Strengths: Made of very durable aluminum casing. Product has the ability to last. Descrete. Also software is very stable. Crisp clear display. There are also different personal options to custimize your Player.

Weaknesses: It's a hard drive MP3 Player = more suseptible to damage from drops than a flash MP3 Player i.e. nanos. Also headphones are crummy so spend a few extra bucks and get a nice pair. Non-removable battery

Summary: I would reccomend this to someone in High School or College because of ability to store Photos. The touch pad is also very easy to get used to. Being that this product is from Creative the sound quality is also exceptional. It's best to have your music already organized before transferring to MP3 Player to avoid any problems with songs being randomly placed in your player. Battery life is 15-19 hours depending on how much it is viewed/changed/level of volume which is a great plus! I don't anticipate having any problems with this product. Overall it was easy to set up and it took about 2 hours and 20 minutes to have it fully charged with 31 different albums(394 songs).

Strengths: Huge capacity, OLED screen that gives you unlimited view angle, FM Tuner+Recorder, Picture Viewer.

Weaknesses: Needs the driver to be installed in order to use it on a computer.

Summary: A really good buy! Cheaper than the I-Pod. You can download thousands of pictures of music and pictures on it. Voice recorder and radio recorder. Very easy to use. In other words, the best MP3 player you could ever get.

Strengths: FM Radio; random repeat shuffle; capacity; durable and dependable

Weaknesses: oversensitive touchpad (easier with practice); frustrating text entry system;discontinued product; accessories expensive or hard to find;removable disk option requires presence of sync cable

Summary: The FM radio has good sound quality and reception. The included headphones are pretty good. The microphone works, though I didn't test it much. Recording from the radio is decent. There are settings for playlists and repeat random shuffle which let the player simulate a jukebox. I haven't yet used the player to the limit of its battery capacity so can't give an estimate of the actual duration.One can set aside a partition of the drive for use as a removable disk. In order to use it, however, one must carry the sync cable along. Since I knew it had a harddrive and knowing how sensitive they are to vibration (from PC experience), I had planned to be gentle with it and hope that will suffice to extend its useful life. (The FAQ in the manual does not recommend use for jogging.) It was easy to program. I followed the setup instructions carefully so I could avoid problems I'd read about. After it was fully charged, I used the included software (Creative Media Explorer) to transfer the files I wanted from my ITunes directory. (For now, I'll continue to use ITunes on my PC since I'm used to it and it's a bit more versatile than Creative Media Source, Creative's included equivalent.) There are tools for updating mp3 tags and automatically organizing music files on the player, but I haven't used them yet as I like what I've set up so far. The Zen Sleek/Zen Sleek Photo was discontinued at about the time I bought mine. I chose to buy one because of the features included. At this time (6/8/06), accessories are still available at online stores including Creative's own site. For now, I'm using simple rubberbands at the top and middle to keep it from sliding on the car seat. For the image conscious, this may not be a viable option. The greatest challenge is to deal with the touchpad. It is oversensitive. There is a system option to reduce sensitivity and that helped, but it still requires a light touch as well as a patient and adaptable mindset. Typing in radio preset names or anything else with the built in text engine and the touchpad is frustrating. Unlike the newer players this does not have video playback and recording, but I was aware of that when I purchased this; I did not relish the idea of video that small. The photo function is nice if it's needed. The software can be set to automatically adjust photos to a size the player can display. It takes a bit longer to transfer protected WMA files to the player, so don't transfer those with regular mp3s or when you're in a hurry. In spite of the negatives, I'm satisfied with the player as it does what I wanted it to do and is versatile enough for me. I'll update this review when I've used it a while longer. 7/17/06: The player is still working fine. Adding and removing songs is easy. It did freeze one time, but I had disconnected the cable too early. I simply used the reset function and it has worked fine since. At this time, new players are still advertised at some retailers. I would recommend the player overall. However, if one wants to enter titles and other text on the player itself, it might be better to try a different player.9/8/06: The battery life seems a bit low (about 10 hours), but that may be because of the volume level I need on the bus and at work to drown out surrounding noise. I use the smart volume, usually at a setting of 17. One of the earpads kept slipping off so I removed both. That may make a difference in the sound isolation.11/9/06: I don't even notice the sensitivity of the touchpad now. Bits of dust started to gather under the screen, so I removed the plastic screen cover and was able to clean underneath it, but I don't recommend that because if it isn't removed just right, it could break. I made a small crack in the corner. I'm still satisfied.03/25/07: I found a skin with armband and belt clip on the most popular online auction site for $9.99+$3.99 shipping. It fits perfectly with cutouts for all of the features. Do a search for "zen sleek silicone armband" and you'll find several colors to choose from. I won't name the seller as that might be considered a commercial endorsement. I'm upgrading my rating from 4 stars to 5 because of long-term satisfaction.

