It's an urban legend, that USB or any other trickle chargers like car chargers, will kill the battery, although there are many people which can contest to that, including myself

Well you see, I own a Motorola SLVR (OT here, sorry), and it came with a USB charger/sync cable. I noticed that my battery goes koo-koo after I charge it using USB. Symptoms include:

1. The "fully charged" phone only lasts half the period, compared to charging using wall charger,
2. It does not handle half way charging (i.e. charging when u still have 50% batt) very well, as sometimes it reports Fully Charged in less than 15 mins!

Therefore, no way I am gonna charge my baby ZVM via USB!

I have talked to a few friends before, and they all say that USB/Car charger will shorten battery life expentancy. Possible (non-educated) guess include:

1. USB cables, unlike wall chargers, does not have a regulator chip build onto it
2. People tend not to charge fully when using USB/Car, due to convenience, therefore taking up more "batt lifetime charge cycle" often than normal (Note: all battery can only charge X number of times. After X, it can no longer hold the charge, check with your manufacturor for guess-timated X figure )

Back to topic... I flashed my ZVM to 1.30.02 (read my #1 post), and it still can charge from USB (unfortunately, for me ), but I can't really use it when it is USB connected (i think), coz its in Sync Mode. Will confirm about the Sync Mode later.

Hey owners!

Leave a msg here, so we can keep track and make this a truly "Owner's Club"!

p/s everyone is welcomed to post comments though, we just want to keep track how has an actual unit...

BTW,

I got myself this ==> Logitech® PlayGear Share(tm)

Because I will keep my ZVM in my Crumpler pouch (which I bought for my Sony Clie), and I noticed that when I plug on my Grados, it kinda stick out really wierd.

So I was searching up and down from electronic spare part shop, to electrical shop, to computer shop, cannot find any solution to make a L-shape mini plug convertor....

So last resort, also to protect my ZVM's headphone jack (coz I change from my EP-480 and Grados often), I went to Sony Wings and bought the PlayGear Share @ RM59.00 Damn expensive...

It's rather sturdy, and the arm is flexible. I did not notice any audio quality lost, even using the outer jack (the one furthest from the jack).

Anyone else got a better suggestion?

This post has been edited by johnliew: Jun 9 2006, 03:55 PM

Yea i'm pretty agree with wat u've mentioned , personal preference . my sister enjoyed the ZVM , but not for me .

I'll stop argueing about ipod here , but for me , converting video format aint tat troublesome, hence, i get a better quality file after i converted it using some 3rd party program , and it is quite fast in converting though.

Overall , ZVM is a good product , not regret getting it as it pleased my sister .

hey

how's the zen micro i sold to u last year?

still working?

it was until last week

i suspect the headphone socket is broken lol....

ahh nvm, imma getting a new one anyway...

check out the new firmware ...just released

-edit-
still not working...radio is still the same..hang whole player. Well generally i dont use the radio much but after awhile kinda get bored with the songs loaded in the player...so can use the radio to listen to fresh music.

new firmware opinion : well cant see much changes, didnt use audible software, also now...once usb connected to my player, its always in sync mode now like original (dont know why i flash the 1.30.02 version, i can use the player like normal although plugin to usb, except it will auto stop and goes into sync mode only when my computer request data or transfer data to the player)

This post has been edited by khtan2000: Jun 9 2006, 06:35 PM

khtan: That was quick for you to notice! Thanks!

Guys, new firmware available here ==> Creative ZEN Vision:M Firmware 1.41.01

Added Features or Enhancements:

* Supports the playback of Audible Type 2 and 4 tracks.

Fixes:

* Ensures proper playback of picture and audio files during a slideshow.
* Ensures that subscription and purchased audio files can resume playing when you turn your player on after a prolonged period of time.
* Ensures accurate time display when you turn your player on after a prolonged period of time.

For latest technical discussion, and see how other people faired with the new 1.41.01 firmware, refer here ==> Official Creative Forum, 1.41.01 thread

I will be updating mine tonight, will let everyone know how it goes

Update: Just upgraded my firmware to 1.41.01 and radio still working Tested all other function as well. So guys, I guess it's generally alright to update to this version of firmware!

Good luck!

just return my player to the place i bought it(need to send it to supplier and see what they can do to repair).unfortunately there is no 1-1 exchange..probably because its a month old player already. Hopefully they repair the player permanently and not give me another player which have a percentage of failure(hate returning it all the time)

just a caution : always keep your receipt as a proof of purchase in case of anything (creative will only handle warranty if there is a proof of purchase-thats what on the creative website and technical support says, luckily i kept mine), online registration will only give you technical support and product announcement.

Hey all,

Just update everyone, I have ordered my BoxWave FlexiSkin from the web site, will be writing an impression as soon as it arrives...

Hey all,

My Boxwave FlexiSkin has arrived!

The package arrived one day earlier then expected, which was a nice surprise, considering that it come across the Pacific Ocean! Thumbs up for the US postal service! BTW, it was shipped via First Class Mail, and it cleared Malaysia customs without any issue.

Here is the package:



The packaging was a plain transparent plastic, with no marking of whatsoever. Here is the front:



And here is the back, as you can see the label of the product and the lanyard. The label says "For Zen-VS-M30G". I'll leave it to you all to decode what it means.



Further emptying the box, I found the invoice.



First impression was... dude, where is the manual/instruction? OK, I know it's just a silicon skin, but it's my first one, so panicked a little.

