Six Months With The Nomad Zen Xtra

It hardly seems like six months have gone by since I purchased my NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra. In truth, it seems like much longer. I didn't realize the sixth anniversary had crept up on me and actually passed without my noting. But upon realizing it, I decided it was time to post something about my six months with the Nomad Zen Xtra.

I've already gone through my reasons for choosing the Zen Xtra over the ever popular iPod. Six months later, I have no regrets about my decision. My Nomad Zen has become an indepsensible part of most days. It goes with me on my commute to and from work (though my commute is much shorter now), and keeps me company during working hours, when I need some musical release.

I've basically mastered the controls. and at this point I have I have about 14GB worth of music on a player that will hold 40GB. Chances are I have more storage space than I'm likely to ever use, but it's nice to know I have it if I need it. Of course, it's also clear that I could have purchased a 20GB iPod—less space for the same amount of money—and had all the storage space I apparently need, but since I don't know how large my digital music collection is likely to get, I'd like to be able to keep it all in one place if possible.

I do have one minor gripe. However, it's less about the Zen Xtra than it is about the old rule that applies to just about any tech-oriented purchase: it's obsolete before you even get it out of the package (sometimes before you get it out of the store). In the six months since my purchase, Creative has come out with a revamped Zen MP3 player,
the Creative Zen Touch. The most notable change is the design. The controls are now situated on the front of the player, rather than the sides, and Creative seems to have done away with the scroll wheel that some users didn't like. The only drawback I can see is that it currently comes only in the 20GB variety. So, I'm not entirely kicking myself for my purchase six months ago. Truth be known, if I had to make that decision all over again, I'd probably make the same choice.

Anyway, that's my review of six months with the Nomad Zen Xtra for anyone who's interested. All in all, I give it a thumbs up.