Creative Zii EGG Hands On

[EnzoTen]

Here is the front page article on the Zii EGG Dev Edition with HD video. Enjoy.

[CrowdAds]

[Ricardo Dawkins]

yeah, spill the beans. regards.

[Olley]

Thanks, Enzo. It must seem a little like a let down to open up a $400 box only to find an unfinished product despite knowing about it up front.

[Nephersir7]

Originally Posted by Olley

Thanks, Enzo. It must seem a little like a let down to open up a $400 box only to find an unfinished product despite knowing about it up front.

The hardware looked pretty nice. When Creative will release the Android installer in a couple of weeks, it will be a full-featured hardware platform running a full-featured OS.

Thanks Enzo for the early preview. I now fully know what to expect, and i will order it soon and hopefully manage to code something for it, Even though i am still a newbie programmer.

[EnzoTen]

@olley yeah, a bit. The only thing that really bothered me was the jenky ass screen material. Already have lint and crap stuck on the corners of the permanent plastic film they put over the main plastic screen. It better sell for well under the competition considering the materials used. Still i see a whole lot of potential depending on the enthusiasm of the developers.

@nephersir7 When you do get it please post your progs here even if they simple. We can test them.

[Olley]

Are you sure that film isn't meant to be peeled off, Enzo? Seems to me like something I bought recently had film over all the glossy surfaces to protect them during packing and shipping, but they all peeled off when you got the device.

On another front, was there anything like a manual/warranty card or CD included?

[jakep_82]

Yeah, I'm fairly certain that plastic is supposed to be peeled off. That's almost certainly just a screen protector for shipping purposes.

[EnzoTen]

Nearly certain, its not easy to get off nor does it have a tab to pull like every other film. They had this same stuff on the Zen, but i eventually peeled it off of that with difficulty. I dont think they intend for you to take this stuff off.

[Nephersir7]

any info on what codecs are currently supported by the device?

[DaHarder]

Hmm? I have no issues with the quality of the screen on my Zii EGG - whatsoever.

It may not be tempered glass, but it appears to be very durable, light-weight, and (most importantly) very nice to look at (vibrant, good contrast, etc.).

Of course, I am one who is highly inclined to take very good care with my electronics, so maybe that's why none of my devices have a single scratch anywhere on them.

Who Knows?

[no9]

Good job with the preview Enzo Man that screen picks up glare from everything.

[copeys]

God, that screen looks really niiice. I don't know if it's the HD video or what - but it's really clear!

From what I can hear, the speaker sounds quite good for something in built.

As no9 said, thanks for the preview

[milesneptune]

does it have gps or camera capabilities yet?

[DaHarder]

Originally Posted by milesneptune

does it have gps or camera capabilities yet?

Hardware Capability = Yes

Firmware Implementation = Not Yet

[WikiWarrior]

Originally Posted by EnzoTen

Here is the front page article on the Zii EGG Dev Edition with HD video. Enjoy.

Hey Dude, for some reason the video won't show up... is it cause im using chrome, or something else?

[Nephersir7]

Originally Posted by WikiWarrior

Hey Dude, for some reason the video won't show up... is it cause im using chrome, or something else?

Works fine for me in chromum, firefox, etc.

But, anyway, I JUST ORDERED MINE!!!! W00T!!

Anyone knows when i can expect to receive it?

[milesneptune]

will they update the software it so that it runs faster and and uses all the hardware capabilities or will they add it in a hardware update in the next device?

[Nephersir7]

Originally Posted by milesneptune

will they update the software it so that it runs faster and and uses all the hardware capabilities or will they add it in a hardware update in the next device?

According to the roadmap, a lot of features are coming in september, including X-Fi, Adobe Flash Lite, Sd card support, camera support and UI theming/skins.

I think Android support is coming in october.

Other features such as Voice recognition, Bluetooth support, Email app, organizer app and rss reader app are scheduled for Q4 2009

Im not sure about GPS, though

[milesneptune]

Originally Posted by Nephersir7

According to the roadmap, a lot of features are coming in september, including X-Fi, Adobe Flash Lite, Sd card support, camera support and UI theming/skins.

I think Android support is coming in october.

Other features such as Voice recognition, Bluetooth support, Email app, organizer app and rss reader app are scheduled for Q4 2009

Im not sure about GPS, though

thank you for your answers and finally do you think i should get one? what is your opinion i really want one but i dont want to wait til the consumer edition and also is it the developer edition hardware that is slow or software?

[Nephersir7]

Originally Posted by milesneptune

thank you for your answers and finally do you think i should get one? what is your opinion i really want one but i dont want to wait til the consumer edition and also is it the developer edition hardware that is slow or software?

Unless you plan to develop software for its plaszma OS, no you shouldnt. Buying the developper preview means that the hardware is not final (ever noticed how few hardware buttons there are on it?), nor is the software.

I dont expect any Zii-based consumer devices (phones, PMP, etc) to come out before Q1 or Q2 2010 (but some can definitively be announced before that), because of the unfinished status of Plaszma OS (the hardware is not the problem)

On the other hand, here is a reason why I ordered it now instead of waiting for a consumer device:

It supports both Plaszma OS and Android. Consumer devices will probably not support both OS. For a Creative-branded Zii PMP, i dont think Creative would have invested in developing its own platform, and then release an Android device. IMHO, Creative brought Android on the Zii in order to convince companies to make Zii-based phones.

Originally Posted by ZiiLabs.com

ZiiLABS is committed to enabling its partners to deliver media-rich mobile and embedded platforms based on Android.

I also have the same feeling for the GPS feature.