Other tech bloggers are calling Creative’s mystery patent an Internet tablet or a PMP in the Zen Vision line. The new unannounced device could also be WiFi-equipped with GPS added. Are you getting excited. On the back, we have what could be a camera lens. We sure hope so. Anyway, Creative has proven to be a great innovator throughout the years and this device might just break more barriers for the company, especially with the Zen X-Fi not making much headway in the iPod-dominated market.

[via anythingbutipod]

A 16GB Creative ZEN Mosaic is better than a 2GB, 4GB or 8GB one. The ZEN Mosaic is a unique-looking PMP that will sure be an attention grabber wherever you take it. Hopefully, the 16GB is not priced too far off the ceiling of previous ZEN Mosaic models. Creative, of course, has been known to produce cheaper iPod alternatives and this should be no exception.

[source via gmp3]

Curious about how the uniquely designed ZEN Mosaic fares in your hand? Here’s an unboxing video should give prospective buyers a  very good idea. Measurements of the ZEN Mosaic are: 79.5 x 40 x 12.8 mm, weighing 43g. It supports MP3, WMA, WAV, Audible, MJPEG, JPEG / BMP / GIF / PNG / TIFF. It will be available in August in 3 capacities (2GB, 4GB and 8GB) and black, gray or pink color. Prices at 69.99 euros, 89.99 euros and 109.99. A 16GB version will come later.

It’s quite a desirable player if you want to be a little different, though I’m not sure the screen size and resolution 160 x 128 is sufficient for video playing. 

[via gmp3]

I’m not sure it’s a good time for PMPs with interesting buttons. Creative decides on a Mondrian theme and a 1.8-inch screen. The ZEN Mosaic encodes videos and plays it in Creative’s proprietary format and supports MP3, WMA, WMA-DRM 10 as well. The ZEN Mosaic also has built-in FM radio with 32 stations, mic and voice-recording function. No one can deny the ZEN Mosaic is different from what’s already out there in the market and I know a few people would buy this player if only because it is from Creative and a few more will buy it because it’s unique. But iPod killer? Maybe another couple more tries, Creative. Besides, they have the ZEN X-fi to improve first.

S$99 for the 2GB and S$129 for the 4GB. USD value nearly double the Singaporean value. Hands-on photo below.

[via engadget, nothingbutcreative]

The Zen Krystal will enter the Nike + iPod market very soon. It is an MP3 player with built-in pedometer. The Krystal MP3 player also supports Hurdle Race, Catch & Dodge and Dice Roll games, FM tuner and voice recorder. Drag and drop interface, 4GB of storage and an OLED screen are the other features. No price yet but the small rectangular form factor with the scroll pad that resembles a woofer is just looking awesome.

[creative via engadget, anythingbutipod]

Nothingbutcreative, a cool new site we’ve heard about just now has a review of the newly announced Zen X-Fi. They have a test unit and they took their time unboxing the PMP and taking very, very good impressionistic photos of the X-Fi player from Creative and a video, which we embedded below this post. We are happy to note that X-Fi can be turned on and off…

The side-by-side photo with the Zen V Plus is also something not to be missed.

Their test unit is the 32GB version with the WiFi so the full review, which should be coming a few days from now should be interesting. I can’t wait till someone tries out the instant messaging function. Video below.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wERTIyBlX2w

[via gmp3]

Creative has started selling the Zen X-Fi Wi-Fi enabled PMP on the U.S. through Buy.com. The picing is slightly higher than the conversion from the Singaporean. All three versions, including the 8GB, which does not have WiFi, are sold on the online store. They’re also on the top seller list.

Prices are as follows:

8GB - $149.99
16GB with WiFi and Voice Recorder - $199.99
32GB with WiFi and Voice Recorder - $279.99

All units ship for free.

[product]

The new Zen X-Fi PMP is now official on Creative’s Singapore site. It has a 2.5-inch QVGA screen with 16.7 million-color support and bundled with EP-830 ear plugs so you won’t have to pay extra for decent earplugs. It came as a little shock on the Creative site that Wi-Fi is absent on the 8GB model though it is indeed on board for the 16GB and 32GB versions with support for instant messaging as one of its features. All versions seem to be aggressively priced  with the 8GB going for S$299, 16GB (S$329) and 32GB (S$399) priced. The 16GB and 32GB versions are available now.

Specs of the Zen X-Fi

2.5 inch screen
X-Fi audio technology with Crystalizer and Expand modes demoed on site
Video: 5 hours (MJPEG, WMV9, MPEG4-SP4, DivX4 4/5 and XviD4)
Audio: 36 hours (MP3, WMA, AAC5 (.m4a), WAV (ADPCM), Audible 4)
WLAN: only for the 16GB and 32GB versions
FM with 32 preset stations
Price 16GB for S$329 (US$209) and 32GB for S$399 (US$254) and S$299 ($146)

Remember, the 16GB and 32GB with Wi-Fi are now available on the Creative site. Do listen to the demo of X-Fi audio. The samples Creative provide for the Crystalizer mode can be quite “ear-opening.”

Update: You can win a Zen X-Fi buy taking the Perfect Note challenge. First price is a 32GB X-Fi with WiFi and 2nd price is an 8GB version. Thanks Equinox.

[via creative, cnet]

Zen X-Fi offers multiple features that go beyond even what iPod Touch has to offer. Frst and foremost, for video lovers, no more waiting to decode your videos in iPod’s native file but instead, you’ll have the following files supported: WMV MPEG4-SP, Divx 4/5, Xvid, and MJPEG (audio: MP3, WMA, AAC (unprotected), WAV, and Audible). Secondly, almost just as significant is the WiFi that allows instant messaging and content streaming. We still have very little info on Creative’s new Centrale, which enables you to create your own wireless home server for music sharing. Of course, you may have doubts about the X-Fi technology Creative is boasting on this PMP, but you cannot deny that the bundled premium quality ep-830 earphones is significantly better than what Apple bundles with your iPods.

No official price yet. Officially, the Zen X-Fi battery lets you play music for 36 hours though video playback is only 5 hours. So far, this is a most desirable PMP.

[via epizenter]

Creative unveils their newest PMP, the Zen X-Fi, featuring what else but X-Fi, which is the best MP3-playing you could possibly get in the market. It’s no touch-screen but it’s WiFi-enabled. Most interesting is the numeric keypad, which can be used for “Tchatter” over Yahoo Messenger, GTalk or MSN. So what can users expect from X-Fi? Basically, there are two settings: X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi Expand. Crystalizer restores details that may have been lost during the compression while Expand moves sound from the ear to somewhere in front of you simulating the real experience in listening to music. Crystalizer makes for richer sound quality (which I prefer, actually) while Expand is more of a concert-like experience.

With this player, Creative also launches its new software “Centrale.” With Centrale, everything from video, audio and photos are supported. It will also allow users to rip DVDs and creative a server for file sharing. Electronista thinks this is Creative’s move againts Apple’ iTunes. Let’s see Apple copy that. Also, from what EpiZENter found out, there might be Zen X-Fis without WiFi because the user guide specifically mentions that “This section applies to ZEN X-Fi players with wireless LAN features.”

Other features include 2.5-inch screen, FM tuner, speakers, microSD slot. Unfortunately no price yet or date of availability, though speculation from other sources say official launch could be days away.

[source]