Creative will be releasing a new player called the Zen Krystal. As you may have guessed from looking at it, it is the follow-up to the Zen Stone series. The Krystal sets itself apart from its predecessors with the addition of a pedometer. According to Creative the pedometer “can track the distance ran, the speed you were running at as well as the amount of calories burnt during your exercise workout.”. It also has a stopwatch ( just like the Stone Plus).

Creative ZEN Krystal

Another puzzling addition is game support. I’ve been asking for games for years now and Creative’s first attempt comes in the form of a dice rolling game, dodgeball, and some racing game on a microscopic 0.7″ screen. It’s a start I guess.

Features

* Capacity: 4GB
* Display: 0.7″ monochrome OLED
* Audio: MP3, WMA
* FM tuner and Voice recorder
* Built-in pedometer and stopwatch
* Games included: Hurdle Race, Catch & Dodge and Dice Roll
* Battery life: 10 hours
* Dimensions: 57 mm x 37 mm x 10.8 mm
* UMS support

The Zen Krystal has only shown up at Creative’s Hong Kong site, but it will be released in other regions eventually. It must be a strategy of Creative to release the same player every few months. First the Zen Stone, then the Stone Plus, then the Stone with built-in speakers and so on. Expect the Zen Krystal Plus in another few months! The Krystal does looks nicer than the Zen Stone Plus. The boxy shape is reminiscent of the Sansa Clip from Sandisk. Hopefully it sounds as good as that player too. Sadly, not much has changed from the original Stone series. [LINK]

As iterated earlier, the Creative Zen X-Fi features WiFi 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 versions. It comes bundled with a pair of EP-830 earbuds and Creative’s X-Fi Crystalizer technology. Creative zinged up the X-Fi’s launch with limited edition “Red Cliff” editions plus announced several accessories, including the TravelSound Zen X-Fi Docking Speaker System, Armband, Silicone case, and leather case.

No word on when the X-Fi coming State-side, but Singapore prices come in at $145US,  $209US, and  $254US for the various models. [Via Engadget]

According to some leaked info obtained by epiZENter, Creative is getting ready to release their first Wi-Fi enabled portable media player, the ZEN X-Fi.

In addition to some basic control buttons like play/pause, next, and previous on the face, the X-Fi will have a nine-point directional pad and using it’s built-in Wi-Fi users will be able to IM via Windows Live Messenger or Yahoo Messenger using the nine-point directional pad to enter text similar to how cellphones without a full QWERTY keyboard do it.

The Wi-Fi will also allow you to stream media from your home computer from a piece of software you’ll install there called Creative Centrale. Looks like you will NOT, however, be able to buy songs on the go via Wi-Fi hotspots.

There’s also something mentioned called a Public Media Server but it’s not 100% clear just what that is at the moment. Maybe it will give you limited access to media in your Creative Centrale over the Internet by setting up a mini web server? We’ll see when things are officially announced. Continue Reading…

Creative yesterday announced the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1, the first USB 2.0 audio solution that provides users with the easiest upgrade from basic, built-in audio to the premium Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) audio experience for their PC and notebook. Users can simply connect the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1’s to their PC or notebook via the USB port and turn their MP3 and iTunes music into their own personal concert. The X-Fi technology also allows users to immerse themselves in full cinematic surround sound while watching their favorite DVDs or downloaded videos. Creative’s EAX ADVANCED HD effects also provide realistic game play.

With the built-in X-Fi technology, users of the Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 can now enjoy all their music, movies and games with one easy-to-use device that gives them premium cinematic sound quality and realistic surround sound effect on virtually any speaker systems or headphones. The Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1 will be available in Singapore by May 2008 for S$99.00.

Almost a year on from its launch the Creative Zen Plus has been upgraded, but it’s not just a case of the company adding more memory or offering a colour change to entice users.Somehow while keeping the size small, the company has added a speaker so you can share your music. Thing of fad or amazing technical prowess? We get listening to find out.

For those not aware of the MP3 player from Creative here’s a quick recap: the Creative Zen Stone Plus is a available in 2GB and 4GB versions, offers a small OLED screen, FM radio, a recording option, timer and stopwatch functions.

Songs can be transferred via drag and drop and you can even manage your playlist via Apple’s iTunes software although you won’t be able to transfer DRM tracks.

Continue Reading…

Creative has announced the launch of its pocket-size mp3 player, the Zen Stone in Korea through JC Hyun systems will drop at the end of March. It features a simple curved-shape and comes in 6 colors.

Clearly with nothing new to announce at the ongoing CeBIT show, Creative has instead revealed that its little ZEN Stone is the company’s fastest-selling MP3 player in Europe.

Creative has now shipped one million ZEN Stone MP3 players
in Europe.

“We launched the ZEN Stone family of MP3 players just last summer, so shipping a million units of the ZEN Stone in Europe is an amazing achievement”, said Dennis Dress, European sales director for consumer electronics with Creative.

“In fact, if you include sales of the ZEN Stone Plus, which includes a display, the total of shipments comes to a staggering 1.6 million!”

01 August 2007 – The Creative HQ-1440 full size headphones are perfect for digital music which is great for you iPod/MP3 player wearing people. Actually these headphones will work just as well with your home stereo system because the audio from any source will sound amazing. And they are super comfortable to wear thanks to the plush (and soft) velvet covered ear pads!

Manufacturer’s Description
The Creative HQ-1400 headphones deliver excellent playback for all your digital music – from your home entertainment system to your portable music player. Powered by studio-quality drivers and complemented with soft velvet earpads on an adjustable headband, the headphones offer the perfect balance between comfort and performance.
The large velvet earcups and closed-back design completely covers your ear with plush fittings for better noise isolation and comfort, while the adjustable headband makes it easy to sit comfortably back with cushioned padding.

The 40mm drivers deliver accurate playback whatever the music genre while the quality cable and gold-plated plugs ensure the smoothest transmission. Designed to restore the suppressed details of your music, the HQ-1400 is the perfect headphones for any MP3 players.

Continue Reading…