Creative's sub-brand ZiiLABS on Tuesday released the previously unveiled optimized implementation of the Android operating system for its Plaszma development platforms, including the Zii Egg media player and ZMS-05 system module. The Android Plaszma release is based on Android 1.6 and lets supporting handheld devices play back 1080p videos for the first time.
At its recent annual meeting, Creative unexpectedly announced plans to release an e-book reader it calls the MediaBook. While the name may change before the device makes it to production, features such as a touchscreen, text-to-speech functionality and an SD memory card reader are not expected to change. It should also feature Creative's Zii processor and have the ability to browse the Internet, both of which differentiate it from other e-book readers on the market.
Creative today entered touchscreen players in earnest by launching the ZEN X-Fi2. Unlike the currently developer-only and Android-based Zii Egg, the new model is a direct replacement with a custom interface for its 3-inch touchscreen that simplifies the controls. The namesake X-Fi audio engine has also been given a boost and should restore details lost to audio compression not only in music but FM radio and video.
Creative tonight launched a small but tangible update to its Vado HD pocket video camera aimed at making it more affordable. While its only conspicuous change on the outside is a two-tone color scheme, the company now has a 4GB model that makes the camera more competitive with the falling prices of cameras like the Kodak Zi8. For the first time, the Vado line also gets Mac support: a new app known as Vado Central will let the Vado HD and earlier Vados shuttle videos directly to iMovie.
Creative has begun its first shipments of the Zii Egg, reports say. The device is Creative's first touchscreen media player, equipped with a 3.5-inch, 480x320 multi-touch display. It supports Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and GPS, and it is also notable for including two VGA cameras, plus HDMI output at resolutions up to 1080p. The current model is actually meant for developers, and uses an open-source operating system.
Creative in mid-week has switched its attention to its computer speakers with two new Inspire speaker offerings. The range is topped by the T6160, a 5.1-channel surround setup that produces 30W across its satellites and supports them with a 20W subwoofer to handle low-end frequencies. It tries to improve high frequency audio through a phase cap that separates the mid-range.
Arriving late to touchscreen players, Creative today unveiled the Zii Egg. The device is in its stock form a competitor to the iPod touch with a 3.5-inch 480x320 multi-touch display that supports music, photo and video playback as well as web browsing. 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.
Creative's first touchscreen media device has been revealed today through an FCC filing. Just called the Zii, the player is only shown in outline but already reveals some of its key selling points. The name suggests it will be based on the dual-core Zii processor, and an "HD camera" logo near an appropriate port suggests the device will have that level of video capture and playback support.
Creative on Wednesday took a different approach to earphones and launched the Aurvana Air. Taking some of its name and basic design philosophy from Apple, the design focuses on weight with unique nickel-titanium ear hooks that keep the earbuds light but which also remember their shape to save owners from readjusting the fit every time. The pair's neodymium drivers are also said powerful with slots specifically meant to drive bass; frequency response is estimated at between 20Hz and 20kHz with 32ohms of impedance.
MSI today stepped into audio devices with the launch of its Syren line. The series is headlined by the SyrenSound X-Fi, one of the few non-Creative sound cards to use X-Fi hardware. It uses the same technology as Sound Blaster cards to restore missing detail in compressed audio as well as to introduce EAX effects, and supports up to 7.1-channel sound while reducing the CPU overhead versus integrated sound chipsets. The PCI Express-based board currently requires Windows XP or Vista.
Creative has added a new entry-level model to its portable audio player line-up with the ZEN MX. Available in models with 8GB or 16GB of internal memory, the new players look largely like the company's current ZEN players with detail changes to the control button layout. The same 2.5-inch LCD display with 320x240 resolution remains. Supported audio files include MP3, WMA (with DRM) and Audible 4. As for videos, only Creative's proprietary video-CMV format is compatible. Creative did include its Creative Centrale software that will convert videos into the format, however.
The recession has brought a sea-change in the way Adobe is marketing CS4. Instead of focusing on fancy new features, the new mantra is ROI -- return on investment. To that end, the company has commissioned what it says is independent research proving CS4 can save "thousands of dollars a year" over the previous version thanks to built-in timesavers and other workflow improvements. In other words, CS4 can do more with less.
Not unlike the fairly popular Flip Video that spawned the category and the near identical Creative Vado that followed it, Amadana on Monday announced the introduction of its SAL pocket video camcorder. The SAL uses a 3-megapixel CMOS sensor to capture 640x480 resolution videos in the MPEG-4 format, with a 320x240 LCD display acting as the viewfinder and playback display. Storage space is fixed at 2GB, or 2 hours of video that also matches the claimed battery life.
