|
Wednesday August 23, 2006
|
 Looks like Creative is preparing to release the Creative Zen Vision:W, a widescreen (that's what the dubya stands for) version of the original Zen Vision portable media player. No word on availability yet, but according to a Popular Mechanics review (see the image, left), the player has a 4.3-inch LCD (in 16:9 aspect ratio), as well as a 30GB or 60GB hard drive, and will be priced at $399 and $499, respectively.
It retains the CompactFlash card slot and the ability to play several different video file formats. The Pop Mech review says it's got "the best screen we've seen on a portable media player," which means a) they haven't seen the Epson P-4000, and b) the screen is probably the same ultra-sharp LCD as the Zen Vision, so there's a good chance it may suffer from the same viewing angle problems. Since Creative hasn't officially announced the player yet, these are all the deets we have to go on, but as soon as I hear back from the company, I'll be sure to spill more beans. In the meantime, there are also rumblings of a 60GB version of the popular Creative Zen Vision:M as well, which should delight folks who actually use it for video. Presumably that'll cost $399, since the 30GB model costs $299 (list). Thanks to audio analyst Mike Kobrin for this post!
|
|
|
Mixx It
Digg It
Stumble
More...
August 23, 2006 8:08 PM
With the plethora of devices out there offering mobile audio and video, we'll see if this catches on and people start demanding the wide screen. If the screen has the viewing angle issues described, then it's doomed, flat out. I don't see people paying $499 for a device where your video podcasts look like crap at more than 10-degrees off of center. Good luck sharing it on a long flight or giving it to the kids in th car for a long drive. Why, oh why, can't Creative just use an OLED screen? Beyond that, I'll be curious to see if this makes a big splash, or whether or not people really just don't have a significant appetite for mobile video. All the analysts and journalists are crowing for it, but I'm not completely convinced that people really WANT to view such media on their mobile devices, at least not in the United States. (Japan nonwithstanding, since they've been enjoying multimedia on their cellphones for a long time now....) I mean, the number of people uploading and viewing movies and such on devices like the PSP and iPod (the former having the awesome screen, the latter having the storage space) is still pretty small, and I don't think Apple's convinced in the mobile media market either, regardless of the rumors of a similarly built iPod in the near future. (which would explain why there's no iTunes Video/Movie Store, even though everyone keeps wondering if it's coming with every announcement) But anyway. I'll be watching, and very interested to see the results. Have to admit though, I highly doubt I'll spend the money on a device like this; if I really wanted mobile movie and video content, I'll either a: pack my laptop, or b: buy a Sony PSP, which is significantly cheaper and has the benefit of hackable firmware.
August 24, 2006 7:09 AM
My Palm TX used in landscape mode looks almost identical to this thing - same color even. With Core Pocket Media Player, I've enjoyed nearly every video format on that played off SD Cards for a year now. I will be interested in the hard drve though...