Multimedia entertainment provider Creative Technology Ltd. Monday unveiled its Creative NOMAD line of portable digital audio players and also launched the new Web site.
Making its debut at the Spring Internet World ’99 trade show in Los Angeles, the Creative NOMAD portable players are aimed at consumers who want to download, transport and playback digital audio via the Internet.
The product’s features include voice recording, an FM Tuner and an LCD screen with scrolling text to view artist name and song title and rechargeable batteries.
Two versions of the portable players are available, a 64MB and a 32MB version, both weighing under two-and-a-half ounces.In addition, both versions support MP3 (MPEG 1, layer 3) audio compression standard and deliver skip-free playback. The 64MB model also offers additional media for up to two hours of near CD-quality music or up to four hours of voice recording or spoken word audio.
The Creative Digital Audio Center also allows users to encode, decode and archive MP3 files, as well as convert an unlimited number of CD tracks from personal CD collections and catalog them according to preference.
Included with the product are compilation CDs. The bundled CDs include more than 100 free MP3 songs from a various genres provided Creative’s content partners GoodNoise Corporation, MP3.com, Audio Explosion, Inc., songs.com, SINC Recordings, Big Heavy World.com, Audible Inc. and audiohighway.com.
“With NOMADWorld, we intend to provide not just content but technologies, tools, accessories and tips that will transform the experience of enjoying and creating Internet Music,” said Sim Wong Hoo, Creative’s chairman and chief executive officer.
“Through Creative’s own hugely popular Creative Zone Web site, the global Sound Blaster community has provided us with keen insights into how online music culture is evolving. Leveraging this knowledge and our audio expertise, we have created NOMADWorld as a unique place for customers to share the Internet audio phenomenon with us,” Hoo said.
The company’s Creative Zone receives more than 13 million hits per month worldwide and more than 2.4 million user sessions a month worldwide.