Creative reveals Zen V and V Plus flash-based DAPs

So it looks like Creative's made good with the "mystery MP3 player" they promised us in that rather uninspiring teaser campaign: meet the Zen V. Available in 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB capacities, the V's smallish size and 1.5-inch, photo-capable OLED clearly indicate that Creative's got the slightly-smaller nano squarely in its sights, with the V Plus (offered in the same capacities) going for the knockout punch by throwing in video playback and an FM tuner in the usual hope that adding more and more features will somehow make iPod owners realize what iChimps they've been. Both models come in several combinations of black or white highlighted by either green, orange, or blue accents, feature a line-in jack for direct-from-disc recording, support PlaysForSure subscription services, and offer a claimed 15 hours of battery life before recharging becomes an issue. The V will be available in July for $120, $150, or $200, depending on capacity, while the V Plus will be coming in August and priced at $130, $170, and $230 for the 1GB, 2GB, and 4GB versions, respectively.

Read- Zen V
Read- Zen V Plus

[Eric @ Jun 20th 2006 8:02PM]

It's so freaking thick, how is that going to fit in my pocket comfortably and not feel like a rock?

[Jake @ Jun 20th 2006 8:03PM]

At least the price is almost right (i.e. cheaper than the Nano at the same capacities). Still looks rather uninspired though.

[Lita @ Jun 20th 2006 8:11PM]

iChimp? Chimp is the new Chump?

[Jeremy @ Jun 20th 2006 8:12PM]

Anyone else find this hideous looking?

[Rex @ Jun 20th 2006 8:13PM]

Really looks Zen-ish now. I think i'm gonna have to upgrade my Zen Micro for this...except I'd rather have it full on orange instead of the orange accent... awesome :D!

[Lee @ Jun 20th 2006 8:16PM]

So how much video are you going to stuff in the 4GB ?

[Osiris @ Jun 20th 2006 8:16PM]

People want wafer thin these days, this is not that..

The only advantage iPods have over Creative's attempt are physical design.
Make it look better than the iPod then you'll have a chance.

[Slacker @ Jun 20th 2006 8:21PM]

V, for vendetta against apple. :-P

http://www.trippytext.com

[NC-17 @ Jun 20th 2006 8:21PM]

No Ogg, No better than my current player, No thanks, No purchase! Nice try though. Good for the masses.

[Sean @ Jun 20th 2006 8:25PM]

Fugly. Cant wait to watch movies on a 1.5" screen. Good job Creative. Better hope that lawsuit works out for ya.

[matt @ Jun 20th 2006 8:27PM]

"Not just another feature packed music device; ZEN V embodies the integration of form and functionality. Small is the new beautiful. Enjoy your music in a pebble!"
ouch, they make fun of themselves in the first sentence!

[SLy.Trojan @ Jun 20th 2006 8:27PM]

"These guys have *A LONG* way to go before they catch up to apple design wise. Nioce try, but just like every other POS I think I'll pass!"

-DS

Just thought I'd get that out of the way.
Carry on!

[Chris @ Jun 20th 2006 8:32PM]

Why would I want to watch videos and view photos on a SQUARE screen?

[Dario @ Jun 20th 2006 8:33PM]

omg... "1.5" inch screen to watch movies!!? alright.. eye problems here i come!!!

...but really who is going to want to buy one of those lil critters!!? i'll stick with my ipod video for now

[David @ Jun 20th 2006 8:35PM]

not a big fan of this player, woulld take the Clix or my iPod nano over it.

the player is pretty ugly as are most of Creative's players, though I thought their Zen Sleek looked alright

[Deezee @ Jun 20th 2006 8:41PM]

I kinda like it. The features I want are definitely there. I still might choose the Sansa e over it tho. I gotta see somebody actually holding it to judge the thickness. Also I need to see how good the joy stick can maneuver through folders.

[Vinni @ Jun 20th 2006 8:42PM]

if you ask me, i would rather want a nano (and i don't care for the iChimp comment either).

[Silver R. Wolfe @ Jun 20th 2006 8:43PM]

Ugly player, but I'd take it over a Nano for its functionality.

[LeDoubleD @ Jun 20th 2006 8:45PM]

When I was looking for DAP I looked at apple's and creative's players and turned towards creative because they both played back music but creative was cheaper. And when I played around with both players I really liked the touch strip that the ZenMicro had over the clickwheel on the iPods, (I wouldn't want to go all the way around with the wheel and because of where my thumb was moving down meant scrolling up and vise versa and all that stuff). Call me old fashion but I've never been a fan of downloading music, either legit or pirated, so the software backing is never an issue. I guess what I've been trying to say is that I don't understand how people can bash a DAP that does what it's supposed to do, with good form factor (5/8" isn't terribly thick, that's as thick as my phone when it's open which isn't that bad in my pocket when it's closed), and at a decent price. Just my $0.02 and then some.

