Creative set to jump into eReader market with Zii MediaBook
The eReader market is booming with
products available from multiple manufacturers including Amazon,
Sony, and more. Manufacturers are trying to set their devices apart
from the other readers with new features like touch screens and dual
screens.
Late last month, Barnes & Noble unveiled its
plans for the Nook eReader. Reports are now coming in that Creative
is working on an eReader of its own called the Zii
MediaBook. Creative promises that the MediaBook will be different
from the other eReader on the market thanks to added multimedia
features like a touchscreen, text-to-speech, and an SD memory card
slot. Perhaps the biggest of the promised features is the ability to
playback video files and surf the internet.
Those last two
features imply that there will be Wi-Fi, but no mention of integrated
3G connectivity along the lines of what the Kindle offers have been
made. Creative claims that the MediaBook will offer user's access to
Facebook and Twitter on the go and will be able to view photos on the
large touchscreen.
Exactly what OS the device will run is
unknown, but with the Zii Egg sporting Android, it would be easy to
see the MediaBook running Android as well. Creative is in talks with
international and local publishers to offer their content on the
device. The publishers print a wide range of content including
fiction, newspapers, magazines, educational materials, and
textbooks.
Singapore Press Holdings said, "We are
discussing with Creative how SPH, as a significant content provider
in Singapore, can provide what it has - stories, images, videos, or
radio programmers - for the e-reader."
There is no word
at this time when the device might hit the market or at what price it
would be offered. If the device wants to battle, the Kindle and the
Nook
in the market a price of around $259 will be needed.
"If you can find a PS3 anywhere in North America that's been on shelves for more than five minutes, I'll give you 1,200 bucks for it." -- SCEA President Jack Tretton
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