OK, never mind. Going on, taking it out of the transparent display box:



Emptying the contents, here is what you get:



. One black silicon skin
. One belt clip
. One lanyard
. One screen protector

Hmm. I thought that something is amiss here. Where is the screen protector? It turns out that it hidden inside the skin, which also houses the cardboard model Zen Vision:M. Out it goes to my wife, which I told her that I gotten a white unit for her... /me got slapped.



The screen protector is made of stiff transparent plastic, although it's a bit too reflective for my taste. But it's not more (or less) reflective than the ZVM screen anyway.

OK, here is my ZVMiB (ZVM in Black). Still has the default plastic cover that came with the packaging. At the bottom, is the default suede pouch cover that came with the packaging. One word of advice, please take off the default plastic cover, because it caused quite a scratching to my unit



Hey there buddy, meet you new friend:



Off it goes, naked:



And scratched



The back of my unit, scratch-less, thanks to the sandblasted nature.



Using my common sense (thanks to the missing manual), I formalized a strategy to put the baby in. OK, here it comes! Through the large opening, bottom first.



Nice fit!



Taking off the protector for the screen protector (d'oh)...



And slid it into the case, snugly.



Here's the back of the case. The belt clip holds to the FlexiSkin by means on a large metal screw at the back.



This post has been edited by johnliew: Jun 22 2006, 02:59 PM

I decided to take off the screw, because I already have a nice Crumpler pouch to house my ZVM. Using a screw driver, and a little bit of force, the screw comes off:



Following are shots of the different views after everything is fitted:

Right view. Note the cutout for the build in mic:



Bottom view. The connector fits fine, without any obstruction. No idea about the cradle, which I don't have (and unobtainable in Malaysia, BTW).



Back side view. Note the lanyard hole. I decided not to use the lanyard, because it's too long, and I think the screen protector will pop off if I tugged the lanyard too hard.



Front view. Notice the perforated markings, which you can feel using your finger:



Top view. Everything accessible.

More on the screen protector. The protector has a little "leg", which are dots, in the 4 corners. It sits on the 4 corners of the screen, so the protector will not move around. The protector itself adds a bit of height to the screen, as you might be able to see from here:



But it sits totally flush with the rest of the skin. Here is how it looks like from the side:



BTW, the black L shaped thing sticking out of the headphone jack is the Logitech PlayGear Share.

Summary
=======
I paid USD 26.95 for the package, and the shipping was USD7.50, bringing the total to RM130.91 (based on USD1 = RM3.80). It was a bit costly, but I had no other choice because there is no equivalent available anywhere in Low Yat, Klang Valley or anywhere in Malaysia that I could find.

The touch of the material is actually very soft, very silky, unlike more silicon products, which are somewhat sticky at times. There were some talks that the FlexiSkin will attract dust, which I do not agree. Even if you get dusts on it, it's can be easily blow/wipe off.

The fit was okey, not super "condom-slap-on" tight, but form fitting. I don't think the ZVM will fall out easily. All of the cutouts are perfectly located, but I have to say that the cuts could be cleaner. But I guess you can only do a better job using laser  It's not Jet Black (totally black) as some people thought, but it was okey with me. If you want to know how black, it's just as black any other silicon iPod skin.

One other nice pleasant side effect of having the skin on is that the touch strip has gotten more accurate. This is possibly to the fact that my hands are already sweaty, and Synaptic touchpads are generally flimsy when you fingers are damp. Synaptic technology is used in almost all recent notebooks, Zen products and iPod's ClickWheel.

I tried on the belt clip, which looks pretty sturdy. It clips onto the skin with a reassuring "click" and taking it off the clip was a no issue matter as well.

So here is a summary:

+ Nice silky touch
+ Sturdy belt clip
+ Hard plastic screen protector

- Questionable lanyard hole
- Expensive (compared to iPod or Kroo alternatives)
- Shipping from US required

IMHO Rating: Recommended, unless you get something similar cheaper locally.

Hey ZVM owners!

Own up Let me know your ZVM experiences...

how much is it now anyways?
ZVM?

i got mine at RM1300.. shud be cheaper now i guess..

anyone of you know where can i buy an AV cable that actually works with ZVM?

just bought it!!
today...hehe
i got it for 1140.
huh..expected to pay only 1k for it...
erm...ZV is 1400.

im charging it.and yes..my baby is black..i wanted lime green..to stand out among all the ipod lovers...but oh well...
according to the salesman..only makcik makcik bought the green..

i am soo not makcik ok!

hehe

proud of ur new baby huh....

i thought u r surely getting ZV....what made you change ur mine?

ive surveyed the ZV..read reviews till my eyeballs popped out...seems like they have a few things that im not satisfied with:

1. viewing angle
2. the card reader needs adapter(which will cost me another rm180) to read MMC and SD
3. i surely need the docking station..another rm180
4. u cant use ur pic as the background
5. NO ZOOM IN function!!!!!
6. Only support JPEG format...damn...im a budding photographer..hehe..so might edit my pics in BMP format too!
7. i figured i dont really need the wide screen as i can watch movies on my laptop =p

there u go...of course...people recommended cowon x5L but i cant find it anywhere in kl...+ my dad doesnt want me to buy anything that has been discontinued its production..but cowon's product support is very good compared to creative

will have future probs with accessories and im worried abt the service centre...

its a matter of convenience and cost and functions that i dont need.

=)

hence...ZVM...did hope the price to be cheaper though...