[greenfly360 @ Jun 20th 2006 8:48PM]

That is cool! I how big is it compared to the nano? If the new ipod is not out by the time this is out I might buy one.

[Brian Baigorri @ Jun 20th 2006 8:49PM]

On the positive side, they do score a point or two for pushing the color OLED. Unfortunately, this looks a little behind in every other possible way.

[greenfly360 @ Jun 20th 2006 8:50PM]

but it does not say anything about the 4gig?

[Rex @ Jun 20th 2006 8:52PM]

I pretty much like Creative's design aspects on their mp3players because they are different. As for Apple's design on their iPods, they are basically monotone type of designs that copy from each other.... So you guys should at least give credit to Creative for living up to their name. As far as i'm concerned, Apple iPods are for people that don't know how to look cool with their mp3player and that's why they need all of those dazzling accessories to makeup for their shortcomings..

iCreate :)

[Intrepid @ Jun 20th 2006 8:56PM]

Monkeys... ah ha ha ha. :acting like monkey: ah ha ha ha they are all monkeys!
I personally prefer iSheep though as they all have turtlenecks and all follow each other.

[LongshotX @ Jun 20th 2006 8:59PM]

This player does not look good at all. I like Creative but that design is far from it.

[Syinidal @ Jun 20th 2006 9:02PM]

Anybody notice that CREATIVE has like a billion mp3 players?

http://sg.creative.com/products/comparechart/select.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=15283

That's a lot of options. Seems like a lot of them are pretty similar. Not feeling this as a nano competitor. Video playback seems secondary to form fitness when you get down to this type of size/player.

[Intrepid @ Jun 20th 2006 9:14PM]

"Anybody notice that CREATIVE has like a billion mp3 players?"
Because they have been making them for a long time - twice as long as Apple... but not all billion players are current models.

"Video playback seems secondary to form fitness when you get down to this type of size/player."
Ummm... only because the market is conditioned for iPoohs.

[Yem @ Jun 20th 2006 9:21PM]

"It's so freaking thick, how is that going to fit in my pocket comfortably and not feel like a rock?"

It's 16mm thick to the Nano's 7. But it's 21mm shorter. Identical weight. Not a bad tradeoff for people who don't want to deal with the ipod database system.

[bliss @ Jun 20th 2006 9:22PM]

I don't really see a point playing/storing videos when you only have at most 4GB to work with...nice design though.

[Anthony @ Jun 20th 2006 9:23PM]

Everyone seems to hate the design on these, but I kind of like it. Looks organic or something.

The sad thing, however, is that Apple's likely to release a new Nano & standard iPod in the 3rd quarter that will make Creative's just look like second class again.

[Yem @ Jun 20th 2006 9:26PM]

Oh wait:

"Mass Storage Device: Yes. For data files only"

^^ Does that exclude audio files? If so, way to suck, Creative.

[PodcastMayhem.com @ Jun 20th 2006 9:33PM]

doesn't creative realize that bluetooth is the tipping point of this whole mp3 race? less is best . . . and in this example . . less wires will get the buyers!

[emaredubyou @ Jun 20th 2006 9:37PM]

If you look at the picture where it's next to the headphones, this thing looks really small, shorter than the nano, would definatly like to see it next to some other players to get a feel for it's size.
No one should buy this if they plan on watching movies on it anyways, the videoplayback can only logically be used for music videos, and shorter things like that. I would definatly get one if i didn't already have a zen: micro.

[Matt Tucker @ Jun 20th 2006 9:47PM]

Umm, Yem, start reading the type and follow the sentences. An Audio FILE is a date FILE, duh.

Also, Creative has one thing over against Apple... options. With Creative, users aren't bound to using one media player like iTunes, which i Hate.

[Syinidal @ Jun 20th 2006 9:49PM]

"Anybody notice that CREATIVE has like a billion mp3 players?"
Because they have been making them for a long time - twice as long as Apple... but not all billion players are current models.

Sure, and I bet they sell a whole bunch of them overseas (such as in my home country - Sweden). But you are gonna tell me with a straight face that you need this many models to get the job done? I was just suggesting that a few more versitile models would probobly be cheaper (to produce, market and sell) than a flood of 512mb shuffle-esq mp3 players.

"Video playback seems secondary to form fitness when you get down to this type of size/player."
Ummm... only because the market is conditioned for iPoohs.

Form and style has always been what the mainstream has been conditioned for. Blame SONY, not Apple. Personally, I like things that fit in my pockets and look good. If you don't that is fine too.

[Yem @ Jun 20th 2006 9:56PM]

Don't be a twit, Matt. All files are "data" files. So why make the distinction? The iPod does USBMS for "data" files, but you can't play audio from those files (AFAIK). That said, the drag and drop, driverless piece on the overview would appear to clear it up. Sorry.

[Deezee @ Jun 20th 2006 9:59PM]

After seeing the Cnet review of it, I actually really like this thing. Its much smaller than the pix make it look. And pretty much all the features I could want.

