The Creative ZEN (formerly known as Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen) is a range of digital audio players (DAPs) and portable media players (PMPs) made by Creative Technology. The players evolved from the now-defunct NOMAD brand through the NOMAD Jukebox series. Three of its players won the Best of CES award^[1][2][3] from 2004 to 2006 in their respective categories, with one winning the overall award. The ZEN series has a strong foothold in Asian markets, especially in Singapore, the company's headquarters. Apple iPod, the best-selling hard drive-based player An embedded hard drive-based player (Creative ZEN Vision:M) An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) More commonly referred to as an MP3 player, a digital audio player or DAP is a portable, handheld digital music player that stores, organizes and... A portable multimedia player (PMP) is a self-reliant electronic device that is capable of storing and playing files in one or more media formats. ... Creative Technology Limited (SGX: C76, NASDAQ: CREAF) is a listed manufacturer of computer multimedia products based in Singapore where the firm was initially founded by Sim Wong Hoo (born 1957) on July 1, 1981. ... The Creative NOMAD was a range of digital audio players designed and sold by Creative Technology, and later discontinued in 2004. ...

All players are compatible with MP3 and WMA, while various models support WAV and Audible files. They are bundled with device drivers and Creative MediaSource, a media player that includes transferring and syncing abilities exclusively for the players. All models are PlaysForSure-certified for being compatible with Windows Media Player via Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) and supporting the Janus DRM. They are natively compatible with Windows, while the current players exclusively support Windows XP and Vista. For other uses, see MP3 (disambiguation). ... Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. ... WAV (or WAVE), short for Waveform audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing audio on PCs. ... Audible. ... This article is about media players in general. ... Microsoft PlaysForSure is a certification given by Microsoft to portable devices (portable media players, phones, etc. ... Windows Media Player (WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and viewing images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. ... The Media Transfer Protocol is a set of custom extensions to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) devised by Microsoft, to allow the protocol to be used for devices other than digital cameras, for example digital audio players such as MP3 players, and other portable media devices, for example portable video... Janus is the codename for portable version of Windows Media DRM for portable devices, whose marketing name is Windows Media DRM for Portable Devices (or in short form WMDRM-PD) introduced by Microsoft in 2004 for use on portable media devices which store and access content offline. ... “Windows” redirects here. ... Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ... Windows Vista is a line of graphical operating systems used on personal computers, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, Tablet PCs, and media centers. ...

Current players

ZEN

Main article: ZEN (portable media player)

The ZEN was announced on August 29, 2007 and as of September 14^[4], is currently available. The flash-based player is the de facto successor of the ZEN Vision:M^[5] and is available in capacities of 4, 8, and 16 GB. The player has a width of 3.26 inches, a height of 2.16 inches and is 0.44 inches thick - making it the slimmest ZEN and the second slimmest Creative player (other than the MuVo Slim^[6]) so far.^[7]. Because of its dimensions, the ZEN is advertised to be the "size of a credit card"^[8]. This is the first ZEN to have an SD card slot, support for unprotected AAC (in a ".m4a" extension) as well as a 24-bit (16.7 million colours) screen, which is 2.5 inches long diagonally in QVGA (320 by 240 pixels) TFT LCD. The player plays up to 25 hours of continuous audio playback and 5 hours of video. The ZEN is compatible with MP3, WMA (including protected and lossless), WAV, and Audible 2, 3, and 4 formats; video formats supported are MJPEG, WMV, and AVI (MPEG-4 SP, DivX, Xvid, MPEG-1, and MPEG-2 are supported through transcoding), while the player is able to display JPEG images only (Other formats would be transcoded). The player includes a built-in FM tuner and microphone, and the ability to synchronize organizer data from Microsoft Outlook. The ZEN is not to be confused with the ZEN Micro-based player of the same name. The ZEN is a portable media player developed by Creative Technology. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 257th day of the year (258th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... A USB flash drive. ... De facto is a Latin expression that means in fact or in practice. It is commonly used as opposed to de jure (meaning by law) when referring to matters of law or governance or technique (such as standards), that are found in the common experience as created or developed without... The Creative ZEN (formerly known as Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen) is a range of digital audio players (DAPs) and portable media players (PMPs) made by Creative Technology. ... The models listed here are organised by their release date with the older models at the top to the newer models at the bottom. ... 16Mb SD Card Secure Digital, or SD, is a flash memory data storage device based on Toshibas earlier Multi Media Cards (MMC). ... MPEG-4 AAC DRM encoding as used in the iTunes Store Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a standardized, lossy compression and encoding scheme for digital audio. ... Truecolor (also spelled Truecolour; called Millions on a Macintosh) graphics is a method of storing image information in a computers memory such that each pixel is represented by three or more bytes. ... A graphic which shows the resolution of QVGA compared to VGA. Click for actual size. ... A 15 TFT-LCD TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) is a variant of liquid crystal display (LCD) which uses thin film transistor (TFT) technology to improve image quality. ... For other uses, see MP3 (disambiguation). ... Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. ... WAV (or WAVE), short for Waveform audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing audio on PCs. ... Audible. ... Motion JPEG, also known as M-JPEG, is a video file format consisting of a sequence of individual JPEG images; unlike other video compression algorithms, each frame is an image unto itself. ... Windows Media Video (WMV) is a generic name for the set of video codec technologies developed by Microsoft. ... // Audio-Video Interleaved, known by its acronym AVI, is a multimedia container format introduced by Microsoft in November 1992 as part of its Video for Windows technology. ... MPEG-4 Part 2 is a video compression technology developed by MPEG. It belongs to the MPEG-4 ISO/IEC standard (ISO/IEC 14496-2). ... This article is about the video codec. ... Xvid (formerly XviD) is a video codec library following the MPEG-4 standard. ... MPEG-1 defines a group of Audio and Video (AV) coding and compression standards agreed upon by MPEG (Moving Picture Experts Group). ... MPEG-2 is a standard for the generic coding of moving pictures and associated audio information [1]. It is widely used around the world to specify the format of the digital television signals that are broadcast by terrestrial (over-the-air), cable, and direct broadcast satellite TV systems. ... JPG redirects here. ... Microsoft Outlook or Outlook (full name Microsoft Office Outlook since Outlook 2003) is a personal information manager from Microsoft, and is part of the Microsoft Office suite. ... The Creative ZEN (formerly known as Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen) is a range of digital audio players (DAPs) and portable media players (PMPs) made by Creative Technology. ...

