Creative Chases iPod with NOMAD Zen

Creative Technology has released a new incarnation of its NOMAD Jukebox, which the company hopes will lure away potential buyers of Apple's iPod. The new hard drive-based MP3 player, dubbed the NOMAD Jukebox Zen, offers 20GB of capacity in a package similar to that of the iPod. And with both USB and FireWire connectivity at a price point significantly less than Apple's, the Zen just might have what holiday shoppers are searching for.

"We've done something incredible here," said Creative CEO Sim Wong Hoo. "We're priced at 40% less than the competition; feature both USB and blazing fast FireWire so that we're compatible with the hundreds of millions of PCs out there; and offer outstanding audio quality at up to 98dB SNR."

The NOMAD Jukebox Zen features 12 hours of rechargeable battery life inside its sleek anodized aluminum case. Because Creative utilized less expensive 2.5-inch hard drives as opposed to the 1.8-inch Toshiba drive found in the iPod, the player is bulkier than Apple's offering. But the ability to pack in more features at a lower price was well worth the extra 2.3 ounces says Creative.

"In designing the NOMAD Jukebox Zen we gave our engineers and designers a huge challenge to come up with a unit that looks cool, is packed with features and fits in your pocket; and to do it at a breakthrough price," said Lisa O'Malley, NOMAD brand manager for Creative Labs, in Monday's announcement. "In meeting this goal our engineers chose the rugged 2.5-inch hard drive found in many top notebook computers and available from several manufacturers, giving us a significant cost advantage over the 1.8-inch hard drive used by the competition."

With support for Microsoft's WMA format, Creative touts the ability of the player to hold 8,000 songs as compared to 5,200 MP3s a 20GB Apple iPod can hold, but WMA has largely failed to take off as a dominant music format. The player also incorporates Creative's EAX Technology to offer volume management and other audio enhancement capabilities.

The NOMAD Jukebox Zen will sell for $299 USD after a $50 mail-in rebate at numerous online retailers, as well as Fry's Electronics, J&R Electronics and Cambridge SoundWorks. Apple's 20GB iPod for Windows sells for $499. Both players include headphones and a carrying case.