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It looks like the Creative ZEN X-Fi that we brought you yesterday was indeed accurate. The same device has just shown up at the FCC, but sadly the diagram was just showing off the backside, but the good news is that it does match up with the details that we have previously (see below image).

Most of the details still remain under lock and key with a clear message that the photographs are “confidential” with a message to “refer to manufacturer for details.”

So what we do know is that the device will be available in at least a 32G storage capacity, with a possibility for other and that it will be Wi-Fi enabled. But perhaps more important this does prove that the ZEN X-Fi is real and will be headed to the US retail market sooner than later.

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Still missing is the official announcement from Creative, however epiZENter is claiming the above picture of the Creative ZEN X-Fi is the real deal. Based on the image, all we can do is hope that it really is true, and wait for the official word to come from Creative.

The ZEN X-Fi will offer a lot more functionality thanks to the extra buttons off to the side of the display. The X-Fi is expected to feature built-in Wi-Fi, speaker, voice recorder, FM tuner and can handle additional storage via an SD card slot.

Although nothing official has come out, it is expected that the ZEN X-Fi will be announced within a “month or so.” As usual with early leaks, no mention was made of pricing.

Via [epiZENter]

Two new colors for the Creative ZEN have recently begun to show up online. Wal-Mart currently has a new pink color, while Buy.com is listing a red colored model, and while they are still not listed on the official Creative site the pink model is listed as in-stock at Wal-Mart, the red model from Buy.com is temporarily sold out.

The newly colored pink ZEN is listed as a Wal-Mart exclusive and is the 2GB model which retails for $69.98. The Buy.com red model is the 4GB model and is retailing for $98.24. Aside from the new coloring they will retain the same features which include a 2.5-inch display with a 320 x 240 resolution, FM radio, microSD card slot for additional storage and they offer support for a wide variety of audio and video formats. Looks like a good time to drop the pink and red, after all Mothers Day is just around the corner now.

Via [SlashGear]

There are so many small MP3 players on the market today, most of which are pretty nice. This makes it hard to decide which one to choose, however, the good guys at Generation MP3 recently offered up a nice comparison chart to offer some comparison between four players that are currently on the market. The four MP3 players being compared include the iPod Shuffle, Samsung’s new S2, iriver’s MPlayer, and the Creative Zen Stone. All of these MP3 players are really good and they all come with their own unique features. Let the battle begin!

So far, the lightest music player is Samsung’s Pebble, or the S2, weighing in at 13.6 grams. The next lightest being the iPod Shuffle. In terms of battery life, Samsung’s S2 wins again, with a long battery life of 13 hours, however, the iPod Shuffle isn’t too far behind again, coming in with 12 hours of battery life. iriver’s MPlayer only offers a 9 hour battery life, and the Stone comes in the middle with 10 hours, of course these times are all under optimal use.

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Dubbed the Zen Stone “with built-in speaker”, it features just that, a built-in speaker. The new speaker will be included on both the Zen Stone and Zen Stone Plus, the plus has an OLED display.

The new Zen Stone’s are available in a 2GB model for $49.99 and the Zen Stone Plus is available in a 2GB or 4GB model with pricing beginning at $59.99. They are both available in a variety of colors to include black, blue, champagne and pink.

Say what you want about the quality of the speaker, while I cannot imagine it having a super-high quality sound it does make a nice addition and could prove to be useful. I find myself using the built-in speaker from time to time on the iPhone to share a quick bit of audio.

Product [Creative]

Creative seems to be making an attempt to offer the best value on a portable media player, with a few recent price cuts they are now offering the 4GB Zen for just $99 and the 8GB Zen for $149.

In the recent past we also saw the 32GB Zen drop to $299 and the 1GB Zen Stone going for as little as $30 bucks.

Product [Creative] Via [Engadget]

Recently, there have been many price cuts and additions of cool new players, from the Microsoft Zune to Apple’s iPod Touch. A lot of which encourage people to stray away from Apple and Microsoft, most recently Creative has decided to cut prices of their 32GB Zen by about $30 in efforts to boost sales.

