Player Blog Category Archives: Creative
Creative Zen Officially Official
It looks as if Creative has officially added the new Zen to its lineup. As previously reported, then Zen is a slightly larger version of the Creative Zen Micro, but sporting a 20GB capacity.
According to Akihabara News, the Zen will size up at 3.7"x2.4"x0.8" and 5.0oz. They also have a couple of extra photos of the Zen, as well.
According to Engadget, the Zen will be available in Japan before the end of the month.
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New Creative Zen
New Creative Zen
Creative has quietly added a new player to its lineup, the Creative Zen. Not Zen Micro, Zen Xtra, Zen Touch, Zen NX or Zen USB 2.0. Just the Creative Zen.
Essentially it's a Zen Micro that has been enlarged to accomodate a 20GB drive (compared with the 6GB max capacity of the Zen Micro). The looks and the controls appear to be the same as the Zen Micro.
Creative has not listed the dimensions, retail price or when it will be available as of yet. [Via Engadget]
Creative Zen Micro Now Plays For Sure
Creative has released a firmware update for the Zen Micro that adds support for Microsoft's PlaysForSure DRM technology. Napster to Go, among others, uses PlaysForSure to protect music, so the Zen Micro is now compatible with Napster's newest service. [Via Nomadness]
To install the firmware, download the file from the Creative support site, connect the Zen Micro to your computer, run the download .EXE and then click Upgrade.
Creative Cuts Prices on the Zen Micro
Creative announced a series of price cuts on their Zen Micro line today. This is clearly a reaction to Apple squeezing prices downward last week with the new iPod Minis, which are $199 for 4GB and $249 for 6GB now.
The "incredible new pricing" from Creative brings the 4GB model down to $180 (after a $20 rebate), $230 for 5GB and $250 for 8GB.
Does Creative really need 3 capacity choices here? That 5GB model really seems to be in no-man's-land. But then again, this is war.
Creative Zen Micro Review
Everything USB (which we guess includes USB-enabled audio players) has a review of the 5GB Creative Zen Micro. Everything USB gives a nearly-unqualified yes vote [Via i4u]:
The Zen Micro is fast, colorful, and has a wonderful interface that allows for quick access to all functions. If you don't encounter any of the defects we did, the Zen Micro is a good choice that outperforms the competition in almost every aspect.
Related Links:
Creative Zen Micro Review
Creative Zen Micro Review
Creative Zen Micro Review
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews
Creative Zen Micro Review
Design Technica has joined the pack of reviewers of Creative's compact, 5GB player. Like most reviews, the inevitable comparisons to the Apple iPod and iPod Mini are made, but the Design Technica crew had some strong words for Creative about meeting or beating the iPod:
There is a reason why the iPod reigns supreme; it simply works as it says it will. Apple has made us upset with their unwillingness to support software other than iTunes and we were really hoping the Creative Labs Zen Micro would be a good alternative, but it just left us feeling let down. If you read any other reviews both in print publication and on the web, you will be led to believe that the Zen Micro is the iPod killer we have all been waiting for, but it isn't. We have to wonder if these other publications even tested the Zen Micro before writing a review. After testing two different players and using them for a couple months, the flaws in the Zen Micro were very obvious to us.
Creative Labs has a couple problems they need to address before they can stand to compete with others in this market. First of all, something is draining the battery life from its player at increased rates, both when it's being used and when it’s powered off. Getting four hours of battery life from a 12-hour battery is inexcusable. Secondly, while we love the audio quality from their ear buds, they are too big to use for long periods and will make your ears very sore. Lastly, Creative needs to polish their own MediaSource software and work on software compatibility with other Media Players like RealPlayer and MusicMatch. Here is our suggestion for Creative Labs: make a hard drive based digital audio player with only a few polished features and make sure it works well. Throwing in everything but the kitchen sink shouldn’t automatically mean it’s the best, it has to work correctly first.
Related Links:
Creative Zen Micro Review
Creative Zen Micro Review
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews
Creative Zen Micro Photo Officially Official
DAPReview brings word that Creative will be updating the Zen Micro will a color LCD and renaming it the Creative Zen Micro Photo. As far as we can tell, the color screen is the only change from the original. The Zen Micro Photo is supposed to be available in a few months and will retail for $299 for the 5GB model and $349 for 6GB.
