Fresh – and stealthily added – to Creative’s site is a Zii Dock, a Zii AV Cable and a new Zii Development Kit.  The latter of these is perhaps the most interesting; unlike the original developer’s device, the Zii EGG, this new kit will take one of a range of included detachable modules.  These range from 3G (triband WCDMA and quadband GSM/EDGE), a dual-camera module (VGA and 3-megapixel, both fixed focus), a 3.5-inch HVGA capacitive touchscreen module and more.

Meanwhile, Intrinsyc – who are also responsible for the Barnes & Noble nook – announced Android RapidRIL Support for the ZiiLABS cellular platforms earlier this month, news which went pretty much unnoticed at the time.  Of course, none of this is solid confirmation that we’ll see a Zii ZMS-05 based smartphone on sale in the first half of 2010, but it’s at least movement in the right direction.

Video demo after the cut

It looks like the demo model in this video is still using the docking connector, with some sort of dual-headed HDMI and power cable.  Still, the important thing is that Wall-E looks pretty darned impressive on an HDTV, and of course the ZMD-05 supports accelerated OpenGL ES 3D graphics so mobile gaming should be an interesting experience on the TRINITY too.

Unfortunately Creative are still refusing to do the sensible thing and greenlight a production version of the TRINITY that we can actually, you know, buy.  Instead they’re flaunting the handset to OEMs in the hope that someone will decide to build and sell it themselves.

[via MobileHub]

Video hands-on after the cut

The screen is smaller than that of the ZiiEGG but higher resolution, and ZiiLABS say the proprietary port on the base of the reference design could easily be switched over to a mini-HDMI port and microUSB port.  It’s not the slimmest handset we’ve seen, but given the capabilities of the ZMS-05 chip we’re tending toward forgiving it.

Creative claim that a manufacturer keen to use the TRINITY platform could bring a product to market in just three months, so while we’re unlikely to see the ZMS-05 on shelves in its current form, early 2010 will probably bring a few devices with similar abilities.  No word on what sort of pricing we might expect.

Despite going on display at the ZiiLABS summit, the ZiiSOUND D5 has nothing to do with Creative or their PMP range apart from the branding.  Apparently a version for the ZiiEGG -the ZiiSOUND D3 – is also planned, but again that will only be a basic speaker dock rather than include any sort of nifty 1080p-capable processing.

As well as directly docking into the ZiiSOUND D5 (and recharging) you can connect your iPod wirelessly with a Bluetooth adapter dongle; alternatively there’s a standard 3.5mm audio input for other sources.  No release dates for the D5 have been announced, but it’s expected to go for around $299 in early 2010.

The Zii TRINITY also squeezes in WiFi b/g, GPS, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 5-megapixel autofocus camera (plus a front-facing VGA camera for video calls), along with a microSD card slot.  Wired connectivity includes micro USB 2.0, mini HDMI and composite video output.  The battery is a 1,130mAh pack, and the TRINITY will run both Creative’s own Plaszma OS or Google’s Android platform.

Frustratingly, the Zii TRINITY won’t be available to the general public – at least, not through a mobile phone store – but as a Zii Development Kit ’3G Phone Edition’, including schematics, Gerbers, mechanical drawings, Board Support Package, middleware and OS.  No word on pricing as yet.

Press Release:

ZiiLABS Announces TRINITY – A Next Generation Smart/Media Phone Platform for Android™ and Plaszma™ Operating Systems
Zii TRINITY Smart Phone Platforms Capable of Supporting 3.5G/4G Devices in Super High Definition Video and 3D Graphics

Singapore – 1st December 2009 : ZiiLABS, a cutting-edge media processor and platforms company and a wholly-owned subsidiary of Creative Technology Ltd., today announced Zii TRINITY, a complete 3.5G/4G Smart Phone and development platform supporting the Optimized Android and native Linux®-based Plaszma operating systems. The Zii TRINITY delivers superior High Definition 1080p video output and accelerated 3D graphics to enable OEMs and ODMs to quickly and cost effectively bring differentiated Android and Plaszma based solutions to market.

Superior multi-format media processing is enabled by ZiiLABS’ StemCell Computing array which lies at the heart of ZiiLABS’
ZMS-05 and ZMS-08 media-rich applications processors, offloading the ARM® CPU to deliver the low-power, high performance media-rich processing required of next-generation mobile devices. Accelerated OpenGL ES 3D graphics enable developers to create rich 3D experiences in the form of enhanced user interfaces, games and pedestrian navigation.

“The growth in Smart Phone use to incorporate multimedia features is driving the demand for manufacturers and operators to deliver differentiated products and services faster than ever before,” said Hock Leow, President of ZiiLABS. “The Zii TRINITY is a proven media-rich platform that offers our partners a complete market-ready solution with the built-in flexibility for customization. We are showcasing an exciting 3.5G concept phone at the Zii Summit 2009.”

