For those who were wondering what’s inside the new Creative Zen X-Fi, here is your chance for a peek. The Zen X-Fi opened up similarly as the Zen did with clips around the edges holding the face to the back. However, this time the face separates from the backing with the circuit boards and such attached to the back plastic plate. Also this time around there is a little bit of glue applied to each clip holding it together; this likely the reason the Zen X-Fi feels a little sturdier than the Zen.

I would only recommend opening your Zen X-Fi for repair and not just for fun since you may not get it back together with the same tight feel it had before. If you are planning on surgery I would recommend checking out the Zen teardown video for some pointers on getting the case cracked. Otherwise below are lots of pics of the wireless player splayed for your viewing pleasure.

Also be sure to check out the Zen X-Fi review.

Zen fans have been looking forward to the next big thing from Creative. These fans clamored for a Zen Vision:M replacement which is, in my opinion, the best blend of MP3 players and PMPs to date. Creative’s last biggest release, the Zen, didn’t seem to hush this cry for something new, because it couldn’t yet natively play high resolution XviD/DivX files, failed at integrating the SD slot, and had cost-prohibitive 30GB+ capacities.

The brand new Zen X-Fi is basically a refreshed version of the Zen, but with added wireless features and X-Fi sound enhancement. Will this be enough, though, to satisfy the Zen fans who have been patiently waiting for Creative’s latest addition to the family?

Just yesterday Creative officially announced the release of the Zen X-Fi. Today the 8GB, 16GB and 32GB models popped up on Buy.com each selling for $149.99, 199.99, and 279.99. This is a bit of a surprise since that is nearly identical to the plain old Zen. So could this mean they are getting rid of the vanilla Zen player? My guess would be no, since it’s typical to Creative to confuse the consumer with a product line with way to many derivatives.

It appears to be in the wild in Singapore, but the release date is yet to be known for the US. With the Zen X-Fi popping its head out at Buy.com is an indication is should be but a few weeks away.

Below is a video of the player being unboxed.

It has been quite a while since Creative has released anything substantial since the Zen, but here it is and what looks like their new flag ship. Details of the player have been confirmed via software found on the net (via). What is cool is included in the software is a user manual showing off all the new features and this Zen is pretty feature packed.

On the wireless side the X-Fi will be Wi-Fi 802.11 B/G allowing you to stream media from your computer and chat with friends over Gtalk, MSN Messenger, and Yahoo! Messenger. From reading the manual it doesn’t look like there is any wireless sync. Update: GenMP3 does mention that you can transfer content over Wi-Fi, perhaps something I missed going over the manual at 1 AM.

More info and pics of the interface below.