Creative launches new portable multimedia device

[John Archer]

Following is the press release from Creative on its latest portable multimedia device, the Zen Vision…

Creative announces the Zen Vision™ audiovisual MP3 player designed for photo viewing and digital video playback. This powerful system includes a 3.7-inch SharpPix™ high-resolution screen capable of displaying 262,144 colours at 640x480. It uses transflective technology to ensure excellent image and video quality even in bright, sunlit conditions. With 30GB storage, the Zen Vision can hold up to 15,000 songs, tens of thousands of photos, or up to 120 hours of video in a compact design that measures just 124.2 x 74.4 x 20.1mm and weighs only 239 grams.

“The Zen Vision is our most versatile and coolest-looking digital entertainment player ever,” says Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. “It supports download and subscription music services and can transfer photos and home video from a Compact Flash card or up to 17 types of other media through our optional CF Adapter. With SharpPix technology, digital photos look even better than prints. The Zen Vision also supports downloaded video in popular Internet formats including DivX™, so it’s really easy and fun for people to enjoy their favourite music, photos and videos wherever they go.”

Music.
With outstanding audio playback at up to 97dB SNR, the Zen Vision can store up to 15,000 MP3 or WMA songs and supports downloads from Internet music stores such as Napster, MSN Music and Music Now. It additionally supports music subscription services such as Napster to Go and Yahoo! Music Unlimited. It also includes a built-in FM radio with 32 preset options, and FM recording.

Photos
The Zen Vision can carry tens of thousands of digital photos. For sharing pictures with family and friends, a convenient composite video-out connector enables stunning full-colour image output on any TV screen. Users can watch slide shows set to their favourite music played either through headphones, the built-in speaker on the face of the player, or by connecting speakers such as a Creative I-Trigue® 2.1 system.

The convenient Plug&View™ slot on the side of the player supports both Compact Flash Type I and Type II media. An optional memory card adapter plugs directly into the Compact Flash slot to accept the most popular memory card formats including SmartMedia, MultiMedia Card and Secure Digital – 17 types in all.

Video.
The Zen Vision supports a wide selection of video formats for enjoyment of movies downloaded from the Internet. They include MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Simple Profile (SP) formats such as DivX and XviD, WMV, and MJPEG. Easy alphabetical scrolling enables quick access to movies and video files. The removable rechargeable battery provides up to 4.5 hours of video playback, and up to 120 hours of video can be stored on the player.

Additional features.
The large, bright transflective screen of the Zen Vision displays a full menu that enables people to access music, pictures and video. It also supports a number of further ‘power’ features:
* Built-in microphone – displays volume levels for optimum voice recording quality.
* Organiser – shows calendar, tasks and contact lists, and syncs with Microsoft Outlook.
* Extras – helps users to set date, time, and allocate removable disk space for dedicated storage.
* Clock – with wake-to-any-music alarm, colour themes and different languages for further customisation.

The Zen Vision connects to the PC via USB 2.0 for fast, easy transfer of content. It can also connect to an optional docking station for elegant freestanding display. The system is provided with a rechargeable, removable Li-ion battery, an AC adapter, USB 2.0 cable, high-quality earphones, AV cable and a protective pouch. Optional accessories include a docking station, memory card adapter, screen protector, spare battery, wired remote and IR remote."