Without any formal announcement, Creative has introduced the MovieWorks HD iPod dock as part of the product lineup from its subsidiary, Cambridge Soundworks. The device allows iPod video to be played on an HDTV or audio receiver via HDMI, where movies can then be upscaled to 1080i. The system also supports 5.1-channel DTS surround sound from an iPod when using a compatible receiver.
Creative subsidiary ZiiLabs on Thursday announced it will showcase HD video playback capabilities on February 16th at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. The capability will be thanks to the company's ZMS-05 media processor and platform on Google's Android platform phone. ZiiLabs promises to offer 1080p resolution video playback for the first time on handheld devices.
Creative on Thursday announced its Sound Blaster for iTunes is being displayed at CES (booth 30651). Designed for use through the iTunes interface, Sound Blaster plugs into the USB connection on a PC or Mac, and plays back music through Creative wireless speakers or headphones while enhancing the quality. Sound blaster also works in users pre-existing speaker systems equipped with Creative Wireless Receivers. Users can select up to four different receivers for music playback.
Creative today finally confirmed the nature of the Zii. The one-time mystery device is now known to be a processor platform based on the notion of very generalized, software-based cores known as Processing Elements: the "stemcell" element from earlier teasers refers to an ability to repurpose any of the cores for a particular task. The process mimics the unified shaders processors of current video cards and is said to provide supercomputer-like acceleration without needing a large processor or a large amount of energy.
Creative's Zii is actually a processor unlike much of the company's existing lineup, according to info obtained in advance by epiZENter. While the company's own teaser provides little information, the new update adds that the product will be "completely different" from the X-Fi audio processing chip in Creative's sound cards and MP3 players. It additionally won't be tied to any one product, instead finding its way into several devices of an unknown type.
Creative today launched a teaser for an unusual product known as Zii. The company posts very little but suggests that the device revolves around the concept of "stemcell computing," suggesting that it may involve distributed computing or a parallel to the hardware or software of the Nintendo Wii. Aside from this, the firm only makes the claim that "everything you know is about to change" and provides no clues outside of four-leaf clover graphics.
As promised, Creative this morning marked the US in-store date for its Vado HD pocket camera. The 720p-capable recorder aims to beat the Flip Mino HD on features with HDMI video output, twice as much storage at 8GB and a larger two-inch preview LCD. Creative uses H.264 encoding that should give it four hours with Flip-level encoding or two hours in a claimed better HD+ capture mode.
Dell announced its Black Friday sales this morning, all available for one day only and online. The deals include an Inspiron 1525 notebook for $559, which is $285 lower than the regular price, while the Inspiron 530s desktop is priced at $299, representing $80 in savings. A 19-inch Dell flat panel monitor, the SE198WFP, can be added to the desktop for $129, or $50 off. The 8.9-inch Inspiron Mini 9 netbook costs $299 today, which is $50 lower than regular pricing. The biggest savings is offered on the 42-inch Sharp HDTV, the LC42SB45U, which costs $779, or $620 off the regular price of $1,399.
Creative will launch a version of its Vado pocketable camera with a flash drive that is capable of recording high-definition video on December 7th in the US as per an Amazon product page. The small camcorder will record video using H.264 compression at up to 1280x720 resolution (720p), with its 8GB of integrated capacity good for two hours of HD video or double that at VGA resolution. It will be priced aggressively at $199 and should have more storage and small feature improvements over the well-received Flip Mino HD.
Creative today tried to appeal to a niche market by introducing a line of Zens encapsuled in a cow's head likeness, calling it the ZEN Moo. Basically a new exterior for what is essentially the Zen Stone, the Moo includes 2GB of integrated memory with MP3 and WMA file support as well as built-in speakers. There is an entry version and a higher-end one, called the Plus, that includes a small OLED display behind the cow's nose, an FM tuner, voice recording functionality and an alarm clock.
Dell today quickly seized on Intel's Core i7 debut by launching two new systems, including one completely new line. The Studio XPS upgrades the regular Studio desktop with features friendly to gamers and high-end media with Core i7 processors and dedicated video as the baseline. They further exploit the new Intel hardware with three memory sticks that both up the minimum storage and also the available bandwidth.
SanDisk raised the stakes in its competition against the iPod shuffle and Creative ZEN Stone with a new, 8GB version of the Sansa Clip. The capacity gives it storage for up to 2,000 songs and doubles the capacity of Creative's best ultra-small models and quadruple that of Apple's. It continues to hold the same four-line OLED display that lets it have full control over music while still rendering it small enough to attach to a belt or clothes through its namesake hook.
Creative has unveiled its latest Sound Blaster product, the X-Fi Notebook ExpressCard. The X-Fi up-samples MP3 playback to 24-bit, 48kHz output. "CMSS-3D" processing is designed to recreate surround sound effects when used with headphones. EAX Advanced HD format is supported for gaming sound effects, or Dolby Digital and DTS Digital Surround formats, while using PowerDVD software for movies.
