Un-Creative Zen Software

Recently I purchased a 5GB Zen Micro, made by Creative Labs - the same company that practically birthed the sound card industry.  While not an avid fan of Apple’s iPod, I have to appreciate the simplicity of it’s software.  Create playlists, download music, etc. and just plug it in and you’re done. 

The complete opposite exists for the Zen Micro. You plug it in, load up the software, and slowly sort its contents using the “Zen Micro Media Explorer” or “Creative Mediasource.”  The player itself is incredibly simple and user-friendly.  An adjustable touchpad, simple interface, numerous ways to sort music, and customizable menus. 

The same can’t be said for their software.  Slow, tedious, and just plain inefficient are words I use to describe either program you can use for the Zen Micro.  I only criticize because I know they should be able to do better than this.  Take the Nomad Explorer for instance, it has far more features and is faster and easier to use than Creative’s software.  I love the player, but Creative needs to step up their game if they want to seriously compete with the iPod lines.