Following up yesterday's mega-post about the ZEN X-Fi, I have another world exclusive to share with you. I now have two official photos of the player, as well as some official specs:



It sure looks a lot nicer in this stock photo. The description at the bottom says the player comes with "Premium Quality Earphones". They appear to be Creative's newest pair, the ep-830 in-ear headphones, a follow-up to the popular ep-630's.



Here's the official version of the picture we leaked yesterday. The use of the word "Series" definitely makes it seem like there will be multiple versions of this player. Perhaps a ZEN X-Fi Plus?

Now that I've shown you some eye candy, how about some features? Sadly, not much has changed from the original ZEN. It appears to have the same file support, and limitations with SD-card expansion. One notable improvement is in battery life. The original had a rated battery life of 30 hours for audio and the ZEN X-Fi ups that to an impressive 36 hours (with X-Fi turned off I'm assuming).

Features

• Audio: MP3, WMA, AAC (unprotected), WAV, and Audible
• Video: WMV, MPEG4-SP, Divx 4/5, Xvid, and MJPEG
• Built-in X-Fi technology with two effects (Crystallizer and Expand)
• Built-in Wi-Fi for instant messaging (Yahoo! and Windows Live!) and wireless streaming
• FM Tuner and Voice Recorder
• Built-in Speaker
• Premium quality earphones included (ep-830)
• SD-Card expansion
• Battery Life: 36 hours for Audio, 5 hours for Video

As you can see, we still don't have info on the screen size. I'm assuming it's 2.5", like the original. Capacities are also unknown, but if my source is correct (which they have been), it will come in 8, 16, and 32GB variations. The feature-set really isn't that great compared to the competition. The mainstream consumer has become spoiled by players like the iPod touch, boasting a large touchscreen display, and a wide assortment of features, including web browsing. Creative will need to work harder if they want to win them over

Creative might not be too happy to see all this information revealed, but we've waited long enough to see a new player from them, and I'm glad I could be the first person to share it with all of you.

Since we opened in 2006, we've been the first place to leak just about every player that Creative has released. We first told you about the ZEN X-Fi a few months back, and now I might have an actual photo of it. So without further delay, I present to you the Creative ZEN X-Fi:




Is it real? Of course I can't confirm that right now, but it was sent to me by the same source who first told me about this player (and the Zen Share). The look of the player is fairly similar to how it was described as earlier. It was said to be similar to the original ZEN in design and with a "silver backing", which we can see is really chrome. The chrome edges does give the player an iPhone-esque look, which I'm sure was intentional.

The ZEN X-Fi has the same control layout as the original, but adds 4 buttons along the edges of the D-pad. The SD-card slot is also located on the bottom this time (actually it's not! read below). I don't have any other specifications for this player, but I hope to get that information soon. As usual, everything posted here is a rumor, and will remain so until Creative confirms it. I want to know what everyone thinks about this device. I personally think it looks classy, but for some reason it just doesn't look "real" to me. We'll make sure to update you when we find out more.

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Update: Creative confirms the Zen X-Fi, Plus features revealed

Well that was quick. A few hours after I revealed the image above, one of our members searched Creative's site and found official confirmation of the ZEN X-Fi. It comes in the form of a "ZEN X-Fi Starter pack" which is chock full of information about Creative's new player. So here we go.

From the user guide, we know the following:

The picture above is the real deal:




That slot at the bottom that I thought was a SD-card slot is actually a built-in speaker! The SD-card slot is still at the top. The power switch as you can see is located on the back of the player Like the original ZEN, the X-Fi will have an FM tuner and Voice recording.

WiFi is built-in - WiFi will be used for



a.) Instant messaging. You can set up an account with Creative that will allow you to chat with contacts from Yahoo! Messenger and Microsoft Live! (aka MSN Messenger). The 9 buttons in the picture above will be used for typing, similar to the way you'd use a cell phone for texting.

b,) Wireless Streaming. You have the ability to connect to Creative's "Public Media Server" or to your home server to play or download files directly on the player.

There are two X-Fi settings:

Turning X-Fi on and off appears to be menu based. There are two options: X-Fi Crystalizer, and X-Fi Expand. Here's the official explanation for both: X-Fi Crystalizer intelligently restores details that were lost during compression of audio files. It makes audio richer and clearer, delivering sound that is closer to the original quality.

