Zen and the Art of Calm

It was inevitable…
It has finally happened….
It didn’t feel good…

Yep, that’s right, my Apple iPod Video has given up on me yet again - much to my annoyance. It’s the second iPod I’ve actually owned, the first gave up on me after quite a lengthy spell due to a hard disk problem, but it served me well and I knew it was time to buy a new one, which is why I plumped for the iPod Video. After a year and six months, and a battery replacement, even that has given up on me now. It’s a strange error – the unit will play quite happily, until I switch it off, then it refuses to switch back on. Thinking that my replacement battery was at fault, I unclipped the lid and reset the battery pack and hey presto, the Apple device burst back into life.

But that burst of energy was short lived, and as soon as the device was switched off again, it refuses to switch back on. I’ve tried all of the obvious troubleshooting, flashing the firmware, formatting the hard disk, checked that the battery was charged, etc. All with no success. Now I’m aware that Apple has come in for quite a bit of criticism over the lifespan of the iPod range, with various components failing for many different people who I’ve spoken to about them.

It pained me to finally throw in the towel on such a wonderful product – I loved my iPod, it was used every day, connected to my car stereo, sat in a speaker dock at home and entertained me on the move and at my desk at work. It’s always been my companion on my many adventures. But as much as I love the iPod, I cannot afford to pay for a replacement device every time it breaks down, so I’ve been looking around for an alternative to try.

My first choice would have been for an iPod-a-like “Microsoft Zune”, but as they are not available in the UK at this time, and I was confronted with messages of “Not available in your area” from the Microsoft website when I tried to download the software for a sneak peak and a thought about buying an imported model, I quickly gave in. Microsoft should really have their act together on the Zune in the UK and Europe; frustrated Apple users need an alternative over here.

As it became apparent that my first choice wasn’t viable, the search began. I needed something with a storage of equal proportions to the iPod, but wasn’t overly expensive either. As I researched, I remembered reading a review about the SanDisk Sansa and how it was a reasonable alternative. I read the reviews and although the Sansa only offered a 16GB capacity, it does have a MicroSD slot for expansion and it was within my price range – perfect! That was until I visited my local Currys store to check out the device – and that’s when the Creative Zen caught my eye. It’s a tiny device, with the same SD expansion slot and it has a gorgeous colour screen. I had to know more about it before making my choice.

As soon as I reached home, I fired up the laptop and scooted across to Google for a couple of reviews. It seemed to score high marks comparable with the iPod, and as a plus, it’s able to play content purchased from iTunes, which provided an added bonus to choosing a different brand, but I’m not limited to using the iTunes software or the included Zen software, which means I now have the option to choose. I like that, especially as long to start using Microsoft Media Centre. The Zen also appears to handle video playback much better (from the reviews I read), and conversion of film and video to the device is made easy – something that I’ve never ventured into with my iPod Video to avoid any frustration for myself. Also, the inclusion of an FM radio provides a cheeky bonus (why does it seem that Apple is the only manufacturer not to provide any radio features?)

I ordered the Creative Zen soon after, having made my decision. Although I’m excited by its arrival, I am still disappointed that my Logitec iPod speakers are not compatible and the Sony Stereo in my car with iPod adapter will no longer have any device plugged into the iPod connection (It does have an AUX port for “other” MP3 players, so its not all bad). Apple dominate the MP3 market – just look for a speaker dock for any other type of MP3 player and you’ll be hard pressed to find one in the crowd of iPod docking-station enabled speakers and stereos.

I’ll miss my iPod, but I have good feelings about the Zen’s ability to help me move on and forget, without looking back. I’ll post more as soon as it arrives and I’ve had chance to ‘road-test’ it.