Key Pieces of MP3 Creative

The Good

Both players have lots of features; good battery life; large screens; multiple sizes available

The Bad

Prices are on the high side; Mozaic lacks LCD display; Zen X-Fi sells only in black

The Bottom Line

If you don’t need an iPod or Zune, either the mp3 creative Mozaic or the Zen X-Fi could make a excellent alternative .

Review

If you’re seeking reasonably priced alternative to Microsoft or Apple’s audio players, checking out the MP3 Creative players might be a good idea . Creative Labs does have a high-quality name in the industry and produces reliable products on the whole. The two newest models of MP3 Creative players are the Mozaic and the Zen X-Fi.

In the beginning, let’s examine the MP3 Creative Mozaic. This player sold in four sizes: 2 GB, 4 GB, 8GB, and 16GB models. The player also is available in various colors: black, silver, and pink.

Although the MP3 Creative player has a nice sized 1.8 inch screen that screen is not an LCD display so it’s not quite as good for viewing videos and photos as it could be. The battery life is about 32 hours for music and five hours for video.

This model comes with an FM tuner and built-in speaker (for sharing music with other people), but no expansion slot (for adding more memory). Prices for this model usually run between $60 and $150 depending on the size hard drive you choose.

The Zen X-Fi, like the Zune, does support wireless synching which means you can transfer music to and from your MP3 Creative device without being attached by wires. This is definitely becoming a popular feature as more people move towards wireless computing.

However, that’s not all the player has to offer. Like the Mozaic, the MP3 Creative Zen X-Fi comes in multiple sizes, including an 8 GB, 16 GB, and 32 GB model. The 32 GB model can hold up to 8,000 songs or 120 hours of video. Unlike the Mozaic, the Zen X-Fi sports an LCD display and a larger one at 2.5 inches. That makes it larger than the screen for the iPod Nano.

Battery life for this brand is also quite better: 36 hours for music compared to 32 for the Mozaic. The negative, this brand only offered in black. Prices for the Zen X-Fi vary between $130 and $280 depending on the size and where you buy.

Overall , the Zen X-Fi and the Mozaic are good additions to the other MP3 Creative products that have been launched over the years.