Wide is Good

The navigation and menu system is the same as its predecessor.

Photographers too can benefit from photo backup of CF memory cards on-the-go.

The Zen Vision: W supports MPEG1/2/4. WMV9, MJPEG, AVI, DivX and XviD formats.

Creative has very recently embarked on a product refresh across many of their categories and they have managed to launch them all just in time to coincide with one of the biggest local IT shows. Among the many gadgets, one of the catchier ones is the small Zen Neeon 2 with a slimmer profile and larger LCD display for video playback capability. Another revitalized product that we believe will spark a lot of interest is their new PMP (Portable Media Player), the Zen Vision W.

The Creative ZEN Vision W media player can playback up to 240 hours of video or tens of thousands of photos, and can also carry up to 15,000 songs. It features a high resolution, 480 x 272 pixels, 4.3-inch, 16:9 format widescreen color TFT display. While the predecessor has a 4:3 aspect ratio LCD display with a very limited viewing angle, we are pleased to report that the rejuvenated display on the ZEN Vision W has a much wider viewing angle with rich color representation and is by far one of the best we have seen yet. The Creative Zen Vision W is not only a media player, but it is also doubles up as a photographer's best friend. With a built-in CF slot, one can conveniently transfer the photos off the flash memory to the player's large hard drive storage unit (available in 30GB or 60GB versions). The entire unit is encased in a high quality magnesium alloy material for durability and gives the PMP an overall good build and finish. In terms of usage, the menu and navigation system are almost identical to the predecessor and is fairly straightforward, even to those uninitiated.

The Creative Zen Vision W premieres at Singapore's COMEX 2006 tradeshow on 31st August 2006 as a 30GB model initially. It is expected to be available in the retail channel sometime in September with a recommended retail price of S$649 and S$749 for the 30GB and 60GB models respectively. Here's a short hands-on introduction video of the new PMP to round off our firsthand preview:-

Product Specifications 4.3-inch widescreen (16:9) LCD display; 262k colors Resolution: 480 x 272 pixels  Supports MPEG1/2/4-SP, WMV9, MJPEG, AVI, DivX and XviD video formats. Battery life: 13 hours of continuous music or up to 4.5 hours of continuous video playback. FM radio with 32 selectable station settings. Personal organizer viewer that synchronises with Microsoft Outlook. Comes with a removable and rechargable Li-ion battery, earphones, power adapter, USB 2.0 cable, A/V cable and a protective pouch. Dimensions (W x H x D): 134 x 75 x 26.4mm Weight: 276g (30GB), 297.1 (60GB)