Gadget Reviews

Candidly speaking, we can’t honestly envision too many of you fine folks running out and purchasing one of Creative’s new ZEN X-Fi2 portable media players given the availability of such robust alternatives. That said, we’d be remiss of our duties if we didn’t point out that the PMP which shocked us at IFA is now on sale directly from Creative. $129.99 buys you an 8GB model, while $179.99 nets you 16GB and $229.99 provides 32GB. We know — that 3-inch LCD and integrated FM tuner look good from afar, but remember kids, it’s all about the UI.

[Thanks, Tyler]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Creative’s ZEN X-Fi2 touchscreen PMP now on sale originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 08 Nov 2009 03:37:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Look, you can’t expect a cheap, touchscreen media player to cut through polygons like a hot knife through butter. That’s just not how it works. And that 3.0-inch screen on Creative’s new X-Fi2? Resistive. We had a chance to go hands on with Creative’s little stop-gap (until the Zii can make it to product) touch-screen player here at IFA and it’s pretty much exactly what we expected… or maybe a little worse. The touchscreen responded so poorly to touch mashes that we asked Creative to reshoot the video out of embarrassment on their behalf. We’re not exaggerating. Still, it’s not a final product (there’s still tweaking to be done to the firmware) and you do get a lot of play for the buck (32GB for $230) if that’s all you’re looking for when it drops later this month. Watch the demo after the break — do it!

Continue reading Video: Hands-on Creative X-Fi2, you get what you pay for

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Video: Hands-on Creative X-Fi2, you get what you pay for originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 14:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Creative’s Zii EGG may be snagging the majority of headlines for the company these days, but it looks like it’s not about to let its regular PMPs fall by the wayside, and it’s now announced its new Zen X-Fi2 player that ditches the few buttons found on the original Zen X-Fi in favor of full touchscreen controls. That, of course, also comes with an increase in screen size (to 3-inches), and a new interface that seems to include a few elements from that patent filing we saw a while back. Otherwise, the specs aren’t too far off its predecessor, including the same 8GB, 16GB, and 32GB options, a microSD card slot for further expansion, a built-in microphone and FM radio, an RSS reader (which must be synced up with your PC). Still no firm word on a release date, unfortunately, but you can now pre-order it from a number of retailers for $129.99, $179.99, or $229.99, depending on the capacity. Not convinced just yet? Then perhaps smooth jams of the videos after the break will change your mind.

[Thanks, Sim]

Continue reading Creative announces Zen X-Fi2 touchscreen PMP (video)

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Creative announces Zen X-Fi2 touchscreen PMP (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 02 Sep 2009 13:17:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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