Creative ZEN Touch 2 8 GB Android Based MP3 and Video Player (Black)

• Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) enabled, which lets you connect to the Internet on-the-go within any Internet hotspot
• This means you can surf the net or log-on to your favorite webmail site and correspond via email.
• The intuitive 3.2" touch screen allows you to navigate with ease and responds to your every touch
• Android 2.1 web browser with auto rotate and double-tap zoom features.
• Built-in 2 MP camera lets you take photos and record videos.
• Bluetooth 2.1 Wireless Technology works with all compatible stereo Bluetooth speakers & headphones such as the ZiiSound D5 & Creative WP-300.
• * This means you can surf the net or log-on to your favorite webmail site and correspond via email.
• Wireless LAN (IEEE 802.11 b/g/n) enabled, which lets you connect to the Internet on-the-go within any Internet hotspot.

Addendum 1/29/13:

I've seen a lot of reviews for this MP3 player, where people are having trouble finding apps, since Google Play is not available with this product. Besides Amazon.com, I've discovered 1mobile.com. It's great and completely accessible with the Zen Touch 2 (as well as the ZiiO 7 & 10). The site offers free apps, many of which are on Google Play. They offer an app for the 1mobile Market, which gets you to the site quickly right from the Zen. I've found apps that I couldn't get anywhere else. And, they are the most updated versions (which is not always true with Amazon). Just remember, as pointed out in other reviews ... this is an MP3 player with internet access. It's not powerful enough to do what most tablets can do with the internet and various streaming sites. It will freeze and malfunction if pushed to those limits. However, if you enjoy it as an MP3 player with additional internet features, you should enjoy it a lot. The sound is fantastic, with wired headphones or with Bluetooth headphones/speakers. I also use it for reading ebooks (using the Bluefire Reader), recording conversations with ease and stealth (using Easy Voice recorder app), and checking out sites on the internet (as well as getting my email).

I have a lot of experience with MP3 players, having owned many Creative Zen players over the years. So, when it was time to upgrade and retire my older players, I wanted to find one with Bluetooth capability and the ability to play music saved on MicroSD cards. Using MicroSD cards allows me to carry all my music (hundreds of albums) with me while traveling, without having to put all the music directly into the MP3 player's internal memory. After checking the information available for Creative's Zen M300, I decided to give it a try. Although it had all the features that I wanted and more, it did something that was very annoying for me. Specifically, it played the tracks from my albums (each album in separate file folders) off the MicroSD card in alphabetical order. I experienced this problem once before (with the Creative Stone MP3 player) and have never understood it. Why would any player be programmed to play tracks alphabetically instead of by track number? I get the idea of playlists. But, sometimes, you just want to put an album in your player (so to speak) and listen in order (like a CD ... or even a record!). This is especially important if you listen to classical music and operas, in addition to all the other music that you like. So, I wrote to Creative tech support, and they quickly responded noting that this could not be changed with this player; they suggested looking into the Touch2 which uses the Android operating system. I liked this idea, owning 2 Creative ZiiO tablets (with Android 2.2) and enjoying them and their ability to play music in proper order right off the SD cards.

So, I sent back the Zen M300 and ordered the Creative Zen Touch2. Now, I'm very pleased. First, it was a breeze to set up. The Android 2.2 operating system is easy to navigate and works really well. Like I noted earlier, I have a lot of experience with this OS from the ZiiO tablets. There are a few differences, but nothing significant. The touch screen works very well, although it takes a little practice and time to get used to the feel and amount of pressure needed. It was very easy to set up the wireless connection and then to connect to the internet. I've worked around google play by using Amazon's App store in the past. It worked great with the Touch2 as well. Connecting the Bluetooth to my headphones and wireless speakers was simple and fast. And, as expected from Creative's MP3 players, the sound is fantastic. Oh, and I almost forgot to emphasize that it reads the tracks in order to track number, not alphabetically with the installed player. If I wanted something more elaborate, there are plenty of music players that I could download from Amazon or another site using the WiFi and browser. Battery life has been good so far; I own a Creative universal MP3 charger which allows me to use an electric outlet instead of my computer's USB. I read other reviews that spoke about the player freezing up a lot. My player initially was frozen after the first charge for some unknown reason; I used a pin to reset the player (next to the MicroSD card slot), and it started with no problem. There've been no other freezing up problems since. I think the updated firmware (which was already installed on my player) should help the earlier versions to fix this problem. Overall, I'm very pleased with this new Creative MP3 player, which now uses Android and allows internet access, in addition to playing my music properly.

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Mostly use it for gym, morning jogs, bicycling, etc. I've dropped it so many times and it has never stopped working. Had an ipod, dropped it once, died. If you are looking for a player that keeps playing, this is it. Plus, it's super easy to use and stores videos. So I can put my workout videos on here too.

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I bought this because it has Bluetooth, so I was willing to put up with just about anything so I could use wireless headphones excercising. The Firmware is really buggy so maybe there will be a fix later. The issue I would not expect is that it freezes up ALL the time. Powering down, at the end of an album, using the explorer etc. So much you need a permanent paper clip handy so you can reset the device every time you use it. When it freezes it will drain the battery so watch out.

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Our daughter wanted a "Touch" mp3 player, but Apple is outlawed in our house. (My husband is an IT mangager and will not allow iTunes on our personal computers.) We both own Android phones and love them, but don't want our 12-year-old to have a phone yet. So...this was the next best deal. This Android based mp3 player works great. There is some work-arounds we've had to do to get important components on it for her, but with our familiarity with Android we're able to do it easy enough. I found her a sleep timer app so it would turn off in the night. I also found her an app especially for listening to audio books. She loves being able to get to her email on the wifi. She can also read books via a Kindle app attached to my account. The cost was also much better than an ipod with the same attributes. The only trouble we have that we can't figure out right now is that once we upgraded the device using the file on the Creative website, her wmv files don't seem to work anymore. They play only the audio and not the video. They worked before the upgrade. However, I have contacted Creative and they helping us out. We are still in the process of finding a solution.

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I've had this item for about 2 months now. It's an adequate MP3 player, but don't expect too much. If you're expecting it to behave like an iPod touch or a higher end Android based device, then you'll be disappointed. Like other reviews have mentioned, the software is buggy and you'll have limited access to Android apps. I loaded the Android Market App from the web, which the device doesn't recommend, but it does give you more access. You don't have full access to the Google Play Store and some apps won't function correctly or at all.

WiFi capabilities is handy because a file manager app allow you access to local network storage. Mobile versions of the web is also available, but at times sluggish and the screen is not very big. Touchscreen response is also sometimes delayed or not very responsive.

The camera is not too spectacular, but it does have that capability of taking pictures and video (make sure you have plenty of lighting because it doesn't have a flash). The Micro SD expansion slot is a plus for storage.

Battery life is not like other MP3 players I've tried that only last for a couple hours, but it doesn't last for 24 hours if you use it continuously for any function whether for music or surfing the web. It does last about 8 hours continuously (more or less) as an MP3 player from my experience. Having Bluetooth and/or WiFi on will drain battery so it will shorten how long you can use it before charging again.

For my purpose as mainly an MP3 player with Internet and Bluetooth capability, it is adequate although some of the interface is at times cumbersome. Again, don't expect an iPod Touch replacement because you will be disappointed.