Creative Zen Sleek

[Jason Dunn]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=13599' target='_blank'>http://uk.europe.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=214&product=13599</a><br /><br /></div><i>"Creative' Zen Sleek MP3 player, in durable aluminium and glossy white, is stylish and easy to use. Featuring Creative's Touch Pad control and large blue backlit display it takes personal entertainment to a new level, fitting comfortably into the hand for fingertip management of all its powerful features. Its 20GB hard disk can store up to 10,000 songs* in WMA or 5,000 in MP3, with quick and easy downloads from a PC at up to a song per second via USB 2.0. The Zen Sleek offers playtimes up to 18 hours from its rechargeable battery, plus direct recording from the built-in FM radio and microphone."</i><br /><br /><img src="http://www.digitalmediathoughts.com/images/creative-zen-sleek.jpg" /><br /><br />I have a Jukebox Zen Xtra, and it's a bit big and clunky - not much competition for an iPod from the size and looks department. The Zen Sleek (I keep typing Zen Skeet - the kind of MP3 player you'd use once then shoot with a shotgun) looks much nicer - only 0.67 inches thick (the 20 GB iPod is 0.63" thick), 2" LCD screen (pity it's not in colour and more high-res), and 18 hours of battery life. Nice!

[randalllewis]

Geez, Creative is certainly churning out the news these days. Apparently they stole a page from the recent successful turn around of Samsung, which is largely attributed to their hiring of a new team of product designers. First we get the Zen Micro and Neeon, then they start updating older (and clunky) products like the Xtra (with the Sleek) and the PMC (with the Vision).

Now, Creative, lets see some creative-ity in marketing.