ZenVPlus
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16GB Creative ZEN V Plus hits North America
Right on cue, Creative's beefed-up 16GB ZEN V Plus has made its way from Singapore to our shores, offering twice the capacity of the company's previous top-end model. Otherwise, the player appears to be identical to others in the line (apart from a new black and white color scheme), boasting a 1.5-inch OLED display, a built-in FM radio, and support for MP3, WMA, WAV and Audible audio formats, along with uncompressed AVI video. It's also somewhat less expensive than the straight currency conversion from Creative's Singapore site suggested, with it now officially setting you back $250.[Thanks, Roofus]
Creative's 16GB Zen V Plus makes an appearance
It's been quite awhile since we've heard from the Creative camp regarding its Zen V Plus PMP, which last got bumped to 8GB back in September of 2006, but it appears that the company has quietly rolled out a new 16GB version -- at least in some parts of the world. According to the Singaporean version of the Creative site, a 16GB model is available (but out of stock right now), and selling for $399.99 (SGD), which is around $263 at current exchange rates. Pretty much the exact same scenario played out during the last storage increase, so it's safe to assume we'll be seeing a new model around these parts sometime in the near future... right Creative?[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Creative Zen V Plus 8GB announced
And in this corner, in the blue and black trunks, weighing in at 8GB, Creative's Slammin' Singaporean in Stereo -- the all-new Zen V Plus! That's right folks, Creative announced today its expected 8GB bump to the Zen V Plus, which is due out next month for S$430, the local equivalent of what we might call 270 greenbacks. It's sure to go head-to-head with the slick 8GB iPod Nano and that sassy SanDisk Sansa e280 in an upcoming prizefight. While this new color scheme (pictured) is only available in a limited edition direct from Creative's online store, the press release notes that the new player normally comes in "glossy black with a new colour accent of red" -- actually, we find the snaps on their site to be more of a subdued ochre, but hey, we're just stupid Americans.[Thanks, Vizion and Pablo]
Creative Zen V Plus reviewed
Looks like CNET managed to get a Zen V Plus from Creative a while ago, and have already put the thing through its paces and posted their glowing review of the device. First, and fairly notable: for sheer value, the Zen V and V Plus really have the iPod nano beat, since not only do Creative's new players feature similar capacity for a good bit less, but the players also have the quite convenient line-in capability, and V Plus adds in FM and video playback for a bit of extra nano smackdown. As for design, CNET seems to be a fan; noting its cute, Tamagotchi-like feel and form factor as a definite asset. They also felt more confident with the sturdier design of the player in comparison to the nano, which is thinner but taller than the Zen V, and didn't complain about the "bulk" in regards to pocketability. Unfortunately, the joystick is a bit small and cheap feeling, and the player lacks two of the face buttons of its big brother, the Zen Vision:M. We're also concerned about the lack of scrolling capability which does show up in the Sansa and nano, but we're just worriers like that. Apparently, the 1.5-inch OLED screen is looking good, with a bit of an visible pixel grid, and some bright sunlight problems, but overall "vivid" performance. We can't say that changes our mind about the actual functionality of video playback on this thing, but if you need to know, the V Plus supports MPEG-4, WMV, DivX and more, and comes with the ToolBox software to convert files for playback. The device of course supports MP3, WAV, PlaysForSure WMA and Audible audio, and you can nab podcasts with Creative's ZenCast software. Other than USB host capability, or WiFi, the Zen V Plus has about every feature you could ask for, even PIM functionality with Outlook syncing. As for what really matters, Zen V shines with 20 hours of batter life (5 more than Creative's 15 hour rating), and solid audio quality and volume. Sounds like Creative could have a winner on their hands, and CNET's Editors' Choice award can't hurt, but we're still not sure we've seen something that can actually manage to beat the nano at its own game in this market.
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 VRead- Zen V Plus
