Creative has announced a couple of pairs of new earbuds – the HS-930i and the Aurvana In-Ear 2s. The former is designed for the iPhone and features an in-line microphone, and the latter are an update of the original Aurvana In-Ears.

Looking first at the Aurvana earbuds, Creative says that the new version “sports bolder aesthetics and more refined acoustic tuning”. You won’t see much of those aesthetics when they’re stuck in your ears, but we applaud the principle nonetheless. On the acoustic tuning side, there’s now a grille on the back of the buds that should offer a little more detail in the sonic presentation. They’re bassy – offering a frequency response of 15Hz to 16kHz, and have an impedance of 42 ohms and a sensitivity of 110 dB/mW.

The Aurvana In-Ear 2s are made of metal, and come with an oxygen-free copper cable, gold-plated plug and a slider that can adjust the length of that cable to minimize impact noise. They also come with a travel case that includes a cleaning tool, airplane adapter and various different sized earbuds.

Over to the HS-930i, which we reckon looks rather more stylish than the Aurvana. There is a metal housing that can rotate to allow you to loop the cables back over your ears, and there’s also an in-line microphone with a button that’ll allow you to answer and hang up phone calls without taking your phone out of your pocket.

If you’d rather use them with your computer, they come with a PC adapter to convert the 4-pole jack into both a headphone jack and a microphone jack. On the specs side, they contain a 6mm Neodymium driver that pumps out a frequency response of 20Hz to 20kHz with an impedance of 16 ohms and a sensitivity of 105dB/mW.

Both sets of earbuds cost $149.00, and they’re available now from Creative’s online store.

JC Hyun Systems, a premier leader in car infotainment systems announced the RUNZ CI-7100 Car Infotainment System, the world’s first car infotainment system which is developed exclusively using Creative’s award-winning Xtreme Fidelity (X-Fi) technology to enhance the overall in-car audio experience of motorists. The audio experience of watching movies or listening to music in cars with X-Fi technology will be truly amazing.

Main Features of RUNZ CI-7100

The RUNZ CI-7100 Car Infotainment System is built using a powerful Intel dual-core (360/300MHz) processor. It features the MMSP2 MPEG video hardware engine, SiRF III GPS chipset and Creative Technology’s revolutionary X-Fi Audio Processor. The RUNZ CI-7100 features an intuitive 7-inch digital LCD touch screen capable of displaying 800 x 480 high-resolution images and videos. Audio quality is digitally restored and improved using both Creative X-Fi Crystalizer and Creative X-Fi CMSS-3D. Additional features of the RUNZ CI-7100 include two AV in/out ports, USB 2.0 and SD memory card interfaces and Bluetooth 2.0 Enhanced Data Rate (EDR) support.

“I believe all motorists seek to enjoy music and videos of the highest quality when travelling in their cars. They expect the same high standards of entertainment experience they enjoy at home, something which most car audio or car infotainment systems in the market have been unable to match so far. By integrating the state-of-the-art Creative X-Fi audio technology to the RUNZ CI-7100, I am confident that we can propel car infotainment enjoyment to the next level and set the standard for next generation systems to come in the near future.” said JH Lee, Senior Sales Director of JC Hyun Systems.

“We are thrilled to bring the world-renowned X-Fi technology to motorists and their passengers who will now be able to experience compelling audio quality when listening to music or watching movies,” said Low Long Chye, Senior Product Manager of Audio at Creative Technology. “The X-Fi technology is fully optimized so audio and visual entertainment in the car can be enjoyed in amazing high-definition audio clarity and detail”.

Features of X-Fi Technology (X-Fi Crystalizer and X-Fi CMSS-3D)

The RUNZ CI-7100 Car Infotainment System supports Creative X-Fi Crystalizer and Creative X-Fi CMSS-3D. Creative X-Fi Crystalizer technology restores fine details and vibrance lost in compressed music and movies. All the highs and lows are also intelligently enhanced to ensure that users hear everything in ultra-realistic audio quality. Creative X-Fi CMSS-3D technology expands stereo MP3s and digital movies into surround sound over multi-channel speakers within the car. The 3D positional audio function allows voices to be centered to the front of users and ambient sounds to encapsulate the audience.

Pricing and Availability

The RUNZ CI-7100 Car Infotainment System is now available in Singapore through its authorised dealer, Navigator Systems Pte Ltd at a suggested retail price of S$1,999.00. The RUNZ CI-7100 Car Infotainment System is also equipped with the latest Tele-Atlas Maps from Sygic.