Creative Technology has a new series of digital audio players: the NOMAD Jukebox C and NOMAD II C.
The former sports 6GB of storage capacity and has an estimated Internet price (EIP) of US$269. The latter, bundled with 32MB of onboard memory and a Smart Media memory expansion slot, carries an EIP price tag of $129. Both digital audio players are now available, at least in the U.S.
Creative has also unveiled several NOMAD accessories. The NOMAD Jukebox C accessory kit (EIP $49.99) includes a Jukebox pouch, carrying case, four AA NiMH rechargeable batteries, car-cassette adapter and stereo backphones. The NOMAD II C-series accessory kit (EIP $29.99) includes a carrying pouch, wired remote control, car-cassette adapter, and stereo backphones. The two C-series accessory kits and more goodies are available from Creative’s online store.
The NOMAD Jukebox C is a 14-ounce digital audio player that’s the size of a portable CD player. It features a line-in for analog recording from external sources and dual line-out connections for immersive surround sound. Unlike other hardware-based solutions, the NOMAD Jukebox C also includes an onboard real-time digital signal processor (DSP) for superior audio playback, EAX technology and customization, according to Kevin Brangan, NOMAD brand manager at Creative.
A headphone-out jack supports headphone spatialization and equalizer effects. This firmware upgradeable portable digital audio player supports multiple formats including MP3, WMA and WAV file formats. The NOMAD Jukebox C also supports downloadable features including new effects algorithms, new compression standards, security features, and auto playlist generators and other personal storage capabilities, Brangan said.
The three-ounce NOMAD II C packs 32MB of onboard flash memory, USB support, a voice recorder, and an icon-based backlit LCD with scrolling text to view artist name and song title, and an open Smart Media slot for memory expansion. The NOMAD II C also lets you download support for future codec standards and digital rights management technology, enabling the NOMAD II C to play digital music in secure formats, Brangan said.
Software for the NOMAD C-series digital audio play includes SoundJam, Casady & Greene’s MP3 player and recorder for the Mac. If you are using OS X, you may want to use iTunes — as we reported yesterday, C&G has found incompatibilities between OS X and SoundJam. Details on both new products can be found at the NOMAD Web page.