Creative Nomad IIMG
The IIMG is very similar in size and shape to the original Nomad. The case is very solid with a slightly curved front and base, and raised control strips down the sides of the unit. The small circular screen has remained, which is a pity, as the screen on the Nomad IIc is much larger and clearer.
The IIMG is lighter than the IIc at only 77.1 grams without the batteries. Memory is twice that of the IIc, which is probably responsible for much of the price difference. The Smart Media slot is still available, though the manual says it will take up to 128MB cards.
The display now has a cool blue backlight but is the same small circle (23mm diameter) with a three-line display at the bottom and a group of indicators arranged around the top half. When a track is playing the battery meter is visible as well as the EQ setting, the track title and time, and the number and total tracks. When a track starts the track name, artist name and album name scroll past once very slowly.
Down the left side of the case are the following controls: volume, mode, repeat (EAX), and A-B and lock. On the right side we have play/pause/on, stop/off, fast forward, rewind, and erase/REC. The remote/headphone jack is located on the top of the unit, along with the Smartmedia slot. The Nomad is still a little difficult to navigate, with menus sometimes disappearing before you can use them.
The software support for the IIMG is the same as the IIc, as were the file transfer times. The cable is a USB cable, but the connector into the Nomad is a proprietary one so you will have to go back to Creative if you lose it. The unit itself has quite a range of extra features. The first is an FM tuner for those that want to keep up to date with the latest news and music. The second is the free LCD remote that has most of the controls as well as a two-line scrolling LCD that almost manages to hold more information than the main screen. With a track playing, it displays track number, track time, battery, play status, track name, artist name, and album name as a scrolling display. A microphone is located on the front near the top corner, making it much more directional than the mic on the IIc.
Creative ships a earphones as well as the headphones with the unit. Both of these are quite good quality, though the lead on the headphones is short. A small, tough vinyl case is supplied that covers the entire unit except for the display and the headphone/control connector.
A pair of AAA alkaline batteries powers the IIMG, though there is an option for rechargeable batteries and a docking station. There are few other options available, as the whole system is pretty much complete.
The IIMG is probably a little too expensive for the added features it has over the IIc. The addition of the FM tuner is excellent, but the older style casing is more difficult to use and the screen is less friendly. Having said that, the Creative headphones and Earphones are excellent quality, and would be an asset to any audio device.
Creative Nomad IIMG
Company:Creative Labs
Ph:02 9666 6100
Price:AU$699
Speed Rating:
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Overall Score:
14%
7%