Creative is readying itself for a new X-Fi product launch next week, the copmany has revealed through an invite sent out to an Engadget reader. The invite for the September 17th event provides only a brief glimpse of a device with the X-Fi logo and states that the brand is "heard everywhere," hinting that the launch is for one or more portable devices. No other details have been revealed through the message.
A Wednesday report suggests a patent filed by Creative at the start of 2008 may reveal an upcoming ZEN Internet tablet or ZEN Vision media player. Creative itself describes the device as a media player in the PDF patent document but conspicuously shows features such as a back-mounted camera that aren't normally used in this class of device.
Visual effects plug-in maker GenArts has released an OpenFX version of its Sapphire Plug-ins, making them available to users of The Foundry's Nuke, Autodesk Toxik, Eyeon Fusion, FilmLight Baselight, Digital Vision FIlm Master and Assimilate Scratch. Sapphire Plug-ins are well-known in the post-production community, providing visual effects for Apple, Adobe and Avid creative software. The addition of OFX expands the market considerably.
Creative has quietly updated its ZEN Mozaic to 16GB, doubling the capacity of the player just a week before observers and inside sources expect Apple to update iPods through a special event. The new model should have the same features as the 2GB through 8GB Mozaic models, including the relatively rare external speaker as well as FM radio, voice microphone, and Creative's newer Centrale software for syncing media more easily than the company's past software.
Samsung this morning expanded its MP3 player range with two devices previously hinted at in the past. Standing as the mid-range device, the YP-Q1 (shown) is the first player from Samsung with the company's in-house DNSe 3 audio engine, which like Creative's X-Fi is said to restore missing detail from compressed songs. It also claims a simple, illuminated D-pad interface and a 2.4-inch LCD comparatively large for flash-based players.
Between the upcoming IFA show in Berlin and COMEX in Singapore taking place at the end of this month, Creative will show off at least three new products, including the Sound Blaster X-Fi Go! portable USB sound card, the N400 speakers and EP-430 in-ear earphones. The X-Fi Go! uses a microphone and headset port but differs from the earlier USB Play! sound card with the company's X-Fi audio processing software and 1GB of internal storage capacity.
Dell is planning to return to the MP3 player market it left, company executives tell the Wall Street Journal. Though not willing to disclose much about its strategy, the Texas-based company is designing a small-screen, small-control music player that would use Wi-Fi to reach online music services. The device would cost less than $100 even with wireless in place, Dell says. Unlike Dell's past attempts, the device would support multiple online music stores rather than a lone, proprietary store like the now-defunct MusicMatch.
Prices on the flash memory used in portable devices have plummeted in the past month, according to a report by DRAMeXchange. The Taiwan-area research firm says that a combination of economic inflation, the Sichuan earthquake in mainland China, and a seasonal lack of orders in spring have forced companies producing NAND flash to drop their prices by about 20 percent between June and July in order to clear overstock and is only expected to get worse. As the usual recovery isn't expected to be as strong, the problem could last until at least the end of the summer, the researchers say.
Creative Technology on Thursday introduced the Creative ZEN Mozaic portable media player. The "boldly designed" player is available in black, pink, and silver colors for what the company says is a "statement that reflects the user's sense of fashion and individual style." It features a built-in speaker like the ZEN Wav, 1.8-inch LCD color screen, FM radio with 32 presets, and a microphone for voice recording. The compact Mozaic also runs unusually long with up to 32 hours of audio playback on a single charge of the battery.
Creative recently introduced its newest headset, designed for use with Apple's iPhone and iPod. The EP-630i uses a pair of in-ear buds, which come with three different silicone covers to ensure users find an ideal fit. Each earbud is powered by a 9mm Neodymium magnet to deliver above average sound quality.
Creative is trying its hand again at competing with the iPod shuffle through a new and sleeker player, according to an unofficial release from its own website. The ZEN Krystal appears a successor to the earlier ZEN Stone Plus but is designed from the start to be used with its OLED screen with an upright design rather than the side layout of the pebble-shaped ancestor. It also targets the exercise market with a built-in pedometer that not only tracks jogging but comes with several games that tie into the pedometer's sensitivity to movement.
Artlandia has released the third in a line of productivity plug-ins for Adobe creative software. The company says LivePresets works with two basic classes of static Adobe Illustrator objects -- symbols and swatches -- and makes them editable dynamically. The plug-in allows users to interactively edit multiple art objects from a single source.
Creative this morning set US launch information for the ZEN X-Fi, its first Wi-Fi media player. The local launch quickly follows the Singapore announcement and prices the full wireless versions well below the iPod touch and also with more features than Microsoft's flash-based and similarly wireless Zunes, putting a 16GB version of the player at $200 and a 32GB player at $300. An 8GB player without wireless will sell for $150. All three should be available in early August.
