Creative patent reveals mysterious media player

Not much to go on with this one, but a patent issued to Creative at the start of this year and apparently just recently made public has revealed this rather curious looking media player, which doesn't quite match up with anything the company has released thus far. Of course, that could mean it's just an idea the company has since scrapped or, as Anything But iPod speculates, it could be an indication of a forthcoming Zen Vision media player -- or, less likely, an internet tablet of some sort. Hit up the link below to peruse the patent for yourself.

[Via Anything But iPod, thanks Jamil]

[Waveblade @ Sep 11th 2008 12:08PM]

Please Creative, I hope you take back "Only doing flash players", they are good but you've lost a lot of marketshare that way :(

[boolean22 @ Sep 11th 2008 1:26PM]

Ain't this an UMPC?

It really looks like the first Origami protos...

[Atanas Boev @ Sep 11th 2008 12:12PM]

Won't stop chinese knock-offs :)

[Skyride @ Sep 11th 2008 12:13PM]

Please give me an Ipod Classic competitor. I hate ipods with a vengance (for a number of reasons) and im not keen on a zune. My Creative Zen Vision:M died when i dropped it for a last fatal time. :(

And i don't want to go buy another older player. Theres nothing wrong with having old players. Just no sense in buying them IMO (and that does not apply to 6 month old ipods).

[Thi mam(kris120890) @ Sep 11th 2008 12:13PM]

Looks more like a internet tablet to me which probably indicates it being pricey.

[Ben 10 @ Sep 11th 2008 4:20PM]

Looks more like a re-incarnation of the kiddie mp3 player Juice box, which you could record TV on and looked like this new thing...
Here's a pic of the JB:
http://www.datamind.co.uk/merchant/MattelJuiceBox.jpg

[DSeaver @ Sep 11th 2008 12:16PM]

This was on epizenter.net since like february. But it doesnt change the fact that its ugly and a disappointment. Zen Vision w is so much nicer

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 11th 2008 12:18PM]

Aaah, mysterious *AND* ugly! What a combo.

[derspiess42 @ Sep 11th 2008 12:19PM]

I could see this being a successor to (or latest version in) the Zen Vision line, in fact I hope that's the case. I love my Zen Vision W (especially now that I swapped in an 80GB drive), but it's starting to feel even clunkier.

Why Creative put all its eggs in the basket of flash-based players with small 4:3 screens is a mystery to me.

[Daren @ Sep 11th 2008 12:20PM]

pokeball?

[Shinigami @ Sep 11th 2008 12:23PM]

If they install accelerometer and add Nvidia Tegra, this could become a PSP killer...

[sockatume @ Sep 11th 2008 12:28PM]

It looks more like the old Creative Portable Media Center than anything else, although it has the "ripple" back of the new range. Strange that they'd go back to it after all these years.

[Jeff @ Sep 11th 2008 12:38PM]

Unrelated...but...

Did anyone else notice we've gone from "Hating our Yellow teeth" to "Murder Yellow Teeth"....gee...

[Billy Gun @ Sep 11th 2008 12:39PM]

Nice couple!

[Mrmean @ Sep 11th 2008 12:41PM]

LMAO @ creative...

[Nexus-6 @ Sep 11th 2008 12:43PM]

it's the Neo Geo Pocket 2.0!

[no, thank you @ Sep 11th 2008 12:57PM]

*yawn*

[tomaskn @ Sep 11th 2008 1:07PM]

creative..whats wrong with you. build i frikking ZVM v2 !

[RAQ @ Sep 11th 2008 1:20PM]

Come on Creative, I've been waiting for a PMP with enough video codecs and decent battery life so I can replace my Creative Zen Vision M. Nothing has even come close yet, please make this the answer to my never ending dilema.

[sinai @ Sep 11th 2008 1:22PM]

no one remembers the origami project?

YOU CAN PLAY HALO ON THIS THING!!!

[John @ Sep 11th 2008 1:27PM]

It actually looks VERY similar to the ZEN PMC they had wayyyyy back when. I know cuz I still have one. LOL
The buttons and the whole lay out looks eerily same. This might some old prototype, since I believe the PMCs (portable media centers), orginally aimed at the video-less iPod 4G, are now pretty much dead.

See for yourself,
Link to the product:
http://reviews.cnet.com/portable-video-players-pvps/creative-zen-portable-media/4505-6499_7-30993434.html

[Matias Korhonen @ Sep 11th 2008 3:01PM]

Just 'cause you don't know about it, doesn't make it mysterious.

[danahyatt @ Sep 11th 2008 9:12PM]

IT IS IT

[ed @ Sep 12th 2008 1:46AM]

Creative? Meh.

[iceberg @ Oct 4th 2008 8:18AM]

There are lots of good reason for owning a creative (like all the codecs it plays, the sound, screen size, & etc.) product but why is it taking so long!!! Why did creative waste so much time on mini players instead of a Ipod/archos killer??? Now the Ipod touch will be out soon the plus the iphone is has already flooded the market...how will creative come back???

The next Zen Vision must match what appeals right now where is:

Touch screen-

Long battery life-

Huge Memory-

Play various formats-

Camera-

Wifi-

If anyone knows any more info on the release date of the new zen hit me back