If you are a regular reader of Good e-Reader you might have noticed as tracking the Creative Ziio Tablet from its initial announcement, to its FCC application, its release in Europe and now its finally out in North America! For the low fee of $250 you can get your hands on it right now!
The Creative Ziio comes with a 7 inch capacitive touchscreen that has the usual resolution of 800 x 480 pixels while its heart is made up of a Zii Labs ZMS-08 media processor. It also runs on Google Android 2.1 for its operating system, no word yet if it will see updates for 2.2 or 2.3.
On board storage though is quite cramped at just 8 GB for a tablet that boasts of great media capabilities, compatible as it is with almost every known media formats. Connectivity options with the Ziio 7 include Bluetooth 2.1 EDR and WiFi 802.11 b/g while the device also features mini USB port, 3.5 mm stereo jack as well as a video out port. The tablet done up in all white measures 207.4 x 133 x 13.7 mm and weight just 400 gms.
Although this is a quaint little tablet, it does have its share of drawbacks. Much akin to almost ALL of the budget tablets it does not have access to the Google Android Market. So if access to games, apps and much more are your thing, I would give this one a miss. Creative has listed a number of apps on its site that can get you immediate access to Facebook, Twidroid, PacMan, BBC News, CNET News, NYTimes, Winamp, YouTube Mobile, and Mobile Skype and, of course, Angry Birds. If you want to buy it now, you can check out Amazon.
Michael Kozlowski is the editor-in-chief at Good e-Reader and has written about audiobooks and e-readers for the past fifteen years. Newspapers and websites such as the CBC, CNET, Engadget, Huffington Post and the New York Times have picked up his articles. He Lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