Strengths: Excellent sound quality, design and price relative to its peers

Weaknesses: The touchpad is a little too sensitive

Summary: I have been holding out for hard drive mp3 player for a long time. I finally decided to buy the Creative Labs ZEN Sleek Photo 20 GB MP3 Player I can to listen my mp3 collections anywhere. My mp3 player arrived yesterday and the setup is so easy, I was able to filled up to 10gb of music in about 15 mins. The only thing I initially struggled with is the touchpad, it is very sensitive and you have to be very careful otherwise you might pick the the wrong song selection or topic. After about 5 minutes of fiddling I finally got use to it but it is still a minor annoyance. The phsyical size of this player is about the same size as an ipod and smaller then iRiver or the UGLY Dell Jukeboxes. The color display is crisp and vibrant. I would definitely recommend this player based on price, looks and sound quality. If you want a player with better controls and not price sensitive then this probabnly not the type of player for you. So far I am happy with the purchase.

Strengths: Size. Price is a lot better than IPOD, with more features. Has a FM tuner. Color screen is nice for photos. Address book, syncs with MS Outlook contacts, calendar tasks.

Weaknesses: 1) The pouch. Buy a skin or leather pouch. 2) The power cord and USB cord share the same docking port.

Summary: I recommend this product. I'd buy it again. It has more bells whistles than the IPOD. Size is basically the same. Price is a lot better. Pouch will only be good to carry cords and unit all together. Do yourself a favor and buy the skin. The docking port adapter contains the USB battery recharging all-in-one. I'm not sure I really like that since I'll always have to carry the USB cord too, minor detail.

Strengths: there is alot of battery life and it has 20gb for way less than an ipod

Weaknesses: the headphones that come with it are not so great

Summary: I think that it is great. a couple of things to warn you about are the headphones, they are really cheap so I would get some good ones another thing bad is the customer service. it is really slow. About everything else is pretty good and I think that it is a better buy than a ipod ,but i do wish that it had a swivel pad instead.

Strengths: Big Storage. Great value. Nice screen, but little small. Very nice finish, soft to touch. Sturdy build I like the feel of the buttons. The user interface is user friendly and well-organized. Fm radio

Weaknesses: Battery life not accurate. Touchpad is a pain when you're learning how to use it. Transfers could be faster. Load up time takes a while. Screen is great but not great at photos, screen should bebigger

Summary: Very impressed with sound quality and eq's... very crisp clear audio with lots of volume and bass when you need it. You dont need to max out volume since it has lots of headroom. Wish the hard drive could stay on longer, so switching tracks wouldnt have that 1-2 sec delay (this is because the hard drive copies a song into memory and then shuts down). My battery life was horrible.. getting 6-7 hours, so I'm sending it back for a replacement. The headphones are pretty good sounding to me, but the ear foams fell of the 2nd day of use. The case is crap also, because it draws lint from everywhere. The port requires the usb to be plugged in when charging.

Strengths: Drive size

Weaknesses: Freezes up, ac power cord has to plug into the USB cable, difficult to find accessories, battery life is blatantly shorter than advertised.

Summary: I have the Zen Sleek, and after about 6 months it's now locking up on a fairly regular basis, which is a real pain (have to let it sit til the batteries die). I did my best to avoid buying an ipod but now am paying the price. The sensitive touchpad, which some people complain about, really isn't that big of a deal- you get used to it pretty quickly. Suck it up and buy the ipod unless you can come up with a decent alternative, because this ain't it.

Strengths: Good sound quality, decent FM reception.

Weaknesses: Very sensitive touch pad, no volume control.

Summary: Unless you have the touch of a feather the controls are very frustrating, this thing zooms all over the place. Also there is no dedicated volume control so you cannot blindly turn the unit louder or softer.

Strengths: Very easy to use. Screens prompt you and guide you to wherever you want to go.

Weaknesses: Headphones could be better, but overall product is great.