Incidentally, the Zen Micro Photo was the best-in-show product in the Audio to Go category at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show.
Interactive Creative Zen Micro Review
Jason Dunn over at Digital Media Thoughts has an interesting experiment going on right now. Instead of doing a standard product review, he's conducting a Q&A-style review in their forums. So if you've got questions about the Zen Micro, head over there and get the answers.
Creative Zen Micro Review
Tom's Hardware has posted yet another Creative Zen Micro review:
The Zen Micro can look at its official competitor, the iPod Mini, squarely in the eye. While it may be a little less snazzy design-wise and not as user-friendly when exchanging files with a PC compared to the iPod, the Zen Micro offers a gigabyte more memory and sound quality that's just as good, plus better earphones, a few extra functions (FM radio and voice recorder), and slightly better battery life (10 hours compared to an average of eight for the iPod). All for essentially the same price, depending on where you buy it.
Creative Expands Zen Micro Line
Back in September, Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo promised that Creative would introduce 8 new models before years end. He was off by a couple of weeks, but to make good on his vow Creative has announced 3 new versions of the Creative Zen Micro at CES.
The new models are functionally the same as the original 5GB Zen Micro, but now there will also be 1GB (flash-based), 4GB and 6GB flavors as well. So not so much new as slightly different. Prices will be $199 for 1GB, $229 for 4GB and $299 for 6GB.
Related Links:
Creative Declares War on Apple
Creative Gets Busy: MuVo2 FM and More
Creative Zen Micro Officially Official
Creative Zen Micro Review
More Creative Zen Micro reviews! Here is HardwareZone's take [Via DAPReview]:
By comparing the list of functions the Zen Micro offers over its competitors, it is apparent that Creative has done its homework by assessing products from its competitors and besting them in areas that are of significant importance to a consumer. Longer battery life, replaceable battery, ease of use, lightweight, large storage and top notch audio quality are always on the mind of a consumer.
Before we round up our review of the Zen Micro, we must remind our readers that the player is not without its weaknesses. A couple of gripes we have with the product includes the less than impressive reception of the built-in FM radio and the constant battery drain even when the product was left untouched. Whatever the reasons for the power draw, be it for operational purposes or other reasons, the drain was a tad too much for our liking. Still, if we were to look at the product as a portable mini jukebox audio solution, the Zen Micro is seriously one tough product to beat. Only by comparing the list of functions found in the Zen Micro with other similar products by its competing peers, would you truly appreciate the fine job Creative has done with the Zen Micro. Add to it the superlative audio performance, the Zen Micro is quite simply a champ when one talks about frills to price ratio. At the end of the day, we really want to credit the thinking body behind the Zen Micro and we feel the product truly deserves our coveted 4.5-stars award.
Creative Zen Micro Review
Yet another Creative Zen Micro review (the more the merrier), this time from Trusted Reviews. However, there's no tie between the Micro and the Mini here:
Forget the iPod Mini, the Zen Micro is the new "must have" MP3 player. It beats the Apple in terms of features and functionality and even saves you a bit of cash. Here at the TrustedReviews offices, a few of us will definitely be writing to Santa and hoping we find a Zen Micro in our stocking at Christmas.
Forbes: Creative vs. Apple
Forbes magazine has more on Creative's bid to wrest a significant piece of market share from the dominator, Apple:
Calling it an uphill fight is something of an understatement. In the three years since the iPod's launch, it has become the world's player of choice. But before the iPod made MP3 players fashionable, Creative was one of the upstart companies that made them popular among the early adopter set.
Related Links:
Creative Declares War on Apple
Creative Zen Micro vs. iPod Mini
On the heels of his Creative Zen Micro review, Jon at MonsterNet now has a head-to-head review of the Creative Zen Micro vs. the Apple iPod Mini. Conclusion? A tie, sort of:
In conclusion, the Apple iPod wins for the very reason that it is an iPod. We love it for the winning design, proven by the sales of iPods, and the "cool" factor. The Zen Micro, while seeming like an imitation, has several extra features over the iPod Mini. Personnally, it would be very hard to choose between the iPod Mini and the Zen Micro. But, being the geek that I am, I think I would go for the Zen Micro.