ZEN Stone Plus

Although it is slightly larger than the ZEN Stone, the ZEN Stone Plus is identical in design. However, the ZEN Stone Plus has a backlit monochromic OLED screen, a built-in FM tuner, a stopwatch - the first ZEN player to have this ability - and a built-in microphone. The ZEN Stone Plus plays approximately 9.5 hours of continuous audio playback, and comes with the same colors as the ZEN Stone in a 2 GB capacity. It was released domestically on June 29, 2007^[9], and internationally on July 26, 2007.^[10] The Creative ZEN (formerly known as Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen) is a range of digital audio players (DAPs) and portable media players (PMPs) made by Creative Technology. ... A 3. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... is the 207th day of the year (208th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

ZEN Wav

The ZEN Wav was released in Singapore on May 25, 2007.^[11] The flash-based player has built-in stereo speakers and supports the MP3, WMA, and WAV formats. It is the first player in the ZEN line to have the following features: a 16-bit color screen, unlike other ZEN players, which are 18-bit; a battery life of 30 hours (20 with the speakers), which is the longest for any ZEN player so far; the ability to read e-books; and the ability to show 3 different time zones "at a glance". The ZEN Wav comes in capacities of 2 and 4 GB. is the 145th day of the year (146th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... A USB flash drive. ... For other uses, see MP3 (disambiguation). ... Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. ... WAV (or WAVE), short for Waveform audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing audio on PCs. ... Highcolour (or Hicolour, Highcolor, Hicolor, Thousands on a Macintosh) graphics is a method of storing image information in a computers memory such that each pixel is represented by two bytes. ... A user viewing an electronic page on an eBook reading device In computing, an e-book (for electronic book: also eBook, ebook) is the digital media equivalent of a conventional printed book. ...

On August 8, 2007, the player was reported to be available in the US.^[12] is the 220th day of the year (221st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

ZEN Stone

ZEN Stone (White)

The ZEN Stone, released on May 3, 2007^[13], is a small and screenless 1 GB player (similar to the second-generation Apple iPod shuffle). Coated in glossy plastic, the player is available in black, white, blue, pink, green, and red and usually sells for US$39.99, about half the price of Apple's counterpart. The ZEN Stone is compatible with the MP3, WMA, and Audible formats, and is compliant with UMS. Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 900 pixels, file size: 86 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 800 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (1200 × 900 pixels, file size: 86 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File historyClick on a date/time to view the file as it appeared at that time. ... is the 123rd day of the year (124th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ... iPod shuffle is an iPod digital audio player designed and marketed by Apple Inc. ... Apple Inc. ... iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in October 2001. ... iPod shuffle is an iPod digital audio player designed and marketed by Apple Inc. ... USD redirects here. ... For other uses, see MP3 (disambiguation). ... Windows Media Audio (WMA) is an audio data compression technology developed by Microsoft. ... Audible. ... The USB mass storage device class is a set of computing communications protocols defined by the USB Implementers Forum that run on the Universal Serial Bus. ...

ZEN Vision W

Main article: ZEN Vision W

The ZEN Vision W was released on September 17, 2006.^[14] A variant of the ZEN Vision, the portable media player has a 4.3-inch, widescreen (16:9) TFT-LCD display. The player comes in black and is available in 30 and 60 GB. Like the ZEN Vision:M, a built-in microphone and an FM tuner are included, as well as the same media formats, a similar graphical interface and abilities to sync organizer data from Microsoft Outlook. It also includes a CompactFlash reader for extra capacity and the direct upload of images. The ZEN Vision W is a portable media player developed by Creative Technology. ... is the 260th day of the year (261st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A 32 MB High Speed CompactFlash Type I card CompactFlash (CF) was originally developed as a type of data storage device used in portable electronic devices. ...

