Digging though old posts I came across a review I started but never finished dating back to 2006. The photos are even watermarked before we had a logo.

The Zen Vision W was basically a larger version of the Zen Vision:M. They both had a great looking screen and awesome playback of native video. The only difference besides the obvious was that the W had a compact flash memory expansion slot. Though it wasn’t much of an expansion slot since both your music libraries would not integrate with each other. Unfortunately, Creative continues this trend today up to the new X-fi2.

Below are the photos that were prepared for the review back in 2006. How retro…

Today Creative Zii Labs released the first Android firmware for the Creative Zii EGG based on Android version 1.6. The firmware is very beta and really only for the developers to start working on the OS for the Zii EGG. The basic Android applications are there but some things like the camera are still not working. Also, some elements of a phone are present such as 2G options and signal strength icon are still present, so Android still needs to be cleaned up and targeted to the specificly to the Zii EGG. Android marketplace was not available but I was able to download and install AndAppstore and successfully install applications from that app library.

Even though it is still very rough around the edges and far from a consumer ready device it is exciting to see progress. Still no word on when this device will launch for the consumer market, but don’t hold your breath since I would guess that date to be well into 2010 considering the current state of firmwares.

Below is a video demo of the Zii EGG Android in action.

For the developers, Creative released firmware version 92.02 for the Zii EGG. This update added support for media playback on the SD card, “3D close line effect” for browsing media in landscape mode, and a stretch effect when browsing lists. The close line effect shows off the 3D processing effects of the Zii processor. It’s neat but doesn’t really lend to the overall browsing experience.

The stretch effect is a different take on how a list reacts when you get to the end of it. For instance the Zune HD, Cowon S9, and Touch all push beyond the list then snap back when you scroll to the beginning or end of a list. With the Zii when you hit the end the fonts and list stretches then snaps back. It looks a bit goofy to be honest, but I’ll wait to make till a judgment once the OS is a bit more useable. Keep in mind, this firmware update is still very far from a consumer product.

Below is a video demo of the new firmware with sample videos and photos shot from the Zii EGG.

With the first demonstrations of the Zen X-Fi 2 the consensus was that the UI sucked. It looked slow, laggy, and downright unusable. Before its release to the US, the X-Fi 2 received version 1.00.10 firmware dramatically improving the responsiveness of the UI. Considering its priced well below the more premium touch based players it may be a pretty good contender, especially for the budget minded shopper. The only major hang up now is the lack of microSD integration. Though this hasn't been fixed in the last three generations of Zens, so don't hold your breath.

The X-Fi 2 will be shipping in the first week of October and is available for pre order on Amazon.

Looks like Creative has been busy cooking up some other players aside from the Zii EGG. The Zen X-Fi 2 is a touch screen second edition of their last Zen X-Fi. Models will come in 8/16/32GB and sell for $130/$180/$230. The press release doesn’t say when it will be available but says it will be available for pre order on Amazon shortly, so it seems it should be here in time for the holidays. Below is a list of features or you can see more at the X-Fi2 mini site.

Creative started shipping the dev edition of the Zii EGG. From a few hours of browsing though the OS is feels like it is a long way from the consumer market. In fact recently the SDK roadmap outlining the various functionality of the Zii EGG appeared on Engadget showing a few months ahead.

Below is a few photos of the video preview of the hardware and a quick and dirty look at the Plaszma OS. I stress this several times in the video that this is a developer edition so you cannot judge the OS yet- it is very rough.

The hardware is what you would expect from Creative and the Zii EGG has a build quality similar to the Zen X-Fi or Zen (Newer version)- it feels plastiy and toy like but is still well made and rugged. The only thing that really bothers me and i hope that this gets changed is the screen material. I haven't dug too far into it but it appears to be a similar screen to the Zen plastic with a plastic film on top with a really bad glare- definitely low end materials. The screen is a glass composite. I was wrong in that the plastic film is removable unlike the Zen.

As I dig into it more I will share more thoughts and videos. In the mean time check out the video and pics below and stop in our Creative Zii EGG forum for discussion.

Creative has selected Opera as the default browser for their Plaszma OS powering the upcoming Zii EGG. One of the reasons they have chosen Opera was for its “Web application” platform to make it easier for developers to jump right in. This is what Archos did with their last generation of devices such as the Archos 5. Honestly, the web applications for Opera in the Archos 5 were far from impressive; however, it could have been from the lack of developer interest.

Keep in mind that they are only talking about the Plaszma OS and that the Zii EGG is wide open to other OSes such as Android. Partners can still select whatever browser or OS they want and brand it accordingly.

[ZiiLabs]

We saw the Zii Egg pass though the FCC a few weeks ago and today Creative has unveiled the Zii Egg development platform. While the Zii EGG is a finished product it is not quite ready for the consumer market. Creative is banking on developers to build applications and entire user experiences out of the Zii EGG hardware though Android and their own Linux based OS dubbed Plaszma. One of the big differences being that the Plaszma OS takes advantage of the Zii chips cell architecture.

It will be interesting to see how other mp3 player manufactures respond to this with similar “phone like” platforms. Archos has been moving in that direction and Samsung might be too with the M1 or a non 3G version of an Omnia. It will be interesting to see who is going to follow this path. Will we see SanDisk get into the fray? Sony? Cowon? How much of an OS will the Zune HD be? These are definitely some exciting times for the portable media industry.

