Creative just put up the sales page for their ZiiO 7" Android 2.1 tablet on their US webstore, in stock and ready for shipment. The price is $250 for the 8GB version, $270 for 16GB. Free shipping through Amazon. It is powered by a nice Creative ZiiLABS ZMS-08 Cortex-A8 processor at 1GHz touting 1080p videoplayback support, with a slated Android 2.2 update sometime early next year. Other standard features include bluetooth, wifi (b/g), hdmi, microSD, and a front-facing camera. All this is coupled by a resistive touchpanel and an ordinary 7" 800x480 TFT-LCD display. Some glaring issues include the lack of wireless n connectivity, shipping Android 2.1, and the resistive touchscreen. We can't say we are a big fan of the design either. But if this works as advertised, it might be a viable alternative for those looking for a portable multimedia Android tablet, as the list of supported multimedia formats looks to be decent. We are also awaiting audiophiles to actually test the claims of the sound quality. Specifications (from Creative) Capacity: 8GB / 16GB (16GB is available exclusively on Creative.com) Color: White Screen Size: 7" (diagonal) Display: 16.8mill color TFT, Resistive Touch Screen Resolution: 480 x 800 pixels Dimension: 207.4 x 133 x 13.7mm Weight: 400g Processor: ZiiLABS ZMS-08 HD Media-Rich Applications Processor Operating System: Android 2.1 Bluetooth Version: Bluetooth 2.1 EDR (with apt-X & A2DP) Wireless Network: IEEE 802.11 b/g HD Video-out: Yes (up to 720p) Camera: Front camera (VGA) Built-in Microphone: Yes (Mono) Built-in Speaker: Yes (Stereo) Accelerometer: Yes Memory Expansion: microSD, up to 32GB Audio Enhancement: X-Fi Audio Enhancements (Crystalizer, Expand) Audio Support: MP3, AAC, WMA9, FLAC, OGG, MIDI, WAV, Audible Format Video Support: H.264, MPEG4, WMV9, MOV, AVI, MKV Photo Support: JPG, BMP, PNG Connectors: mini USB, 3.5mm Stereo jack RAM: 512MB (from FAQ) Source: AndroidGuys
I don't get it with all these manufacturers... It's like they want their devices to fail in the market. Why not launch with capacitive multi-touch and 2.2? Why deliberately make a brand new product unimpressive?
The only thing that comes to mind is that they have probably been working on this before the demand for a 2.2 capacitive device..either that or they are trying to compare it to the eReader which don't require capacitive touch...So by not using capacitive, it keeps the cost down which allows them to place more goodies like 1080p playback...this way when compared to other eReader, it stands out and looks better.... Im on your side tho...I'd prefer a capacitive touch..its the way to go if you have the choice.
By the way, they did not list the RAM on this thing Yes the Nook Color is much better than this as a tablet
There is actually a 25%off store wide sale, which specifies that does not apply ONLY to Zen MP3 players, yet when I go to checkout it will not let me use the discount. At $175 with free shipping I would have pulled the trigger, eyes closed
RAM: 512MB (from FAQ) Just needs Froyo and a small price drop to add to the appeal. Needs to be cheaper than the Nook Color, at least. Otherwise seems very nice.
Keep in mind the NC is 1024x600. Much better screen. Of course you need to tinker to get root/Market/apps, etc. But hey if you're here that should be easy! -Matt