ZEN Neeon 2

The ZEN Neeon 2, a successor to the Neeon, was announced on August 2, 2006.^[15] The player has a 1.5-inch CSTN-LCD display in a resolution of 128x128. The 1 and 2 GB models are available in a black, silver, blue, pink or orange backplate, accompanied with a piano black front, while the 4 GB model comes only in black and silver. The Neeon 2 supports MP3, WMA, and WAV, display JPEG images and plays AVI videos which are transcoded upon transfer. Also, the player has an FM tuner, built-in microphone, and line-in recording in WMA. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery plays up to 20 hours of continuous audio playback and up to 8 hours of video playback, the highest for any Creative digital audio player. Due to limitations on the device, modifying the equalizer or turning on the Bass Boost feature may cause clipping in the music to occur.^{[citation needed]} is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ...

Like its predecessor, decal stickers called "Stik-Ons" are sold separately to customize the look of the Neeon 2's frontplate, though they cannot be interchanged. The players and their "Stik-Ons" are only available in Singapore and several other Asian countries.

ZEN V (Green/Black, 2 GB)

Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ...

ZEN V / ZEN V Plus

Main article: ZEN V

Creative's first flash-based portable media player was released on June 20, 2006.^[16] The scratch-resistant models have a 1.5-inch OLED display with a resolution of 128x128. They come in white and black with orange trim for the 1 GB version, green trim for 2 GB, and black with blue trim for the 4 GB version. The ZEN V Plus plays video and has an FM tuner, while the ZEN V does not. The players support the same formats as the Vision:M, while the videos will be transcoded upon transfer. There are also built-in microphones for voice recording, as well as wires for line-in recording. The rechargeable lithium-ion battery has a life span of up to 15 hours of continuous audio playback. The Creative Zen V and the Creative Zen V Plus is a 1. ... A USB flash drive. ... A portable multimedia player (PMP) is a self-reliant electronic device that is capable of storing and playing files in one or more media formats. ... is the 171st day of the year (172nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A 3. ... There are very few or no other articles that link to this one. ...

The ZEN V Plus won the CNET Editor's Choice award during that month.

On September 29, 2006, Creative announced that the blue-and-black ZEN V Plus had been upgraded to 8 GB. Four days later, the company joined forces with the National Breast Cancer Foundation to release a pink version of the 2 GB model, now available in most areas.^[17] In Japan, the 8 GB version is now available in a red-and-black color. ^[18] is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

On August 2, 2007, Creative announced that the ZEN V Plus will be available in a capacity of 16 GB, which officially makes it the first highest capacity flash-based players as of 2007. is the 214th day of the year (215th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

ZEN Vision:M

Main article: ZEN Vision:M

ZEN Vision:M (Black)

The ZEN Vision:M, launched on December 8, 2005^[19], is adapted from the earlier released ZEN Vision. The 2.5-inch, TFT LCD display has a resolution of 320 by 240 pixels (QVGA). The player has an estimated battery life of 16 hours for audio, and five hours for videos (tested under continuous playback). Album art is shown during playback, and image-viewing is enhanced with pan, zoom and rotation abilities. The 30 GB model is available in white, black, green, blue and pink. Like the other players in the Vision and Micro lines, this model is known for its glowing button symbols. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 357 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1238 × 2077 pixel, file size: 2. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 357 × 599 pixelsFull resolution (1238 × 2077 pixel, file size: 2. ... is the 342nd day of the year (343rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The Creative ZEN (formerly known as Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen) is a range of digital audio players (DAPs) and portable media players (PMPs) made by Creative Technology. ... A 15 TFT-LCD TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) is a variant of liquid crystal display (LCD) which uses thin film transistor (TFT) technology to improve image quality. ... A graphic which shows the resolution of QVGA compared to VGA. Click for actual size. ...

The ZEN Vision:M has won a number of accolades, including the "Best of Show" and "Best Portable Audio & Video Device" awards at the 2006 Consumer Electronics Show^[3], as well as the Red Dot Design Award^[20]. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. ... The logo of the red dot design award. ...

On August 31, 2006, Creative announced that the player will be available in a 60 GB capacity. Also, this version has a USB host adapter cable, which enables users to transfer photos from a digital camera directly to the player. It is only available in black and white, and is a little thicker than the 30 GB model. However, on March 11, 2007, the 60 GB model was upgraded with the same thickness as the 30 GB version. The 60 GB model is currently only available for purchase in Japan, although Creative foresees a North American release date by the end of 2007. is the 243rd day of the year (244th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 70th day of the year (71st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

The ZEN Vision:M has been succeeded by the ZEN as of August 29, 2007. Since then, Creative has stopped selling the player in their online stores, from the company's headquarters, Singapore^[21], to North America^[22][23], though refurbished players are available.^[24] The Creative ZEN (formerly known as Creative NOMAD Jukebox Zen) is a range of digital audio players (DAPs) and portable media players (PMPs) made by Creative Technology. ... is the 241st day of the year (242nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2007 (MMVII) is the current year, a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar and the AD/CE era in the 21st century. ...

