“We’re very excited to achieve this breakthrough of adding our X-Fi audio technology to a ZEN player, setting the highest standard in audio quality for portable music players,” said Craig McHugh, president and COO of Creative

In addition to the new WiFi hardware component, the Zen X-Fi now has built-in speakers, a SD card reader, built-in FM radio, and a microphone for voice recordings. With a 2.5-inch TFT display with the ability to playback WMV, AVI, MJPEG, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4 and 5 and XviD, the player should satisfy the needs of most customers. As for audio, the unit supports playback of unprotected MP3, WMA and AAC audio formats. Creative also bundles in a set of high quality EP-830 in-ear earphones, which are much better than the standard sets of headphones that usually come with most digital media players.

The ZEN X-FI with Wireless LAN 32GB and 16GB models are now available for $279.99 and $199.99, respectively. They are now available for purchase through online retailers including Amazon.com, Buy.com, Creative.com, Fry’s.com and Newegg.com. The standard ZEN X-FI 8GB (without WiFi) will become available later this month for $149.99.

Links: Creative.com ZEN X-FI
Buy Now: Zen X-Fi 32GB $280 | Zen X-Fi 16GB $200
Related: Creative ZEN Review

Skatter Tech recently got a hold of Proporta’s Alu-Leather Case and Advance Screen Protector for the Creative ZEN. I put them to the test right away by carrying it around to see how well the Proporta accessories would protect my gizmo. I was quite pleased as the case was quite rigid while it maintained a fairly fancy look and the screen protector adhered and fit the screen perfectly. The Creative ZEN digital audio player slides into the case and is held in place by to well padded clamps. The case is enclosed by a strong flap which is fastened with a magnetic clasp. A lightweight yet strong aluminum sheet is embedded into the leather both on the bottom and top flaps to provide additional support. Proporta provides an attachable belt clip which can be easily removed if you don’t plan on using it. The headphone jack and the USB port have been left open therefore listening to music and/or charging the device won’t be a problem. No functionality of the ZEN is lost and even the SD card slot is reachable without having to remove the device from the case.

The Advance Screen Protector for the Creative ZEN has been pre-cut exactly to fit the square around the screen. Although the protector achieves its goal of guarding the screen, it fails to cover any other portion of the top of the player such as the controls. Proporta provides a cleaning cloth and a application card in the packaging so that the screen protector can be applied easily and properly. The main issue we faced was the fact that screen clarity is lost due to the graininess of the plastic sheet. Although it isn’t a problem for browsing through music, it can become very irritating if you plan to watch videos.

The leather case and screen protector are available for purchase from Proporta’s website for $34.95 and $9.95, respectively. However by using the coupon code “skattertech” (no quotes) during checkout you’ll get a 10% discount bringing the price of both items to just $40.41. Overall we were quite satisfied with both these products, however if you own a Creative ZEN and you feel you know of a better way to protect your device, please let us know by replying in the comments.

Links: Proporta Alu-Leather Case | Advance Screen Protector
Coupon Code: skattertech

Earlier today, Creative Technology announced a 32GB edition of their flash-based credit card-sized Creative ZEN. Other than for the larger capacity, the ZEN doesn’t seem to have changed a bit from the 4GB/8GB/16GB models, which we reviewed last month. The ZEN features a 2.5-inch display, has a FM radio, voice recorder, SD expansion, and can playback music/photos/videos. As a bonus, it will support listening to unprotected media from Amazon MP3 and iTunes Plus. Creative hasn’t yet stated when the 32GB ZEN will be available in the United States, but it will hit stores by mid-December in Singapore. According to Creative’s press release, the player will cost $549 Singapore Dollars which converts to approximately $380 US Dollars. For more information on the Creative ZEN, checkout our in depth review.

Note To Apple: When will we be getting our 32GB flash-memory iPod Touch???

Links: Creative ZEN Review | Creative.com

First off, we would like to thank the folks over at Creative for providing us the new ZEN for review. We have been messing around with it for a week and we’ve got to say there’s a lot to get excited about, especially the price. The Creative ZEN has quite a few extra features including a microphone, an FM tuner, and a SD card expansion slot, which none of the mainstream Digital Audio Players (DAP) offer. Although there are plenty similar players hitting shelves this season, including the Microsoft Zune, Sony Walkman, and Sanza View, the Creative ZEN stands up to its competitors quite well.

Creative Zen Specs:

• Type: Portable Flash Video Player
• Capacities: 4GB, 8GB, & 16GB
• Screen: 2.5-inch 320 x 240 LCD
• Music Format: MP3, WMA, AAC, & WAV
• Video Format: MJPEG & WMV9
• Special: FM Tuner, SD Expansion, & Microphone
• Connection Type: USB 2.0 (mini)
• Price Range: $129-$250

Initial Impressions: – 4.5/5
As Creative claimed in their advertisements, the Zen is about the size of a credit card, which actually appears to be a decent size for a personal media player. The unit is 3.26-inches tall, 2.16-inches wide, and .44-inches thick, making it larger than the iPod Nano. Despite this, the unit is just the right size for everyday use and will fit into just about any pocket. The front of the unit is home to the 2.5” TFT display on the left and the standard navigation buttons on the right. Although the glossy finish makes the ZEN look quite fancy, it is quite a hassle when it comes to fingerprints. You’ll constantly find yourself having to wipe it down. In addition, since the screen is glossy it will reflect a lot of unwanted light in well lit environments. The back-side of the unit, on the other hand, is made out of a black matte plastic, which is actually surprisingly nice. All the important parts including the power/hold switch, headphone jack, and USB connector can be found on the right-side of the unit. Other than that, the Secure Digital (SD) card slot can be found on the top, while a pinhole reset button is located on the bottom.

