Creative Labs Nomad II Portable MP3 Player Review
Author: David Pitlyuk
Date Posted: July 2000
If you had to ask me what one of the biggest breakthroughs in computer technology was, MP3's would be somewhere on the top of my list. 
There has been such an impact on the entire world with MP3's causing companies to come up with things like portable MP3 players, watches that play MP3's (Casio has this available now), etc. We look all around and the biggest controversies are about MP3's, look how much of an affect Napster had.
So do you think that MP3's will really take over CDs? That may be a big leap, but when faster internet connections get even more widespread that is something to think about. Maybe not now, but it's not impossible. Let me tell you, portable MP3 players definitely help in the thought that MP3's may one day take over.
So today we take a look at one of Creative's latest MP3 players, the Nomad II. A second-generation MP3 player from one of the most feature-packed portable MP3 players out there. With many things now taken into consideration for the Nomad II, Creative has come out with what looks like one the best portable MP3 players you can buy.
We'll talk about these features and more in the review, let's start out with the specs.
Specs| Specs |
| Interface | USB or Optional docking station |
| FM Tuner | Built-in with 32 preset stations |
| LCD Display | Large Backlit Display 132x64 pixel |
| Voice Recording | G721 ADPCM encoding at 32 Kbps; up to 4 hours recording on 64 MB SmartMedia |
| Audio Codec Support | MP3; Reprogrammable for future formats |
| Colors Available | Silver, Metallic Blue & Pearl |
| Signal to Noise Ratio | >90 dB |
| Frequency Response | 20 Hz - 20 kHz |
| Maximum Output | 5 - 7 mW |
| Standard Playback Usage | 8 - 10 hours for MP3/voice playback |
| Size W x H x D (mm) | 65 x 93 x 21 |
| Memory | 1 SmartMedia slot for optional 32 MB or 64 MB removable memory |
| Harmonic Distortion Output | 0.05% @ 1kHz with 32 ohm load |
| Battery Usage | 1 x AA alkaline |
| Weight | 88g w/o batteries |
Minimum System Requirements
Minimum System Requirements for MAC®
In the box there is the actual Nomad II, nice headphones, wired remote control (on the headphone wire), in-depth manual, 64MB Smart Card, 1 AA battery, 1 USB connector cable, a CD installation disk, and a CD with MP3 content on it.
We'll explain the important items later in the review.
DesignWhat can I say? The Nomad II is just a sweet thing to carry around. It looks slick with its silver tint and small design. The headphones look nice, they are the same color and fit around the back of your head. The wire coming from the headphones has a little remote control with the same silver design and a clip to fit your pocket or anything else. The actual Nomad II has an LCD screen and a few buttons to let you control everything, the LCD screen does light up, but remember, that uses more of your battery power.
FeaturesRemember when I mentioned that the Nomad II was packed with features? I wasn't lying. It comes with some unique things that we don't see on many other portable MP3 players. Two things that quickly come to mind are the FM radio and the voice recording capabilities.
These are things that make you see the box and want to buy this MP3 player over others, and Creative does a damn good job of marketing that. The voice recording works great, there is a mic on the front panel of the player:
The FM radio was the first thing I used on the Nomad II, and was a little bit disappointed. I thought it was a great feature to include because I know I'd get sick of the MP3's (Until the next time I add more of course), but after trying it I thought wrong.
It's a pretty cool thing to have of course, but the reception sucks! I could barely get the most picked up radio station, and when I get it, it has a lot of static. Static from a radio station is a huge pet peeve for me, so it makes the FM radio pretty much useless on my end.
The next feature is the 64MB Smart Card that will run you as much as $200 if you buy it alone. This is basically a thin chip that fits into the back of your Nomad and stores the MP3's so that you can play them. Because of this feature and the use of the Smart Card, you can buy upgrades to allow more memory for more MP3's.
Next we come to the DSP that allows you to change your EQ settings, treble, and bass. Your options for the equalizer are: Normal / Pop / Rock / Classic / Jazz / User. The user settings let you change the bass and treble on your own.
The headphones that are included surprised me, they are actually good! Rather than normal headphones, Creative decided to go with something called backphones. These basically fit around your ear and go on the back of your head, rather than the top:
On the wire from the headphones is a mini-remote that proves to be useful when you are doing something like running. The remote allows you to stop, play, rewind, fast forward, change the volume, and lock buttons. Basically everything that you'll need.
Speaking about running, if you don't know, since an MP3 player plays music digitally, you'll never have to worry about skipping since there are no moving parts.
Last feature we'll talk about is USB. The Nomad II connects to your computer VIA USB port. As long as your computer supports USB, you should love it. It's quick, it's easy, it's fast, and it's practically flawless. I encountered no problems and transfer rates are blazing fast compared to what some of the other portable MP3 players are doing (the ones not using USB).
SoftwareThis is what makes the Nomad II so nice. Getting music onto it is the easiest thing to do. Simply put the USB plug into your computer, attach the Nomad II and the software is ready to let you add MP3s to your player. It's really as easy as picking the song you want and pressing one button. You can even send an MP3 from the Nomad to your computer. This is useful if you want to copy your friends MP3 collection. It's also good when you record your voice and want to send the file to your computer.
The Nomad II Software, click for bigger image
Creative even installs something automatically to Winamp that allows you to download all your MP3's on your playlist to the Nomad II. Sorry about the skin on Winamp, that's the one I'm working on for my other site RapLyrix.com
Like I said before, you can always upgrade the memory, but at this time Smart Cards are expensive, so be careful. The other great thing is that the Nomad II can get updates VIA the Nomad webpage. This is especially useful when new codecs are released. For example, say something just like an MP3 comes out, has the same audio quality, but cuts the file size in half. You can go right to the website download the support for the new codec, and then play those files on your Nomad II. Who knows what the future holds, so this is definitely something to take into consideration.
Pros & Cons
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The Nomad II is definitely a great product, there's no doubt in my mind about that. The only real downside I saw was the bad FM radio reception, but then again, this is an extra feature, and you can't expect the product to have a big antennae sticking out. Everything else seems fit to the user and once again I must add that it is jam-packed with good quality features. A very important aspect is the fact that it is upgradeable to future standards. The only thing that I think would stop me from buying the Nomad II is the hefty $300 price, but you can expect to pay somewhere around that for practically all other portable MP3 players as well. With all facts taken into consideration, the Nomad II gets a 9.5/10.
Rating: 9.5/10 SystemLogistics