Appearances in media

The ZEN Vision:M has made an appearance in a Orville Redenbacher's commercial, first broadcast during the 2007 Golden Globe Awards.^[25][26] The familiar blue interface and black color of the model are indicators. Orville Redenbachers is a brand of popcorn founded by Orville Redenbacher in 1971. ... The 64th Annual Golden Globe Awards were aired on 2007-01-15. ...

The player was also featured in the television adaptation of Stephen King's "Battleground."^{[citation needed]}

Discontinued players

NOMAD Jukebox Zen series

NOMAD Jukebox Zen players feature easily replaceable batteries

Main article: Creative NOMAD

The first models branded as a "Zen" were then released under the now-defunct NOMAD line, and have an anodized aluminium case. The 2.5-inch Fujitsu hard drives range from a 20 (NOMAD Jukebox Zen), 30 (Zen NX, Zen Xtra), 40 and 60 GB (Xtra). Unlike the earlier NOMAD Jukebox players, which looked like CD players, these ones have the appearance of a cassette player. ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 227 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... ImageMetadata File history File links Download high resolution version (1024x768, 227 KB) Licensing File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ... The Creative NOMAD was a range of digital audio players designed and sold by Creative Technology, and later discontinued in 2004. ... The Creative NOMAD was a range of digital audio players designed and sold by Creative Technology, and later discontinued in 2004. ... These inexpensive carabiners have an anodised aluminium surface that has been dyed and are made in many colors. ... For the district in Saga, Japan, see Fujitsu, Saga. ...

NOMAD Jukebox Zen

Announced on October 14, 2002, the NOMAD Jukebox Zen was the first player to include the "Zen" branding. It had the ability to connect via USB 1.1 or FireWire, while subsequent releases had connectivity to USB 2.0. Up to 14 hours of continuous audio playback is achieved by the rechargeable battery, and an optional wired remote gives the player an FM tuner and microphone. is the 287th day of the year (288th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... USB redirects here. ... The 6-pin and 4-pin FireWire Connectors The alternative ethernet-style cabling used by 1394c FireWire is Apple Inc. ...

NOMAD Jukebox Zen NX

The Zen NX, as it was later called, was released on August 20, 2003,^[27] is an upgrade to the old NOMAD Jukebox Zen, with a removable battery and a slightly smaller size. Included with the player was MediaSource, the music management software that would be used with subsequent Zen players. is the 232nd day of the year (233rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1864x2677, 561 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Creative Zen Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1864x2677, 561 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Creative Zen Metadata This file contains additional information, probably added from the digital camera or scanner used to...

NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra

The NOMAD Jukebox Zen Xtra, or the Zen Xtra (renamed by Creative for commercial reasons) was released simultaneously with the Zen NX.^[28] The player was presumably named Xtra, thanks to the larger screen. The package includes the player, a leather case with belt-clip, a lithium ion battery, a USB cable, and a pair of standard earbuds. Complaints against the Xtra have included failures of the firmware, headphone jack, and the hard drive. The Xtra can have problems with keeping track of very large numbers of music files.^[29], Nomadness.net forum, accessed November 7, 2006.</ref> The equalizer is somewhat broken in at least one firmware version.^[30]

The Xtra is notable for being the first DAP to support Real Networks's Helix DRM, but through a tailored firmware. The SanDisk Sansa e200R would later be the only other player to have this feature. Apple iPod, the best-selling hard drive-based player An embedded hard drive-based player (Creative ZEN Vision:M) An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) More commonly referred to as an MP3 player, a digital audio player or DAP is a portable, handheld digital music player that stores, organizes and... RealNetworks (NASDAQ: RNWK) is a Seattle-based provider of Internet media delivery software and services. ... Digital rights management (DRM) is an umbrella term that refers to access control technologies used by publishers and other copyright holders to limit usage of digital media or devices. ... A microcontroller, like this PIC18F8720 is controlled by firmware stored inside on FLASH memory In computing, firmware is a computer program that is embedded in a hardware device, for example a microcontroller. ... SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), formerly SunDisk, is an American multinational corporation which designs and markets flash memory card products. ... The SanDisk Sansa is a line of flash memory-based digital audio players produced by SanDisk. ... The SanDisk Sansa is a line of flash memory-based digital audio players produced by SanDisk. ...

Zen Touch

The Zen Touch was released on June 7, 2004^[31]. The model incorporated major changes in design, functionality and technology. is the 158th day of the year (159th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

The Zen Touch has a smaller form factor and larger backlit blue display in a curved industrial design. In addition, the device uses a touch-sensitive vertical strip on the front of the unit for easier file navigation. These changes were enabled by the use of Hitachi's smaller 1.8-inch hard drives. The Touch is available in capacities of 20 and 40 GB. Unlike the previous two generations, the Zen Touch does not have a removable battery, and plays audio for approximately 24 hours. It has been suggested that Hitachi Works be merged into this article or section. ...