The price of Apple’s 32GB iPod Touch is $499, albeit comes loaded with a lot of cool features, but for the same storage, the Creative Zen is nice and compact device is now only $299. However, you can’t exactly compare this to the iPod Touch, so if you were to compare this to the iPod nano, for about a $100 more than the $199 price tag of the 8GB model, you get quadruple the storage plus an FM radio. With the new price cut, it is equal in price to the 8GB iPod Touch.

Via [DailyTech]

Creative Zen Aurvana was designed to boost your music experience, and to reduce up to 90% of ambient noise. Elegant design and Ergonomically designed, Zen Aurvana has a Precise Audio Reproduction due an efficient Balanced Armature drivers.

Sound power is not all.  The device comfort is also very important. Aurvana is built with silicon rubber that is hypoallergenic, durable and capable of shielding out unwanted noises for a comfortable fit and a contoured silicon rubber also to fit your ears and for Noise Isolation. Plus… it comes with an airplane adapter! You can use your Aurvana to replace those umconfortable airplanes earphones.

Read on for more about the Zen Aurvana.

Package contents

• 1 pair of noise isolation earphones
• 2 sets of contoured silicon earbuds (2 pairs, 3 sizes)
• 1 airplane adaptor
• 1 cleaning tool
• 1 travel case with integrated cable management
• 1 user guide

1. AuraSeal noise isolation technology immerses you in your music by blocking out up to 90% of ambient noise. Nearly twice as effective as leading noise cancellation headphones.
2. Ergonomically designed, the soft contoured silicon earbuds ensure a secure fit and are comfortable to wear for prolonged periods of time.
3. Double-injection moulded enclosure with high-gloss finishing for durability.
4. Ultrasonically sealed enclosure delivers distortion-free audio and weighs only 13g (0.46 oz), making it the lightest set of earphones in its class.

Read [Zen Aurvana]

If you’re not familiar with the underlying situation here, get ready for a big head ache.  The story starts about four months ago when Creative filed suit against Apple for violating their patent protecting hierarchical menu system for portable media players.  Then, Apple counter-sued Creative.  Then Apple filed another separate suit against Creative regarding data display and entry on DAP.  Well, after all of that confusion, it has come to an end.  Apple announced today that they will be paying out $100,000,000 US (you’re seeing it right, that’s millions) to Creative to license the hierarchical menu patent.  Conveniently, Engadget is reporting that this is the exact amount Creative was planning to spend on advertising against the iPod in 2005.

Not only did they jack $100m from Apple, as weird as it sounds they just became members of the Made for iPod program.  Does this mean they’re jumping ship and will begin making iPod accessories instead?  Whatever they’re doing, they’ve announced plans to ship iPod accessories by the end of the year.

Read [Yahoo News]

Creative has released two new portable audio devices to go head-to-head with the Apple iPod nano and the other flash-memory MP3 players on the market. The ZEN V and V Plus offer a whole host of features in various colors and an attractive price, trying to lure you away from your iPod.

Both have 1.5-inch color OLED screen displays and support music subscription services including Yahoo! Music Unlimited, Urge, Napster To Go, and Rhapsody To Go, in addition to supporting Audible audio books and pay-per-download services including Soundbuzz. Each player includes a line-in port for direct recording from a CD player or other audio device, and a voice recorder for capturing notes on the go. Both have added scratch protection, the ability to sync with Microsoft Outlook, multiple EQ presets, and transfer music via USB 2.0.

The V is offered in 1 and 2 GB capacities while the V Plus also offers a 4 GB version. The V Plus adds video playback as well as an built in FM tuner with 32 available presets.

Read on for pricing, availability, and another image.

The ZEN V Plus will be available in August for $329 for the 4GB model in glossy black with blue accents, $269 for the 2GB model in glossy black or white with green accents, and $199 for the 1GB model in glossy black or white with orange accents. The ZEN V will be available in July for only $229 for the 2GB model in glossy black or white with green accents, the ZEN V is also available for only $179 for the 1GB model in glossy black or white with orange accents.

Press Release [Creative]
Comparison Page [Creative]
Read [Digital Tech News]