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.

The Teclast T58 is one of many players which will surface in the coming months to run Google's Android OS.

The T58, which we hear will be officially announced soon, will feature WiFi and GPS capabilities, a 1280x720 touchscreen display, and of course 720P playback. It's also packing a dual-core ARM9 RISC processor from Rockchip, and two Wolfson WM8740 DACs under the hood. It supports H.264, RMVB, MPEG-4, AVS, and WMV9 video files, but no word on supported audio codecs, capacities, battery life-- or anything else. We'll know more when it's announced.

It's only a matter of time before someone adds phone calling capabilities to one of these, at which point the world will implode.

[Engadget | Akihabara News]

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]

This is great news for Archos; putting Android on their devices will really bring them to the forefront. I love the latest Archos 5 hardware but the underlying OS leaves much to be desired. I recently spent some time with the G1 mobile phone and while I was not blown away by Android it is moving in the right direction. That said in its current state it still is eons above the current Archos OS. So I hope they are replacing all of their device OSes with Android.

Also keep in mind that Achos has a 3G version of the Archos 5 (called the Archos 5 IMT)- the size it won’t make for a feasible phone, but perhaps a very usable mobile tablet. Additionally, there are a few attachments like GPS and TV to add more goodies to the mix.

[Press Release via Engadget | Archos Lounge]