The Zen Touch has a brief uncredited appearance in Pepsi's new commercial which aired during Super Bowl XL ^[32]. Date February 5, 2006 Stadium Ford Field City Detroit, Michigan MVP Hines Ward, wide receiver Favorite Steelers by 4 National anthem Aaron Neville, Aretha Franklin and Dr. John, ASL performed by Angela LaGuardia Coin toss Tom Brady Referee Bill Leavy Halftime show The Rolling Stones Attendance 68,206 TV in...

Zen Portable Media Center

Zen Portable Media Center

The Zen Portable Media Center, announced on January 8, 2004 and released eight months later^[33], is based on Microsoft's Portable Media Center interface, runs Windows Mobile and supports WMV, WMA, and MP3, and can display JPEG images; other video formats are supported through transcoding. This device was the first to exclusively support Microsoft's Media Transfer Protocol, and was presented at the Consumer Electronics Show in 2004, winning the TechTV Best of CES Award in the Portable Audio and Video category.^[1] The player uses a 1.8-inch 20 or 40 GB hard drive from Hitachi. The Zen Portable Media Center has been replaced by the ZEN Vision and the ZEN Vision W. Image File history File links Portable_Media_Center. ... Image File history File links Portable_Media_Center. ... is the 8th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... A Portable Media Center (PMC) is a hard drive-based portable media player device that can play digital video and audio files. ... Windows Mobile is a compact operating system combined with a suite of basic applications for mobile devices based on the Microsoft Win32 API. Devices which run Windows Mobile include Pocket PCs, Smartphones, and Portable Media Centers. ... Windows Media Video (WMV) is a generic name for the set of video codec technologies developed by Microsoft. ... JPG redirects here. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... The Media Transfer Protocol is a set of custom extensions to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) devised by Microsoft, to allow the protocol to be used for devices other than digital cameras, for example digital audio players such as MP3 players, and other portable media devices, for example portable video... The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. ... TechTV is also the name of a closed-circuit television network based in Ruston, Louisiana TechTV (May 11, 1998 – May 28, 2004) was a 24-hour cable and satellite channel based in San Francisco, California featuring news and shows about computers, technology, and the Internet. ... It has been suggested that Hitachi Works be merged into this article or section. ...

ZEN Micro

ZEN Micro glowing at night

The ZEN Micro was released on November 12, 2004^[34], and is a microdrive player available in 10 colors. It is also the first ZEN release that sports the new branding, including capitals for all letters in Zen. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1164x1872, 112 KB) Summary Original Photograph by user:Electricmoose Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Zen Micro ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1164x1872, 112 KB) Summary Original Photograph by user:Electricmoose Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Zen Micro ... is the 316th day of the year (317th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2004 (MMIV) was a leap year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar. ... IBM 1 GB Microdrive The Microdrive is a brand name for a miniature, 1-inch hard disk designed to fit in a Compact Flash (CF) Type II slot. ...

ZEN Micro with the included earphones

The ZEN Micro is much smaller than the Touch and shares a similar interface and controls (including the touchpad, without the 'OK' button. Making a selection would be done by tapping the touchpad). The Micro has a removable battery rated to last for up to 12 hours of continuous playback. In addition, the player has an LED-backlit LCD, a glowing case, and offers hard disk capacities of 4, 5 and 6 GB. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1930x2170, 406 KB) Summary Original photograph by User:Electricmoose Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Zen Micro ... Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1930x2170, 406 KB) Summary Original photograph by User:Electricmoose Licensing File links The following pages link to this file: Zen Micro ... “LED” redirects here. ... LCD redirects here. ...

The Micro also features a built-in FM tuner/recorder, voice recorder and microphone, partitioning for data storage (i.e. acting as a removable hard drive for PCs), and the ability to synchronize contacts, tasks and calendars with Microsoft Outlook. Accessories for the ZEN Micro include matching color speakers, wireless headsets and a wired remote control. Microsoft Outlook or Outlook (full name Microsoft Office Outlook since Outlook 2003) is a personal information manager from Microsoft, and is part of the Microsoft Office suite. ...

The first 35,000 units shipped worldwide were packaged as a Limited Edition package that came with an additional rechargeable battery. Asian models of the Limited Edition included the extra battery and a wired remote control.

At CES 2005, it was announced that the ZEN Micro line would be expanded to include 4 and 6 GB models. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. ...

The ZEN Micro optionally supports the Microsoft Media Transfer Protocol and the PlaysForSure certification with updated firmware. Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... The Media Transfer Protocol is a set of custom extensions to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) devised by Microsoft, to allow the protocol to be used for devices other than digital cameras, for example digital audio players such as MP3 players, and other portable media devices, for example portable video... Microsoft PlaysForSure is a certification given by Microsoft to portable devices (portable media players, phones, etc. ... A microcontroller, like this PIC18F8720 is controlled by firmware stored inside on FLASH memory In computing, firmware is a computer program that is embedded in a hardware device, for example a microcontroller. ...

