“Creative today unveiled the Zii Egg. The device is in its stock form a competitor to the iPod touch with a 3.5-inch 480×320 multi-touch display that supports music, photo and video playback as well as web browsing,” Electronista reports.
“Creative however sees the device as a development platform. The built-in Plaszma operating system is Linux-based and therefore open-source, letting companies or end users add software, change features or even replace the OS; the device is ready to use Google’s Android almost out of the box,” Electronista reports.
“It also promises certain technical edges over the iPod through a graphics processor that can not only render 42 million pixels per second but output video at 720p or 1080p through HDMI,” Electronista reports. “The general-purpose design gives it not only Bluetooth and Wi-Fi but both an HD-capable outward camera for taking photos and a front VGA camera for self-portraits or video conferencing. A GPS receiver is built-in for location-based apps even when the Zii Egg is beyond Wi-Fi, and Creative’s X-Fi audio processing is standard.”
“Creative hasn’t specified plans to ship the Zii Egg as its own, pre-packaged device. [Rather, they are] is inviting other firms to treat it as a blank slate,” Electronista reports.
Direct link via YouTube here.
Full article here.
View the press release here.
A 32GB Zii Eg along with the Zii Plaszma Starter Kit (SDK) can be had for US$399. More info here.
MacDailyNews Take: We don’t know — can’t quite place it — but, for some reason, that Zii EGG looks very familiar.
Que Apple Legal department….
Wow, blantant rip off. I really though Creative had died but I guess they’re still around, or at least for a while longer until Apple gets finished suing them to their death.
This is it! The real iPod touch killer!
Only $399 for the hardware and the SDK!
All you need to do is roll your own OS and Apps.
No problem! Snap!
Or you could buy a real iPod touch and download all the taylor made Apps you want for a few bucks extra.
Choices are good.
If Jesus thinks it looks interesting who am I to argue?
HD Vid?
That is interesting. But my family is 4 3GS’s and one iPod Touch in already. I think we’re set thanks.
It’s amazing apple is still alive at all considering how many killers have been stalking it… Remeber the headlines for Zune?
@Willie G
T1 is 1.544 megabits/sec. WiFi 802.11G is 54 megabits/sec. 802.11N, which Apple supports with AirPort Extreme, is in the range of 100 megabits/sec.
So by today’s standards, a T1 is slow. There are other factors affecting speed on all of these, but T1 doesn’t mean what you think it does.
Actually its a good idea. Rather than having companies investing their own money creating the next “iPod Killer” that completely tanks they instead buy the completed “iPod Killer”, put their brand, etc on it and then sell it to underwhelming success, scap it, and go on to other markets. Meanwhile Creative will sell it to the next company whose CEO figures they need to go after the iPod market. Think of how much money Microsoft could save by buying this, making a brown version of it and sapping a Zune Touch logo on it.
I just walked by “Monkey” Ballmers office and almost got hit by a flying chair. I should’ve known, moments before I heard some nasty words about Creative and their new Egg.
I see a lot of what I expect from the faithful here, including MDN. The big criticism of this is that it looks like a touch.
However, it’s PACKED with features the iPhone/iPod touch haven’t brought (yet, anyway) — features the potential and real user bases have been hoping for. Front-facing camera for (even limited) video conferencing, bluetooth, HD video out, etc.
For those mumbling about “bring your own OS”, you *can* do that, but it runs Linux. Build your own GUI if you want, but the galaxy of apps will run just fine, thankyouverymuch.
Unless there are serious hardware problems, this is a device to watch.
Is today April Fools Day in July?
@ Original Shiva: “So why hasn’t Apple included two cameras as these people have? I like the video conferencing they have going on.”
If you have to ask such a question, you know nothing about Apple and their feature release process. Apple could in fact put every feature known to man into their devices, but what’s the point? Having a feature for the sake of being able to say you have it can make for a very disappointing experience.
Bolting features onto these devices is not very hard to do; being happy with the end result can be very dissatisfying, especially if the all the pieces required to make the experience are not up a practical usable level; hardware, software, network, video standards.
I’m guessing Apple would only add video conferencing to the iPhone when it is up to par with iChat on the Mac. I’ve also noticed that video conferencing, while a great “show-off” feature, doesn’t get used much after the novelty wears off. There may also be compatibility issues with video streaming formats, possible carrier network restrictions, etc.
