PMP Today

Earlier this month, Creative Zen reduced the price of the 32GB Zen to $299. The 4GB Zen goes for only $99 and now you can get the 8GB Zen for just $149 - same price as the 4GB iPod Nano for twice the memory. This is definitely becoming one of those deals that are difficult to resist. You know you don’t really need another mp3 player, but how can anyone turn down a really cheap offer for such a solid mp3 player?

I’d wait a couple of weeks before buying any Zens though. Rumor has it that Creative’s coming up with a WiFi device called the Zen Share, which will allow users to do peer-to-peer sharing over a wireless network. No news on pricing yet, but a sneak peak of this gadget will be shown at the CeBit in Germany and it will be released to the market sometime May or June. It’s a little too late for Creative to be cashing in on the wireless sharing market, but we’ll see how well the Zen Share does.

[via engadget and electronista]

A few days ago, Apple increased the iPod Touch’s memory from 16GB to 32GB. ‘course, they also increased the price tag from $399 to $499. So if you’ve got your eye on those 32GB but aren’t too hot about paying five hundred bucks for it, Creative’s giving you a cheaper option. The 32GB Zen is now thirty bucks cheaper and half the price of the iPod Touch at $299. Yep, I’d definitely get the Zen over the iPod Touch. At the end of the day, all I really want is to hear my music; I don’t care for those extra iPhone-like features. Besides, Creative gives better quality and balanced sound over Apple, whose headphones are a piece of crap (I swear, people only use those for the status symbol).

[via engadget]

There’s is no corroborating evidence that Creative is at work on a touch screen media player, but here’s a photo nonetheless of such a device. Apparently, it supports stylus input. And it boasts a big display as well, at least 5 inches. But there also lies the problem. If you ignore the Creative logo at the bottom of the screen, it looks like the COWON Q5 or something pretty close to it. It’s a good idea for Creative to freshen up their PMP line.

[read]

Consumer electronics need not be expensive during the holiday season. Refuribished Creative mp3 players and media players are selling for really low prices at Creative.com, starting at $20 for a 1GB Zen Stone. Other models being sold include the following:

• Zen V Plus 1GB for $80 - $50 clearance = $30.
• Zen V Plus 2GB for $100 - $64 clearance = $36.
• Zen V Plus 4GB for $150 - $100 clearance = $50.
• Zen Sleek Photo 20GB for $175 - $105 clearance = $70.
• Zen Micro 6GB for $100 - $50 clearance = $50.
• Zen Touch 20GB for $110 - $60 clearance = $50.
• Zen Vision:M 30GB & Free Case for $250 - $130 clearance = $120.
• Zen Vision W 30GB for $300 - $100 clearance = $200.

And if you REALLY can’t wait, Creative is now taking pre-orders for the Zen 32Gb Flash Media Player for $350 with guaranteed delivery before the 25th. I wouldn’t mind seeing THAT underneath the Christmas tree.

[via dealhack]

This Christmas you have a choice between the $99 Zune or the Zen Vision:M, also selling for $99. The Zune original that sells for $99 is probably already scarce, especially when you can buy it for even lower than $99 so Vision:M it is.

Vision:M has been in the market for two years. It sports a 2.5-inch screen and is equipped with an FM tuner. Napster and Rhapsody services are available through software downloads. The model has been officially discontinued by Creative, hence the sale before Christmas.

[buy via cnet]

Good news for all Zen lovers out there–Creative intends to release 32GB and 2GB versions of the Zen sometime soon. The memory of the 32GB Zen is going to be flash, not hard disk; as for the 2GB version, there’s one available on the Creative UK site for £69. No concrete details on the availability of the 32GB Zen but it’s definitely something to look forward to. Even without all that memory the Zen is an awesome enough gadget, what with its amazing sound quality and support for unprotected AAC files and SDHC cards.

[via crave]

Creative need not worry about being pushed out of the portable player market any time soon as it was recently discovered that it was clone-wrthy, too. Yes, none other than the Zen Stone Plus was imitated almost feature for feature by Chinese company Yoto. There’s an FM tuner and voice recorder besides MP3 playing. To top it all, the Yoto Q14 has a maximum of 4GB of memory, with 1GB and 2GB also available. There’ a slight difference in usage, however. While you navigate the Zen Stone Plus screen horizontally, the Q14 is controlled vertically. The Q14 should also be cheaper.

[via dapreview]

Creative has ceased production of its Vision M PMP model, but it’s not too late yet for fans who miss the form factor of ZVM. A Chinese manufacturer has just come out with 2GB MP4 player with the exact same design as ZVM but only in a metal casing. We don’t expect Creative to donate their user interface too, but as far as form factor, the unnamed MP4 player is almost a perfect smaller version of ZVM. Specs include a 1.8-inch TFT screen instead of the 2.5-inch screen of ZVM and native SMV support plus .AVI, .MPG, .MOV with software and plays MP3, WMA, WAV as well. FM tuner and USB 2.0 included. The MP4 player is a smaller, more portable version of ZVM and it uses flash memory instead of a hard dosk. It comes in 2GB for $39.45 or $42.50 with shipping. It ships in 12 units only. A 1GB version is also available.

[ buy]

Creative just slashed prices from its ZEN PMPs. The 4GB and 16GB versions of the ZEN will now retail for $129.99 and $249.99 repectively. The 8GB version retains its original pricing. A 30GB Zune, we all know, is going for a mere $129.99 at Woot. Doesn’t sound like Creative is not doing enough to be competitive.

[via engadget]

Due to poor sales (we are assuming), Creative will end all production of their Vision: M PMP model. ZVM for short, it has been in the market for 2 years. It’s not a very slim A/V player measuring 62 x 104 x 19mm but it remains functionally portable. Apparently, upgrading the storage to 60GB didn’t do much to ZVM’s popularity and Creative has decided a quiet but honorable demise for iPod Video’s rival. For bargain hunters, the next few months to december will be sale season for Vision: M. Forthosewho are optimistic about the MP3/PMP market’s dark horse, it’s time to begin dreaming of the new Creative Zen players up ahead.

[via gmp3]