ZEN (Micro-based hard drive player)

The ZEN was released on April 6, 2005^[35], and is slightly larger than the ZEN Micro with a 20 GB hard drive capacity. The ZEN, however, has a magnesium back-casing and the battery is unremovable. This model was initially available in the Asia-Pacific region, but soon became available in the US through Cambridge SoundWorks, a subsidiary of Creative. Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

ZEN Neeon

Image File history File links Zen_neeon. ... Image File history File links Zen_neeon. ...

ZEN Neeon

The ZEN Neeon was released on May 17, 2005.^[36] It is a throwback to the old Zen Xtra, but in a much smaller size. The 5 GB model has an SNR of 98 dB and a battery life of 16 hours (19 hours with new firmware version). The front has a piano black finish, and the back is anodized aluminium that comes in ten colours. and the LCD screen has a 7 colour backlight. is the 137th day of the year (138th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Signal-to-noise ratio (often abbreviated SNR or S/N) is an electrical engineering concept defined as the ratio of a signal power to the noise power corrupting the signal. ... For other uses, see Decibel (disambiguation). ... Anodized aluminium has been treated to resist corrosion. ...

The Creative ZEN Neeon was criticized highly at the time of release for having a slow interface, more specifically slow start-up, menus and song switch. As well, the first released models came with a virus that could infect your computer.^[37] This affected the popularity of the product and though the hardware and style of the ZEN Neeon was very good, the software seemed to let the product down. The firmware update released latter provided a much quicker start-up time and interface. If released with the player, it might have been more popular on the market.

Like its Micro brother, this unit also has an FM tuner and a microphone, but also has a line record in function. This model does not use Creative specialized USB drivers; it is a standard USB mass storage device. “Microphones” redirects here. ... The USB mass storage device class is a set of computing communications protocols defined by the USB Implementers Forum that run on the Universal Serial Bus. ...

On November 17, 2005, the microdrive player was updated to 6 GB and a new flash range was launched in capacities of 512 MB, 1 GB, and 2 GB.^[38] The device is now equipped with a dual-tone OLED screen. The device is also accompanied by a new marketing campaign, Put a Face to Your Music, with emphasis on a whole new range of customizable "Stik-Ons", which are decal stickers that can be placed and removed from the face of the unit. 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A 3. ...

ZEN MicroPhoto

ZEN MicroPhoto with a custom wallpaper

The ZEN MicroPhoto, released on July 28, 2005^[39], shares the same features of the ZEN Micro except Audible.com support (reinstated in firmware versions 1.31.01 and above), and adds an upgraded 262,144-color (18 bpp) OLED screen for displaying photos. To fix the lack of bass with the ZEN Micro, Creative also implemented a Bass Boost feature, now available in most subsequent players. The 8 GB player is available in the same colours of the Micro and is advertised to store "thousands of JPEGs" or "4,000 songs". Due to its larger battery, the player can play up to 15 hours of continuous playback, 3 hours longer than its predecessor.^[40] Unlike the Micro, it does not have any problems with the headphone jack. The MicroPhoto is the first of many subsequent players with expanded customization, with the ability to use a picture as a custom wallpaper, with color themes to change the tones of it, and six color schemes. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1132x1830, 460 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1132x1830, 460 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... is the 209th day of the year (210th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Audible. ... A 3. ... JPG redirects here. ...

The player was first announced at the 2005 Consumer Electronics Show, where it won the G4TV Best of CES award in the Audio To Go category.^[2] On November 2005, the player was the CNET Editor's Choice award on CNET.com. The International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) is a trade show held each January in Las Vegas, Nevada, and is sponsored by the Consumer Electronics Association. ... G4 is an American cable and satellite television channel originally geared toward male viewers aged 12–34, devoted to the world of video games and the video game lifestyle. ... Ongoing events • Abramoff-Reed gambling scandal • Al Jazeera bombing memo • Avian influenza (H5N1) outbreak • Black sites scandal • Conservative leadership race (UK) • Fuel prices • Irans nuclear program • Jilin chemical plant explosions • Kashmir earthquake • Malawi food crisis • Malaysian prisoner abuse scandal • New Delhi bombings investigation • Niger food crisis • North Indian cyclone... CNET Networks, Inc. ...

ZEN Sleek

Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1224, 249 KB) Summary A picture of my own Creative Zen Sleek, taken in macro mode on my K750i. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high resolution version (1632x1224, 249 KB) Summary A picture of my own Creative Zen Sleek, taken in macro mode on my K750i. ...

ZEN Sleek

The ZEN Sleek was first available on August 30, 2005^[41], and is an upgrade of the ZEN with a 20 GB hard drive, FM radio, built-in microphone, and sports an aluminium casing. Like its predecessors, it can synchronize with Microsoft Outlook's calendar, address book, and memo functions. The player's battery life lasts up to 20 hours. is the 242nd day of the year (243rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ...

