Creative Introduces Zen Mozaic
Creative has been updating a lot of it's lines of MP3 players lately with the Zen X-Fi and the Zen Krystal. This time it's the Zen V line that's getting an update with the new cheap medium sized Zen Mozaic.
While the Krystal and X-Fi both look very stylish, I must say I'm a bit puzzled about the looks of the Mozaic. The player is available in three basic colors; black, silver and pink, but the front of the player has a rather peculiar pattern which in my opinion just looks weird. The player has gotten a 1.8" TFT screen versus the 1.5" OLED screen of the Zen V and combined with the button area with the 9 tactile buttons on it does make it noticeable bigger than the Zen V. The specs are pretty standard with video support on the 128x160 screen along with a radio and voice recorder. It also has a tiny speaker on the back, something that Creative seem to be putting into more and more players. Battery life is rated at 32 hours for audio. Only the 2GB ($99) and 4GB ($129) versions will launch now, but 8GB ($169) and 16GB ($249) version will be available later in August. Update: hit the jump for a video
Comments
Slaughter on July 24, 2008 1:57 PM
Creative has done it again! Instead of focusing on a few players and making them great, they release another gimmick player. remember the player with the stick on covers? It just gets worse....
Superman on July 24, 2008 5:55 PM
I agree with Slaughter, I mean, what the hell? It's ugly and bigger than the Zen V. It's just a like a new version of the Zen Wav.
We need an improved Vision M... bigger screen, thinner, aluminum finish, and wifi. Is that too much to ask? I think the technology is available.
Martin Sägmüller on July 24, 2008 7:31 PM
Is this the fabled "Zen Epic Fail", or do we have to wait for the next player they'll release in a few hours/days?
AndrewAmazed on July 24, 2008 10:38 PM
Yea
also, hope they focuse more on the Zune Vision W and improve it as well...
but the X-Fi seemed like it was gonna be a nice player but it didn't seem to turn out as i expected...
Utew on July 25, 2008 1:01 AM
Actually, I kind of like the look of this player.. and it's rubberized surface... I also have to wonder what the hell is in the water that Creative is drinking these days.
Mozaic is d name on July 25, 2008 8:11 AM
i think it looks great. i luv unusual and unique designs.. just lyk in fashion. this is for people who have d guts 2 b different and its not ugly. we just have different tastes.
Superman on July 25, 2008 6:32 PM
Meh. An mp3 player for people with different tastes.
Creative needs to make a solid player, not one designed for a niche group.
Ronald on July 26, 2008 5:49 AM
Uh.. Whats with the bad video quality?Puts me off watching it.Blurry and awful quality
Nick on July 27, 2008 8:00 AM
Looking to get something to replace my bulky 4GB Samsung K5 with a bit more storage - 16 GB version would do the trick beautifully. Hurry up with the Australian release!!
amddudde on July 27, 2008 4:42 PM
I agree with slaughter also. The ZEN vision M and ZEN vision W are great players, but they should focus on improving those, instead of releasing a bunch of new weird players. A 250 gig ZEN vision W touch/wifi anyone?
Tonman on July 28, 2008 9:25 AM
Creative only interested to make toys.
T10fan31 on August 16, 2008 1:06 AM
I think it looks cool/unique.
Ali-G on August 18, 2008 2:19 PM
can anyone tell me if you can turn off the anoying click sound it makes when you press the buttons.
Ali-G on August 18, 2008 2:20 PM
can anyone tell me if you can turn off the anoying click sound it makes when you press the buttons.
Correzpond on August 30, 2008 11:13 PM
Keep in mind that Creative is after all a Singaporean company. Sydney based, I have spent a lot of time working in Singapore over the last 8 years (incidentally just across the road from their HQ in Jurong East) and have picked up quite a few Creative mp3 players (usually at factory sell-out prices over the years). The Vision M is certainly their best player to date, but even as a non-iPod owner, I have to acknoweledge that it was successful essentially because Creative meticulously copied the implementation of Apple with a consistently enhanced feature set (if you like it is the 'IPod Classic Plus'). Singaporeans are meticulous and adaptive but they are not particularly known for innovation or novel strategy. And certainly Singapore is not known for Customer Service, indeed the importance of Customer Service barely registers with most Singaporean businesses except as a simple means to an ends. The idea that customer research might actually lead to the development of better products is a concept that most Singaporean businesses are yet to embrace. For readers of this forum expecting the type of quantum shift in innovation (the type which Apple regularly displays & which frequently drives the entire industry to a whole new level), I suggest that you should be looking elsewhere other than Creative.