Apple iPod Mini 4GB: 9 out of 10
Creative Zen Micro 5GB: 9 out of 10
Related Links:
Creative Zen Micro Review
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews
Creative Zen Micro Review
After the quartet of Zen Micro reviews we posted last week, Jon let us know about his Creative Zen Micro review over at MonsterNet:
Creative has tried extremely hard to come up with a digital audio player with the "it" factor. And in fact, much of the problems I've found were more the result of the excessive hype surrounding the product, rather than the product itself. Otherwise, the decision between buying a Zen Micro or an iPod Mini will more likely be based on personal preferences. This is because the two products are so similar in features, with the Zen Micro boasting an additional 1GB of space, as well as FM tuner/recording and voice recording.
Related Links:
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews
Creative Zen Touch Review
The Globe and Mail has published their Creative Zen Touch review:
[T]he Touch excels in all areas - portability, user friendliness, capacity and battery life. If you've been checking out iPods and the battery issue doesn't throw you, give the Zen Touch a look as well - it's a great player that could save you a chunk of cash.
PS: The "battery issue" shouldn't throw you.
Creative Zen Micro Review
PC Magazine has joined the Zen Micro club with their Creative Zen Micro review:
With its new Creative Zen Micro, the company beats the iPod Mini on capacity, features, and price. If you want the best value for your dollar, the Zen Micro is it. But be aware that the iPod Mini trumps the newcomer on interface and ease of use, so if those are your most important criteria, stick with the Apple.
Related Links:
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews
Creative Zen Micro Officially Official
Creative Declares War on Apple
Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo has always been a brash guy and his latest pronouncement is no different:
"The MP3 war has started and I am the one who has declared war ... I'm planning to spend some serious money -- I intend to out-market everyone."
Specifically Sim says that Creative will spend $100 million in market, mostly in the US, to grab a piece of Apple's dominating market share. If you're not well-versed in the history of the audio player market, this really is the first time another vendor has stepped up to the plate to go head-to-head with Apple on marketing terms. Up until now Creative, iRiver, Rio and others have essentially been nameless also-rans.
As Peter over at Engadget said, these could be famous last words. For consumers though, this could be a good thing in driving prices down and innovation up.
Related Links:
Creative Gets Busy: MuVo2 FM and More
Interview with Creative CEO
Four Creative Zen Micro Reviews
Creative Zen Micro's are starting to make it into enough hands to get some reviews written. Today we make mention of four. First up is Pocket Lint, which gave it a 9/10:
It's nice to see a manufacturer every once in a while, realising that the product they have isn't necessarily the best at what it does. Creative took the design and the interface back to the drawing board to improve it and should reap the rewards from buyers not wanting an iPod. The only real downside we can see is its reliance on Media Centre or Creative's own Media Source software for transferring files rather than taking Rio's approach of being drag and drop. The player is now feels likes it's not only worth the money, but worthy to be a contender against both the Rio Carbon and more importantly the iPod Mini.
CNet liked it too with an 8.7/10.
User Taphil posted his thoughts and a bunch of photos on Head-Fi [Via DAPReview]:
Everything about this new player screams quality! The backlight fades when turning on and off. The touch pad has sensitivity settings and works well. The software installation is nice to look at and works. The included belt clip/case can also serve as a stand. The screen is is bright. There's a clicker speaker a la iPod. The screen shows much more text than the iPod mini, and is clearer. When plugged into the computer, the lights pulsate like Macs when they're in suspend/sleep.
Here are negatives so far after using it for awhile:
- I've had to reset it (take out the battery) about a dozen times.
- At first it wouldn't work on my desktop and would freeze, but after a couple resets it did.
- It froze upon being turned on.
- Creative MediaSource crashed once in the middle of a file transfer.