ZEN Vision

ZEN Vision (Black)

The ZEN Vision was released on October 1, 2005.^[42] Since its launch, it is the winner of several awards, including Best of Digital Life 2005 and the Red Dot Design award. Unlike its predecessor, the ZEN Vision does not have Microsoft's Portable Media Center interface but supports Microsoft's Media Transfer Protocol. It supports audio (WMA-DRM, WMA, MP3, WAV), video (WMV, Motion JPEG, MPEG 1/2/4, DivX 4/5, xvid) and picture (JPEG) playback. The ZEN Vision utilizes a 30 GB hard drive and can partition a part of its hard drive to work as a removable disk (up to 16 GB) for any operating system. There are some features of the ZEN Vision which require compatibility with certain operating systems, e.g require users to have access to Microsoft Windows XP (SP1 or higher). Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... is the 274th day of the year (275th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... An operating system (OS) is the software that manages the sharing of the resources of a computer and provides programmers with an interface used to access those resources. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ...

Like past models, the ZEN Vision comes with a FM tuner, a voice and FM recorder, and a calendar and organizer that can be synced with Microsoft Outlook. Microsoft Outlook or Outlook (full name Microsoft Office Outlook since Outlook 2003) is a personal information manager from Microsoft, and is part of the Microsoft Office suite. ...

The ZEN Vision has a 3.7-inch, trans-reflective TFT-LCD display that has a resolution of 640x480 (VGA) pixels. It has a video output (PAL or NTSC) port and a CompactFlash slot which can be used to transfer the contents to the player. An adapter for other memory card types is also available as an accessory. The ZEN Vision also supports an optional infrared remote. For other uses, see PAL (disambiguation). ... NTSC is the analog television system in use in Canada, Japan, Mexico, the Philippines, South Korea, Taiwan, the United States, and some other countries, mostly in the Americas (see map). ... A 32 MB High Speed CompactFlash Type I card CompactFlash (CF) was originally developed as a type of data storage device used in portable electronic devices. ... For other uses, see Infrared (disambiguation). ...

ZEN Sleek Photo

The ZEN Sleek Photo was released on October 6, 2005. It is the color-screen equivalent of the Sleek, with the extra ability to view JPEG photos on an OLED screen. is the 279th day of the year (280th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

ZEN Nano/Nano Plus

The ZEN Nano and the ZEN Nano Plus was released internationally on June 1, 2006. The player is a rebranded MuVo N200 and unlike other ZENs, the music is transferred and stored in the player like on a USB memory stick, without requiring any specific software. It lasts up to 18 hours on an AAA battery. Like the Micro and the MicroPhoto, the Nano is available in ten colors: black, pink, red, orange, green, light blue, blue, purple, gray, and white. is the 152nd day of the year (153rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ...

The ZEN Nano Plus is a Nano with an FM tuner with 30 custom presets, plus voice, radio, and line-in recording. All recorded audio will be encoded in WAV, except for line-in, which encodes to MP3. WAV (or WAVE), short for Waveform audio format, is a Microsoft and IBM audio file format standard for storing audio on PCs. ... For other uses, see MP3 (disambiguation). ...

Hardware

Most models are built with Texas Instruments's TMS320DA25x ARM architecture and digital signal processor that makes up the CPU. The peripheral circuits take care of all MP3 and WMA decoding without any accelerator chips. The touchpads, which are used to navigate in most ZENs, are managed by controllers made by Synaptics. The Creative Zen 4-16GB variant uses the Sigmatel Sigmatel_STMP3700 which has been designed specificaly for portable media players.^[43] Texas Instruments (NYSE: TXN), better known in the electronics industry (and popularly) as TI, is an American company based in Dallas, Texas, USA, renowned for developing and commercializing semiconductor and computer technology. ... Texas Instruments TMS320 is a blanket name for a series of digital signal processors from Texas Instruments. ... The ARM architecture (previously, the Advanced RISC Machine, and prior to that Acorn RISC Machine) is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture developed by ARM Limited that is widely used in a number of embedded designs. ... A digital signal processor (DSP) is a specialized microprocessor designed specifically for digital signal processing, generally in real-time. ... CPU redirects here. ... Touchpad and a pointing stick on an IBM Laptop Low resolution close up of a touchpad with a locking button. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... SigmaTel (SGTL) is an electronics company located in Austin, TX, which designs mixed audio signal processors, and controller chips for multifunction peripherals. ... The Sigmatel STMP3700 is a ARM processor developed in 2007 for use in portable media players. ...

Marketing campaign

In November 2004, Creative Labs announced a $100 million marketing campaign to promote their digital audio products, including the ZEN range of MP3 players. In particular, the company was heavily publicizing the Zen Touch and ZEN Micro. These two products had been featured in an increasing number of television commercials, print ads, and urban billboards.

Many celebrities were seen with the ZEN Micro, including Paris Hilton, pop group Maroon 5 and Aerosmith's Steven Tyler. Paris Whitney Hilton (born February 17, 1981) is an American celebrity and socialite. ... Maroon 5 is a soul-influenced American band originating from Los Angeles, California. ... Stephen Victor Tallarico (born March 26, 1948 in Yonkers, New York), better known as Steven Tyler (and often nicknamed The Demon of Screamin) is an American musician and songwriter. ...

