With 30 GB of hard drive space, a 3.7-inch 262K colour screen and support for a flurry of audio and video formats, the pocket-size Creative Zen Vision is set to make an impact.
Following persistent rumours and leaks online, Creative today announced the introduction of its Zen Vision portable media viewer, the company's second-ever product in this category. Marking a step away from the Windows Mobile powered Zen PMC series introduced in 2004, the Zen Vision improves on the Zen PMC in a number of areas, most notable of which is its screen resolution, size, and the number of audio and video formats supported.
Measuring in at a highly pocketable 124 x 74 x 20 mm and 239 g, the Zen Vision is fitted with a 3.7-inch transflective display with a resolution of 640 x 480 pixels and 262K colour depth. Available in either pearl white or black, the device supports audio playback, photo viewing and video playback, with the user interface being navigated by means of a navigational array flanking the screen on its right side.
Among the numerous formats supported by the Zen Vision, we find MP3, WMA and WMA DRM9 files at a bitrate of up to 320 Kbps for audio as well as linear PCM WAV for audio; AVI, MPEG1, MPEG2, MPEG4, MPEG4-SP, MJPEG, WMV 9, DivX 4, DivX 5 and XviD for video; and JPEG for picture viewing. With PlaysForSure compatibility under its belt, the Zen Vision will also be able to download music from a number of online offerings such as Napster To Go, Yahoo! Music Unlimited and more.
A 30 GB hard drive provides ample storage in comparison to other similar products, with connectivity provided by USB 2.0 and an integrated CompactFlash Type II slot to allow for direct transfer of media to the internal hard drive of the unit. Also present is Composite video out, with support for NTSC and PAL standards.
In addition to its media capabilities, the Zen Vision also comes with software which allows for the synchronization of Contacts, Calendar and Tasks data from Microsoft Outlook.
Claiming a battery life of up to 4.5 hours for video playback, the Creative Zen Vision is immediately available for pre-order from Creative in the US, selling for $399.99 USD.
|
 |
|
|
|
|
|
Archive