Creative ZEN X-Fi Style, ZEN Style 100 & 300 PMPs launch

By Chris Davies/April 9, 2010 2:34 am EST

Creative have announced their latest range of PMPs, the ZEN X-Fi Style and ZEN Style, kicking off a new "Pure Audio" campaign in which the company look to be pushing their sound quality in an attempt to stave off the iPod. The ZEN X-Fi Style packs a 2.4-inch TFT LCD display, TV-output and X-Fi DSP, while the smaller ZEN Style gets a 1.8-inch TFT LCD, longer battery life (up to 32hrs audio) and smaller capacities.

The ZEN X-Fi Style comes in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB variants, each with FLAC support, an FM radio, voice recorder functionality, integrated speaker and an RSS reader. There's also an alarm, calendar and a battery good for up to 25hrs audio playback or 5hrs video. Creative expect them to go on sale at the end of this month, priced at S$159.00 (US$114) for the 8GB, S$199 (US$143) for the 16GB and S$249 (US$179) for the 32GB.

As for the ZEN Style, that will come in 4GB, 8GB and 16GB capacities, with alarm, calendar and voice recorder as the ZEN Style 100, together with – on the ZEN Style 300 – an FM radio and speaker. They'll be available from the end of April 2010 too, priced at S$109.00 (US$78) (4GB), S$139.00 (US$100) (8GB) and S$179.00 (US$128) (16GB) for the Creative ZEN Style 300 and S$89.00 (US$64) (4GB), S$119.00 (US$85) (8GB) and S$159.00 (US$114) (16GB) for the Creative ZEN Style 100.

[Thanks BigJoe!]

Press Release:

CREATIVE DELIVERS PURE MUSIC ON-THE-GO WITH ZEN® X-FI® STYLE PORTABLE MEDIA PLAYER: TAKING THE AUDIO GOODNESS OF ZEN® X-FI®2 TO A NEW LEVEL OF AFFORDABILITY
ZEN X-Fi Style Together with the New ZEN® Style Series Players, Perfectly Embody Pure Audio Performance and Stunning Designer Looks

SINGAPORE – 8 April 2010 – Creative Technology Ltd., today announced the release of the Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and the Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players. Both players continue Creative's tradition of delivering the purest sounding portable media players on the market – at an affordable price. The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players are also enhanced with new designer looks that exude style that is both trendy and functional.

"In line with the upcoming Pure Audio Campaign where Creative is set to deliver pure sounding high performance speakers and premium noise isolation earphones, we are pleased to unveil the ZEN X-Fi Style and the ZEN Style series – the embodiment of the purest-sounding music on-the-go experience on the market," said Joseph Liow, Vice President for Personal Digital Entertainment Products at Creative.

Creative ZEN X-Fi Style Media Player

The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style portable media player brings all the audio goodness of the Creative ZEN X-Fi2 to an all new level of affordability – in an updated player with a stylish form factor. Experience pure music perfection on-the-go with the built-in X-Fi technology as music tracks are intelligently restored to replace audio quality lost in compression. The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style features a wide range of video and audio format support, making it a true full-fledged portable media player.

Pure Music On-the-Go with X-Fi

Experience music on-the-go today in pristine crystal clear quality through the revolutionary power of X-Fi technology built into the Creative ZEN X-Fi Style media player.

With X-Fi Crystalizer, users will experience digital music the way it was meant to be, with lost details restored. With X-Fi Expand, users will enjoy the most natural sound staging available in headphone audio today – users will feel as if they are listening to their music with a pair of high-end speakers!

Now with the Creative ZEN X-Fi Style media player, users can experience an unmatched music performance across even more modes of entertainment than ever before. Not only will their music tracks be intelligently restored to replace any quality lost in compression, FM radio and movies will also benefit from X-Fi Technology!

Creative ZEN X-Fi Style Media Players

Creative ZEN X-Fi Style Features Include:

Bright 2.4-inch TFT display

X-Fi technology for crystal clear music

Video Out in X-Fi audio quality for watching movies on the TV

Lossless audio support (FLAC)

Up to 25 hours of audio playback, up to 5 hours video

FM radio, alarm clock, calendar and voice recorder

8GB, 16GB & 32GB capacities

Built-in speaker for music sharing

Playback for downloaded RSS feeds

Available in black and white for the 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models. Also available in red for the 8GB and 16GB models exclusively at www.creative.com/shop

Creative ZEN Style Series of Portable Media Players

The Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players delivers all the features users will want in a basic portable media player, but with unmatched digital music playback. Users can flaunt their style with Creative ZEN Style as they groove to their favourite tunes with the purest digital music playback possible, or enjoy photos and videos on-the-go. The Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players comprises the Creative ZEN Style 100 and Creative ZEN Style 300. The Creative ZEN Style 300 has all the features of the Creative ZEN Style 100 and is further enhanced with a built-in speaker and FM radio.

Creative ZEN Style Series of Portable Media Players

Creative ZEN Style Series Features Include:

Bright, full colour 1.8-inch TFT display

Up to 32 hours of music playback from a single charge (@128kbps MP3)

4GB, 8GB & 16GB capacities

Built-in speaker for music sharing and FM radio (Only with Creative ZEN Style 300)

Alarm clock, calendar and voice recorder

Available in black (Creative ZEN Style 300). Available in black for the 4GB model and in black, white and blue for the 8GB and 16GB models (Creative ZEN Style 100)

Pricing and Availability

The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players will be available from end April 2010 onwards at the online store at sg.store.creative.com in Singapore.

The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style is available at the suggested retail prices of S$159.00 (8GB), S$199.00 (16GB) and S$249.00 (32GB).

The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style Silicone Skin Pack, consisting of 2 silicone skins in black and white, is available at the suggested retail price of S$22.90. The Creative ZEN X-Fi Style 3-piece Screen Protector Pack is available at the suggested retail price of S$14.90.

The Creative ZEN Style series is available at the suggested retail prices of S$109.00 (4GB), S$139.00 (8GB) and S$179.00 (16GB) for the Creative ZEN Style 300 and S$89.00 (4GB), S$119.00 (8GB) and S$159.00 (16GB) for the Creative ZEN Style 100.

The Creative ZEN Style series Silicone Skin Pack, consisting of 2 silicone skins in black and white, is available at the suggested retail price of S$19.90.

Selected models will also be available from end April 2010 onwards at The CREATIVE Stores at International Business Park and Marina Square and authorised dealers in Singapore.

For more information about the Creative ZEN X-Fi Style and Creative ZEN Style series of portable media players, please visit www.creative.com/mp3.

About Creative

Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster® sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed ZEN® MP3 and portable media players. Creative's innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment – anytime, anywhere.