Clip Zip review (updated 9/6)

[Jack4L]

Looks like a good update, and I say this mainly for the update to Micro USB B, dont care for the screen ;D Hope they come out with a 16gb version by the time I'm on holiday again definitively going to get one.

[mikee]

oh I see micro usb b I thought it was proprietary again but now that I think of it that looks like what my samsung and nokia phones use for cables. Is the cable still a really short one?

Right now I am using a cable from my old sony clie from 2003 with my clip+ that reaches my back usb ports since my front ones don't seem to charge things when plugged in

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by mikee

oh I see micro usb b I thought it was proprietary again but now that I think of it that looks like what my samsung and nokia phones use for cables. Is the cable still a really short one?

I did mention that in the review, you know....

It was a welcome surprise for me to find out the two devices shared a cable, since the cable supplied with the Clip series players is still way too short, unless you are plugging it into a laptop. Thankfully, the one with my Nook is nice and long so I am mostly using that one.

[evan_]

I own a Clip+, and very happy with it. The new Zip packs a solid improvement in many areas... What I REALLY wanted to see, however, is better battery. Was hoping for the psychological threshold of 24h+. Not a huge deal, but I won't rush to purchase this player (unless my Clip+ dies). So I guess I'll pass this time, or maybe wait for the Zip+.

[kasrhp]

Nice write up! I like the imrovements, and it seems the next logical step in the advancement of the player.

[Marvin the Martian]

I just completed a battery rundown. Conditions were as such.....internal memory plus a 1GB microSD card, shuffle all, ReplayGain engaged with no pregain added, all files LAME MP3, of varying bitrates but averaging 248kbps overall, volume about two-thirds into headphones overnight and boombox aux-in jack after I woke up, brightness and backlight set at minimum, and EQ was set at Normal.

It takes a few clicks to get to the info screen where you see the battery percentage, as opposed to the icon on the main screen. This was done 6 or 7 times. All told, player shut down due to low battery warning exactly at the 12 hour mark.

So it's lower than a Rockboxed Clip+ (no surprise there). My Clip+ is old enough now that a comparison of its battery life using the OF probably would be unfair to it.

[McDougal]

Thanks for the test .

[lestatar]

@Marvin: Man, I have been crazy busy of late, even too busy to pop by and see my peeps on ABi.

But gotta say, terrific review buddy! Had no idea this was even coming out. I am liking it [can you say album art?!?!?!]. lols

Nice way to finally pop your ABi review cherry Mr. Martian

Miss all you crazy gearheads - like Ah-nuld tho...I'll be back!

[yourlord]

Nice review!

I prefer the OLED display but LCD isn't a deal buster.

As my collection tends to be mostly FLAC, which I prefer to transcode to Ogg Vorbis at q2 on my portable players, my big questions revolve around the support for those formats and their tags.

Mainly, how good is the support for tags and album art when using those 2 formats?

[Marvin the Martian]

Well, I don't have any Vorbis stuff to try, but FLAC works just fine....with the same caveats on the size of the album art as with other formats. Just be aware thatwith previous Clips/Clip+ that FLAC and Vorbis were horrible battery life hogs.....like half the battery life of MP3.

[BruceBanner]

Alright make it so, can someone make a pole as well (liek a vote) I don't know how to set up such things lol.

[yourlord]

If it supports them on FLAC then I would imagine OGG is no different since FLAC uses Vorbis comments..

Battery life doesn't matter much to me.. But, with that said, I've never run my existing clip down below 50%, ever, and every file on the thing is Ogg Vorbis.

Thanks for the review!

[Carson Dyle]

A little disappointing. All in all, it looks like a pretty minor update of the Clip+.

- What's the actual screen resolution?

- Is there any indication that it may support microSDXC cards? If so, that would be the capacity increase that everyone had been hoping for.

- Does the hinge mechanism appear to be any stronger than that of the Clip+?

[saratoga]

Originally Posted by yourlord

If it supports them on FLAC then I would imagine OGG is no different since FLAC uses Vorbis comments..

