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Posts with tag Creative

Creative's 2GB / 4GB ZEN Mozaic DAP now available

by Darren Murph, posted Aug 3rd 2008 at 10:06PM

Creative got a bit more creative with the ZEN Mosaic's name since we spotted it in Singapore last month, but the freshly rechristened ZEN Mozaic is now available (and in stock, just to be exceptionally clear) in the US of A for your purchasing pleasure. For those seeking a brief refresher, here goes: there's a 1.8-inch display (160 x 128 resolution), up to 36 hours of audio playback / 5 hours of video playback, support for MP3 / WAV / WMA / JPEG / BMP files, a 5-band custom equalizer, calender / contacts / task list and USB 2.0 connectivity. The oddly designed DAP can be procured in both 2GB and 4GB flavors (but only in black, at least for now), with the former going for $59.99 and the latter $79.99.

[Thanks, Oscar]

Creative rolls out (working) driver update for X-Fi cards

by Donald Melanson, posted Jul 31st 2008 at 11:26AM

While at least one enterprising individual did his best to get Creative's X-Fi sound cards to play nice with Vista, Creative wasn't exactly keen on that idea and apparently decided to have a go at updating its drivers itself instead (go figure). Among other things, the new, long overdue drivers supposedly fix the problematic Dolby Digital and DTS decoding, and they add DVD Audio playback, which previously worked under Windows XP but not in Vista -- you know, the little things. Hit up the link below to find the link to the drivers themselves, which work with all X-Fi cards except the X-Fi Extreme Audio, which is clearly so "Extreme" it doesn't need driver updates.

[Thanks, Bamboo]

Creative announces Zen Mosaic, looks like bad Mondrian

by Ryan Block, posted Jul 24th 2008 at 2:11AM


Creative's got yet another on the way: the Zen Mosaic, which will have a 1.8-inch display, 2, 4, or 8GB capacities, FM tuner, speakers, MP3 / WMA / WAV / Audible codec support, and 32 hours of battery life. They're apparently starting in Singapore and working their way over, but they shouldn't top $200 when they're eventually announced for the US.

[Thanks, Rube]

Read - Announced details on the player [Via EpiZenter]
Read - First hands-on

Creative ZEN X-Fi reviewed, but mostly just taken apart

by Ryan Block, posted Jul 21st 2008 at 3:06AM


Not a ton's changed with Creative's ZEN X-Fi -- which we all well know at this point -- so for right now we're just paying closer attention to its innards all broken out like a science fair project. Careful, the teardown link below contains graphic representations of disrobed consumer electronics.

[Thanks, Josh and Mindy]

Read - Zen X-Fi teardown
Read - Anything But iPod's review
Read - Pocketables review

ZEN Krystal revealed on Creative's Hong Kong site

by Joshua Topolsky, posted Jul 17th 2008 at 12:03PM


Apparently Creative is cooking up more than just the ZEN X-Fi as of late, according to a discovery made by anythingbutipod forum members. The crew stumbled onto the ZEN Krystal, a small MP3 player that features 4GB of storage, a blue OLED display, an FM tuner, and support for MP3 and WMA files. What really makes the device pique our curiosity, however, is the included built-in pedometer, which can track distance and speed à la Nike+, as well as the handful of games that come on-board the little guy. Right now the player is only up on Creative's Hong Kong site, and we've got no word on price or release date.

[Via anythingbutipod]

Creative's 16GB / 32GB ZEN X-Fi PMPs now on sale in America

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 16th 2008 at 6:59AM


It's one thing to say "available now." It's another thing to give consumers a "Buy Now" button. For those of you anxious to plunk down a few bills and some spare change to bring home one of Creative's new WiFi-equipped ZEN X-Fi units, today's your lucky day. The 16GB edition is shipping now from Amazon for $199.99, while the 32GB sibling demands $279.99. Order away... or not, totally up to you.

[Thanks, Mickey J.]

