Audioplayers from Creative

Evgenie Rudometov

rudometov@rudometov.com

Company Creative regularly declares release of new models digital auiopleerov. Despite an abundance of models, all of them can be divided on two groups as the memory used in their construction used for storage of audiodata

Company Creative products – the known manufacturer of audiosolutions well-known to domestic users. Among the arrangements released by this company, the considerable share is made by digital audioplayers. These arrangements are known as MP3 players though strictly speaking, formats supported by them are not limited only MP3. Moreover, the majority of models carry out not only audioinformation playback, but also writing, for example, from a microphone, FM a radio receiver, a linear input terminal.

It is necessary to mark, that these extremely popular products are widely presented in the computer market. Their release is calculated in tens millions pieces that brings in to their manufacturers very big incomes. Company Creative entering into number of leaders of this segment of the market, is not an exception. So, for example, the aggregate profit in the third financial quarter (it was completed on March, 31st) in comparison with the similar period of last year has increased by 65 %: with 201,8 to 333,8 million US dollars. However the net profit has fallen about 48,3 mln. dollars to 15,9 mln. dollars As numerous analysts estimate, whose browses are widely presented on the Internet, income lowering is linked to an intensive advertising campaign on advancement of the newest products. As a result of the undertaken vigorous efforts which are carried out in the conditions of hard competitive struggle, market share Creative in this segment makes now about 25 %.

Two types of players

All digital audioplayers released by company Creative can be divided conditionally into two classes as the used storage media providing storage of the audioinformation.

The arrangements created on the basis of drives concern the first group. Bar Zen products concern this bar. Such models concern this bar, as Zen Micro, Zen Touch, Jukebox Zen Xtra.

The second group is made by the arrangements created on the basis of solid-state memory. Following models concern this bar: MuVo Micro N200, MuVo V200, Muvo Sport C200, MuVo TX FM, MuVo TX, MuVo Slim, etc. the Number of the models created on the basis of solid-state memory, permanently increases. Press releases testify to it. Now on a firm site 9 models are already presented.

As examples of compact, desksize digital audioplayers characterised in small weight, it is possible to result models Creative Zen Micro and Creative MuVo Micro N200.

Creative Zen Micro

The digital audio player Creative Zen Micro is the miniature arrangement, differing ergonomic design, conveniently is located in a hand and is controlled touch tach-pedom. The miniature hard disk in size of 5 Gbytes, a part of a player, contains to 2500 songs in format WMA or 1250 in format MP3. The removable recharged battery provides 12 hours of audioplayback. Player Zen Micro is the multifunctional arrangement combining digital audio a player, FM a radio receiver and a dictophone. The player provides fast loading of files through port USB 2.0 with a speed about one song in a second. It is released in ten variants of a colouring.

Photo 1. Audioplayer CreativeZen Micro

Specifications

• The sizes (Width h Height h Depth) - 51 mm x 84 mm x 19 mm
• Weight - 108 g with the battery
• Information capacity of the carrier - 5 Gbytes
• Power supply is carried out from the battery recharged lithium-ionic. Besides, power supply is fulfilled on bus USB at hooking up to the power supply or active USB to computer port
• Resource of continuous operation from completely charged battery of the battery - MP3 128 Kbit/sek - till 12 o'clock, WMA 64 Kbit/sek - till 12 o'clock, FM radio - till 16 o'clock
• Playback formats - MP3 - to 320 Kbit/sek, WMA - to 320 Kbit/sek, WMA with function Digital Rights Management (DRM) 9
• Record formats - the Voice (through the built in microphone) - IMA ADPCM (16 kgts, mono), FM radio - IMA ADPCM (22 kgts, the Stereo)
• FM radio (the Stereo and mono) - to 32 preinstalled servers in a band of 87.5 MHz ~ 108.0 MHz with an interval 100 kgts
• Playback MP3 - the Relation a signal/noise - to 98 db, Sharing of channels – to 70 db, the Frequency response characteristic - 20 Hz ~ 20 kgts, Harmonious deformation - <0.1 %
• Plugs:

• Port for ear-phones - 3.5 mm of a stereo minidzhek, 25 mvt on the channel
• Port USB 2.0 Standard female connector USB mini-B
• USB 2.0 (High-speed)
• USB 1,1 (polnoskorostnoj)

• ZHK the display: the Display 160 x 104 pixels with white highlighting
• Characteristics of ear-phones:

• Frequency response characteristic: 20 Hz ~ 20 kgts
• Sensitivity: 111 db ±5 db (Level I/P:1 mvt)
• Resistance: 32 Ohm ±15 %
• The jack: the Stereo minidzhek 3.5 mm

System requirements

• Microsoft Windows 98SE/Me/2000/XP
• Intel of Pentium II 350 MHz or AMD K6 450 MHz, for MP3 codings is recommended to Pentium III 450 MHz or above
• 64 Mb RAM, are recommended 128 Mb
• Port USB 1.1, for faster loading is recommended USB 2.0
• 30 Mb of free space on HDD for system requirements, for musical files are required an additional place
• Drive of CD-ROM with support of digital audio

Delivery package

• Player Creative Zen Micro
• High-quality ear-phones
• 1 lithium-ionic the battery
• 1 cable USB 2.0
• Cover
• Compact disc with ON

