Creative has finally released a firmware update for the Nomad series.
Figuring I had nothing to lose, I pulled out my recently deceased NJB3, loaded the firmware, and surprise–it now boots! It would appear that something in the 1.40.06 version fixes the underlying cause of the mysterious EAX freeze. Nice.
There are some welcome interface tweaks, including a clock/screensaver and a second skin for the “Now Playing” screen with artist and title on separate lines. Track-seek and skipping have been sped up to the point that they’re almost instantaneous, and I could swear that some of the midrange frequencies have been smoothed out, but maybe that’s just me.
If you’ve got a dead Nomad on your hands, this may be the fix. You can find it at Nomadness or the Creative site.