Isaiah's Tech

If you're looking for a cheap Android tablet for now then you might want to take a look at Creative's 7-inch ZiiO tablet which runs version 2.1 of the OS. Specs include a 400 x 800 resolution display, WiFi b/g / Bluetooth 2.1 support, and a front-facing VGA camera. Keep in mind that getting a cheap Android tablet does have its downfalls because you do get what you pay for with them. Of course, you always wait until Q1 2011 where we should see a Tegra 2 model from a major manufacturer. Check it out on Creative right now where the 8GB model is going for $249.99, while the 16GB model is $269.99.

[Engadget]

Out of all the companies out there I didn't think that today I'd be writing about new devices from Creative, but I am. They have just made their two tablets official as a part of their new Ziio line-up. These tablets come in 7 and 10-inch models and feature just about the same spec sheet. They both feature Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR / WiFi support, a microSD card slot, speakers, a ZiiLabs ZMS-08 CPU, a 3.5mm headphone jack, a miniUSB port, HD outputs, and Android 2.1. The 7-inch model sports a capacitive touchscreen display so that's a bit of good news.

The 8GB 7-inch model will cost you £199 ($320 USD), while the 16GB model will cost you £219 ($352 USD). The larger 10-inch tablet will cost you £249 ($400 USD) for 8GB and £269 ($432 USD) for 16GB. These tablets should be available in December.

[Engadget, Slash Gear]

Last week, Creative briefly introduced their Zii Trinity handset, and they announced that it'll have Full HD support. Well, a video was spotted over the weekend that showed off the HD efforts. Take a look at the video because right now it's looking pretty damn good.

At this point it's just a concept, but it's just been taken for a quick spin on video. This Android-based Creative Zii Trinity handset. There's nothing big revealed in the video, but it's always worth it to watch it. Check it out at the link below, of course.

[Engadget]

After two months it looks like the Creative Zen X-Fi2 PMP is now available in the US. This PMP is available for $129.99 (8GB), $179.99 (16GB), and $229.99 (32GB). If you want to purchase this PMP you can check out Creative's website.

[Engadget]

In case you're not interested in Creative's Zii EGG PMP or you just don't want to dish out that much money, there's the Zen X-Fi2 PMP from Creative. This PMP was just announced by Creative and it has a 3-inch touchscreen, a microSD card slot, a built-in microphone, an FM radio, an RSS reader, and 8GB / 16GB / 32GB of internal storage. This PMP will be retailing by the end of this month for $129.99 USD, $179.99, and $229.99, respectively, which is pretty cheap. The X-Fi2 is pretty cheap and Engadget said that it showed when they tested it out. It's resistive touchscreen was pretty unresponsive - according to Engadget - but Creative claims that they still need to tweak the firmware a little bit. Check out the video below.



[Engadget, Engadget] (Yes, two different links)

Some lucky guy just got his hands on a development model of the Creative Zii EGG. Apparently, the sound quality on this PMP is "the best sounding Creative player" to date. Just take a look at the two videos below, remember it's a dev model.





[Engadget]

The roadmap above and below outlines when Creative will be releasing these features on their Zii EGG PMP. The good news is that when it is launched, it'll still have a wide range of features like the Plaszma OS. The sad news is that it's also missing a lot of key features when it initially launches like Bluetooth. You can always blow up all of the roadmaps to see exactly what you will be getting and what you will be missing. Check out the link below for more information.

[Engadget]

The Creative Zii EGG looks like it is on the way soon. Apparently, the customers who have pre-ordered this sexy device are now getting billed; they are also getting told that these will be shipping by the end of the month. "As an added bonus, Creative is apparently including a free HD-out cable in these early deliveries, but we don't know if these are being pre-loaded with Android or that Plazma OS." If you're looking for more information about this device, check out this link for the spec sheet.

[Engadget]

Yes, Android users already have Opera Mini, but who wants to use that stinking thing when you can use Opera Mobile. Opera is working on getting a build of Opera Mobile to run on Android and this build will deliver Flash and Google Gears support. Joy to the world!

Creative's Zii is shaping up to be pretty damn great. But, to make things even better, it looks like it will be "the first to run a specialized version of Opera." This is great news and could mean Opera Unite Tools, widgets, etc. Opera Mobile would also be a great addition to all of this!

[Crunch Gear, Phandroid, Gizmodo]

"Creative have announced their Zii EGG developer platform, the test hardware for coders to get to grips with their freshly *Plaszma* branded Stemcell Computing system." The full spec sheet of this pretty impressive phone is below.

• 3.5″ 320×480 true-color capacitive 10-point multi-touch display
• X-Fi audio processing
• Up to 32GB internal NAND Flash
• 256MB RAM
• HDTV support via HD Cable
• Composite video In/Out
• Forward facing VGA camera
• Rear Facing HD camera
• Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g
• Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR
• Hardware GPS receiver with antenna
• 3-axis Accelerometer
• Ambient light sensor
• Full size SDHC slot (supports up to 32GB of external SDHC Card)
• USB 2.0 Mini-B (MTP and Charging)
• Universal Docking connector (HDMI, USB, Audio Line-In/Line-Out, Composite-In/Out, UART)
• Headphone socket, built in speaker and microphone
• 1200mAH rechargeable lithium-ion battery
• FCC and CE certification
• Supports Linux-based Plaszma OS and Android
• 115 x 62 x 12 mm
• Light weight: 108grams

If you want to watch a 4-minute demonstration of this device, take a look at this video below. Like I said, it has a pretty interesting iPod Touch / iPhone-esque design. Creative is now taking pre-orders for the Zii EGG for $399 USD "and bulk orders for the zero GB model are set to cost $199."



[Phandroid, Slash Gear]