Zen MX

Creative Zen MX[1] is a credit card-sized media player from Creative Technology. The 2.3 ounces media player comes in two storage sizes: 8GB and 16 GB with up to 16 GB additional storage for music, videos and photos available via the SD/SDHC card. A driver is not required when the Zen MX is connected to the computer running Windows XP Service Pack 2 or Windows Vista for file transfer (i.e. music and photos). For videos to be viewed in Zen MX, they need to be converted to the Creative propriety format using the bundled software.

The Creative Zen MX was announced on May 20, 2009 in the US with the general availability from early June 2009. The suggested retail price for the 8GB model is $99.99 and 16GB model is $129.99. [2]

The Creative Zen MX is available from Creative Store for $79.99 plus shipping and tax. [3]

The Creative Zen MX has 2.5" LCD with support of 16.7 million color in 320 x24 pixels screen resolution. The menu layout can be customized for easy access to favorite media content and features. The file format support is limited (as an entry level device) but cover most of the popular media player files. For audio, they are MP3, WMA, WAV and Audible 4. For photos, they are JPEG, BMP, GIF, PNG and TIFF. Both audio and photos can be transferred directly to the Zen MX. For videos files, a conversion is required with the supplied software.

Other notable features include FM Radio with 32 preset stations, voice recording, organizer (calendar, contact and task list viewing) and USB charging.

CNET Asia: Creative's latest player may have some drawbacks, but it still is a strong contender that provides great value for money. [1]

TrustedReview: The cut-price Zen is let down by a few cut corners, but the design hasn't dated badly and capacity and sound quality are both very reasonable for the money. [2]

PocketLint: It’s capable of just about everything most rivals can offer and then some, so if value is more important that street-cred this is certainly a player you should place quite high on your list. [It’s capable of just about everything most rivals can offer and then some, so if value is more important that street-cred this is certainly a player you should place quite high on your list. ]