Lightweight, small, sounds great, lots of info on screen when in MP3 play mode.USB interface. Firmware is upgradeable Battery life is pretty good.

Headphones are very uncomfortable..at least for me.Amp is limitied in power. Computer interface is quirky. Wish it had a random play mode.

Once I got past the computer problems I was very pleased with it's sound and user interface. Compared to the Rio this is hands down the best. The Rio kept giving me battery connection problems (on 2 units).The USB connection is a bit quirky if you ask me.
The software has a Nomad detector built into it, that ONLY works if your are first plugged in the Nomad and have it powered up before you connect to your USB port. It took me awhile to figure this out and Creative was no help with their online support.

Similar Products Used:

Rio 500

Style points all the way, 32 radio station presets with best signal seek, sound quality is robust & pure, comes with rechargeable batteries that charge in 3-4 hours, upgradeable to future sound formats, backlight & volume work adequately, seems like a solid piece of equipment that will last a while, software is good once you figure it out.

NO REMOTE!!! For all the money you dish out this should be a must (the European models come w/it as well as the Sensory Science Rave 2200), especially when the buttons are all on the sides (why? This makes it easy to accidently press the wrong button & erase a file). The software is sorta buggy, I had to load it a couple of times before it kicked in (could have been my computer, not sure). The Rave MP had much better software, install & load, much easier to navigate and load files, also more user friendly. Although the Rave had much friendlier software, the Nomad II MG software is also very good once you figure it out. Call me dumb, but it took me almost an hour to get the hang of it and finally download my Napster files, whereas with the Rave software this was done in less than 10 minutes (once again this could have been me & my computer). Also you cant upload MP3 files from the unit on to your pc, and you cant use it on Windows NT (just when I thought I could use it at work), pouch provided is vinyl (not leather) and is useless for anything but holding it.

All in all, this is a good solid piece of equipment that will last, especially now that the 128MB flash cards are coming out. Internal flash memory holds about 15 songs and the sound quality is superb, even with the headphones provided (some might not like the fit, I had no problems). Radio station's came in loud & clear, very little distortion unless your in an area with lots of interferance. The upgradeable internals and features included, make this a very good value & I highly reccommend this to whomever is thinking of getting a portable MP3 player. Although the price may be a bit too steep, it really does have everything you would want or need, except a remote or a telephone book feature. It was between the Sensory Science Rave 2200 & this, the features that won me over were; The backlight (Rave 2200, doesnt have this), upgradeability to future sound formats, sleek look, FM radio (Rave 2200, has this but only 20 presets), last but not least availability. For whatever reason you just cant find any Sensory Science Rave 2200 units, whereas Nomads were everywhere. So finally even though the Rave 2200 was pretty dam close to getting picked over the Nomad II MG, it was the fact that it had a backlight and I could pick one up locally that finally won me over.

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Sensory Science Rave MP 2000 series.

I've really grown to like this MP3 player. It's small, extremely durable, and versatile. I also like the support I've received from Creative Labs

Scratches easily, expensive, headphones suck, remote pretty much sucks. Button layout. LCD could be bigger.

I've had mine since March 1st. I now have the remote, a 128mb smartmedia card, and new headphones (Sony MDR e888). I almost never use the remote. It's a pain in the ass. You can't turn it on if the lock on the player is activated. The cord on the remote is WAY too long. With the expanded memory I now have 192mb of storage which is plenty. If I use WMA format I can hold around 100 songs on this thing. My new headphones are awesome. They are the best sounding earbuds I've heard.
I've dropped the player SEVERAL times and it still keeps working. I did break off the switch on the back of the player that removes the smart card, but when I returned it to Creative they fixed it without too much hassle. There are a lot of scratches on the surface of my player, but considering how many times I've dropped it. . . The Button layout is really stupid, but I've gotten used to it, so it's not too much of a problem. Overall, I really like this player. I take it with me everywhere. It easily fits in a pocket. It sounds good, and it holds a ton of skip-free music. I don't know why anyone would buy the huge Nomad Jukebox. To me the point of an MP3 player is the portability. I'm definitely glad I got this one.

