Sleek and stylish, this pocket-sized player won't disappoint.

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Seasoned veterans in the MP3 arena, Creative, would like you to think its sleek Nomad II MG is all about style. But this compact digital audio player, released in early 2000, offers substance, too. Whether you value high quality sound or added features like an FM receiver, the $200 Nomad II MG doesn't disappoint.

Available in metallic blue or silver, the pocket-sized player measures 2.25 by 3.5 by .75 inches and weighs just over 3 ounces with two AAA batteries installed. The simple and smooth magnesium body includes a smallish round backlit LCD screen that displays track info time elapsed, and an icon indicating the currently enabled feature. Standard play, forward, and reverse buttons line one side while the mode, equalizer, hold, and volume control line the other. Overall, the player looks minimal and futuristic.

Expandability is one of the key features of the Nomad II MG. Like the S3 Rio 500, it has 64 MB of internal memory and an open slot for an optional SmartMedia card. Sixty-four megabytes will hold about an hour of near CD quality audio in MP3 (128 kbps) or two hours of near CD quality WMA files (64 kbps). Like many players on the market, the Nomad's firmware is upgradable to be compatible with future codecs like AAC.

The Nomad II MG offers the added convenience of an FM receiver with 32 presets and a built-in microphone for voice recording. The voice recorder allows the user to record up to four hours of audio at 32 kbps and playback these recordings at variable speeds without changing pitch. Furthermore, FM radio playback can be recorded at 32 kbps.

Like its siblings, the Nomad II and Nomad Jukebox, the Nomad II MG boasts a high quality decoder that offers the best sound quality we have heard here at TechTV. Tracks at all bitrates, from jazz to techno, sound rich and balanced. This player also boasts Creative's EAX digital processing technology that enhances the sound quality considerably. Sound quality makes the Nomad II MG an excellent choice for audiophiles.

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