Read - 16GB ZEN X-Fi
Read - 32GB ZEN X-Fi

Creative gets really official with ZEN X-Fi as it appears in the wild

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 14th 2008 at 10:41AM


Quite a bit went down before Creative decided to really fess up about its ZEN X-Fi (at least in the US), but if you've managed to resist the urge to believe this thing was real, here's the documentation you've been yearning for. The ZEN X-Fi (8GB; $149.99) and ZEN X-Fi with Wireless (16GB; $199.99 / 32GB; $299.99) are both being made official today, and while the latter is available now from an array of reputable e-tailers, the WiFi-less iteration won't hit stores until "later this month." You can also expect a ZEN X-Fi docking speaker station to emerge sometime this summer for $49.99. For those curious to see how this critter looks in the flesh (not to mention how it performs), head on down to the links below -- oh, and there's a video of the bugger waiting after the jump.

[Via PMP Today]

Read - Creative ZEN X-Fi press release
Read - Creative ZEN X-Fi review / in the wild

Continue reading Creative gets really official with ZEN X-Fi as it appears in the wild

Creative Zen X-Fi gets US pricing details

by Darren Murph, posted Jul 11th 2008 at 8:03PM


Creative's got a good thing going with the multifaceted Zen X-Fi -- at least on paper -- and we're quite thrilled to see it already hitting the websites of US e-tailers. Announced earlier this week in Singapore, the well-equipped PMP should be available soon (no specific ship date is mentioned) in 8GB ($149.99), 16GB ($199.99) and 32GB ($279.99) models. Interestingly, the 8GB iteration doesn't seem to include built-in WiFi based on the cryptic header over at Buy.com, but we suspect we'll have to wait things out a bit longer before jumping to too many conclusions.

[Thanks, Dr. Slo]

Kodak's new Zi6 HD pocket video camera for the YouTube set

by Paul Miller, posted Jul 10th 2008 at 12:19AM


Sure, it might shoot 720p video, but you aren't gonna catch indie filmmakers capturing the next low-budget masterpiece on Kodak's new Zi6 HD pocket video camera. The camera is Kodak's response to Pure Digital's Flip and Creative's Vado, complete with upright form factor, YouTube friendliness, simple as could be interface, a flip-out USB plug (with some surprising spring action), and, of course, totally shoddy video quality. The camera is powered by a pair of AA batteries, sports a 2.4-inch LCD, and can switch between VGA video, 30fps HD and 60fps HD. It'll sell for $180 in September, in black or pink, but there's only 128MB of memory on board -- you'll have to spring for an SD card if you want to do any substantial shooting.

Gallery: Kodak's Zi6 HD

Creative makes the X-Fi official, drops it with Red Cliff special edition

by Joshua Fruhlinger, posted Jul 9th 2008 at 10:39PM

Creative X-Fi Red Cliff
So here we have it: The Creative Zen X-Fi. Officially announced by Creative in Singapore, the X-Fi is what we expected: a Wi-Fi-capable player with Yahoo and MSN instant-messaging clients, 2.5-inch LCD, onboard speaker, SD/SDHC expansion, FM radio, voice recorder, and 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB flavors for the taking. In surprise territory we have a bundled pair of nice EP-830 earbuds and Creative's X-Fi Crystalizer technology. If that weren't enough, Creative spiced up the X-Fi's launch with limited-edition Red Cliff editions (pictured above). Along with the player's launch, Creative announced several accessories, including the TravelSound Zen X-Fi Docking Speaker System, Armband, Silicone case, and leather case. Still no word when we'll get our hands on the X-Fi here, but Singapore prices come in at S$229 ($145US), S$329 ($209US), and S$399 ($254US) for the various models.