Finally, ExtremeTech has their extensive review:
If you like FM radio, want to easily record it on the fly, and want all that in a small package, then the Zen Micro deserves a serious look. Its recording function on FM works well, though we'd like to see time-shifting and scheduled recordings added as features. The Zen Micro compares pretty favorably with its iPod counterpart and offers 20% more storage and an FM tuner. With 5GB of storage, you can haul around at least 80 albums' worth of music on this compact little player, and while that may not be your entire album collection, that's still over 80 hours of music in the palm of your hand. This is also the first Zen that can pull double-duty as a pure USB 2.0 storage device a long-awaited and welcome feature for Creative's line.
Leather Cases for iRiver, Dell, Creative and Rio Devices
Although, we've mentioned them recently, we'd like to note that Vaja Cases has leather cases for just about every popular audio player on the market. iRiver H1s and H3s, 1G Dells, Creative Zen Touch and older Nomads and Rio Karma, Carbons and Nitrus' (Nitri?). Beware of the price, though. Cases run about $50 or $60 depending on the model they fit.
Related Links:
Rio Carbon Cases
Creative Zen Micro Officially Official
Creative has updated their website to include the upcoming 5GB audio player, the Creative Zen Micro. Dimensions are a slim 3.3"x2.0"x0.7" (compared with the iPod Mini at 3.6"x2.0"x0.5") and it weighs 3.8oz (0.2 oz more than the Mini).
Don't Creative doesn't know exactly who its competitor is? Here's the description of the vertical touch pad, used for navigation:
No more going round in circles to find the song you want, we all know that the quickest distance between two points is a straight line. Zen Micro's vertical touch pad and touch sensitive controls are designed to be intuitive so that searching through songs or playlists is easy, quick and fun - try taking a cruise down this strip.
Creative is taking pre-orders at the $249 retail price at 1-800-998-1000.
Creative Zen Touch Review
Computer equipment uber-site Tom's Hardware has posted a review of Creative's latest full-size, 20GB audio player, the Zen Touch. They returned a typical verdict:
The Zen Touch is a good player, but it remains largely an iPod clone.
In certain areas, the pupil does surpass the master with its very long battery life and excellent ergonomics, blending classic and modern. However, the sound quality is about the same as the iPod, while its too "burly" design and rather confusing interface make me lean towards the iPod. If Creative's player were only $50 cheaper, the balance would tip in its favor.
Creative Zen Micro
Gizmodo has gotten the goods on Creative's newest audio player, the Zen Micro. Clearly targetting the iPod Mini, the Zen Micro will have a 5GB capacity and come in 7 colors.
Also, according to Gizmodo's sources, it will be priced the same as the iPod Mini ($250), be available in November and have calendar and contact management capabilities, a nice plus.
Creative MuVo2 FM Hacking
What would a Creative MuVo2 release be without people pulling out the CompactFlash harddrives for use in their digital cameras? The gang at Virtual Zone get the first punch in. They have a photo-filled excursion into successfully removing the Seagate ST1 5GB CF drive and popping it into their memory-eating Nikon D70.
Creative Zen Touch Review
Pocket Lint has posted a new review of the Creative Zen Touch, their latest 20GB audio player. Like most other Zen Touch reviews, it's positive but there is the inevitable iPod comparison:
There is no question about it, the player is very nice, sound good and performs well, however its not with out its faults. There is currently no Apple Mac [support]. Will you buy this one over the iPod? It's a close call. They both cost the same amount, and for everything they both offer it will really come down to personal taste, what OS you are running and whether or not you fancy scrolling your finger up and down to select tracks or around in circles.
Creative Zen PMC Review
Engadget takes an in depth look at Creative's Portable Media Player in their new Zen PMC review. They mostly like it, but there are important caveats:
The soundbite is that we think the Portable Media Center is good for folks with Media Center PCs and PCs with TV tuner cards which can record TV - that's really the one killer feature of these new devices. If you don't have a Media Center and don't record TV to your PC (or don't download a crapload of movies) then this device might not be quite as useful for you.
