Crave

The ZiiSound D5 with an iPod touch docked.

(Credit: John Chan/CNET Asia)

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 iPod connector and audio will be transmitted to the dock via Bluetooth. If you'd rather use a 3.5mm jack for music output, that's also available.

There hasn't been an official announcement for this product, yet, but it will be available by early 2010. Pricing is still unconfirmed, but a Creative spokesperson estimates it will go for about $299. Aside from the D5, a Zii Egg-compatible version called the D3 will also be available.

(Source: Crave Asia)

The third-generation Vado HD comes in black or white.

(Credit: Creative)

With Kodak and Flip Video releasing new pocket camcorders this fall, Creative will launch the next version of its Vado HD in December. Simply dubbed "third-generation" Vado HD, the new model comes in black or white and will retail for $179.99. It has 4GB of built-in memory, captures 720p HD video, and offers several improvements over previous versions.

They include:

• Improved quality of video in low light or brightly lit conditions with manual exposure adjustments
• External stereo microphone support for better audio recording
• Headphone output for private listening
• Motion Detection mode will enable users to program the camera to begin recording as soon as motion is detected
• Out-of-the box Mac and PC compatibility
• Still Photo Capture Mode
• New Vado Central 3.0 software with more instant Web-uploading capabilities (Facebook, YouTube, Kinkast) and integrated editing options

Comments?

(Credit: Creative)

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 the ZMS-08 to be used by manufacturers in devices such as Web tablets, Netbooks, connected TVs, video conferencing systems, and home media hubs.

While 1080p video playback would be pointless in some of these products because they usually come with small screens, it will allow the devices to output HD material to larger displays, effectively giving you a media hub in your pocket. The company says it's working with partners, but there hasn't yet been any product announcement from third-party manufacturers.

The Zii Egg portable media player is an example of what ZiiLabs' processors are meant for. The ZMS-05 is found in that device, which is a developer platform for the company's own Plaszma OS and Google's Android OS.

(Source: Crave Asia)

First the Nook (pictured), now the MediaBook?

(Credit: Barnes & Noble)

The question is, who isn't getting in on the e-book reader action these days? Less than two weeks after we met Barnes & Nobles' Nook and just a few days after hearing of tire maker Bridgestone's plans for a flexible e-reader, our friends at Crave UK alerted us that Creative may be hopping on the e-reader bandwagon as well.

Creative fan site EpiZenter.net (so named for Creative's family of popular Zen MP3 players) reports that the company showed off a working model of its first e-book reader, tentatively named the MediaBook, at its annual general meeting Thursday in Singapore. The device reportedly has a touch screen, text-to-speech function, and an SD memory card slot. It will run on Creative's Zii System-On-Chip technology and will be Internet-enabled.

At the meeting, Willie Png, Creative's vice president of strategic business, described Amazon's Kindle as "just another electronic device which displays books in text" (snap!), according to EpiZenter.net, and said Creative's e-reader will harness "videos, pictures, text, and services in one device that supports a media-rich experience." Color Creative ready to join the ever-tightening race to produce that proverbial "Kindle killer."

Creative reportedly is talking to 10 international and local publishers to provide content for the MediaBook, with fiction, newspaper, magazines, education materials, and textbooks all slotted for the device. Singapore Press Holdings, which publishes 17 newspapers and more than 100 magazines, could be one local content provider, saying it is exploring with Creative how to provide a variety of multimedia content, including videos and radio programs, for the device.

No word yet on pricing and availability, but we'll fill you in as soon as we hear.

You think your job is hard? I had to narrow down three potential deals for today. Three!

Woot.com's refurbished 10.1-inch Acer netbook for $229.99 (plus $5 shipping) was a strong contender, but I know lots of you visit Woot already--and many more of you are sick of Netbooks. (Awesome, awesome deal, though.)

Then I considered the refurbished 2GB Sansa Clip MP3 player: $19.99 shipped at Buy.com. Mighty sweet.

