controls (including the touchpad, without the 'OK' button. Making a selection would be done by tapping the touchpad). The Micro has a removable battery rated to last for up to 12 hours of continuous playback. In addition, the player has an LED-backlit LCD, a glowing case, and offers hard disk capacities of 4, 5 and 6 GB. The Micro also features a built-in FM tuner/recorder, voice recorder and microphone, partitioning for data storage (i.e. acting as a removable hard drive for PCs), and the ability to synchronize contacts, tasks and calendars with Microsoft Outlook. Accessories for the ZEN Micro include matching color speakers, wireless headsets and a wired remote control. The first 35,000 units shipped worldwide were packaged as a "Limited Edition" package that came with an additional rechargeable battery. Asian models of the Limited Edition included the extra battery and a wired remote control. At CES 2005, it was announced that the ZEN Micro line would be expanded to include 4 and 6 GB models. The ZEN Micro optionally supports the Microsoft Media Transfer Protocol and the PlaysForSure certification with updated firmware. The Micro competed with players such as iPod Mini and Rio Carbon. ZEN (Micro-based hard drive player) The ZEN was released on April 6, 2005, and is slightly larger than the ZEN Micro with a 20 GB hard drive capacity. The ZEN, however, has a magnesium back-casing and the battery is unremovable. This model was initially available in the Asia-Pacific region, but soon became available in the US through Cambridge SoundWorks, a subsidiary of Creative. ZEN Neeon The ZEN Neeon was released on May 17, 2005. It is a throwback to the old Zen Xtra, but in a much smaller size. The 5 GB model has an SNR of 98 dB and a battery life of 16 hours (19 hours with new firmware version). The front has a piano black finish, and the back is anodized aluminium that comes in ten colors. and the LCD screen has a 7 color backlight. The Creative ZEN Neeon was criticized highly at the time of release for having a slow interface, more specifically slow start-up, menus and song switch. As well, the first released models came with a Windows virus. A later firmware update provided a much quicker start-up time and interface. Like the Zen Micro, this unit has an FM tuner and a microphone, but also has a line