Creative Releases Their Creative Ziio Tablets

Ever since the Apple iPad went on sale and created a new market, big and small companies alike have tried to bring their own version of the tablet computer into it. Ranging from S Korea's Samsung and their Galaxy Tab and LG Electronics with their Optimus Tablet to Taiwan's ASUS and their EeePad to Canada's Research In Motion and their BlackBerry PlayBook and many many more. And now the latest to join in the tablet market is Creative from Singapore and their range of Ziio Tablets.


**Skip 2 paragraphs down if you want to read about the tablets only  =) **

Creative, internationally known for their X-Fi audio technology, has been quietly releasing some products recently such as their range of wireless speakers. Anyway, I support our local electronics company. I've owned their Zen, Zen X-Fi mp3 players, X-Fi 5.1 external soundcard, 5.1 speakers, an Aurvana earphones and Vado HD 2nd Gen pocket cam. So far, I find that their X-Fi audio technology still beats everything out there, the mp3 players put out better sounds than any other mp3 players, even the widely-popular iPod. A quick search will show you that many people think the same way. Also, their Vado HD pocket cam, is small, powerful and wins over the competing brands. Its recording quality, while more or less the same now as when it was released in 2008, still beats the "advanced" iPhone 4 HD video-recordings. I was generally happy with Creative products for their balance of price, build quality and functions and am always excited to look out for their new products.

However, on the gadget-front, this company hasn't been doing too well recently. I liked their mp3 players simply cause of the good audio and also cause they're still making button-operated ones, which is important to me since I tend to interact with my mp3 players in my pocket or without having to look at it. Then came along their Zen X-Fi 2, their first mp3 player to be fully touchscreen and trying to follow in the footsteps of the successful iPod Touch. While the audio is still great, the user interface is not responsive and a pain to use. That disappointed me. Creative has just tried to step into the touchscreen gadgets arena and failed.

Creative Ziio Tablets in 7in and 10in forms

Alright, back to the tablets, which is the main point of this post. Lol. So just last week, Creative UK has announced the new Ziio tablets. These came in the white 7in and the black 10in versions. These tablets are powered by Andriod 2.1 but are currently only wifi enabled, which means no access to the Andriod Market. Unless these devices are upgraded to Andriod 2.2, it's a feature that won't be seen on Ziio.

Besides the size, both version on Ziio have common features:

1) Creative own ZiiLABS processor

2) Both available in 8GB or 16GB versions

3) 1 front-facing VGA camera and mic for video calling

4) Resistive touchscreen (no multi-touch), with embedded stylus

5) X-Fi technology

6) Built-in speaker

7) Accelerometer

8) WiFi-enabled

9) Accessible to Creative ZiiStore for apps and games

10) Expandable memory via microSD cards

11) HDMI-out for displaying HD videos on TVs

While many are quick to say that resistive touchscreens do not offer multitouch, as opposed to capacitive ones like those used on smartphones nowadays, I personally think that multitouch is not a necessary feature.  If you had used a touchscreen phone before the age of multitouch, you would have known that. You do not need multitouch to swipe a page left or right, to type on the keyboard or zoom in or out. What matters is proper implementation of the user interface. The only reason for multitouch is for the games, which the Ziio is clearly not intended for.

I would like to have a feel of the Ziio when it reaches Singapore, but as of now, I'll just have to contend with the following 2 videos. From what I can see, HD video playback is very smooth, even when it is connected to the TV. The host even had a go at Angry Birds on the Ziio and performance was surprisingly good. I say that because of the flop Creative had with touchscreen on the Zen X-Fi 2. However, the interface is quite laggy when navigating through the apps, but that's sluggishness is due to the Andriod 2.1 and not cause of the processor. I do hope that it will upgrade to 2.2 soon and clear that up.

The Ziio is by no means an iPad-killer, but it will satisfy the needs of people who wants a cheap and yet powerful AV (audio-video) device without all the fuss of multitouch or apps or games. A device that's purely for consuming content. I, for one, am one of those people who are looking out for just such a device that allows me to watch videos, surf the net and read view PDFs comfortably. And I'm glad that Creative is the one doing it. By the way, the Ziio is mostly made of plastic, so it's also very much lighter and comfortable to hold in the hands for extended periods of time.

At a starting price of only SG$359 for the most basic Ziio, it's already half as cheap as the cheapest Apple's iPad which goes by about SG$650, without contract, and much more affordable. It even provides features that the iPad doesn't have such as the front-facing camera and a much more common mini-USB connection port. This is yet another Creative device that I'm looking at. I hope they don't disappoint me again.

Update (7/11/10): I just realised that the 7in version is natively portrait and also looks very similar to the Samsung Galaxy S. However, the 10in is natively landscape; its buttons are position along the longer side of the tablet. The 7in outputs video in 720p while the 10in outputs in 1080p.

Source: Creative SG