Creative ZEN X-FI

...you know who you are. Creative have now also been exploring the many apps that seemingly dream of world domination and winning. The Creative X-Fi that was released mid June last year (2008) was one of the first Portable Media Players to realise the ultimate pros of what the ‘app’ can provide, through its own Creative apps and of course the downloadable worthy ones. Whether they help in the sound quality generally, the jury is out; then again the ...
...– Branded like no other Creative product the X-Fi is exactly more marketable and is understandable across the globe. What I’ve found with Creative brands is their notable use of letters rather than words when it comes to printing it on the product. – Luckily by having creative Labs in all four continents, it certainly stops any misgivings when it comes to language. Creative ultimately does bring a favour of bland cabbage to the dinner table as a ... more

CREATIVE ZEN X-FI
Storage Size - 8GB
Release Date - June 2008
RRP - 229.99 GBP
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Creative comment added below
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I don’t know about you but the apps are certainly growing and it isn’t through me working out. There has been an explosion of apps on new titled mobile technology handsets that stimulate the interface savvy users into pure a seduction heaven. The geeks among you know who you are. Creative have now also been exploring the many apps that seemingly dream of world domination and winning. The Creative X-Fi that was released mid June last year (2008) was one of the first Portable Media Players to realise the ultimate pros of what the ‘app’ can provide, through its own Creative apps and of course the downloadable worthy ones. Whether they help in the sound quality generally, the jury is out; then again the variables for creative sound usage is particularly good if your prone to a ear impediment that makes you want to enhance sound to your lob requirements. There are quite a few options even for the highly tuned savvy media buffs amongst you. How far can you take sound? Well, the X-Fi, takes you as far as last years efforts, which is pretty good. Though whether the quickened life-span of a 15 month old MP3 which is quite honestly regarded as a pensioner in the digital age; rocks your boat; well, it certainly is still okay, just to wear one of these and feel happy in a Chelsea wine-bar; and lose yourself with all the variable features, with some help of the ‘Happy Hour’.

Creatives added Xtreme Fidelity technology to it’s mix with the X-Fi; hence the X-Fi, title. – Branded like no other Creative product the X-Fi is exactly more marketable and is understandable across the globe. What I’ve found with Creative brands is their notable use of letters rather than words when it comes to printing it on the product. – Luckily by having creative Labs in all four continents, it certainly stops any misgivings when it comes to language. Creative ultimately does bring a favour of bland cabbage to the dinner table as a corporation; however, always seems to satisfy a particular market. Compared to other PMP’s Creative has begrudgingly added a little bit of saffron to the X-Fi. – It has something, likeable I suppose. It certainly isn’t a pointless Mozaic and Creative have gone back to the design drawing board The added Xtreme Fidelity technology is a ploy to get buyers away from the Apple iPod, as the iPod doesn’t have this feature. Not that you would know, the sound quality isn’t either better or worse, unless you have acute hearing beyond what is normal, but as I’ve not got special hearing frequencies, the X-Fi is to me a marketing mechanism to divert iPod MP3 traffic. – The official figures of marketing sector prowl ness is available later this year, as yet another attempt to take the crown away for Creatives war against the Apple’s iPod continues. Instead Creative complexes products and continues with ‘sound technology’ that only dogs will know the difference.

The future within digital media lies within the ‘app’. – (Application) – In the next year 35,000 more digital apps are going to be introduced. The programmers get very little money for the copyright and the programming but the wonders of the app can make a huge play on Creatives plans. The X-Fi; is a step in the right direction. The credit card sized portable media player is very mobile and solves many problems with obvious clumsiness that is so apparent with earlier models. Notably the landscape stroke portrait viewing facility is nothing new but a clever piece of X-Fi ‘app’ inclusion. – A bit savvy for a Creative product however, especially as the blue=print model design team quiver with thickness as the X-Fi is still nearly an inch thick. Though surprisingly light-weight, for what looks like an old –fashioned domino key. – What I can state quite truthfully that Creatives’ agenda has changed they are still missing a vital ingredient when it comes to ultimate design, and supreme navigation.

The interface may look nice and winks at me in a flirty manner; I’m still hard to get. The X-Fi, has a Barbara Streisand sized nose in visual and navigation errors. Big ugly ones, that doesn’t make feel to at ease when showing navigations to people who ask the most difficult questions, such as, where do I change the interface setting? – The quickest I’ve done it is three minutes ten seconds and I wasn’t blind-folded. Yea, it isn’t that user-friendly. It would cause frustration, but it does have that pointless Xtreme Fidelity Technology. The control panel isa design hindrance that should be replaced; Creative please speak to Apple.

You do get the options of a crystalizer which allows you to switch to – Rock – Vocal – Jazz – Helium – Country – Underwater; well the options are quite varied; thanks to Creatives app software, plus you can download add-ons that will inevitable offer you more effects that actually make some music tracks sound as if they’re in your front room. But maybe that depends how loud you want it. Personally, I want ‘Girls Aloud’ in my front room, but alas I’m disappointed. The 229.99 GBP fee is quite a little steep for a PMP especially a Creative with the added enhancements. The best bet for a great deal is to go via the Amazon market-place and get a 6 month used one with all the accomplishments.

At the side of the X-Fi is another sound card slot that will give added memory boosters for those of your techno ambassadors who want more than the 8GB on offer. It has a gallery stroke library feature that allows options through different utilities, whether it being a USB 2.0 connectivity or downloadable material. The conversion rate is a mega piece of app that brings ultimate compression quality crystal clear to your ears. The transfer rates via PC to PMP differ, depending on the amount uploading at one time. For a 2,000 song upload the 8GB is ample amount and that is with the video and jpeg option, though who wants 2,000 videos to watch and who has the time? .Overall the PMP usage seems much quicker after updating via the allocated software available with the PMP.

The X-Fi also brings to you FM Radio option as well as importing JPEGS and small WMV video clips which aren’t music related, if required even for amusement. I still would say try and upload media from the i-Tune online site via the WiFi so you can have a wide range of digital usage. The apps will eventually allow electronic books to be played on devices such as the X-Fi, so maybe fork-out just to have that option with your PMP, as updates are always a good option, in this world of true apps domination. – Just a note for you techno fans, apps have already got into your mindset and soon will be the biggest genre via mobile technology, and that includes your PMP especially the WiFi ones, and definitely the X-Fi Creative brand. Creative is big on technology and as apps are potentially the bold robust market for demanding techies, my own sweeping notion is to buy into the brand not the product as the portable media players from now on will allow an astronomical amount of apps that will become part of your daily life very soon. So my advice is to view Creative not as an aesthetically appealing player, but as a pocket-sized life co-ordinator, and that is the way Creative is going.

Overall statistics for the Zen X-Fi Portable Media Player

Sound and Graphics - 18.55 out of 20.00
Storage – 17.38 out of 20.00
Features – 15.95 out of 20.00
Design and Navigation – 16.65 out of 20.00
Originality – 14.84 out of 20.00
OVERALL SCORE – 83.37 out of 100

I hope all the information provided has helped. Happy to answer any questions.

© 1st2thebar – 08 - 2009

 

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