Originally published December 12 2005
Zen adds photo feature to Creative MP3 player
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
The new Zen model MP3 player has photo-viewing capabilities and also provides support for specific music services. The Sleek Photo carries software that syncs up automatically with Napster To Go and Yahoo Music Unlimited.
Available sometime in December for just under $280, the new 20GB Zen model adds photo-viewing capabilities to the Creative MP3 player lineup for the first time, and also boasts the company's maiden foray into providing support for specific music services on the devices.
Zen Sleek Photo carries software meant to allow the handhelds to sync up automatically when used with the Napster To Go and Yahoo Music Unlimited, which are rivals to Apple Computer Inc.'s dominant iTunes download service.
Along with the ability to play MP3 music files and display images on its 1.7-inch color OLED screen, the latest Zen also offers FM radio and voice-recording features, and comes in a brushed aluminum exterior case.
At 3.98-inches tall, 2.32-inches thick and weighing just 5.49 ounces, the Creative music player is similar in size to Apple's traditional iPods, but significantly larger than the iPod Nano.
The device it most similarly resembles is Apple's iPod Photo, which offers 30GB of memory, but retails for a bit more money at roughly $300.
Click here to read more about how the new iPod could put the shine on Apple.
The silver-and-white Zen Sleek Photo handheld has a 6-button vertical touch pad for navigating music and photos and, like an iPod, illuminates its controls with a back glow when one of its keys is pushed.
The device also offers users several new options for personalizing their Zen, including a larger number of onboard screen themes and display wallpapers than earlier models.
A recent report published by researchers IDC, Framingham, Mass., said that sales of MP3 players will increase dramatically over the next four years, with shipments of flash memory-based music players rising to almost 124 million units by 2009.
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