[Thanks, yutaka]

Creative's Zen X-Fi player gets right with the FCC

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jul 2nd 2008 at 4:41AM


Somebody call grandma, Creative's Zen X-Fi player just passed its FCC exam and is now ready to make a living on its own. While most of the information is locked down, it's pretty clear by that label that we can expect at least one version of the X-Fi to ship with 32GB of flash memory. Testing was done across a trio of 802.11b/g channels so that's a lock as well. While an appearance on the FCC site doesn't guarantee that the device will be sold in the US (we're looking at you, Japanese FOMA phones), we're guessing that a US launch announcement will come any day now. Although at this point, we'd settle for Creative just making the X-Fi series official so all this speculation can come to an end.

[Via Pocketables]

ZEN X-Fi: more details with a touch of meh

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 30th 2008 at 3:12AM


In case you missed it over the weekend, that's Creative's new ZEN X-Fi player with WiFi, instant messaging client, and built-in media streaming. Or so says EpiZENter. Why limit the device to just these capabilities? We're not sure, though we don't have all the details yet. Besides the built-in speaker, SD slot, FM tuner and voice recorder features we're now hearing that the player pictured will include "premium quality headphones" in the box and a battery rated for 36 hours of audio and 5 hours of video -- although it's unclear if that's with WiFi on or off (likely off). It'll also support MP3, WMA, AAC, WAV, and Audible audio as well as WMV, MPEG4-SP, DivX 4/5, Xvid, and MJPEG video formats. Otherwise, it's presumed to be sporting a 2.5-inch display like its existing Zens in 8, 16, and 32GB capacities whenever it might feel fit to pop for retail. Ok Creative, you've got our attention again; not so much for this device as to the mystery of what the "ZEN X-Fi series" might have to offer. Go ahead, impress us... this might be your last chance.

Creative's ZEN X-Fi player with WiFi gets a lot more real

by Thomas Ricker, posted Jun 29th 2008 at 6:12AM Breaking News


The Creative kids over at epiZENter have what looks to be a genuine scoop of an unannounced ZEN X-Fi. Not only did they receive this supposedly leaked photo, they also managed to dig out a "ZEN X-Fi Starter Pack" (software and user guide) from the bowels of Creative's own site. Accordingly, we're looking at a new DAP with SD expansion and built-in WiFi, speaker, FM tuner, voice recorder, and the ability to stream media from Creative's "Public Media Server." Additionally, users can chat with Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft Live! users thanks to the 9-button, cellphone-like keypad. More details and genuflecting lie just beyond the read link.

[Thanks Tony and everyone who sent this in]

Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 HDMI sound card does bitstream output from your HTPC

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 20th 2008 at 11:33AM

Earlier this month, ASUS introduced the "world's first HDMI 1.3a compliant audio / video enhancement combo card." Who knew numero dos was so close behind? Auzentech has just announced its very own HDMI 1.3-native PCIe audio combo card, which is built around Creative's X-Fi processor and enables PC users to easily output 7.1-channel audio with no downsampling. Essentially, the Auzen X-Fi HomeTheater 7.1 "accepts video from either an internal or external connection, mixes it with digital audio, and outputs the combined video and lossless multichannel audio via a single HDMI 1.3 port." Yep, that means Dolby TrueHD and DTS-HD Master Audio codecs are fully supported. The only digs? For one, pricing remains a mystery, but the real kicker is the September release -- talk about a long wait.

Creative's Vado Pocket Video Cam gets reviewed

by Darren Murph, posted Jun 7th 2008 at 10:23AM


With the Flip Mino just hitting the scenes (and skyrocketing up Amazon's sales charts), there's no doubt that Creative's fighting an uphill battle with the Vado Pocket Video Cam. Designed to compete in the YouTube-friendly pocket camcorder sector, this critter was actually said to be built a bit studier than the Flip and pack a more luscious display to boot. Reviewers also found the audio quality to be (expectedly) subpar, and while video quality was decent for a sub-$100 device, the compression monster managed to make ho hum results downright ugly when clips were uploaded to the 'Tube. Still, for the market this one's aimed at (read: a market without videophiles), it's not a half bad addition to the cargo pocket arsenal -- just don't go expecting the world and you'll be fine.
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