Want a Zen Microphoto but have questi

Question

. Is the 8gig model Flash memory based or does it have a HDD? I would prefer flash.
2. Will it play wma lossless encoded tracks?
How is the sound qualuty compared to an iPod 5G? A good friend gave me a black 5G and I do enjoy it, but I'm in the process of ditching Apple products. lately I've come to the conclusion that buying music via the ITMS or any other online music store is a complete waste of money given all the lousy DRM restrictions. Apple in particular annoys me because all the music I bought is locked to using Apple hardware unless I burn to CD and re-rip to another format which causes degradation in audio quality. Another thing that irks me about Apple is they charge this outrageous premium for outdated technology. No FM Tuner, pathetic battery life and the use of delicate, scratch-prone material that an entire industry has been created to remedy lead me to dislike Apple very much. Lets not forget idiotic design flaws like forcing the customer to send the iPod in for battery replacment which they are all too happy to do for alot of $$$.
Thanks in advance

Answer 1

i have a zen microphoto and let me just say: Ditching ipod.... IS A SMART MOVE !!
Zen microphoto is, of course, in color and has a battery simular to a cell phone battery, so you can handle it, charge it, and replace it whenever you want, or buy extras for long play (i have 2 batteries so when one dies on a long trip, i can switch the second one in seconds)
do you use itunes? GREAT!!! i like my music loud, so i turn the equalizer on itunes all the way up. and to add to that, zen microphoto has its own equalizer that you can set by yourself and choose how high the sound bars go!! with both itune's and zen's equalizer up, you can have a crystal-clear boom of music.
zen has great sound. better than ipods if you use after market earphones because stock ones suck on both ipod and zen (they sound the same with stock phones). zen can go way louder than ipods and be clearer.
the 8GB you ask? as a graduate of M. I. T, im gonna tell you right now that it is not possible for any type of player to have over 5GB and have flash memory. this is for reasons being that if you had a gigantic chip like that, it would be extreemly unstable and fragile. thats why hard dri'ves are made. a hard dri've for mp3 players allows them to hold tremendously more memory and still be very tough and small, since it uses a spining magnet that will virtually last forever. flash dri'ves can loose maximum memory after use and degrade faster than anything over time like "polaroid pictures"?
I would highly suggest a microphoto over any ipod because of the toughness of the model (it is highly scratch-proof and fingerprint proof, unlike ipods). it wont break umless you are extreem with it (wetting it alot, droping it constantly, ect.) its basicly a better player for the same price as an ipod nano. plus, an ipod nano does not even have replacable batteries, nor does it have a radio like the microphoto. to add to that, microphotos are beautiful and have a bigger screen and better quality zoom-in capable pictures and auto focus.
this device is the perfect mp3 player if you want a mini sized, high memory player with the great support of creative guarding your back and worth way more than your charged for an innovation like this. had mine for 3 months now.
PS: if your smart, you wont update the firmware, as this is gambling with your players usability or any mp3 player for that matter. im superb on the one it came with.