Creative Gets Busy: MuVo2 FM and More
Creative Technology announced that it will add 8 new products before years end and begin a multi-million dollar marketing campaign to expand its market share. Although exactly what these new models would be wasn't detailed, but Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo did have this to say:
"We intend to double the MP3 player lines by year-end from eight to 16, to provide more choice to the big markets, and each line will have different design, features, (storage) capacity and colors"
These may or may not be included in the new 8, but Creative is also releasing an update to the MuVo2 line, the MuVo2 FM. The MuVo2 FM includes will have a 5GB capacity (compared with the 4GB of its predecessor), an FM tuner and recorder and 5 color choices.
Another Zen Touch vs. 4G iPod Matchup
IT Asia One has another matchup between the new Creative Zen Touch and the 4th generation iPod. Not suprisingly the iPod wins again, but the reviewer does note how the market landscape has changed:
The price war is on, with the price gap between the Zen Touch and the iPod narrowed to $49, from a considerable $269 difference between the previous 20GB Zen NX and third-generation iPod, only less than a year ago.
PC World on the 4G iPod and Zen Touch
PC World has a brief review of both the 4G iPod and the Creative Zen Touch. The new iPod gets high marks even though the reviewer includes a thorough list of what is still missing in the latest rev. The Zen Touch, however, doesn't fare as well:
You might remember that a few months ago I went a little nuts (in a good way) over the playlist interface for Creative's Nomad Zen. I mean, I loved this thing. It absolutely changed the way I listen to music. The idea of an IPod-sized player with that interface had me drooling.
But no, Creative wanted to simplify things, to aim for the ease-of-use found in its IPod rivals. So with its latest player, there's no more moving songs around within a playlist. No more treating albums and artists as objects so you can collapse them for easy navigation or move a full album of tracks with a few clicks. Gone. Poof. No more. And no "advanced menus" option that brings these features back.
First Big Creative Zen Touch Review
The Device Viking conquers all again. He's got another photo-packed, first on the web review. This time the victim is the new Creative Zen Touch (machine translation here).
Don't miss the sequence of photos that compare the dimensions of the Zen Touch, a new 4G iPod and an older iPod. Creative did manage to shrink the Zen Touch down to iPod size in the length and width dimensions, but in depth there is no comparison. However, much of that extra space is probably taken up by the battery that gives the Zen Touch twice the battery life of the 4G iPod.
Related Links:
Creative Zen Touch Arrives
Creative Zen Touch Available Sooner Than Expected
New Creative Zen Touch Available for Pre-Order
Creative Zen Touch First Look
Creative Zen Touch Arrives
Creative's latest device, the Zen Touch, has made it to the general public. Nomadness users are reporting that they're receiving the units they ordered from Creative's online store.
User jlbrach has a few initial thoughts on the new Zen Touch:
there are a few negatives although they can probably be fixed with a firmware upgrade:
- the unit is about the same size as an ipod for comparison,somewhat thicker and alittle heavier
- the unit is dramatically more attractive and sleek..the clunkiness of prior zen units is gone
- the unit performs well and so far the most impressive thing to me is the hard drive noise that i found so annoying on the older zen units seems to be gone....i can only speak of the one day of use but it appears to be far quieter and thus for me at least more enjoyable
all in all i am very impressed with the new unit...in fact if these small problems were ironed out and a larger capacity player were to be offered i would give it a big thumbs up!
- i cannot seem to get the unit to open the menu page when it starts up...it defaults to playlist and unlike the older units there does not seem to be an option to change this
- when you scroll through the lists of albums etc. you cannot go all the way from a-z and then continue around to a....you have to scroll all the way back up to a....a small issue perhaps but one that i had gotten used to
- the zen extra allowed you to press and hold the back button and be brought to the now playing...on the touch you have to go back to the menu and then click to get to now playing..again a small but annoying issue
Related Links:
Creative Zen Touch Available Sooner Than Expected
New Creative Zen Touch Available for Pre-Order
Creative Zen Touch First Look
A Wireless Player from Creative?
The Register is reporting that Creative has designed a wireless MP3 player. However, it uses neither WiFi or Bluetooth, but rather LibertyLink from Aura Communications.
LibertyLink would let the Creative device wirelessly beam music to headphones at a distance of up to 2m without significant sound degradation. Also, you would not be able to wirelessly connect the Creative device to a computer, you would still need cables for that. [Via Engadget]
Creative will Add 40GB Zen Touch
In a not entirely unexpected move, Creative has announced a 40GB version of their new Zen Touch audio player. Previously only a 20GB model had been announced.
