Creative released their hard-disk based MP3 player called Jukebox quite a while before the i-Pod, however, Apple’s toy won the popularity contest. Not only did it look cooler, it had added functionally built to it in a smaller size and people didn’t mind paying more for it. Learning from this, Creative introduced their “Zen” series of Jukebox which had smaller size than the original Jukebox, packed a bigger storage drive and was cheaper in price. Today, we take a look at one of the newest member of the Zen series- the Zen Xtra which, amongst other things, adds a higher-resolution LCD display to its list of features.

The Zen Xtra comes in a huge box with the picture of the main unit on the front and some specifications and features on the back. The box houses the main unit, some literature and software, the battery, the USB cable and power adapter as well as a pair of earphones- although it feels empty due to its large size. Creative could’ve easily packaged this in a size close to their recently reviewed MuVo² making it more compact and stylish.

The player measures 4.4” x 3” x 0.6” with a silver/white combination by default and has buttons and connectors all around it- not necessarily a good idea. Creative should try to stick to just one or two sides for all the connections as that makes things more convenient and gives you a lesser chance of accidentally pressing a button. The top of the unit has the USB, power and headphone connectors while the bottom side has an open switch. The left side has the power, back, volume and reset buttons while the right side features the jog-dial and the menu, play and skip buttons. Finally, the front of the unit has a nicely sized LCD.

The open switch present on the bottom opens the silver front cover of the unit and allows you to insert the battery. This also allows the option of replacing the silver colored cover as the back silver cover also seems replaceable. This will add some personalization to the Zen which we feel is a good thing.

Powering the unit for the first time takes roughly 12 seconds which is a bit on the higher side, however, if the unit isn’t left powered off for a long time, subsequent powers ups are instant as the unit goes into sleep mode instead of completely powering off. The first thing you notice is the awesome LCD screen which can now display about seven lines of text and has a blue backlight adding to the “cool factor.” The display is very sharp and is the highlight of the unit.

The Main menu consists of seven options- Music Library, Selected Music, Now Playing, EAX Audio, Play Mode, Settings and Button Lock. Navigating the menu is done through the Jog-Dial while pressing it selects the options. The Back button takes you one level back while the menu button takes you back to the main menu. We weren’t too impressed with the Jog Dial- it doesn’t feel as smooth as Jog Dials on Sony devices. Similarly, we felt that some of the buttons are too inside- they should be protruding a little more to get a better grip on them.