Creative Zen V Plus 2GB
Introduction
It has been some nine months since Apple launched the unbelievably thin iPod nano. Instead of using micro-hard drives, Apple smartly chose to cram the iPod nano with flash memory, resulting in a 4GB digital audio player (DAP) that was less than half the thickness of existing 4GB, micro-hard drive-based players in the market. The iPod nano was a mere 6.9mm (0.27") thick, compared with, say, the iPod mini at 14.0mm (0.5"). In the time that followed, copies started appearing in the market, first with DAPs looking almost similar to the iPod nano, then by players that had the same rectangular, wafer-thin profile but with different designs. Samsung's YP-Z5 was one such player. There are also many, many cheap, flash memory-based DAPs with video playback available, commonly advertised as "MP4 Players". These players mostly come in 1GB capacity or less, and feature a (tiny) colour screen, with MPEG-4 playback capability.
Enter Creative. Despite record losses in the last quarter, Creative is still fighting the DAP war. Although it has taken them a long time, Creative is finally getting things right. The Zen Vision was a breakthrough, with the highest resolution screen for a portable media player (PMP), wide compatibility of video formats, chockful of features, and yet maintaining a slim profile. Soon after, Creative launched the Zen Vision:M, taking what was right about the Zen Vision - video compatibility, for one, and put it into a DAP. The result was a DAP that had a great navigation system, wide video support, decent battery life, and great sound quality of Creative's years of experience.
Creative is not new to flash memory-based DAPs. But each newer release of a flash memory-based player became mechanical. There lacked the "Wow" factor. Instead, Creative changed the look slightly, added a feature or two, upped the model number, and that was that. All that changes with the Zen V series. The Zen V series feature two models: the Zen V and the Zen V Plus. The Zen V comes in 1GB and 2GB, while the Zen V Plus comes in 1GB, 2GB and 4GB. In addition to the standard features such as MP3 and WMA support, voice recording, EQ and photo viewing on its 1.5" OLED display, the Zen V Plus sports an FM Tuner and video playback capabilities. The players come in white or black, with a colour accent depending on the capacity - orange for 1GB, green for 2GB and blue for 4GB. The biggest selling point for the Zen V series would be the price. They are priced very attractively - USD149.99 for the Zen V 2GB, compared with USD184.95 for the iPod nano 2GB, or USD169.99 for the Samsung YP-Z5 2GB. And while the Zen V might be more than twice the thickness of the iPod nano, the scratch resistant coating on the entire player means you do not have to spend extra buying protective cases that will increase the thickness. This has probably been mentioned before, but it is worth repeating. During the press launch of the Zen V, the Marketing Manager of Creative Labs Asia, Mr Paul Seow, was presenting the features of the player, and he held out the Zen V at shoulder-level, and dropped it. Creative CEO, Mr Sim Wong Hoo, said he was "so mild", picked it up and flung it across to the other end of the cinema hall. Sure, the player hit the curtain instead of a wall, and the floor was carpeted. But would you dare do that to some other brand's player?
The Zen V is available now, but the Zen V Plus will only be available in August. Word from Creative is that they will make available an option to purchase a firmware upgrade to enable video playback on the Zen V.
Package Contents
The box design follows from the Zen Vision:M's, with the somewhat Seagate-like circles.
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The back of the box with the features and specifications. Creative provided us with a special press release version of the Zen V Plus, and it is rather obvious this is not a retail set, with the blacked-out text, and stickers covering the Microsoft PlaysForSure logo. Oh, and the words, "PRESS RELEASE". Creative says the retail versions would be PlaysForSure certified.
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The inside packaging looks rather nice.
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The back, with all the cables tucked neatly around the player.
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Removing the plastic on top, and inside the smaller box.
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Finally, a shot of everything in the box.
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The pouch is made of the same material as the ones that came with the Zen Vision, Zen Vision:M and Zen Neeon. Like the Zen Vision:M's pouch, this one is also oversized, that it practically defeats the purpose of having a pouch since the player can easily drop out of it. There's also a 3.5mm-to-2.5mm cable for line-in recording, a lanyard, USB cable, and the now-standard EP-480 earphones. And of course, the installation CD and quick-start guide.