Similar Products Used:

none, but researched many.

Ease of use, looks, size, expansion capabilites.Docking cradle, rechargable batteries, Apple drivers.

the headphones, oddly placed controls, lack of equalizer.

I purchased this unit for commuting music...I hate lugging CD's all over the place!

the 64MB RAM is...while not ample, enough. I can get about an hour's worth of MP3's on it when I set my Ripper to "medium quality" (160kbps). I plan on adding at least another 64MB card as soon as possible (thanks to the expansion slot).

The docking station and rechargeable batteries included with the MG model are a nice touch. Just pop the player in the cradle and it shows up in the player (I use iTunes from Apple) and charges the battery... after a few hours of use it usually take about 10 minutes to top the Battery off. The initial charge took a few hours though.

Weaknesses: the head phones...well, SUCK! poor sound, lousy construction....you figure for the price they could throw in a decent pair or headphones!!!
the controls are a bit annoying as well, as they are placed on the sides of the unit...it seems a purely aesthetic choice to me as it makes the face of the unit look much cleaner.

Overall I do recommend the unit...it aint' a cheap technotoy, but it is cool.

Similar Products Used:

None. researched comparable units though:Rio, Iomega, Sony, Etc...

Size
Case
Capacity
NiMH batteries

Supplied headphones
delete button

I agree with most of the reviews written here. Before I get into the details of my opinion, I should clarify that I had expectations that the unit was going to have the following features in order of importance: Compact size, high capacity, good sonics. At the time of purchase, I considered the Nike PSA Play 120 as well but didn't like the short battery life. I have AA NiMH's, but even still, the play time was too short, and it was a PITA to change the batteries. I also considered the SoundsGood Springboard (Windows only and not expandable) and the MiniJam Springboard (slow download and too clunky for a Springboard form factor) . I certainly didn't expect the unit to hold more than a couple of hours of music but wanted removable media so I could carry more MP3's. Being a Mac user, I really wasn't interested in WMA capability; however, I do plan on having a multi platform environment, so having that ability was a bonus. Well, now that the iPod is out...

The form factor is great. This player was bought at the end of January 2001 for commuting and gym use. It has fulfilled the former completely and the latter mostly. I got the blue one for something different from the grey. I like the magnesium case. It seems to be durable, though I haven't dropped it much. After reading previous reviews, I listened to the supplied headphones once and put them back in the box for good. I use some mid-level Sony earbuds that I've had awhile.

I wanted enough memory ability to have a couple of hours of music, so once I bought a 64MB flash card, I had pretty much all the memory I needed. I ended up buying another 64 MB card that I carry with me to swap out (kinda like tapes for a walkman...) I'll probably buy another 64MB or a 128MB soon, but I don't change my music all the time.

The inclusion of NiMH AAA's is good. They last around 6-8 hours (not the 10 that is in the manual). I've used alkaline AAA's when the NiMH's were drained, which was convenient.

The display is sufficient for me. I really only need the track number, music mode, repeat indicator, and battery charge status.

The sound quality with the supplied headphones is lousy, but any decent headphones (I tried both the Sony earbuds and Sony V6's) improve the sound quality to what I expected. I find that the MG's sound quality is good. I should note here (start rant) that I never expect a portable to have equal sound quality to a home system, especially a high-end one. In my arrogant opinion, portable audio (especially MP3's or other compressed formats) will never have equal sound quality of a well recorded CD. Portable audio's main purpose is (surprise) to be portable, not to sound like a $5000 hifi system. End rant.

The main weakness to me is the location and funciton of the delete button. Whatever moron decided to put the delete button next to the main controls and have it function with a single press rather than holding the button needs some education on design. I've actually acidentally confirmed the delete twice. I suppose that the button gets more use if you do the voice recording or the radio recording.

As was said before, the earphones are good for cell phone, not for audio. Mine are abandoned in the box.

