Yes! A CompactFlash Slot!

As you have seen earlier, the Creative Zen Vision sports a Compact Flash Type II slot. Of course, many portable media players come with a CompactFlash slot these days, so this isn't really special. But it's good to see that the Zen Vision also comes with this important feature.

You can now use the Zen Vision as a portable storage device to offload photos from your memory card. This allows you to wipe out the memory card so that you can take more photos without depending on extra memory cards.

There are several things to note about the Zen Vision's CompactFlash slot. First of all, it is actually more like a CompactFlash connector since it isn't as deep as a normal CompactFlash slot. Thus, the optional CompactFlash Memory Card reader, when attached, protrudes out the side.

There are two methods of copying files from the memory card to the Zen Vision - Copy and Append.

When you use the Copy method, you have the choice of copying the 5, 10, 15 or 30 latest files, or ALL files from the memory card. When in Append mode, the player will scan the card for any changes and only copy new files. However, it doesn't seem to detect files which aren't supported by the Zen Vision.

I only had a standard 128MB Sony Memory Stick to test the transfer rate. The time it took for me to copy about 82.6MB worth of photos to the Zen Vision was about 8 minutes. That translates into a transfer rate of approximately 170KB/s. Not fast at all, but it could be due to the slow speed of the Sony Memory Stick.

Some of you might be wondering, "Why would I need to pay so much for a Zen Vision just for the ability to serve as a portable storage device?". After all, you can now get portable storage devices (excluding the hard drive) for about RM 250 or USD 67.

Well, other than the fact that the Zen Vision functions mainly as a portable media player, it is also a better portable storage device than the usual portable storage solutions because it allows you to see exactly what you have copied to it! With other portable storage solutions, you can only assume that the files have been properly transferred. With the Zen Vision, you can visually confirm that your precious photos have been safely uploaded to it before you erase your memory card.

LCD Display

The 3.7" SharpPix LCD screen has a resolution of 640 x 480 and is capable of displaying 262144 colours. Marketing literature aside, the screen looks BEAUTIFUL!!! The images are sharp and vibrant IMHO.

Of course, because it's a portable device, everyone wants to know how well the display works under direct sunlight. Well, I'm very happy to report that the screen is transreflective and works very well under direct sunlight!

However, it has a narrow viewing angle. It's best viewed directly from the front. If you look at the screen from the side, it appears washed out. So, it's very likely you won't be able to truly share a movie experience with more than one other person. Then again, with the whimpy embedded speaker, you probably wouldn't be doing much sharing in the first place.

FM Radio

The Zen Vision comes with an internal FM Radio. But to use it, you have to plug in the earphones. This is because the earphones' cable doubles as the antenna!

Personally, I have not been able to get any proper reception from it, but that could just be due to the fact that I tried it indoors. Other than the apparently poor reception, I really don't see why the built-in radio wouldn't work.

Also, if radio is your fancy, you might be pleased to know that you can also record radio transmissions on the Zen Vision.

That Was A Microphone, Right?

Yes, the Zen Vision has a built-in microphone, so you can use it to record voice notes. The microphone isn't all that great so you will probably have to stick it close to your mouth for a clean and clear pickup.

Recordings are stored as WAV files for both voice and radio recordings. But while voice notes are recorded in mono, radio recordings are done in stereo.