

Philips Ariaz 16GB Review

I've been very impressed by previous Philips MP3 players, so we had high hopes for the Ariaz. It looks like a smaller version of our favourite MP3 player, the Muse (see Editor's Choice below) but it costs £50 less – making it the cheapest 16GB portable audio and video player we've seen.

The Ariaz has the same logical controls and menu structure as the Muse. It's very easy to adjust the equaliser or play modes while a song is playing or to add the track to a new playlist. The buttons are a little small, so it may not be ideal for those with very big fingers. Unsurprisingly at this price, it's missing the Muse's built-in background noise cancellation. The build quality isn't as sturdy as the best MP3 players we've seen either – the plastic casing creaks under pressure.

Unlike previous Philips players, the Ariaz lacks support for H264 and DivX videos, but it can play WMV files, including downloaded BBC iPlayer videos. The battery lasted just under four hours when playing videos, which is reasonably long. However, the low-resolution, grainy 2in screen is at best suited to TV fare, rather than epic movies.

Using the included earphones, music sounded harsh with weak bass and a lack of detail and warmth. This was especially noticeable in jazz and rock tracks. There was also some distortion at the high end in pop and rock tracks at high volumes. Thankfully, audio quality improved greatly using a superior, third party set of earphones. Music still didn't sound quite as warm and rich as we'd like, but it's still highly enjoyable. The battery lasted just over 28 hours when playing audio which isn't the longest we've ever seen but is still respectably lengthy.

We wish the Ariaz felt more robust and it's not ideal for playing video, but it's a very good value portable audio player - £75 for a 16GB model is a bargain. If you can live with its limitations, it's a great buy.

Philips GoGear Muse 16GB Review

Philips' GoGear Muse looks and feels classier than older models thanks to its brushed metal back. The right-handed design is unchanged, which will put off left-handed users.

It's one of the few players we've seen with built-in noise cancellation. This blocks out background noise in places such as a train carriage or aeroplane so you can listen to music without raising the volume to dangerous levels. It works surprisingly well and is almost as effective as third-party noise-cancellation and isolation earphones we've tried, but the circuitry works only with the included earphones. Thankfully, these sound detailed and clear with enough bass, although some instruments, particularly brass and strings, don't sound as rich as we'd like, so you may still want a third-party set.

If you tire of your own music, you can use the built-in FM radio. Reception in our central London offices was free from static and sounded clear and crisp. Saving a station as a preset or recording a broadcast is quick and easy thanks to the options button and the logically organised menus.

We were also impressed with the quality of the 3in screen. Videos looked bright and sharp, with plenty of detail and contrast. The Muse can play H.264 as well as DivX and XviD files, but it insists on stretching videos with a 4:3 aspect ratio to fill the screen. Sadly there's no option to override this, but videos with a 16:9 or an anamorphic aspect ratio look fine.

Battery life is impressive. The Muse lasted just under 35-and-a-half hours when playing music with noise cancellation deactivated. When playing videos, it lasted just over four hours. These are good times compared with portable players from other manufacturers, but previous GoGear players have lasted over 48 hours when playing music and over six hours when playing video, so owners of existing models may be reluctant to upgrade.

Nevertheless, Philips' 16GB GoGear Muse is an excellent portable audio player in almost every respect. It's a little expensive, but it's worth every penny.

Archos 5 Internet Tablet Review

The Archos 5 Internet Tablet (A5IT) is the first device I've seen to run the Android mobile operating system that isn't a mobile phone. It's a very slim personal media player with a 4.8in touchscreen and wireless netowk wireless networking. All this means that as well as storing and playing media files, it can access media over a local network and stream content from the internet.
The primary reason for buying a large-screen media player over compact MP3 player is to watch video, and the A5IT doesn't disappoint in this area. The screen's 800x480 resolution results in tiny pixels that make images pin-sharp. Colours seem natural but a bit muted, and contrast is good. A sturdy metal kickstand folds out from the back of the A5IT so you can rest it on a table while watching. There is a built-in speaker, but its not very loud or clear, so an external set or headphones are essential.

Support for standard-definition Windows Media, and up to 720p MPEG4 and H.264 video is included. The player supports the basic AVI and MP4 containers, as well as the MKV container, which is very popular on file sharing sites. DVD VOB files and the associated MPEG2 codec, along with the 720p WMV-HD codec, are only supported with a plug-in that costs £12 from Archos's site, although you could just re-encode such files into MPEG4 on your PC. Strangely, the Windows driver offers to convert any AVI or MP4 files to WMV format when copying via USB, which is unnecessary.

