The Micro supports MP3, WMA (including protected WMAs from download services such as Musicmatch or Napster), and WAV files. Similar to the Rio Carbon, the Micro packs 5GB compared to the Mini's 4GB, which works out to a couple hundred more songs that can squeeze onto the Micro's Seagate drive. While the iPod Mini may top the Creative Zen Micro in terms of overall design, Creative trumps Apple in feature-set quality. Its various zesty colors, its rounded corners, its touch-screen interface, and some uncommon features make the player a breath of fresh air. We must emphasize that the overall design of the Zen Micro deserves kudos. We recommend that you definitely give it a test-drive. We predict that some users will love it while others will hate it. In short, while the Zen Micro handles navigation fairly well, particularly after you get accustomed to the interface, it still can't quite match the Mini's ease of use. The other touch-sensitive areas also tend not to respond well to light finger taps. You'll need to dig into the player's settings and change the touch pad's sensitivity to High to remedy this. Unfortunately, while the pad is effective at quickly scrolling up and down, we had trouble getting it to nudge up or down one selection at a time when set to its default sensitivity. Simply tap the interface to select a function or a menu item.

The center touch pad, like the one found on the Micro's big brother, the Zen Touch, handles the scrolling through the player's menu system: The farther you stray from the center of the pad, the faster you scroll. Rather, the interface has been partitioned into six touch-pad areas: rewind, play, forward, back, options, and a central, vertical touch pad. There are no buttons in the traditional sense. In addition to the blue-backlit display, the front of player features a touch-sensitive interface. Thanks to its contoured edges, the Micro fits comfortably in the hand. The Zen Micro is thicker but shorter than the iPod Mini.

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