Photo 2. Audioplayer CreativeZen Micro, audiocolumns Creative and notebook FujitsuSiemens AMILO M 1420

Creative MuVo Micro N200

The digital audio player MuVo Micro N200 is the smallest digital audio player Creative. It is supplied bright ZHK by the display with blue highlighting and the multilingual interface. The power supply any unit of type AAA can be. The player has the sizes 33.5x65.5x13мм. Its weight makes only 34 g together with a battery and 22 g – without a battery. Presented by various models with a memory capacity of 128/256/512/1024 Mb, player MuVo Micro N200 contains till 2/4/8/16 o'clock music in format MP3 or 4/8/16/32 hours per format WMA (at average duration of a song of 4 minutes - 64 Kbit/sek WMA, 128 Kbit/sek MP3). The player is supplied by built in radio receiver FM and a microphone from which it can carry out writing. Possibility of direct decoding of audio of the signal arriving through a linear input terminal, in format MP3 is besides, provided also. Interface USB 2.0 the song in a second provides fast loading of files from the PC with a speed. It is capable to work continuously till 15 o'clock from one battery AAA.

Photo 3. Audioplayer Creative MuVo Micro N200

Total characteristics

• The sizes (Width h Height h Depth): 33.5 mm x 65.5 mm x 13.0 mm
• Weight 22 g without the battery or 34 g with the battery
• The size built in NAND the flash-memory makes 128 MB, 256 MB, 512, 1024 MB
• Power supply is carried out from one alkalinovoj batteries AAA or from active bus USB at hooking up to the computer
• Resource of continuous operation from new alkalinovoj batteries AAA - MP3 128 Kbit/sek - till 15 o'clock, WMA 64 Kbit/sek - till 11 o'clock, FM radio - till 12 o'clock
• Playback formats - MP3 - to 320 Kbit/sek, WMA - to 320 Kbit/sek, WMA with function Digital Rights Management
• Record formats - the Voice (through the built in microphone): IMA ADPCM (8 kgts, 4 bits, mono), FM radio - IMA ADPCM (16 kgts, 4 bits, mono), inline code - MP3 44.1 kgts (96.128 or 160 Kbit/sek)
• FM radio - the Stereo and mono, to 32 preinstalled servers in a band of 87.5 MHz ~ 108.0 MHz with an interval 50 kgts
• Playback MP3 - the Relation a signal/noise - to 90 db, Sharing of channels - to 65 db, the Frequency response characteristic - 20 Hz ~ 20 kgts, Harmonious deformation - <0.1 %
• ZHK the display with the permission 96 h 32 and blue highlighting
• Plugs:

• Port for ear-phones - 3.5 mm of a stereo minidzhek, 5~7 mvt on the channel
• Jack for a linear input terminal - the Stereo minidzhek 2.5 mm
• Port USB - Standard female connector USB mini-B
• USB 2.0 (High-speed)
• USB 1.1 (polnoskorostnoj)

• Characteristics of ear-phones:

• Frequency response characteristic - 20 Hz ~ 20 kgts
• Sensitivity - 111 db ±5 db (Level I/P:1 mvt)
• Resistance - 32 Ohm ±15 %
• The jack - the Stereo minidzhek 3.5 mm

The minimum system requirements

• Microsoft Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Windows 98 Second Edition (SE)
• The processor of Intel Pentium® II 350 MHz, AMD® K6-2 450 MHz or above (for MP3 codings in Creative MediaSource the MHz or above is recommended to Pentium III 450)
• Drive of CD-ROM with support of digital extract of a sound
• Port USB 1.1 (it is recommended USB 2.0)
• 64 Mb RAM (128 Mb are recommended)
• 10 Mb of free space on a hard disk (for storage of audio of files the additional place is required)
• Graphics adapter SVGA (256 colours, the permission 800 x 600 or above)

Delivery package

• Player Creative MuVo Micro N200
• 1 alkalinovaja battery AAA
• Instal CD
• Cable USB and cable for a linear input terminal
• The short instruction on installation and maintenance

Photo 3. The comparative sizes of audioplayer CreativeMuVo Micro N200

Certainly, the enumerated models do not settle all diversity of audioplayers. Their number is great and permanently increases. However the given models can be considered as typical arrangements of the given class. As a matter of fact, difference of the specified representatives consists in design features, design, weight and width of functionality though it is difficult enough to present that else it is possible to offer, not imposing unnecessary attributes.

Competitors

However company Creative should look back all time at potential contenders among whom one of the cores is well-known Apple, released the iPod and its clones. Recently company Apple has released the cheap model created on the basis of the flash-memory.

Does not leave the claims and Sony, known for the models Walkman and players with minidisks.

It is necessary to add, that Korean giant Samsung has laid down to itself the aim to take the third place in this attractive segment of the market, having parted forcibly competitors. Taking into consideration financial and production potentialities of this player, can expect activation of its activity.

However and many other things the companies are not gathered to stand aside. As a result on the given segment of the market competitive struggle will be hard and irreconcilable. And it means new models of audioplayers under the attractive price.

In article open substances of company Creative are used, audioplayers are given by company EAST SIDE Consulting