Controls – 3/5
The Zen was clearly designed with right-handed users in mind, since all of the operational controls and buttons have been placed on the right side of the unit. Navigation controls and their ease of use represent an important factor in any portable media player. As such, the centerpiece of the Zen’s control scheme is a square directional pad that features an “OK” button at its center. It might not be as innovative or intuitive to use as the click-wheels on iPods or the touch screen of the iPhone, but it has definitely been tested and proven to be a worthy system. The main problem we faced with the controls on our Zen, was that not all of the buttons were equally responsive. This caused some frustration especially while trying to glide through menus quickly. In our particular case, the down button had to be pressed down harder than any of the other directional buttons, which meant that menu navigation was often slowed down by having to repress that particular button. Now in all fairness, this might very well be an isolated incident, but other units may face similar problems. The iPod Nano we reviewed had a click-wheel that froze after every few minutes of use, so the ZEN isn’t alone when it comes to defects.

Not everything can be easily accomplished with only a simple set of navigation buttons, so Creative included four more buttons: “Menu/Back,” “Options,” “Play/Pause/Record,” and a final button labeled in the Quick Start Guide as “My Shortcut.” Overall, there is nothing all too special or noteworthy about any of these buttons, except for maybe the last one: the customizable shortcut button. If you’ve ever found yourself wishing that there was a button on your media player that did X or Y, then Creative might just have the answer. With a trip to the settings menu, you can choose to assign any one of seven different functions to the shortcut button. The most useful of which, I believe, is the function labeled “Jump to:”. With this feature you can literally jump to just about any menu in the player with a single click. One of the things that annoys me the most on almost all portable media players is that there is almost never a button that will take you back to whatever is currently playing. Since the Creative Zen has a dedicated “play” button, you can jump back to whatever is “Now Playing” with a single click. I do wish that the Creative Zen had some dedicated volume controls, but then again the iPod Nano doesn’t either.

Screen & Video Quality: – 3.5/5
One of the Creative Zen’s selling points is it’s ability to playback video. The screen on the Zen is fairly decent and can recreate an impressive 16.7 millions colors as advertised. Unfortunately, though, the screen is only 2.5-inches in diameter with an disappointing 320 by 240 pixels. The screen did a good job of keeping up with the video feed without visibly smearing or ghosting the image. Color accuracy, as with most portable media players (even the iPod Touch), was an issue. The colors were generally a tad too vivid and a slight greenish yellow hue was visible at all times. Another issue that kept me from enjoying the fourth season premiere episode of House was that I kept noticing the refreshing and vertical re-syncing of the horizontal lines, especially when the camera panned. Because of the small screen, I found myself holding the unit fairly close to my face and doing so caused the spacing between the individual lines to become even more apparent. (Same problem on Sony’s S610 Walkman). Although it’s great tool for watching TV shows and Music Videos occasionally, if I had a choice, I wouldn’t want to watch a full length movie on the Zen. And in case you’re wondering, the same goes for the Flash Zune, iPod Nano, or any portable media player with a small screen for that matter.

The Menu System – 4/5
Menu navigation is something that seems like it should be trivial, but, alas, there are actually very few players that can be navigated without deliberate thought. Unfortunately, the Zen is not among this elite. One issue that becomes immediately apparent is the lack of responsiveness between the hardware and the software. When a button is pressed, it takes the device a slight fraction of a second to react to the user input and perform the desired action. The system is by no means unusable, but it may invoke some frustration if your previous player happened to run faster. See the video for a full interface walk through:

http://skattertech.com/media/2007/11/creative-zen-interface.flv

Audio Quality – 5/5
Despite a lackluster interface, the audio quality of the Zen is actually surprisingly good; it’s on par with the iPod Nano, if not better. The midrange was articulate and clear, even though there was a notable lack of strength at either ends of the spectrum. Even though the bass was slightly lacking, the treble, on the other hand, had no problem making itself known. Overall, though, the sound was very favorable, and most of my complaints are very nuanced. Fortunately, all of these mild shortcomings can be easily corrected with the built-in equalizer presets. If you still can’t quite hear what you want with those, there’s always the options of manually equalizing the sound yourself.