The odd thing about the announcement is that no Zen Touch's of any size or shape have been shipped! Back in June Creative said "end of the month". Now, near the end of July, they say it's "available for shipment this month at US$269.99". I'm not holding my breath. I say we set up a pool between the Zen Touch ship date and the new iRiver firmware release...
In any case, Amazon is taking pre-orders for the Zen Touch at $270.
Related Links:
Creative Zen Touch First Look
Creative PMC Panned
Extreme Tech roundly pans the upcoming Creative Zen PMC portable video player, but lays most of the blame at the feet of Microsoft, who made the Portable Media Center software that underpins the Zen PMC. The article is even entitled "Another Dumb Idea from Microsoft". Ouch:
The PMC tries to be good, but it's so full of compromises it winds up being worse than Bill Gates doing the white-boy rap with Eminem.
Interview with Creative CEO
The issues of USA Today lying outside hotel doors across America today have an interesting interview with the CEO of Creative, Sim Wong Hoo. It's an understatement to say that he's sold on the idea of portable video players.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs is often asked about doing a video iPod, and says there's no market for it. Sim says he was a skeptic at first, too, but has come to realize that a handheld device that can store digital photos, music and eliminate the need to carry stacks of DVDs "offers a lot of convenience."
While pricey initially, he says, the costs of a full-featured video/music player will eventually be similar to a top-of-the-line MP3 player.
"Why not get the one with video then? cell phones with color screens aren't something that people need, but they sure buy them," he says.
Nomaedia: Access Creative MP3 Players Under Linux
The Nomaedia project is an attempt to build an open-source media manager for the Creative Nomad line that runs under Linux. It's still under significant development, but if you need to get your Zen under Linux, this is what you need.
A bit more project info and screenshots are here. Download the current version of Nomaedia here.
Creative Zen Touch Available Sooner Than Expected
Gizmodo has alerted us to the news that the Creative Zen Touch will hit the streets a bit faster than was intially thought. According to the Creative press release, pre-orders at Amazon and at the Creative Store will ship before the end of the month. Pre-order price is $270 for the 20GB device.
Another Creative MuVo² Review
Even though the Zen Xtra and NX are going to be superceded by the new Zen Touch, the MuVo² is still Creative's top dog in the mini-player category. AnandTech has a new review:
For those on the go, the Muvo2 is a nice mix between "what you get" and "what you pay for." It has a rugged feel to it and its use of a MicroDrive based storage device shouldn't discourage those who lead an active lifestyle (unless you are one who is prone to drop your MP3 player).
New Creative Zen Touch Available for Pre-Order
The newly announced Creative Zen Touch is available for pre-order from Amazon. Initially it was reported that retail price would $320, but actually it's only $270! This is a great deal for a 20GB capacity next-generation player and 24 hours of battery life.
Creative Zen Touch First Look
Got to keep it quick for now as my dial-up connection is incredibly trying... In any case Gear @ IGN has a first look at Creative's new generation of player, the Zen Touch. Totally redesigned compared the previous Zens, all the controls on are the face and include an iPod-inspired touch pad. Starting at 20GB, the Touch is even a touch smaller than its predecessors: 4.1"x2.7"x0.86" compared with the iPod at 4.1"x2.4"x0.62". Retail price will be $329. [Via Desgin Technica]
Creative Nomad Zen Xtra Headphone Jack Repair
At least a few owners of the Creative Nomad Zen Xtra have experienced breakage of the headphone jack. One such owner, The Bishop, has put together a photo-guided how-to on repairing it yourself.
Creative MuVo² Review
There has been a lot of talk about the Creative MuVo² recently. However, much of it has centered on cracking open the case to remove the 4GB CompactFlash drive that's inside. At least a few people are actually using the compact player as is, right? In any case, if you're thinking about getting a MuVo², Tbreak.com has a new, photo-filled review.
Plug-and-Play Creative Zen Xtra?