On the other hand, X-Fi Expand gives audio a realistic and natural feel. It moves the sound away from your ears and repositions it in front of you - as if listening to a live performance on stage. X-Fi Expand works best with your earphones or headphones.


Creative Centrale - A better software solution



Creative has created a new all-in-one program called "Centrale". It looks and performs much better than its predecessors from my little time with it. It supports your music, videos, and photos and even appears to have options for DVD ripping.

Do all players have Wi-Fi?



One interesting tidbit was found when checking out the Wi-Fi section of the user guide. At the top it states: "This section applies to ZEN X-Fi players with wireless LAN features.". That seems to imply that there are some models that will not have WiFi built-in. Considering Creative is known for making multiple versions of the same player (e.g. Zen V and V Plus), this wouldn't be a surprise. In fact, that's likely the reason the player is named the ZEN X-Fi and not the Share, nor the WiFi.


I'm so happy to see all this information confirmed so quickly. That's a good sign that this player is ready to be shipped. I have a good feeling Creative will officially announce the player within the next month or so.

The ZEN X-Fi appears to be quite feature-packed, but I'm not sure it's the features that people actually want. Chatting is nice, but this player isn't the most practical for it. Cell phones are perfectly fine for that. I am glad to finally have X-Fi on the go. It's been years since we were promised an X-Fi player, and now that time has come. Hopefully it doesn't kill our battery life.

There's still plenty more to learn about this player, and we'll have that info for you as soon as we get it.


LINK (via Our Forums)

Thanks brahmasoccer09 and Varuna!

Update 2: More info in two days

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We've run into a little news drought lately, mostly due to the lack of new players from Creative. While visiting Creative's Japanese site, I noticed a new product was announced. Not knowing Japanese, I spotted the name "Play!" and the picture of a flash drive and initially thought it was a new MP3 player. But on second glance I noticed it's part of Creative's Sound Blaster line, and thus a sound card. I'm not up to snuff on the latest sound card tech, but I don't recall seeing one this small before (though I'm sure one exists).

The Sound Blaster Play! is a completely plug and play device that should provide Laptop owners (sadly no Mac support) with a quick and easy solution to improve their sound. The Play! features some Creative's proprietary sound technology, including CMSS (Creative Multi-Speaker Surround) and EAX Advanced HD. Like regular sound cards, the Play! has a headphone and Mic jack on the end of the USB drive.

The device slightly reminded me of the Xmod, just in a more portable form factor, and of course without Creative's X-Fi technology. I'm actually surprised this isn't an X-Fi device, but I'm sure there's a good reason for that . The Sound Blaster Play! will be released in Japan in July at a price of 2,480 Yen, or just $23US. No official word on a global release, but I'm positive we'll see it here by year's end.

LINK

Creative's US store is having another "Recession Buster" sale. It's a 3 day sale from June 10th to the 12th and shipping is free. There aren't a lot of MP3 related deals, but they do have the Travelsound Zen Stone portable speaker for just $11.99. Here's a list of some of the products from the sale:

• Travelsound Zen Stone - $11.99
• 2GB Zen Stone Plus - $31.99
• 4GB Muvo T100 - $39.99
• 2GB Muvo V100 - $29.99
• Soundblaster X-Fi Platinum Soundcard $59.99 (refurb but great price)

LINK

A few months back, we broke the news to everyone about a player Creative was working on called the "Zen Share". A few weeks after, I updated you by stating that the new player was changed to the Zen X-Fi. This information has now been confirmed by Jan Hvidberg, a product manager for Creative's Nordic region. He states in an interview that the Share was in development, but was canceled due to "technical complications" (whatever that implies).

The interview also reveals that a new player will be announced in 2 months time. This may be the Zen X-Fi, but my bet is on the Zen V Plus successor I mentioned in a previous article. The Zen V Plus was originally announced in June 2006, and the ZEN was announced last August. There's not a ton of information here that wasn't already known, but it's nice to see that the Share was truly a real product. It at least gives some credit to my source who also confirmed the Zen X-Fi player! Creative has laid dormant for much too long now. The question remains whether they'll come out of hibernation as a roaring bear, or a beast on its last legs. We'll have to wait and see.