Furthermore, third parties are free to build their own cameras that can hook in to the Dock connector and write video conferencing software to use it.
These are probably all factors in Apple’s decision not to include it in current hardware.
Google is the new-Microsoft that Apple WANT to have around. Who else used to trail Apple at the low-end without innovation? Hmmm…
Apple at the top, Google at the bottom (no space left in the middle), both creating software/hardware for the next generation of needs while MS can’t even get the already-outdated WinCE 6.5 out the door.
It’s is not a killer of anything but maybe the Zune HD Vaporware Killer. It’s just Creative’s Vaporware Product. No Apps, no traction, no retail position, They are looking for OEM sales to software companies that want to risk marketing a look-a-like Product. Creative is done with competing with Apple directly. So, they are hoping Joe Software guy looking for a way to get into the handheld market will see it and jump on the chance to build some software and a UI then discover that they are competing with Apple’s iPod touch and iPhone and they would have been better off just building a killer APP and selling it in Apple iTunes App Store.
Does anyone seriously ever expect to see any of these on the street?
Is changing the “W” from Wii to whatever you like this year’s version of putting “i” in front of your product’s name?
Creative isn’t!
That’s right. Keep adding more competitors into the mix. The more the merrier.
With all these manufacturers throwing platforms into the market Apple’s cohesive platform (with all their models sharing the same features & screen size) and 50 million unit lead looks like the only way to go for developers.
“Creative hasn’t specified plans to ship the Zii Egg as its own, pre-packaged device. [Rather, they are] is inviting other firms to treat it as a blank slate,”
Aside from the slate being photocopied‚ I’d say it’s a good strategy. Oh‚ and this is another way of saying: “we know this is a derivative device that will probably bankrupt us; please‚ third parties‚ bring it to market for us.”
Good luck with that.
@PC Apologist: “For those mumbling about “bring your own OS”, you *can* do that, but it runs Linux. Build your own GUI if you want, but the galaxy of apps will run just fine, thankyouverymuch.”
While that’s great and all, a lot of people seem to forget the iPhone SDK allows for 3rd parties to develop USB and Bluetooth peripherals for the iPhone… and the software to use those devices. Someone could build a camera that connects to the Dock connector and then write an API that other developers could use to write software to use that camera, enabling video conferencing.
Being able to add hardware features in the after market makes the iPhone platform much more versatile than anything else on the market today or in the near future.
Yeah, Apple should fear it since it’s a product they’ve already brought to market. Jeepers, are there no scruples left at all?!
Still, Apple needs good solid head-to-head competition, but I think Zii has got some hefty startup challenges, namely the iPhone/Touch has got a monumental head start on available applications, and number two, well, I’ve already said it, its a carbon copy of Apple’s product… (Somebody please give me a big break.) Not only has it already been done, its already out there, and its being done better, better supported, better branded, better developed for, and its a whole generation and a half behind coming out of the starting gate.
I don’t know, from time to time Creative comes up with an original idea that’s cool, but even when they do they are just clueless on what to do with it, and the Zii wreaks of this problem right off the bat.
But good luck, as I say, Apple needs some good competition – Which in part means, design, develop, and bring to market a —- key work word here – [NEW] competing product.
I love you all. Keep up the good work.
@Original Shiva
Apple not to long ago filed a patent that described a camera setup behind the screen. So no need for two cameras, once it has been implemented.
Wow… that’s, um, creative. Or not.
Do “truth in advertising” laws apply to company names? Just curious.
MW: same
Hey, Linux people need a pod they can play with as well.
Good for them.
Doesn’t have a change!
Sorry…..chance
Quoting Mr. Peabody –
“I don’t know, from time to time Creative comes up with an original idea that’s cool, but even when they do they are just clueless on what to do with it,”
Put whatever OS you want on it?
Treat it as a blank slate?
Hasn’t specified plans to ship the Zii Egg as its own, pre-packaged device?
Sounds like “Mr. Peabody” hit the nail on the head!!!
Ahem. Excuse me. HD on the 3GS:
http://www.ilounge.com/index.php/news/comments/iphone-3g-s-teardown-suggests-720p-video-capabilities/