The device is extremely well equipped with everything a high end smart phone has minus the cellular connection: 3.5” 320x480 16m color screen, 10 point multi touch capacitance, 1080p output, HD camera, front facing VGA camera, 3-axis accelerometer, wi-fi, GPS, light sensor, full size SDHC slot.

[Zii Egg via Engadget]

Creative has been quiet since the release of the less than well received Zen X-Fi. At CES 2009 Creative only showed signs of a new player in the form of a bunch of reference demos of their upcoming Zii chip. Here is a good overview of the Zii at CES 2009 if you missed it. This chip promises HD video playback at minimum power usage.

The Zii EGG (model NSC-FL02) looks like it will be the first player to use the Zii chip. Pulling the info from the FCC’s site and digging though the documents what we do know about this player so far is that it will have an “HD camera” (Thought we don’t know if this is 720 or 1080- likely the former), Bluetooth, touch screen, and Wi-Fi (802.11 B/g). Only speculating based on the FCC diagram, it looks like it could also have an SD card slot.

A few years ago Creative tried to pull something like this off after the launch of the Zen Vision:M but could not technically pull it off- technologies were just not mature enough. With the Zii coming to fruition it looks like they will be able to do some pretty cool things with the Zii EGG. Based on product cycles and a few surveys I have received from Creative recently I would guess that this device is right around the corner shipping before the holiday shopping season around the same time as the Zune HD.

[FCC via Engadget]

Browsing around the forums I see a few people purchasing screen protectors for their MP3 players that have glass screens. Some might say better safe than sorry but these screens are much more durable than one would think. Below I put a few of these glass screen players though some rather harsh scratch tests, well beyond what the vast majority of users might experience.

I have been skeptical about how revolutionary the Creative Zii platform actually is since Creative has a history or over hyping products. I also don’t hear anyone else talking about it other than Creative- more is being said about Nvidia’s Tegra chip within the circle of industry insiders and device manufactures. Perhaps the Zii has not been out long enough for it to sink in, but it the way Creative is talking about it seems like more people should care. While I still hold a healthy bit of skepticism, I have warmed up having seen the Zii chips in action at CES.

I've seen a lot of weird MP3 players. There was this thing and the upgrade to iriver's already weird mplayer - the mplayer eyes. Now it's Creative's turn to make me facepalm myself with the introduction of their cow shaped mp3 player, the Zen Moo.

Apparently the Moo is China only which honestly is just as well. There are two versions, Moo and Moo Plus, where the Plus has a screen (same concept as with the Stone). Apparently the Plus will also have a Tamagotchi like game where you can train the cow. Both players will have a speaker and come in 2GB capacity and the Moo Plus will also have an FM radio and voice recorder. Basically the Moo is the exact same player as the Stone and Stone plus except for deign and the game.

To make it even more...interesting....they also announced a pair of portable Cow speakers to match the Moo. Hit the jump for more pictures - i dare you!

[iMP3|Nothing But Creative]

Here is a patent [PDF] that Creative filed on January first of this year with figure #1 description saying, “...a perspective view of a media player showing our new design”. Could this be a new Zen Vision or one of the Zens that got axed?

It was rumored that there was a Zen that was to have Wi-Fi, Touch Screen, and GPS but was cut from the roster due to not being able to technically pull it off. That story would fit with the pictures and the date of the patent. Was or will be. We don’t know.

With all the features mentioned above plus what looks to be a camera and maybe a place for a stylus- you could probably call this a Internet tablet.

Thanks BobbyRS

Another Zen? Sure why not. Creative’s shotgun approach to product lines has spawned a new, yet very familiar, Zen. The Zen Mozaic is a blend of Zen V Plus and the Zen WAV. It takes all the features of the Zen V Plus and mashed it up with the external speaker of the Zen WAV or – basically - the Zen WAV with the styling influence of the Zen V. However, you would like to mix that up.

The Mozaic is aimed at the budget MP3 player market with retail prices dipping to $60 for the 2GB model, but is there anything more than price to lure buyers to the Zen? Or is it just more of the Creative status quo?

Not too long ago I was chatting with a product manager from one of the MP3 player manufacturers about sound quality. He asked me, “Do you know what the biggest factor in improving a player’s sound quality is?” My ears perked up. This is the kind of stuff I love to learn straight from the source, the nitty gritty tech behind the products. Was he going to discuss the audio chip or some kind of amplification technique? No, his answer, “The headphones.” Ugh… everyone knows that, what disappointing answer.

Many users do know that the included headphones are the first thing to get upgraded, but many also stick with the stock earbuds manufactured in China for literally pennies. Perhaps manufactures are realizing that the stock buds are becoming less acceptable and are an easy way to add value to the overall out of the box user experience. Manufacturers like Microsoft, Sony, and Creative have recently ponnied up a few pennies to include “premium” earbuds.

Granted, they are no substitute for headphones north of a Benjamin, but they do perform very well and add great value to the purchase price. Hopefully this trend will continue, but for now I offer my three picks for the best sounding out of the box MP3 players.