[stas @ Jun 20th 2006 10:01PM]

personally i love it.

[ryan @ Jun 20th 2006 10:05PM]

i'm wondering when someone will invent a camera/video recorder mp3 player...without a phone of course.

[Stephen @ Jun 20th 2006 10:11PM]

I would totally be willing to replace my iPod with that V Plus...




...if it were Apple-compatible (One reason I hate Creative for their stupid injunction-seeking. If they win, what DAPs can Mac-users use?)

[Jacob @ Jun 20th 2006 10:21PM]

"...hope that adding more and more features will somehow make iPod owners realize what iChimps they've been."

Ok, I normally don't bitch about this sorta thing (people constantly bitch and whine about much less), and I've never complain about this site being "biased" one way or the other, but that comment was COMPLETELY asinine.

Save it for smack talk on a message board with the other fanboy kiddies. It doesn't belong on a respectable tech blog like this.

[Joshi @ Jun 20th 2006 10:45PM]

Uh, Jacob, I think it's pretty obvious that the "iChimps" comment was sarcasm. Piling more and more features onto their otherwise mediocre players hasn't garnered Creative many iPod converts so far.

[Dan @ Jun 20th 2006 10:46PM]

OH GOD.

I remember this exact same scenario with the Zen Vision:M.

All the iPod fanboys were screaming about how "thick" it is and "toyish" it looked. Stop judging it based on stock photos you morons.

[Alain @ Jun 20th 2006 10:48PM]

Dont they get it... people buy iPods cuz they are easy to use, and they look good. Im not ngonna lie to you guyz, this thing looks like shit. (cant they just give up, no one is going to be able to beat apple in the MP3 market until phones get way better music intergration to the likes of Sony Ericson Walkman phones)

[DS @ Jun 21st 2006 12:03AM]

Hahahah! thats great I don't even need to post anymore, the products speak for themselves....

-DS

[cuby @ Jun 21st 2006 12:20AM]

wow.

creative. CREATIVE. shh shh just listen. HIRE ME TO DESIGN YOUR PRODUCTS. PLEASE. i think i've given you plenty of opportunities to come up with an attractive player, with a desirable aesthetic. but you fail me miserably time and time again. every time it's garbagy plastic, it's too thick, and i just don't have the patience anymore.

no, i have no design experience whatsoever. when i was a kid all i drew were autobot logos over and over. but TRUST me, i can do a better job than this. ANYONE could do a better job than this (except conjoined drunken retards).

[James @ Jun 21st 2006 1:01AM]

I still think the Sansa is better.

[Michael @ Jun 21st 2006 1:15AM]

I like the fact that it has a line in jack and a built in mic. It may very well find it's place as a small audio recorder since the newer ipods are harder to do that with right now.

However as just a small music player it does seem pretty uninspired.
I think Creative's problem is a lack of focus. They've got a ton of players and almost every single one of them has a differnet button layout, shape and size. There is no common identity.

[Stephen @ Jun 21st 2006 1:29AM]

"I think Creative's problem is a lack of focus. They've got a ton of players and almost every single one of them has a differnet button layout, shape and size. There is no common identity."

Well, Creative's two main current products, the Vision:M and the V/V+ don't share layouts, but do share a stylistic theme: oversized Tamagotchi.

[yo @ Jun 21st 2006 2:02AM]

"Anybody notice that CREATIVE has like a billion mp3 players?"
Because they have been making them for a long time - twice as long as Apple... but not all billion players are current models.

reply [Sure, and I bet they sell a whole bunch of them overseas (such as in my home country - Sweden). But you are gonna tell me with a straight face that you need this many models to get the job done? I was just suggesting that a few more versitile models would probobly be cheaper (to produce, market and sell) than a flood of 512mb shuffle-esq mp3 players.]

"Video playback seems secondary to form fitness when you get down to this type of size/player."

Ummm... only because the market is conditioned for iPoohs.

reply [Form and style has always been what the mainstream has been conditioned for. Blame SONY, not Apple. Personally, I like things that fit in my pockets and look good. If you don't that is fine too.]



you fail to make a decent point. You challenge the fact that creative has a wide variety of options. Please realize that creative started MP3 players BEFORE iPod, and thus they have many models. Not all the models are advertised as NEW, they are simply available. This is the same with many companies. You can find so many models of Nokia phones, but Nokia is not telling you to buy them. They are simply available.

As for style? I think the ipod is nice looking, but not the greatest. Most of the market likes stylish products, however, true to creative's history it has never marketed to the masses. This is probably one of their few attempts to market to the masses. I mean if you were to ask people who Creative Labs was, 8/10 probably could not tell you.

iPod has more money than Creative, it engages in aggressive marketing (which is why most people bought one in the first place).

Also why would you complain about a feature such as video, even if you are not going to use it. It's like me complaining that my tv has HDTV capability even though I don't have an HD receiver/box.