Interview (translated)

via ABi

Thanks to all that sent this in

Today, Creative's Europe division has announced a promotion called "Pure Music Listening" that will allow customers who buy select MP3 players, headphones, and speakers to download a live concert of their choice.

Here are the list of Concerts available to download:



Applicable products include the ZEN, their Aurvana line of headphones, and a few of their Gigaworks line of speakers among others. The promotion goes from 5/15 to 7/31 and is available for customers in Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and the UK.

Although I don't think this offer will "stimulate sales" for Creative's products as the PR email I received will lead you to believe, I do think it's a nice little promotion. I wouldn't mind seeing that Radiohead concert for instance.

LINK

I just received my stimulus check from the IRS last week and now it seems like Creative wants a chunk of it. They're having a one day "Recession Buster" sale and have discounted a bunch of their players. On top of that they're providing free shipping store-wide. All of the players seem to be refurbished, but from personal experience, their refurbs are as good as new. Here's a run-down:

Players:

1GB Zen Stone - $13.99
2GB Zen Stone Plus - $21.99
2GB Zen V Plus - $24.99
2GB MuVo V100 - $19.99
4GB ZEN - $64.99

Accessories:

Vision:M Docking Cradle - $9.99
Vision:M Video cable - $5.99
Zen V and Zen Stone skins - $3.99 each

LINK

Creative is known for releasing their players in a wide assortment of colors, but they chose to go with just black for the ZEN's release. That looks like it's about to change, as one of our watchful members has just spotted the player in red. It's showing up as being "Temporarily sold out" at Buy.com, which means it should be available within a month or two. It would be great if Creative partnered with Product (RED), but there is no indication of that. Not only would it help to increase awareness and support of the AIDS epidemic around the world, but it might also help introduce Creative to a greater audience.

Features:

• Capacity: 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32GB
• 2.5" display with 16.7 million colors (320 x 240)
• SD Expansion Slot (with support for SDHC)
• Audio: MP3, WMA (and WMA-DRM), AAC (supports iTunes Plus tracks) and Audible
• Video: WMV, Divx, Xvid, MJPEG, and TIVO to Go
• FM tuner and Voice Recorder
• Battery Life: 25 hours of Audio, 5 hours for Video
• Dimensions: 55 x 83 x 11.3mm (65g)

The red ZEN doesn't appear to offer anything different from the original model, and looks to cost the same. We'll fill you in when we find out more about this and other models Creative may have down the line. I wouldn't be surprised if we see the ZEN in the same colors as the Zen Stone.


LINK

via Our Forum

Thanks nuttbecky!

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Update: It's also in Pink! This has shown up at Walmart as an "Exclusive". We just might see it in all colors as predicted: LINK Thanks Who_ME

Great news everyone! One of our pioneer ZVM modders has successfully booted up Rockbox on his Vision:M. Right now, he is able to start-up the open-source firmware, but has yet to get the controls to work. Check it out in this short video:



Many of us have been waiting years to see that Rockbox screen on our Vision:M's and it seems like we'll all get to try it out very soon.

via Our forum and Rockbox

Thanks mophead740

When you think of Wi-Fi on an MP3 player, a few possibilities come to mind. Among others, there's the ability to browse the web, share music with other players, obtain music from subscription services (i.e. Rhapsody), and to stream Internet radio stations. What if I told you Creative won't do any of the above? I just got another rumor sent in to me by another of my trusted sources and I must say, it's an odd one. It's so strange in fact, that it seems just the kind of thing that Creative would do.

Okay enough with the build-up. One of the main functions Creative may be touting for their upcoming Zen X-fi (or Zen Share) is the ability to access a virtual storage system. I'm sure I lost a few of you there so i'll try and explain it to you. Basically Creative will be leasing out virtual space, say in 2GB increments, that you can purchase and access from your player at any WiFi hotspot. You can then stream and play back your media files over this wireless network,

That's all the info I know about right now, and I can't say I'm all that thrilled about it thus far. It just doesn't seem practical to upload media files to Creative just to stream them wirelessly. I prefer expansion in the form of SD cards, rather than network-based. It would be nice if I could access my PC's library of music and movies wirelessly, but ultimately playback is still limited to WiFi areas. Hopefully there's more to this service than just this. We'll keep you updated.

Disclaimer: Like always, keep in mind that this is merely a rumor. It could turn out to be 100% inaccurate.