It does support Ogg, but I wouldn't in general assume that things supporting flac also support Ogg. They're different formats with different decoders.

Originally Posted by yourlord

Battery life doesn't matter much to me.. But, with that said, I've never run my existing clip down below 50%, ever, and every file on the thing is Ogg Vorbis.

Heh so like 6 hours battery life

[Sinocelt]

Originally Posted by cristiano007

Great review, Marvin. Talk a little about the clip, that was the worst part in the clip+ (besides the flimsy plastic and the weak plug). Feels any better? Is it stronger? Thanks.

I wish I knew that too. The clip on my Clip+ broke on one side in the very first week of use, when I was still treating my new toy with the utmost care. The other side lasted a few more months.

Originally Posted by BruceBanner

The clip part is not that important. My clip+ clip broke off quite early and I replaced it with another generic clip I had in a drawer. My local hardware store sells this doublesided 'foam like' sticky tape, its very secure, especially when securing a light weight device like the clip+ and a clip, its more durable than a spring mechanism it uses originally. I also think they stick the clips on upside down, should be the other way.

I did the same. So I had to go to the hardware store, which took me time. I had to buy a file, and file down the attach for the clip, which also took time. Then I successively bought and tried three different clips, none of which really did a good job. The one I finally settled with damaged the cable of my HF5 earphones, which are more expensive than the Clip+ (I loop the cable around my neck and clip the cable -- very practical, and safe with the original clip). The double-side tape didn't last forever either (it's very hot and humid where I live, which doesn't help). All of that **** because Sandisk made a clip that was guaranteed to break in short order.

So for me, the clip part is important.

[Marvin the Martian]

The clip part looks pretty solid to me. But then again, I've never broken one, on either of the two original Clips, or two Clip+ that I've had....so maybe I am not the best judge.

[Sinocelt]

Originally Posted by Marvin the Martian

The clip part looks pretty solid to me. But then again, I've never broken one, on either of the two original Clips, or two Clip+ that I've had....so maybe I am not the best judge.

Are you using them at all?

OK, joking apart. The clip of the Clip+ is attached by two bits of plastic less than a millimeter wide/thick. Is it any different on the Clip Zip?

I'll be honest, I find this new model rather ugly, but ... the possibility of customizing menus is very attractive. And it still has physical buttons, which means that I'd still be able to pause/play/rewind more easily than with an iPod nano.

[Marvin the Martian]

Originally Posted by Sinocelt

Are you using them at all?

OK, joking apart. The clip of the Clip+ is attached by two bits of plastic less than a millimeter wide/thick. Is it any different on the Clip Zip?

Well, the entire metal spring is enclosed, unlike the Clip+ where you can see the spring between the hinges. Whether this means it is one big hinge, or just a cover over them, I don't know.

Originally Posted by Sinocelt

I'll be honest, I find this new model rather ugly, but ... the possibility of customizing menus is very attractive. And it still has physical buttons, which means that I'd still be able to pause/play/rewind more easily than with an iPod nano.

My menu is simple.....Music, and Settings. I hid everything else, because I had no need of it. Simple is good!

[BruceBanner]

Originally Posted by Sinocelt

I did the same. So I had to go to the hardware store, which took me time. I had to buy a file, and file down the attach for the clip, which also took time. Then I successively bought and tried three different clips, none of which really did a good job. The one I finally settled with damaged the cable of my HF5 earphones, which are more expensive than the Clip+ (I loop the cable around my neck and clip the cable -- very practical, and safe with the original clip). The double-side tape didn't last forever either (it's very hot and humid where I live, which doesn't help). All of that **** because Sandisk made a clip that was guaranteed to break in short order.

So for me, the clip part is important.

Hahah yeh i feel for you. But really, u didnt have a file, special doublesided foamy sticky tape and a few suitable clips lying around!??! Shame on you! lol.

For me it was 5 mins work. For what its worth I live in Australia and the setup I got is secure (more secure than what came out of the factory lol).

Pic

[Marvin the Martian]

That looks pretty slick Bruce!