zii

As the iPhone-iPod audio docking systems move into a more mature phase, Creative is hitching its wagon to Bluetooth in a bid to differentiate itself in this crowded category. Bluetooth compatibility allows the wide range of A2DP devices--which includes iPhones, iPads, recent iPod Touch models, most recent smartphones, and many PCs--to stream audio wirelessly to the speaker. On the PC speaker side, Creative has the $130 Inspire S2 Bluetooth system, and now the company has bulked up its audio line with several Bluetooth-enabled iPod speaker options, including the ZiiSound D5, a higher-end model that retails for $300.

The nice thing … Read more

Images of Creative Labs' new Bluetooth speaker, the ZiiSound D5, have been floating around the Web for the past few months, but the product is now officially available.

Creative is calling the D5 "the flagship" model in its line of wireless speaker systems, which includes the Inspire S2 Wireless system, as well as the D200 and D100. The D5 speaker works with any device that supports stereo Bluetooth and, according to Creative,  it's made with premium components and features a full-frame "monocoque exoskeleton for maximum rigidity." Also, according to company, its ZiiSound D5 has … Read more

This week, Donald will just not_shut_up already, so Jasmine tries to impose a word cap on his ramblings (it fails). Items that are babbled upon include the overly bass-heavy Dr. Dre Beats Solo headphones, a potential Zii war between Nintendo and Creative, an itty-bitty $9 MP3 player, and a potential HD video player from Cowon. Also, Donald shoots Jasmine with lasers, and we drool over an ultraquiet vacuum with a built in iPod speaker.

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SHENZHEN, China--Aside from the Zii platform, Creative also showcased some of its consumer products during the Zii Summit here. A particularly interesting specimen was an iPod speaker dock called ZiiSound D5. Our first question was: Is there a Zii processor in there? The answer is no. We don't know why Creative would want to borrow its processor's name, but this new range of speakers won't have Zii chips in them.

Like many other iPod docks, this one will act as both speakers and a charger for your Apple MP3 player or iPhone. A dongle attaches to the … Read more

Creative's ZiiLabs announced on Monday the ZMS-08 processor, its third-generation product that brings 1080p H.264 decoding to the table.

According to ZiiLabs' specifications page, the second-generation ZMS-05 is capable of H.264 720p video decoding at 8Mbps, while the new chip does H.264 1080p at 40Mbps and also boasts OpenGL ES 2.0 support, an integrated HDMI controller, and Flash acceleration.

This chip is powered by a 1GHz Arm Cortex A8 processor. It's targeted at media-rich applications, yet is supposed to have low power requirements. ZiiLabs does not make any consumer products itself but intends for … Read more

The Creative Zii Egg is officially announced, and Jasmine is very confused about the whole thing. Donald's muted attempts to offer clarity are unsuccessful. Also, the MP3 Insiders have caught wind of the potential new S-Series Walkman and are none-too-taken with the Disney design leanings. Plus, a dead-simple (and ugly) new MP3 player from Archos draws scorn, and Donald and Jasmine respond to criticism about talking about Apple too much...and then proceed to dedicate the last third of the show to iPhone apps and the potential for cameras on the iPod.

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We knew Creative was up to something when that Zii Egg FCC application flew past us earlier this month, but we had no idea it would be this awesome, or this confusing. Turns out the Zii Egg (what an unfortunate name) is a multitouch-wielding, HD video-playing, dual-camera-having (front and back) rival to the iPhone and iPod Touch, running on Google's Android OS (see all the official specs over at Zii.net).

You can grab a 32GB model now for $400, but don't expect it to be fully baked. Creative is announcing this as a "developer edition" … Read more

Jasmine and Donald bring the Sony X-Series Walkman into the studio for some hands-on analysis. Creative shows signs of life with an FCC filing for a new touch screen portable media player. Apple laughs all the way to the bank.

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A filing with the FCC offers some evidence that Creative has a new touch-screen portable media player in the works. Named after the system-on-a-chip processor Creative showed off during CES 2009, the Zii (and the developer-only Zii EGG) include music and video playback capabilities, 802.11b/g Wi-Fi, and an HD camera on the back.

Little else about the player is revealed in the FCC filing, but it's pretty easy to connect the dots and see that Creative is playing catchup with Apple's iPod Touch. Creative is no stranger to playing second fiddle to Apple, but the company … Read more