Legal troubles with Apple

Creative Labs, the American subsidiary of Creative Technology, was awarded a patent on a music management interface (now commonly seen on audio players, including the Apple iPod) by the US Patent and Trademark Office on August 25, 2005^[44], after applying for it on January 5, 2001.^[45] Apple filed for a similar patent on October 22, 2002 but was rejected.^[46] Along with the launch of the Vision:M, Creative announced that it will "aggressively pursue" respect of its patents, addressing "all manufacturers that use the same navigation system."^[47] So far, Creative has only addressed Apple's infringement of its patent. Creative announced on May 15, 2006, that it has launched a lawsuit against Apple for the infringement of the ZEN patent^[48] (Creative also asked the US Trade Commission to investigate whether Apple was breaching trade laws by importing iPods into the US.^[49]), which was then counter-sued by Apple on the same day, filing two lawsuits for infringing their patents.^[50] Since then, Apple and Creative have reached a settlement, with Apple paying $100 million, and Creative joining the "Made for iPod" accessory program.^[51] Creative Technology Limited (SGX: C76, NASDAQ: CREAF) is a listed manufacturer of computer multimedia products based in Singapore where the firm was initially founded by Sim Wong Hoo (born 1957) on July 1, 1981. ... Apple Inc. ... iPod is a brand of portable media players designed and marketed by Apple and launched in October 2001. ... The United States Patent and Trademark Office (PTO or USPTO) is an agency in the United States Department of Commerce that provides patent and trademark protection to inventors and businesses for their inventions and corporate and product identification. ... is the 237th day of the year (238th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 5th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday (link displays the 2001 Gregorian calendar). ... is the 295th day of the year (296th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Also see: 2002 (number). ... is the 135th day of the year (136th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... USITC, Washington, DC The U.S. International Trade Commission (USITC) is an independent, non-partisan, quasi-judicial federal agency of the United States that provides trade expertise to both the legislative and executive branches of government, determines the impact of imports on U.S. industries, and directs actions against certain...

Alternative software

Third-party alternatives have been developed to enable legacy OS compatibility as well as compatibility with other operating systems.

• Free software:
  • Amarok, a Linux-only media player‌
  • Banshee, another similar program for Linux‌
  • Gnomad2, which can transfer files to ZEN players with an FTP-like interface‌
  • KZenExplorer, a synchronization tool for KDE‌

• Proprietary software:
  • Legacy OS Driver, a Creative driver that gives compatibility to PlaysForSure-certified ZENs for Windows 98 SE, Me, and 2000. ‌
  • Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) Porting Kit, a Microsoft driver that provides functionality for MTP-based devices, like the ZEN players, for the same operating systems listed above. ‌
  • MediaMonkey, a media player that syncs with ZEN players. While it is freeware, the Gold version has the ability to automatically convert media formats. ‌

Clockwise from top: The logo of the GNU Project, the Linux kernel mascot Tux, and the BSD Daemon Free software is software that can be used, studied, and modified without restriction, and which can be copied and redistributed in modified or unmodified form either without restriction, or with restrictions only... Amarok is a free software music player for Linux and other varieties of Unix. ... Banshee is an audio player for Linux operating systems, that uses Mono and Gtk#. It also uses the Helix and GStreamer multimedia platforms to play, encode, and decode Ogg Vorbis, MP3, FLAC, and other formats. ... For the NYSE stock ticker symbol KDE, see 4Kids Entertainment. ... It has been suggested that closed source be merged into this article or section. ... The Media Transfer Protocol is a set of custom extensions to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) devised by Microsoft, to allow the protocol to be used for devices other than digital cameras, for example digital audio players such as MP3 players, and other portable media devices, for example portable video... MediaMonkey (no connection with Monkeys Audio, the lossless audio codec), made by Ventis Media Inc, is an audio player that also functions as a media library. ...

See also

• Digital audio player
• Portable media player
• Creative MuVo
• Creative NOMAD
• Creative Technology
• Comparison of portable media players

Apple iPod, the best-selling hard drive-based player An embedded hard drive-based player (Creative ZEN Vision:M) An MP3 CD player (Philips Expanium) More commonly referred to as an MP3 player, a digital audio player or DAP is a portable, handheld digital music player that stores, organizes and... A portable multimedia player (PMP) is a self-reliant electronic device that is capable of storing and playing files in one or more media formats. ... Wikipedia does not have an article with this exact name. ... The Creative NOMAD was a range of digital audio players designed and sold by Creative Technology, and later discontinued in 2004. ... Creative Technology Limited (SGX: C76, NASDAQ: CREAF) is a listed manufacturer of computer multimedia products based in Singapore where the firm was initially founded by Sim Wong Hoo (born 1957) on July 1, 1981. ... // ^ Archos Introduces Its First Flash-Based Portable Media Player With The Archos 405. ...

External links

• Creative ZEN product line (Singapore)
• Creative ZEN product line (US)
• "Find Your ZEN" Advertising Campaign (US)

References