Syncing Content: – 4/5
Getting your music onto the Creative was quite simple. If you’ve got a Windows XP or Vista with the most recent version of Windows Media Player (WMP), you’re all set. Just plug in the Creative ZEN and your computer will automatically detect it as a mass storage device. WMP is quite easy to use and will allow quick transfers between your library and the ZEN. If you do not wish to use WMP, you do have the option of copying your media onto the mass storage device through the file explorer. When you unplug the device, the ZEN automatically takes a few seconds and indexes any new files. Once complete, your content should automatically appear in the ZEN’s library. Creative did include software to manage the ZEN, but we were a bit frustrated that it took over 20 minutes just to install it. If you do install it, the application will allow you to manage your music, photos, and videos. The software works and it’s got some neat features, however I prefered manually copying the content I needed directly onto the device. We didn’t have a chance to test it with Mac OS X, however if it’s recognized as a mass storage device then there should be no problem manually copying media onto the ZEN.

Media Formats: – 4/5
The ZEN supports a wide range of media formats. For audio, the ZEN can playback MP3, WAV, AAC, and WMA. The only DRM audio format it supports is protected WMA. With that being said, the ZEN is compatible with plenty of online music stores including Yahoo! Music, Audible (audio books), Napster, Amazon MP3, and iTunes Plus Tracks. As for photos, the ZEN can only display JPEG, but Windows Media Player will allow you to transcode GIF, TIFF, PNG and BMP for added compatibility. Finally for video, the ZEN can decode WMV, MJPEG, MPEG4, DiVX, and XViD. Unfortunately the highest supported resolution is only 320 by 240, therefore videos must be converted before they will play. The ZEN is also compatible with Amazon’s Unbox TV and Movie purchases and rentals.

SD Card Expansion: – 4/5
One major advantage that the Creative Zen has over other DAPs is that has an SD expansion slot. If you were to run out of space, which you’re bound to do, you can always pop in an SD Card of any size into the top of the unit. Once complete, you’ll be able to access your media right off the card. The only draw back may be the fact that the ZEN doesn’t integrate the content on your card into the library stored in the on board memory. This means you’ll have to head over to the Memory Card menu to access these files. The Creative ZEN can also turn into a SD Card Reader/Writer when connected to your PC, therefore no extra accessories are required to add or remove content on the card.

Microphone: – 4/5
The Zen also features a pinhole microphone, allowing it to be used as a personal voice recorder. It works just as expected, you’ll be able to record a file and play it back from the Music menu. If you’ve got a extra storage space this will save having to carry another gadget around with you. The recorded files can be copied back to your machine. As for recording quality, the microphone performed quite well. Voices from across the room were crisp and could be heard easily.

Conclusion:
If you’re in the market for an affordable portable media player that will allow you to enjoy your music, listen to radio, and watch the occasional video, then we would recommend the Creative Zen. The one thing the Creative Zen does best (without garnering any complaints, whatsoever) is, perhaps, playing music. In addition the ZEN is much more affordable than Apple’s iPod Nano and includes bonus features such as the FM Tuner, SD Expansion, and Microphone. The iPod Nano is only available at a 8GB max, while Creative offers the ZEN a 16GB flash model. SD cards are also quite cheap, making storage a not an issue for most customers. The battery life met what Creative stated: 25 hours of audio and 5 hours of video. Other than that, the only other suggestion we would make if you do purchase this unit is to upgrade your headphones to something along the lines of Shure’s SE110 Earphones and possibly purchasing a case. The Creative ZEN costs $120 for 4GB, $180 for 8GB, and $250 for 16GB and is available online and in stores now. Overall the Creative ZEN will be worth just about every penny spent.

Links: Creative ZEN

Last week Creative introduced a new “credit-card-sized” multimedia player with a 2.5-inch simply called the Creative ZEN. One neat aspect is that it now supports playback of the new unprotected iTunes Plus tracks in addition to DRM-Free WMA and MP3. As for paid media, the unit is compatible with Napster to Go. And for video formats the ZEN can read WMV9, MJPEG, MP4, DivX, and XviD. In addition it reads JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG, and TIFF since it’s also a photo viewer.

Other features built into the ZEN, which aren’t found on iPods, include a FM radio with 32 custom presets, a voice recorder, and an organizer with contacts, to do lists, and calendar which syncs with Microsoft Outlook. The unit is available in capacities of 4GB, 8GB, and a whopping 16GB (all flash-based). In addition the unit accepts standard SD cards, which are available at prices as low as $20 for 2GB. As for battery life, Creative claims approx. 25 hours for music and 5 hours for video playback.

The new Creative ZEN hit the market this month (September 2007) in Asia and unfortunately isn’t available yet in the United States. Creative is expected to launch this product worldwide very soon. As for pricing, after a currency conversion, the units will approximately cost $150 for 4GB, $200 for 8GB, and $300 for 16GB ($USD). As the holiday season is only a few months away it will be interesting to see what types of media players other companies including Creative will introduce to compete with Apple’s infamous iPod. We are trying to get a hold of a unit for review, so check back soon!

UPDATE 09/20/07: We’re getting one next week for sure and we promise an in-depth review!

Links: Creative Zen Product Info
Pre-Order: 4GB | 8GB | 16GB via Amazon