Tbreak.com has a new review of the Creative Zen Xtra MP3 player. The review is fairly brief, but it does have a lot of photos and one very interesting side note:
Unlike Creative’s MuVo2 that we reviewed a few weeks back, the Zen Xtra isn’t truly plug’n’play as you need to install drivers to access the device. We spoke to Creative about this and were informed that the unit is capable of a driverless operation and there might be a firmware version coming up soon that’ll let you access the device without installing any drivers.
This is big news in our book. Software-less functionality is a greatly underappreciated feature and we are happy to hear that Creative can/will make this happen. When/if this comes to pass, we think that Creative's lineup will be the clear choices for budget-conscious buyers.
Creative Zen NX Review
While not the latest and greastest model from Creative, the Zen NX is still a viable choice these days. The Tech Lounge has a new review:
The Zen NX is really a great player for the money. It provides excellent sound quality when equipped with quality speakers or headphones and its large capacity should keep your listening repeat-free for days (and days, and days…) on end. If you frequently need to transfer files between computers, the Zen NX also serves as a portable hard drive, making it a very useful companion. I would definitely recommend the Zen NX to anyone looking for a portable player with large capacity. The hard drive makes it unsuitable for jogging or any activity where it will be subject to a lot of vibration, but when you are waiting for the bus or sitting on a plane it is very enjoyable to have around.
New Creative Zen Portable Media Player
On the heals of the recent news from Microsoft and iRiver, here are some details and photos of the new Creative Zen Portable Media Center. It will sport a 20GB harddrive and 3.8" color LCD screen, which is slightly larger than the iRiver's 3.5" screen.
Notably absent from the product specs are size and weight numbers. It's clear that these new video player devices won't be small, but it remains to be seen just how much bigger and heavier they are.
Microsoft, Creative and iRiver Hook Up for "iPod Killers"
C|Net is reporting that Microsoft has teamed up with Creative and iRiver to launch devices based on Microsoft's Portable Media Center software, their "iPod killer". Engadget has a photo of the Creative prototype. The Seattle PI has also has an article and a photo of a prototype.
This news really isn't a huge shock. Apple and Microsoft really are the superpowers of the portable audio industry, even though Microsoft doesn't actually make a portable audio device. Truly, it's their Digital Rights Management technologies, AAC and WMA respectively, that are fighting for supremacy. If you buy music from iTunes, you HAVE to buy an iPod. If you buy music from a WMA-based service, you HAVE to buy a player that licensed WMA from Microsoft. Currently this includes just about every player on the market, except the iPod. So this is just another case of the smaller guys lining up behind their big guy for the coming fight.
Nomad MuVo² Hacking in Pictures
There's another guide to hacking the Compact Flash drive out of a Creative Nomad MuVo² at Gear @ IGN. This topic has been mentioned a few times before, in connection with both the MuVo² and the iPod Mini, which use the same CF drive. What sets this guide apart is pictures. Lots and lots of pictures. If you're going to take the plunge, keep this handy.
User Replaceable Battery for Newer Nomads
It used to be that "battery life" meant how long a device could function without being recharged, but in recent months it's taken on an additional meaning: how long before the battery degrades, is no longer able to hold a charge and must be replaced. See here for some background on this.
What exacerbates battery life problems is the fact that most popular players were not designed for user replacement of the battery. This group includes Apple iPods and iPod Minis, iRiver iHPs and Rio Nitrus and Karma. Creative's newer players, however, do have user servicable batteries.
To that end, Gear @ IGN has reported that Creative is selling replacement batteries for the Nomad Jukebox Zen NX, Nomad Jukebox Zen Xtra and Nomad MuVo² for $49.99.
Creative Nomad MuVo² 4GB $199 and Hackable?
The Creative Nomad MuVo² 4GB is now only $199 at Amazon, an excellent price for the compact player. However, folks have discovered an easily removable 4GB compact flash MicroDrive under the hood. Since the retail price of a 4GB CF card is much higher, people are buying the MuVo² just for the drive and reusing it in their space-hungry digital cameras. Of course, all of this is a big YMMV, but some have even been able to put smaller CF cards into the player get to use both the player (with diminished memory) and the 4GB CF.