The quality of music playback is good, although we'd prefer to have physical buttons to control it so you don't have to fish the player out of your pocket. It's good to see support for the open source OGG codec, although for most people the WMA, AAC and MP3 support will suffice. Similarly, JPEG support is sufficient for most users, but BMP, PNG and GIF are also supported. It's great to be able to flick through photos with your finger on the screen.

Thanks to Android, the A5IT is far more than just a media player. For starters there's a decent web browser, which also gives you access to online content, such as YouTube videos. Unfortunately, the device is currently hamstrung by the lack of both Google apps and the Android Market. This will be fixed with a firmware update to Android version 1.6 in the near future, although Archos couldn't give us an exact date on this. In the meantime, you'll have to rely on the pre-installed apps and a limited selection at Archos's own AppsLib application repository.

Archos has installed its own media playback apps along with a home screen widget. The latter gives you easy access to all the media on the device, as well as access to Archos's own Media Club, where you can buy a limited selection of films and music plus access streaming media. There's an FM radio, and you can even play downloaded Flash games by adding them to a specific folder. Media files can be streamed from UPnP servers across your wireless home network, and streaming HD videos shouldn't be a problem thanks to the built-in 802.11n wireless network adaptor.

There are a number of docking devices available for the A5IT that can greatly extend its capabilities, including an extended battery pack and port extenders that let you output video via HDMI to a TV. There's even a docking station that lets you record TV broadcasts directly to your A5IT. Thanks to its built-in GPS, the A5IT can be also be used as a satnav device. For in-car use you'll need to buy the £60 Archos GPS In Car Holder With Region Maps. Alternatively, the new firmware should also provide Google Maps compatibility, but not the turn-by-turn directions, which are currently limited to the US.

The model we tested had 32GB of flash memory, but there are a number of alternatives. The most attractive is the 160GB hard disk model, which costs just £20 more; although it's chunkier and heavier, and the hard disk will reduce battery life. 64GB flash memory and 500GB hard disk models are available, but these cost £369 and £349 respectively. If you'd rather have the robustness of an SSD, we feel that 32GB of storage, especially if you're re-encoding your videos to the native resolution of 800x480, will be sufficient for most users.

A great screen, good music quality and Android combine to make this one of the most flexible media players we've seen. With Google's apps and Android market due to come next year it will become even more powerful, but we're holding awarding it full marks until that update is out and working. In addition, many people will be better off investing in an all-in-one Android smartphone instead, such as the HTC Hero, instead of carrying two devices everywhere.

Cowon X7 Review

The Cowon X7 isn't as pretty or as glossy as some of its rivals, but if you want a big, good-quality screen, great sound and an unfeasibly massive battery life, this is the media player for you

When it was announced last year, Cowon's X7 touchscreen media player was set to be an Android device, with all the advantages and support associated with Google's mobile operating system. Unfortunately, the promise of Android never materialised, and the X7 has been released with its own user interface, with a few basic widgets that let you take notes, record sound and run Flash games.

At over 200g, the X7 would certainly be our first choice if we wanted a media player to double as a bludgeon. It's definitely not going to fit comfortably in your jeans pocket and would be a strain on the lining of your jacket. However, the X7's large size also means that it has a massive battery, which lasted over 83 hours in our audio playback test - the longest we've ever seen. There's also space for a 4.3in display, big enough to watch films without having to squint, while a 120GB hard disk means you can lug around all the music and movies you could ever want. There's even a built-in speaker and composite video output.

Audio support is excellent - all our non-DRM audio files played perfectly, from standard MP3 and AAC files to more uncommon formats like Audible audiobooks and lossless FLAC. Video support is a bit more finicky - the player can't handle H.264 codecs, so you're limited to WMV and XVID. It can't do HD video, either. Fortunately, Cowon's JetAudio Media Center software can handle conversion for you. Once you've got your video into the right format, quality is outstanding. The large screen is brilliantly bright and easy to view under any light conditions and at almost any angle.

We were also very impressed by the player's audio quality. The X7 outputs perfectly clear, accurate sound, even at the highest volumes our ears could take. Its default Normal EQ mode is a flat reproduction of the original audio file, but there are plenty of other modes, including several enhanced bass settings that add depth if your headphones are a bit weedy in that department. The supplied earbuds are uncomfortable to wear for long periods, but their sound quality is fairly good.

Despite its obvious qualities, there are several things we don't like about the X7. Some of the touchscreen icons and buttons are inconveniently small and we couldn't find any Flash games that actually worked. You also can't use the player when it's connected to your PC. A proprietary connector means that, even though you can mount the X7 as a standard USB storage device, you'll need to carry its own special USB lead to do so.

None of these are great drawbacks, though. The X7 is expensive and there are a few improvements we’d make, but if you want to be able to travel with enough media to keep you entertained throughout your trip and the battery life to shun power sockets, it’s the best tool for the job.