Creative unveils Zen V Plus

Compact black iPod Nano rival

By Tony Smith, 21st June 2006

Creative will launch its latest iPod Nano rival in August, the music player maker announced today. It touted the new Flash-based gadget's "funky" black-heavy colour schemes and its 1.5in, 128 x 128 colour OLED screen, ready to display album art, photos and videos.

creative zen v plus mp3 player

The Zen V Plus will ship in three capacities: 1GB, 2GB and 4GB, all black but with, respectively, orange, green and blue trim. All three have a built-in FM radio and support Audible audiobooks. They also play MP3, WMA and WMA DRM tracks, all tweakable through an integrated customisable equaliser with eight presets.

There's a line-in port for direct digitisation, and the apparently de rigueur voice recorder. The player will also synchronise with Microsoft Outlook contacts and diary databases.

The Zen weighs a mere 43.5g and measures 6.8 x 4.4 x 1.6cm. It has a built-in battery that's good for up to 15 hours' play time, Creative claimed.

If you don't want the radio and video playback, Creative is also planning to ship the more basic Zen V player in August, in the same capacities and colour schemes. It's also got an array of accessories lined up, including docks, armbands and silicone skins - the latter despite Creative's claim the Zen V Plus is "scratch-resistant".

Pricing has yet to be determined. ®

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