Creative adds Vision to the Zen player mix

 

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By Alun Williams

Posted on 8 Dec 2005 at 17:46

Creative's Zen family of MP3 players has expanded to include a new member: the video-enabled Zen Vision:M. Sporting a colour screen and up to 30GB of storage, it is billed as a video player, photo viewer and MP3 player, and represents Creative's latest attempt to undermine Apple's iPod dominance.

Creative claims that the rechargeable battery provides up to 15 hours of music playback and four hours of video playback, with video format supported including MPEG-2, MPEG-4 Simple Profile formats (such as Xvid), WMV, and MJPEG. There is also a TV-Out capability.

Other features include an FM radio, support for slideshows set to music, content password protection, customisable themes and an Organizer that provides calendar, tasks and contact lists and which syncs with Microsoft's Outlook.

'When people see the Zen Vision:M, they tell us it's incredibly cool,' said chairman and CEO of Creative, Sim Wong Hoo. 'We designed the Zen Vision:M with its mesmerising 262K colour screen to display four times the colour of competing portable video players, and to provide incredible battery life for video playback.'

With a reference to the iPod's vice-like integration with the iTunes Music Store and the iTunes Music Store only, he also stated: 'We offer people the freedom to choose their video in a variety of different formats, and to get subscription music or download tracks from a number of different sites on their player.'

Available in available in black, white, blue, green or pink, the optional accessories include a docking station and the AV-out cable.

Prices have yet to be confirmed, but a Creative spokesperson expected pricing in the £200-250 range. The Zen Vision:M should be available in shops this month.