The FM radio is mediocre at best. I typically don't get very good signal. The number of presets available is nice though. I think I would have preferred an AM radio for news and sports.

I never used the recording feature for either voice or radio, so I won't comment on their functionality other than to say the features are fluff.

The built-in equalizations are decent since manually adjusting the treble and bass controls is fruitless. I found that the sound output is softer using the manual tone controls than any of the other preset ones, including selecting the equalizer to be off.

I like the cradle that is supplied. It might be nice to have a cable if you're travelling with a laptop.

The software is mediocre. I've only used the Mac version (SoundJam). The interface is clunky, but it gets the job done. For some reason (probably because I don't feel it's worth it to upgrade), I can't rip files at >128kbps. On the other hand, it's a portable; I don't use the MG as an input device on my home hifi system or my car.

The supplied "case" is not much better than a generic case. The buttons are indistingushable when the case is used. I could learn to memorize the buttons, but I usually use the lock, which is difficult to use in the case. Even the hole for the headhones doesn't make sense. I don't know what other user do, but I plug in the headphones before I slip the MG into the case. From this case's design, you would have to turn on the unit, slip it into the case, then plug the headphones in. Then if you want to cange tracks, you would have to unplug the headphones before you take the unit out tof the case. Stupid. There is also no clip on the case, which is bothersome when I'm at the gym. It doesn't bother me much when I commute since I can use a pocket.

I don't have the wired remote, but based on others' reviews, it sounds like more trouble then benefit. I wanted one but didn't want to spend $50. Besides, the MG is small enough that you don't have to store it in a bag or backpack (and need a remote). I used a wired remote on both of my portable CD players, and it was great. However, the CD players remained in my bag unless I had to change discs.

From all the less than stellar observations, a reader might think that I don't like the MG. Actually, I really like the MG for it's main purpose: a portable MP3 player. I normally don't like reviewers to grade a product independant of each catagory, but I'm going to be somewhat of a hypocrite in my rating of the MG by bumping it up one star overall. The shortcomings are all minor compared to the portability and the sound quality. I feel that the headhones are really a non-issue, since decent headphones are cheap. The case protects the unit form scratches, and the software works, just very smooth.

If I were on the market for an MP3 player today, I would probably still select the MG. I'd buy an iPod if the price was >$300.

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Rio 600(?)
Nike PSA 120
iPod for a few minutes

Nice Size, Good Sound Quality(w/ sony headphones), FM Radio is a nice touch, Easy transfer, Voice Recorder

Can't change track titles on the player, no built in memory, no AM radio, Flash card input is too close to battery and is a pain to change cards

I received this thing for a gift and I am very pleased. Sound quality was excellent. When I plugged sony headphones in I didn't have any volume problems, in fact, it got too loud for my taste. I really like the voice recorder because it comes in useful during a boring lecture at school. The transfer is easy however not being able to upload is a negative. The expandability is definately something I look forward to because I can't afford to keep buying new devices as old ones get outdated. One thing I wish it had was lighted buttons. The lit display is nice but in the dark I keep forgetting which buttons are which but I guess you can get used to it. The battery life is about 8-10 hours which is not bad considering it runs on only 1 AA battery. I never owned an MP3 player before so I am happy with how easy the menu is to navigate. I wish it had AM radio. But hey, you can't win 'em all.

Small, portable

Button layout

This is a nice little unit for an MP3 player. However Creative totally blundered the wire remote. Most people I talk to that have this unit say the same thing: "The wire remote drains a fresh pair of batteries very quicky".
Yes, It's true. If I use the wire remote, I can get maybe 1 hour of constant play. If I turn off the unit and leave the wire remote plugged in, then the next time I try the unit, the battery is wasted.. This is totally not cool.
I think creative should hire new people who can make sure the product works before they bring it to market.
Nice screw up Creative Labs!!!

Size, Weight, and looks

cheap feel, tiny and not-so-tiny overlooked details.

