Creative sheds some hype on Zii 'stem cell computing'
By Joseph L. Flatley 
posted January 2nd 2009 12:42PM
posted January 2nd 2009 12:42PM
Pretty big talk, Creative, for such a mysterious product. According to information gleaned from an email that's making the rounds, Zii is "revolutionary" -- in fact, it's about to change everything you know. Everything. The company says they've invested over 10 years, over one billion dollars, and 10,000 man-years (that's a lot of men! and years!) on "stem cell-like silicon that is able to grow and multiply into different solutions and ecosystems," which will "better lives beyond our imagination." Has your mind been blown yet? No? Just wait until you "discover incredible recession-friendly business opportunities that enable you to thrive and prosper." Just what we need in the midst of these turbulent times. Of course this begs us to ask the question: if life as we know it is over, couldn't they have spent a little time coming up with a name other than Zii? And might there be a better place to announce this epoch-making discovery than booth #30651 at CES?
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
I hope this will be an embarrassing over statement,
but if its not, SWEET!
If they developed a tiny computer that regulates a sick patient's breathing they could call it the "WeeZii".
...
..I'll get me coat..
Well, the Zii has created some amusing comments, if nothing else.
http://www.creative.com/corporate/investor/
Considering how badly Creative have been doing in recent times, those 'recession friendly' business opportunities couldn't come soon enough.
All the while Creative hasn't even bothered to support FLAC http://flac.sourceforge.net or Ogg Vorbis http://www.vorbis.com in their portable audio range. MP3 and WMA? C'mon, you're not even trying, Creative.
Well done using this time to point out the ogg/flac/ape/etcetera failure, it nicely shows how advanced they really are, 2009 and not even ogg and flac?
Im bored.......
Seriously, if it is so "REVOLUTIONARY" why the hell did they decide to unveil it at CES.
There are better places........
Still bored.........
Neat.
T-1000s ....*screams right out of the room*
Z-1000?
The Zii Proxy... Stem Cell Computing... You know, it's FROM the kids.
Creative has the unfortunate tendency to over-hype EVERYTHING they make, especially relatively mundane products.
Im looking forward to it, but expect disappointment.
What this Zii thing is, is very simple. It brings Wii capabilities to the pc, acting simular to the ps3's cell processor for global R&D but aimed at stem cell research instead, a device that further enhances audio capabilities, and a device that surpasses Asus's accelerator in all their sound products. It might even be, all of the above built into an Ipod format which would obviously add Ipod capabilities.
-You don't name your product Zii yield similar font for no reason unless you intend to compete.
-To this end, I have dream t of such gaming devices allowing full control of characters not just part like the Wii.
-The stem cell computing is just there to throw some fools off, but clearly this is similar to the PS3 R&D capabilities.
-You can expect a "broader" creative that will bring devices with more capabilities then ever before, opening up to many more markets.
-Now you can understand the following: You can expect, "a ReVoLuTiOn", hint hint.
-Thought creative is unwise in hyping up a product b4 giving any details. It is better to downplay then to upplay. It may very well be a very good product, but what if you put in the mind's of the consumer a product that itches perfection; then you might disappoint them. Let the media, and the will of the people decide what is revolutionary for they dictate.
If it was iZii, Engadget would...
Oh nevermind
You know, I have a feeling this will actually be pretty big, and that their teaser is maybe just a bit screwed up. That little thing about business opportunities should have been left out, and put into their debut as CES. The booth number is also misleading and makes it look VERY insignificant to people who do not know the set-up at CES. Looking at my pre-show planner sitting next to me, their booth is actually one of the very large ones in the show... in fact they have 2 booths... so it was a bad decision, I think, to put that in IF this teaser was targeted at you. But I think that it isn't. They wouldn't put in that bit about CES if they wanted you to get all excited about it. Obviously this is a technology, not a product, coming out because why else would they be speaking to potential corporate buyers? I doubt that the market will see much of this very soon, just like OLEDs.
But CES is the most perfect place to showcase this product because CES is THE place for business. It is not a show for fans to go and oogle over shiney new toys, it is a show for big deals with coporations, mainly for the little guys who need someone to manufacture their product. For people like Creative, it is their chance to show the world their latest and greatest. Why do you think DVDs, VCRs, and CD players came out at CES? Because there is no better place to do that. Most of you just do not understand what CES is or what it is for, but by adding that bit in about which booth they are at, they are sure to attract loads of business people which is obviously what they want.
Either way, I have hopes for this, but I don't much care if it is hype or truth. I will see for myself in a few days!
10 years and 10k man-years implies at least a thousand people worked on this. Has Creative ever *had* a thousand people in R&D?
Probably some kind of FPGA (flexible programming gate array). StarBridge Systems was going to revolutionize the world with theirs, too, about a decade ago. Didn't really seem to take off beyond some very specialized big-customer applications (protein folders, that kind of thing).
If it is an FPGA or behaves like one, actually learning to program it may be a significant challenge. Fixed architectures are like racehorses--they're only horses, but you know how to optimize them to run fast. Flexibles are like kits you can use to create a racing animal. Sounds easy until you think about it...rabbit or cheetah? YMWillV...every single time...