ZiiLABS unveils ZMS-08 media processor for handhelds |
Each time I watch YouTube or other video on my iPhone I wish the thing had better video quality. ZiiLABS, a Creative subsidiary, has announced a new media processor aimed at portable devices like netbooks, media hubs, web tablets and more called the ZMS-08.
The media processor promises full 1080p Blu-ray quality video for low-power handheld devices. The chip supports 1080p encode and OpenGL ES 2.0 graphics. X-Fi audio is also supported by the processor.


Looks like Creative will upgrade its ZMS-05 processor to a next-gen version called the ZMS-08. The new system-on-a-chip is powered by a 1GHz ARM Cortex-8 processor, with support for 1080p H.264 video playback, OpenGL ES 2.0 and Flash acceleration.
The eBook market is quickly getting as hot as the netbook market with new eReader coming to market all the time. Over the last few weeks, the Kindle has had its price cut and Barnes & Noble has announced the Nook. Today Creative has announced plans to bring its Zii MediaBook to market.
We don’t have many details, but what we do know that Creative has been busy developing a “MediaBook” that aims to combine video, pictures and text into an eBook form factor. The company is talking with publishers, primarily in Singapore, where they already have several e-learning initiatives.
Creative has launched a hardware and software platform called Plaszma which allows developers to simultaneously develop for Plaszma and Android. The
Creative has been making Sound Blaster sound cards for computers and laptops for many years. The products were once among the most popular add-in cards for gaming PCs. With the advent of HD onboard sound on most computers, the add-in sound card isn’t as popular as it used to be.
An FCC filing reveals that Creative’s first touchscreen media device will be called the Zii. The name alone implies that it will be powered by the dual-core Zii processor. The filing also shows an “HD camera” logo so it’s likely that this device will have the ability to capture video and playback in High Definition. Whether or not full HD is supported, we have no idea.
The original
Creative is nothing if not creative, but they have a good thing going with the Zen, so they will release another version of the ZEN Media player series on May 5th. The device measures 83.2mm x 55mm x 11.9mm and weighs just 66 grams.
It’s been awhile since creative has introduced a new
When my four-year-old daughter was born most camcorders available still used tapes to record video. The tapes were Mini DV, not the massive VHS tapes from my youth, but tapes nonetheless. Today tapes are quickly going the way of the Dodo with most camcorders using hard drivers or flash media for storage.
Creative is sick of living up to it’s name apparently, so why not make a swell barnyard MP3 player. Like the Zen Moo for instance. The Creative Zen Moo is in the shape of a cow’s face. They were so un-Creative that they didn’t even think to make you pull on the udders to milk some music out. This player looks like it’s pretty much a Zen Stone, including a tiny OLED display, 2B of internal memory, 20 hour playback time and an integrated FM tuner. The Creative Zen Moo was specially designed to pay a tribute to the year of the cow in the Chinese zodiac calendar for 2009. 