Although the sound is good for a portable mp3 player, I expected quality matching/exeeding that of a quality sound
card. But the sound just isn't that crisp and the signal-to-noise ratio is noticeablely under 90.

Small details were overlooked for this player. Take the smart card button. Sliding a smart card into the player (which doesn't have a good feel going in), you'll notice the release button scratches lines across the back of the switch. Another detail, which review after review I have read before getting it myself, was the terrible side placement of the controls. And yes you can get used to it but it is indeed annoying.

The software that goes with it is also pretty clunky and puts a bunch of stuff in the taskbar. but for some reason it rips better than audiocatalyst. (i don't get aspi errors like i do for audiocatalyst)

For the most part, I'm pretty much nitpicking at the faults, but they were enough to make me return the player and picking up an ipod. I might sound like a hipocrypt but overall, it does deserve four stars. It sounds good, has a decent amount of memory, and light enough to work out with.

btw, I bought it for 178 w/ free smart card at buy.com which I thought was a good price for it.

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Ipod

small, light and tuff

lousy software, poor software availability, appears to be dropped by Creative, so ability to support new formats is worthless as code to do so will not be forthcomming

I choose the Nomad II MG for use while skiing and mountain biking. It works great for that purpose although I had to buy over the ears type headphones to keep them from comming off. While the unit works fine it appears Creative is going to kill it (as of 12/2001 it is not avail from Creative).

The problem with this unit is not the unit itsself, but the available support software or lack of software support for the unit. For reasons unknown to me, this product is not well supported by other software vendors. IE RealJukebox supports the Creative Jukebox and 32/64 MP3 players but NOT the II or II MG, both of which have been out much longer than either of the players it does support (very weird).

As far I have been able to discover, the only support for the MG is from either Creative (Player2 and/or Nomad "Manager") or MediaJukebox. Both Creative's software products are toys. They have lousy displays, lack functionality and are unsuitable for any serious music database. Player2 does encode MP3's, play music and can up/download to the MG, but that's about it. The Manager can only manage the MG, it can't encode. RealJukebox and MediaJukebox are both excellent and one of them or a similar product is mandatory if you wish to download, mange, play, search thru, organize, etc more than 10 CD's to your computer and/or use your computer as your stereo system. They are both literally hundreds of times more functional than the Creative Player2, but RealJukebox offers NO support for the MG and MediaJukebox's support is extremely weak (for some reason it doesn't recogonize the track names when read from the Nomad so you have to guess at what your deleting or keeping). So I'm currently using RealJukebox to manage my cd's/mp3's/tapes and albums, and I'm using the the Nomad Manger to load the MG. I'm evaluating MediaJukebox and like it quite a bit so far. However as far as the MG goes, their is no good solution and this coupled with the fact that new media formats are comming and Creative will not likely offer support for them on the MG despite the fact this capability was one of their marketing platforms, makes the MG a very bad choice for most people. They want you to buy their HDD based player and I suppose it works ok. However Their is no way a HDD based device will not skip when subjected to the impacts produced skiing/snowboarding/mountain biking sucessfully, much less when bouncing off the terrain due to a misjudgement or possibly (I wish), a equipment malfuncion. It fact the kind of stuff I've put my MG though I'm sure would trash a HDD based device and the MG was playing just fine when I regained consciousness.

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none

Looks cool, good interface

Horribly unreliable!!! First one DOA after 30 minutes of use.

This P-O-Junk is nothing short of a lesson in futility. After complaining to Amazon about the product and it going dead after 30 minutes of use, we got our second player. That was a mistake. This one works more often but not everytime. My wife often gets to the gym only to find it isn't going to work that day. It sometimes gives the message that the player is Locked when it isn't and shuts down. Other times it will play but no sound comes out, even tried 4 other proven pairs of headphones. Finally, the player most often doesn't turn on at all. This item has taught me a valuable lessons. Go with what you know. We bought the Intel Pocket Concert and really love it!

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Intel Pocket Concert