Creative’s finally put that whole driver fiasco behind them and released Vista-capable drivers for their X-FI cards. What took them so long? Who knows, but they’ve added DVD Audio playback, which is nice, I guess. Grab yours now if you haven’t broken your X-Fi in half already. [Creative via X-Fi]
We brought you some leaked info on Creative’s upcoming PMP not long ago, and now it’s official. The credit-card-sized player will come in 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions, and the larger two will support 802.11 b/g wi-fi for wireless syncing of music, video and photos and an IM chat function. It’s got a 2.5-inch, 320 × 240 pixel TFT screen and a SD/SDHC slot, for a max of 32GB of expansion. There’s also an FM radio, some PDA functions, and a built-in speaker to support its alarm clock option. Sound quality is given special treatment with Creative’s own “crystalizer” and “expand” options. Out in Japan at first mid-July for US$166, US$213, US$307 for the 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions. [AV Watch] galleryPost('zenxfi', 3, '');
After Vista’s release, Creative’s Audigy Sound Blaster series lost a lot of their in-built functionality. Developer, good-guy and all around hero, Daniel_K stepped up to the challenge, putting together his own drivers and asking for non-obligatory donations in recognition of his effort. Daniel_K’s drivers restored functionality, and added some extra features to boot. That’s great news, right? Apparently not; Creative is pissed.
Phew. Snappy name, eh? So snappy there’s no room on the headline for a bad pun. Lucky you, I say. Anyway, this is a new ExpressCard/54-compatible sound card that uses Creative’s X-Fi Crystallizer and 3CMSS-3D technology to give your laptop surround sound. There’s a 7.1-channel speaker docking module and all this creamy white goodness (which begs the question: if it’s only Windows-compatible, why did they do it in white?) will cost you $106 from late May. – Ad Dugdale
Creative “XFi” of XCard/54 Correspondence [PC Watch through Google Translate]
Remember the Creative X-Fi Z600 dock? It was a damn shiny dock from Creative that used the X-Fi sound processor and supported the line of Creative’s Zen players. The are re-releasing it as the X-Fi i600 for the iPod. The system has 35-watt speakers and a 130-watt subwoofer along with an IR remote and piano black finish. This player carries a $600 price tag, and for that much this thing better play a lot more than just from my iPod. It should be able to compose a piece of music for that much. It sure does look pur-ty though. –Travis Hudson
Product Page [Via Technabob]
The latest products in Creative’s XFi series, the Xdock and Xmod wireless, have seen the light of day in Japan. A step on from last year’s MP3 enhancer, as well as improving sound quality, the Xmod, which uses Creative’s XFi Crystalize technology, will wirelessly transmit music from your iPod to your speakers. Simply connect one box to the USB port of your computer and the other to the speakers. More »
