Creative’s Zen personal video player (PVP) is the first device released featuring Microsoft’s Portable Media Center operating system. Some are saying that the OS is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s iPod and the latter’s dominance of the music downloads industry. Where Microsoft is hoping to draw support is in its inclusion of video playback, making the device the entertainment system you can take anywhere.

The Creative Zen (£270 inc. VAT) is a fairly unimposing device, with a plain black casing and a simple, boxy design. Inside the unit there’s 20GB of storage space and a rechargeable battery capable of supplying up to seven hours of video playback or 20 hours of music playback. The 3.8-inch TFT screen is small, but still adequate for watching video without developing a squint.

The front houses most of the function keys. A controller on the left scrolls up and down and right to left around the menu system, with a central enter key. To the right of the screen is a control pad with the basic play/pause key and forward and rewind buttons. The volume controller is above that. A back key sits above the scroll pad on the left. Finally, as you would expect with a Microsoft OS driven device, a Windows key in the top left corner takes you straight back to the start screen.

The Portable Media Center OS is based on WinCE 5.0, but the design bears more comparison with the company’s desktop Windows Media Center. Both operating systems are designed to bridge the gap between computers and televisions, with straightforward menu layouts. Despite this, or maybe because we’re used to the standard Windows user interface, we found it took a little while to get the hang of navigating the software.

The Media Centers have been designed to let you listen to music, watch videos, look at pictures and playback television. Sadly, you can’t record television straight onto the Zen, you have to transfer the files from a PC. This means your laptop will need a TV tuner. You also won’t be able to record your DVDs onto the unit, unlike many of its rivals, so you’ll be limited to downloading films onto a PC. It’s early days for Microsoft’s latest OS and the limitations on this device will reduce its appeal for many potential customers. But in spite of this, the Zen still has enough to draw support from those seeking diversion when out and about.

RATING 6
PRICE £314/£370 (EX/INC. VAT)
PROCESSOR 400MHz Intel XScale
HARD DRIVE 20GB HDD
MEMORY 64MB RAM
CONTACT
www.creative.com  
0800 376 7954