Creative Gigaworks HD50i speakers

Posted in Speakers by Conner Flynn on December 26th, 2009

The Creative Gigaworks HD50i speaker system aims to deliver maximum stereo impact on your desktop thanks to Creative’s High Definition Driver technology, the Titanium Super Tweeter, and BasXPort technology.

They look pretty good for their size. The front knob will adjust volume/power, and a blue LED lets you know when the speakers are powered up. And of course you can dock your iPod and enjoy all of your favorite tunes. The Creative Gigaworks HD50i speakers will cost you $169.99 and comes with a remote controller.

Creative drops third gen Vado HD pocket camcorder

Posted in Camcorders by Conner Flynn on November 23rd, 2009

Creative drops third gen Vado HD pocket camcorder Here’s some good news if you’ve found the previous two models of Creative’s Vado to be a bit lacking. The company has just announced a new 3rd gen model. Looks like most of the specs are the same, but Creative is promising improved low light video recording and manual exposure adjustment.

You’ll also get a new motion detection mode, support for an external stereo mic, a headphone output, and you’ll still be able to take some still photos too. Now you can also expect Mac and PC compatibility out of the box. Comes in five glossy colors with one capacity option: 4GB.

ZiiLABS unveils ZMS-08 media processor for handhelds

Posted in Computer Components by Shane McGlaun on November 10th, 2009

ziilabsprocessorEach 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.

Creative ZiiLABS ZMS-08 chip to bring Flash, HD video to netbooks

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on November 9th, 2009

Creative ZiiLABS ZMS-08 chip to bring Flash, HD video to netbooksLooks 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.

It will find it’s way into portable media players and offers “low power, high performance” to devices like netbooks, web tablets, TVs, etc. The chip is supported by ZiiLABS’ version of Google Android and the company’s Plaszma operating system. Shipping is expected in early 2010.

Creative unveils plans for Zii MediaBook

Posted in Creative by Shane McGlaun on November 2nd, 2009

creativeziimediabook-sgThe 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.

The MediaBook will be a touch screen device with a color screen that offers much more media functionality than existing products reports Creative. The MediaBook will let users surf the net, access Twitter, and Facebook.

Creative Zii MediaBook with eBook and PMP features

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on November 1st, 2009

Creative Zii MediaBook with eBook and PMP featuresWe 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.

Thanks to Engadget we have a nice blurry pic of the Creative UI, but that’s about it. There’s a touchscreen, making it different than an ebook like the Kindle and similar to the Nook.

Creative Inspire S2 speaker system

Posted in Speakers by Conner Flynn on August 18th, 2009

CreativeIt’s a common problem. You want quality audio, but your space is limited. Creative’s latest Inspire S2 speaker system may be the solution for you. Especially if you are never without your notebook or MP3 player. It boasts exceptional audio clarity from its two high-quality speakers and the Creative DIRECT-THROW subwoofer delivers dynamic mid-bass.

Each satellite speaker is only slightly larger than a tennis ball, but is still capable of full-bodied audio. You can adjust the bass level to suit your taste using the control knob on the subwoofer. Includes Line-In input and a gain-adjusted AUX-In input.

Creative debuts Android-powered Zii EGG for developers

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on July 28th, 2009

Creative debuts Android-powered Zii EGG for developersCreative has launched a hardware and software platform called Plaszma which allows developers to simultaneously develop for Plaszma and Android. The Zii EGG was developed to compete with the iPod touch and will deliver an energy efficient device with the following specs:

1080p output, 3.5″ touchscreen display at 320 x 480 resolution, 16 million colors LCD, Capacitive 10-Point Multi-Gesture Touchscreen Display, Text-to-Speech Engine, SDHC memory card slot, 32GB internal memory, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi connectivity, GPS receiver and Creative X-Fi audio processing.

Creative unveils Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes

Posted in Soundcards by Shane McGlaun on July 21st, 2009

soundblasterwireless-sbCreative 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.

Today Creative announced its latest Sound Blaster device called the Sound Blaster Wireless for iTunes. The device retails for $149.99 and turns Mac and PC computers into a wireless music system. The system includes the wireless transmitter that is about the size of a flash drive and a receiver.

Creative readying first touch device

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on July 7th, 2009

Creative readying first touch deviceAn 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.

There is space on the side for an SD memory card slot as well. There are two versions of the device. The Zii and the Zii Egg. The Zii Egg is for developers.

Creative introduces the ZEN Mozaic EZ300 PMP, again

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on May 31st, 2009

Creative introduces the ZEN Mozaic EZ300 PMP, againThe original ZEN Mozaic was too loud for it’s own good, what with all those different colored buttons. So Creative has chilled out the ZEN Mozaic EZ300 by getting rid of hose button colors and will now never stray from pink or black.

Everything else remains the same. It features a 1.8-inch 160 x 128 resolution display, 4GB or 8GB of internal capacity, up to 32 hours of audio playback, MP3 / WMA / WAV / JPEG file support, an FM radio tuner, a five-band custom equalizer and USB 2.0 connectivity.

Creative ZEN MX PMP available in May

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on April 28th, 2009

Creative ZEN MX PMP available in MayCreative 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.

Some other features are a 2.5-inch (320×240 pixel) display, SDHC expansion and supports WMV, DivX, MP3, WMA and AAC file formats. The 8GB and 16GB models are priced at $102 and $144, respectively.

Creative intros MovieWorks HD iPod dock

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on February 22nd, 2009

Creative intros MovieWorks HD iPod dockIt’s been awhile since creative has introduced a new iPod dock. At CES 2008, Creative unveiled a new HD docking station for iPods called the Xdock HD. It was capable of outputting video in 1080 and sending X-Fi quality sound to other wireless receivers around your house. We never heard anything official about it since.Now they’ve quietly released a fresh one in the Cambridge Soundworks line called MovieWorks HD. It appears to be the exact same device.

It does the usual, outputting iPod video and audio via HDMI onto your TV or sound system. According to Creative, this is the only one with it’s Xtreme Fidelity, X-Fi Crystallize and X-Fi CMSS-3D technology.

Creative Tournament gaming headset HS-1100

Posted in Creative by Conner Flynn on January 20th, 2009

Creative Tournament gaming headset HS-1100Creative’s latest headset is designed for gaming competitions. The Creative Tournament Gaming Headset HS-1100 is the first USB headset to be powered by Sound Blaster X-Fi with Silencer technology. Creative’s Silencer is a breakthrough in voice technology that allows the user’s voice to be clearly heard by other gamers, because Silencer eliminates ambient background noise to provide improved voice quality. So feel free to crank up your tunes in the background, because Silencer will block out the noise. Also, no one on the other end will hear your mother yelling at your 30-something ass and telling you to get a job.

It features built-in dual microphones and advanced time-based algorithms. The Creative Tournament Gaming Headset HS-1100 will be available in Singapore from April 2009 at the suggested retail price of about $160 US.

Creative Vado HD camcorder now shipping

Posted in Creative by Shane McGlaun on December 9th, 2008

Creative Vado HDWhen 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 has announced that its Vado HD camcorder is now shipping at a price of $199. The small camcorder records in 720p HD resolution and video can be output directly to a HDTV in 1080i resolution over an included HDMI cable.