Features of the Zii TRINITY 3.5G Concept Phone
Quad-band GSM/GPRS/EDGE, Tri-band WCDMA, HSDPA Cat 8 at 7.2mbps
Full featured platform featuring ZMS-05 StemCell Processor
Linux-based Zii Optimized Android and Plaszma Support
Accelerated OpenGL ES 3D Graphics, Video and Imaging
3.1″ 480×800 16M colour Active Matrix OLED with capacitive multi-touch
Mini HDMI port for 1080p video output
Xtreme Fidelity#8482 X-Fi audio technology
5M pixel rear facing, auto-focus camera
VGA forward facing camera for video conferencing
USB 2.0 Micro port for connectivity and charging
MicroSD storage expansion and SIM card slots
256MB low-power DDR memory
Integrated Wi-Fi 802.11 b/g, Bluetooth 2.1 EDR and Hardware GPS
Composite Video output
1130mAH lithium polymer battery
The Zii TRINITY Platform can be supplied to potential cellphone manufacturers as a complete design package including schematics, Gerbers, mechanical drawings, Board Support Package, middleware and OS.

A Zii Development Kit ’3G Phone Edition’ provides a modular development platform that enables developers the flexibility to innovate around the Zii TRINITY platform to create product solutions based on their own preference of hardware components. The Zii Development Kit supports both the ZMS-05 and the recently announced ZMS-08 processors.

Future versions of the Zii Development Kit Phone Edition will be made available for 4G networks such as WiMAX or LTE.

About Zii Optimized Android and Plaszma
Zii Optimized Android delivers the familiar Android OS but enhanced to provide a richer Android experience that leverages the capabilities of the
ZMS-05′s StemCell Computing architecture; including seamless 3D OpenGL ES acceleration and High Definition video. The Plaszma OS enables native Linux based development via a rich set of highly optimized industry standard APIs that leverage a wide range of multimedia CODECs, Web 2.0 browser, 2D and 3D graphics, audio processing and a powerful gesture based user interface.

About the ZMS-05
The flexible ZMS-05 media-rich application processor utilizes the StemCell Computing array of 24 fully programmable floating point processing elements to off-load the media processing from the integrated ARM CPU to deliver superior media capabilities of delivering highperformance HD video, 2D and 3D graphics and multimedia capabilities within a low-power environment. A broad range of peripheral functions and I/Os are integrated on-chip to ease system design and reduce product costs.

About ZiiLABS
ZiiLABS is a worldwide leader in low-power, media-rich application processors, hardware platforms and advanced middleware that enable OEMs, ODMs, System Integrators and Software Developers to deliver best-in-class products across a broad range of consumer electronics and embedded markets. Originally founded in 1994 as 3DLABS, the company re-branded and joined with the Personal Digital Entertainment group of Creative Technology to form ZiiLABS in January 2009. ZiiLABS now has over 800 R&D engineers working on ZiiLABS related projects and has invested US$1 billion and 10,000 man years in media processing solutions. The company has offices in the UK, China, USA and Singapore.

The ZMS-05 isn’t quite as media-packed as the ZMS-08, but it’s not far off.  ZiiLABS still promise 1080p HD video output, OpenGL ES 3D graphics, accelerated browsing and more, which would add up to a pretty impressive Android smartphone all round.  Android is already available to load onto the Zii EGG developer device, however that lacks a cellular radio.

Among the other products on display will be “a Touch Tablet PC, a Netbook, a Web-Box, a 360-degree Multi-View Camera System, ultra high-performance Speakers, a Piano Keyboard for the PC, and a Portable e-Book Reader”, with which ZiiLABS are hoping to tempt the so-called Shanzhai developers in China.  If a success, we could see various reasonably-priced but powerfully-specified devices taking on smartphones, PMPs, set-top boxes and other platforms.

[via AndroidAndMe]

The MediaBook will have features that the other eBook readers don’t offer according to creative like Internet capability. Other features will include a touchscreen, text-to-speech, and a SD memory card slot. The image included here is an illustration, not the actual device.

Creative reports that its reader will allow the user to watch videos, view pictures, read text, and support other services with the one device., It sounds a bit like a netbook in an eReader form factor. I could see the appeal of an eReader style device that can check email and watch video. Creative is also in talks with ten international and local publishing companies to bring content to the reader. There is no word on a launch date or pricing at this time.

The Zii EGG is based on Creative’s ZMS-05 chipset, and offers not only WiFi, Bluetooth 2.1+EDR and a 3.5-inch 320 x 480 10-point multitouch display, but 1080p video output, HD playback and OpenGL ES support.  It was launched touting Android compatibility, but initially has been sold running a custom OS rather than the open-source Google platform.