Summary: The Zen Sleek photo Mp3 is excellent. The price in comparison to an ipod is a steal. It functions better than any other product I have tried. It is easy to use and fun to explore. I would definitely purchase it again and reccomend it to friends

Strengths: Amazing storage, pretty decent screen, sound quality was better than expected, i like the touch-pad.Charging is decently quick.

Weaknesses: Transferring files could be a little faster, the battery meter isn't always accurate, and their could be a few more accessories.

Summary: This is an excellent buy. You have just as much storage as the iPod, although the Zen is much cheaper. I would definitely recommend this product to someone who is looking to buy an mp3 player. Compared to the iPod, you are definitely getting more for your money.

Strengths: great sound quality...huge storage great screen quality

Weaknesses: a bit bulky

Summary: This product is way better than my previous mp3 player which was a philips go gear the sound quality is amazing the color screen is new compared to my old mp3 player n every way it beats the philips go gear especially in size....it is a bit heavy however

Strengths: It doesn't lose its place, if you stop in the middle of a lengthy podcast to turn off the player and want to hear the rest later. You can also bookmark and create playlists. I like the shuffle option.

Weaknesses: Dust collects under the screen. The player is easy to drop if you aren't careful. The device to connect the player and computer doesn't seem to work on my old XP. There are some organization issues.

Summary: I've filled the player with most of my music collection (around 950 songs) so far and more than 60 podcasts on top of that, and it still has more than half its room left. I like the volume control via the touchpad, however, at times the touchpad can be very hard to control. An interesting feature I hadn't seen before was the DJ option, which keeps track of your most commonly played (and least commonly played) songs and turns them into a dynamic playlist. By looking at song options I can see exactly how many times I've played my favorite Everclear song. (46.) If your music collection isn't consistent at the file level (if, for instance, half of the Everclear album "Sparkle Fade" says the album is called "Sparkle and Fade", it will think they are two different albums... or if the artist of your "Nine Inch Nails" albums is listed for one or two songs as "9 Inch Nails", it will think they are two different artists AND two different albums...) the album/artist category selections can become pretty useless. And if your mp3 files aren't labelled at all - Zeus forbid - they can, all of them, appear as "Unknown" under All Tracks, which can create chaos when you don't know which Unknown (out of, say, 30 of them) is the Alanis song you're craving. So there are a few organizational issues, but this is to be expected with all mp3 players. I've had some difficulty getting the USB port connector/file transfer cable to work on my early XP computer, and instead am forced to use a newer, 1 1/2 year old XP computer elsewhere in the house. However, I really do like this player and would highly recommend it to the average music enthusiast.

Strengths: Memory, photos, cheaper than ipod, sound quality, durability

Weaknesses: freezes up, sometimes over-sensetive toch pad

Summary: Sound quality is better than ipod, plus its cheaper and has more memory. Only problem is it freezes up randomly and no controls will respond except volume. Other than it freezing up it has been an awesome MP3 player. Better than my friends' ipods!!

Strengths: TOUGH, great memory, batterlife and easy to use interface for a good price

Weaknesses: A bit bulky, will sometimes put albums out of order when uploading

Summary: I bought this MP3 player on my birthday in May 06 and it's still treating me well. I remember the first day I had it, my friends and I were using it as our music at my party, which I had already uploaded a ton of music through the easy to use software and the Zen dropped from a 4 foot ledge on to the wet concrete. The crowd screamed "Your Ipod!" I suavely picked it up and said "It's not an Ipod." And of course it kept playing. It felt like a commercial and the more and more I have this thing the more hate I have for Ipod when people think apple is the only way to get an mp3 player when obviously you can get something even BETTER for a CHEAPER price. I've seen so many Ipods die from silly things like pluggin them into someone elses computer, unpugging it from computers before shutting it off and such...but with the Zen, i'm yanking it from my computer, throwing it around, god knows how many times i've dropped the thing, spilled soda on it etc. and it's still GOOD. So if you wan't a durable, long lasting, easy to use mp3 player that might not be as "sexy" as the rest, you should defnitely check out any of the Creative Zen products. This one of course is harder to find, I recently tried to pick my friend up one but they had the upgraded versions....even though I got her a Sansa Rhapsody something or other that's neweer nicer, she still wanted the Creative Zen Sleek photo just because she knew how well it has treated me and many other of my friends that I got to buy it. GOOD BUY.