Ultimately, I settled on the Creative Labs Vado pocket camcorder, which Dell has for $39.99 shipped.

Although this isn't the newer HD model, it's perfectly good for shooting YouTube-ready, VGA-quality video. And it can hold up to 60 minutes of it at the high-quality setting or 2 hours at "SP."

I love these little camcorders, which are easy to toss in a pocket, glove box, or wherever for capturing life's little moments.

CNET had mostly good things to say about the Vado, which is noteworthy for its built-in USB connector, onboard software, and one-touch uploading to YouTube.

This is a new unit, not a refurb, so it comes with a full one-year warranty. It regularly sells for at least $85, so $40 shipped is hard to beat. Great gift item!

Dell deals often expire or sell out without warning, so if this sounds good to you, act fast. (And if it does sell out, well, you've got the aforementioned runners-up. See? I'm always thinking ahead. Well, starting now, I am.)

Not to sound like a broken record, but the stock plastic earbuds that came packaged with your shiny new MP3 player aren't doing you any favors. After loading up your device with music, the next thing to do is replace the headphones. Of course, if you're not absurdly picky about audio quality, we can understand not wanting to spend $100 or more on a new pair. That's where options such as the Creative EP-630 come in. These sound-isolating earphones offer a comfortable fit and improved audio for just $39.99.

Read the full review of the Creative EP-630.

Creative EP-630 earphones--photos

Unlike most other touch-screen players, the X-Fi2 operates in landscape mode.

(Credit: Creative)

Updated: September 2, 2009 at 11:32 a.m. PDT.

For those Creative faithful who were a bit disappointed that the Zii Egg wasn't launched as a fully baked-and-branded media player for the masses, the company is about to make it up to you. This morning, Creative unveiled the Zen X-Fi2, a second-generation device that adds a touch screen and TV-out capability to the already solid X-Fi foundation. The new player features a 3-inch, touch-sensitive, TFT LCD capable of displaying up to 262,000 colors, and by the looks of it, this new Zen carries over the excellent icon-based menu found on other players in the line.

At 4 inches long by 2.2 inches wide by 0.4 inch deep, the Zen X-Fi2 is quite a bit longer than the previous-generation model and more inline with the size of the iPod Touch, though it's still smaller overall. It also appears to offer some sort of home button, but we're happy to see that Creative elected to orient this player in landscape mode, making it standout from the touch-screen masses. In addition to the updated navigational method, the Zen X-Fi2 features direct TV-out capability, though you will need to purchase a cable accessory to take advantage of it.

Other than that, the features largely carry over from the Zen X-Fi. ... Read more

(Credit: Dong Ngo/CNET)

It's probably time you said goodbye to your PowerPC-based Mac.

Adobe confirmed Tuesday that future versions of its Creative Suite will run only on Intel-based Mac computers. There will be no support offered for PowerPC-based systems.

The company's decision follows Apple's announcement in June that it was discontinuing support for the PowerPC in its new operating systems, starting beginning with Mac OS X 10.6 (Snow Leopard). With Apple's future development focused on Intel Macs, Adobe is aligning its resources accordingly.

According to Adobe, existing customers who own Creative Suite 3 and Creative Suite 4 will still be able to use the software on either a PowerPC-based Mac or an Intel-based Mac without having to make any changes. However, Adobe will provide support for these two suites only to address critical issues that may arise.

Creative Suite is Adobe System's collection of well-known industry-standard graphic design, video editing, and Web development applications. These applications include Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Acrobat, Flash, and many others.

While Snow Leopard has not been released yet, and the new version of the Creative Suite hasn't been announced, either, Adobe decided to announce these changes now so its customers will have time to plan their migration strategy accordingly. This means you should go get yourself an Intel-based Mac if you haven't done so already.

For more information on the discontinuation of support, check out Adobe's FAQ.

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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