Creative on Thursday took the wraps from the ZEN X-Fi, the company's first-ever wireless player and its first competitor to the iPod touch and Zune. The device succeeds the original ZEN and includes a new, nine-point control pad key to using the device online over Wi-Fi: Wireless LAN versions can use a phone-style text entry system to chat online using Windows Live or Yahoo instant messaging. The network access also gives the X-Fi the ability to stream music and video directly from a home computer on the local network, although a rumored Internet streaming feature doesn't reach the finished product.
Creative's ZEN X-Fi player is still in progress and is being more directly targeted at Apple on both the hardware and software sides, says a slew of leaked information obtained by epiZENter. Spotted in an official product shot, the X-Fi changes the look of the original ZEN to an aluminum-and-chrome look believed to be drawing heavily on the visual appeal of the iPhone. According to leaked documents from the company's UK website, the new ZEN will also be Creative's first wireless player and will have a unique nine-point directional pad to take advantage of integrated Wi-Fi: users will have the option of instant messaging on Windows Live or Yahoo Messenger with a phone-style system for typing without either a touchscreen or a full QWERTY keyboard.
Hynix today unveiled a new upgrade to its flash memory that it hopes will dramatically improve the capacity of portable media players and other flash-bound devices. The company's version of three-bits-per-cell technology lets the company stack data to offer as much as 32 gigabytes of data into a tighter space. Despite the capacity jump, the 32GB chip occupies 30 percent less area than a more typical two-bits-per-cell flash chip, the company says. The space would allow a single chip to hold as many as 8,000 average-size MP3 tracks.
Creative has for now shelved its plans to develop a Wi-Fi capable player, the company's Nordic product manager Jan Hvidberg has revealed in an interview. The senior official confirms the one-time existence of the ZEN Share but says that there were "technical complications" developing the player that prompted the company to drop the project. The executive doesn't rule out the possibility of a future player with wireless but for now shelves hopes of an immediate release.
Creative Technology on Friday announced two additions to its PCI Express Creative Sound Blaster X-Fi Titanium Fatal1ty sound cards with the Professional Series and Champion series. Creative claims the products are the first ever native PCI Express hardware accelerated sound cards. Both cards feature Dolby Digital encoding and single-cable connection for 5.1-channel home theater hook-ups, as well as EAX 5.0 effects and CMSS 3D positional audio support.
Creative today took a cue from the unusually successful Flip camera and launched the Vado. The company promises an improvement on the concept of an ultra-simple, YouTube-oriented video recorder with a design it says is both thinner and lighter than its rival and gives the camera 2GB of built-in flash memory. This gives the Vado up to two hours of recording time at its native 640x480 resolution, Creative says. Built-in software can help streamline uploads either to YouTube or Photobucket, though the use of MPEG-4 allows common video editing software to edit captured footage.
Creative expanded its lineup to the underserved notebook audience with the Sound Blaster X-Fi Surround 5.1. The USB device is claimed as the first to both boost audio quality and output in full 5.1-channel surround sound; Dolby and DTS movies, as well as games that support surround through DirectSound or OpenAL, automatically have their video processed and split across a speaker setup. Compressed audio is also cleaned up through the Crystalizer hardware that Creative says restores lost details.
As part of its recent Zune update, Microsoft has revealed that it has sold two million of the music players since their launch in November 2006, revealing relatively flat growth for the device lineup. Although the company originally promised and slightly exceeded a target for its first million sales between the original launch date and June 2007, the company has largely remained silent on its data for its players in nearly a year.
While there has been no official word from Creative Labs itself, a product page on JR.com lists a Vado video camcorder from the company. In terms of specifications, the ultra-affordable video camera is nearly identical to the Pure Digital Technologies Flip range of video cameras. The Creative Labs VF0570-P Vado pocket camcorder will feature a 2GB storage capacity capable of holding approximately 2 hours of VGA (640x480) video, and up to 2 hours of life from its rechargeable AA batteries.
Creative is facing a class-action lawsuit that is alleging the consumer electronics maker misled customers with inaccurate capacity claims for its portable media players. The lawsuit seeks $900,000 for attorney fees and $5,000 for each plaintiff. Those who purchased a hard-drive based Creative player between May 5, 2001 and April 30, 2008 and can prove it are eligible to be part of the lawsuit.
Creative's upcoming ZEN X-Fi media player may hinge on Internet-based storage as a selling point, says a new tip sent to epiZENter. While the player is already anticipated to offer local sharing between users, a "reliable" source indicates that Creative wants to use the device's Wi-Fi for accessing a remote collection; users would subscribe to a service that offers a multi-gigabyte Internet storage space for holding music; users could then access songs they can't fit on the player simply by streaming them wirelessly.