It’s still unclear, though, when the commercial versions of the Zii EGG might reach shelves.  The project is intended to encourage developers – particularly those who might usually develop fake versions of known devices – to support the Creative ZMS-05 chipset, but right now there are no major hardware partners that have announced support for it.

[via Engadget]

The text on the back of the unit itself also suggests that, reading Zii rather than Zii EGG; the developer editions seen so far have had EGG branding.  In the user manual, the proprietary dock connector is shown, complete with cables to connect the Zii to an HDTV via A/V connectors.

Inside there’s what looks to be a non-user-replaceable 1,200mAh battery.  The Zii EGG developer model is available to order now, priced at around $400 with a copy of the SDK; Creative are yet to publicly confirm when the first commercial version might reach the market.

[via epiZENter]

The pre-release versions on hand lacked multitouch support and had only patchy Android support; in fact, Android won’t be loaded onto the initial Zii EGG units, which are expected to begin shipping by the end of August 2009, with the devices instead running the company’s own Plaszma OS.  Android will be released shortly after, as soon as Creative have ironed out the bugs. 

Interestingly, the company is hoping to muster some of the “Shanzhai” developers in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan to work with their new platform.  “Shanzhai” is the name given to the proliferation of derivative or copied devices that follow big-name product launches; however Creative believe that enthusiasm and expertise – as well as their speed of development – could be used to drive Plaszma.  For the Shanzhai developers themselves, they’d get the support of a single OEM providing the relevant hardware parts.

Whether or not that pans out remains to be seen, but we’re still curious to see the commercial derivatives of the Zii EGG prototype.  Check out CNET’s video here.

Video demo after the cut

The ZMS 05 bundles all of Creative’s StemCell Computing hardware, and uses a standard SODIMM connector to hook up to third-party I/O board.  The company envisage it slotting into future nettops, IPTV systems and internet-connected digital picture frames.  The ZMS 05 processor has a USB 2.0 controller, three bidirectional video controllers, analog HDTV encoder, and various other connectors, while the board also has a power management unit, ethernet controller and an audio DAC.

With all that, the ZMS 05 can handle 720p video playback, OpenGL ES 3D graphics such as for GPS navigation, real-time encode/decode of H.264 video and more.  Full details in the video below.

Creative Zii EGG gaming demo:

Creative ZMS 05 Zii Plaszma system module:

[gaming video via epiZENter]

Video demo after the cut

There’s also Creative’s X-Fi audio processing system, GPS, a 3-axis accelerometer and 32GB of integrated memory, together with an SD card slot.  Unfortunately this isn’t the Android smartphone to best all rivals, as it lacks cellular connectivity of any sort.

The Zii EGG has 256MB of RAM and a 32MB Linux kernel boot ROM, and measures 115 x 62 x 12 mm while weighing just 108g.  Dual cameras – both HD and VGA for video calls and still/video photography – and a 1,200mAh Li-Ion battery round out the hardware specs.  Creative are bundling the Zii EGG with the Plaszma Starter Kit for $399; however the Zii EGG alone will eventually be available priced from $199 if bought in bulk.

[via epiZENter.net]

It’s these PEs that make up the Zii ZMS chips, twenty-four in total, and capable of 10 gigaflops – that is, concurrent calculations – per second.  A blade server can take 256 ZMS chips – 6,144 PEs in all – and is capable of a staggering two teraflops per second.  In contrast, to make a comparable blade server from standard chips, you’d require 1,000 blades. 

Of course, Zii’s strength for consumers is not in supercomputing but in packing high-definition multimedia capability into a compact package.  PMPs, MIDs, UMPCs and netbooks would all be ideal candidates, with the Zii chip acting as a co-processor for multimedia alongside a traditional CPU for everyday computing.  Plus, since a ZMS chip can selectively shut off power to unused PEs, overall energy demands are lower than a traditional chip; that means battery life can be longer despite the greater capabilities.

Creative are pushing not only their first ZMS-05 chip, which includes a media processing array, dual ARM cores and integrated peripheral controllers, but the full Zii platform of specially compatible OS, SDKs, hardware reference designs and middleware.  While the company wouldn’t commit to release dates and availability of products using the Zii platform, they did demonstrate working in-house prototypes.  These included a CCTV security camera capable of processing 30fps high-definition video and a early-stage prototype set-top box for HD encoding and decoding.

Other tips have suggested that the Zii could have a role as a secondary or co-processor, though what particular expertise it would bring to the party is unknown.  Also unclear is whether the chip will be limited to Creative’s own range or, more likely perhaps, licenced to other providers. 

Remember, SlashGear will be at CES 2009 next week bringing you all the latest details on the hottest new technology for 2009.  We’ll make sure to check out Creative and see just exactly what change is on offer.

[via epiZENter; Thanks Paul!]