The Creative Ziio 10 is the big brother of the seven-inch Ziio that we tested last spring. The new 10-inch Ziio runs Android 2.2, but in many ways it’s tablets like this that give Android its bad reputation in the tablet market, because it really isn’t something to hang on the tree.
The screen is the first thing that feels very budget-friendly. It’s not a capacitive screen but a resistive one, which means it actually senses your pressure and doesn’t break the voltage field like capacitive screens do. It is thus the same type of touch screens that we saw in the early 2000s. It gives a plasticky and imprecise feeling when we try to navigate around and drag things on the screen. It also does not handle multitouch, so zooming as smoothly as we are used to is not possible. The picture feels grainy and generally poor and the viewing angle is very poor. In short: the screen is bad on all counts.
The processor also seems to print checks that the plate does not cover. Surfing around is smooth and the pages are happy to chop and lag when you scroll around them.
Soundboard. The Ziisound app is the funnest thing about the Creative Ziio 10, but that doesn’t help save it from a failing grade.
Plays high definition
But Ziio should also be seen as a media player. And media it can play in the form of high-resolution 1080p files, but of course the screen cannot benefit from the high resolution. But it works. You also have room for an SD card on the side, so it is easy to expand the memory.
If you want to use it to control music, you can pair it with one of Creative’s compatible audio systems and stream audio over bluetooth. It works well and is easy to connect, but it’s not something that saves this tablet. Sure, Creative claims the sound is absolutely fantastic and talks about the “purest wireless audio experience”, but no. It is not worth it. It doesn’t stand out at all on the media player front.
Without Market
As the icing on the cake, the tablet has no real Android Market available. You have to make do with Ziistore, which is Creative’s own app store. That’s always a bummer on a tablet because you simply don’t get access to all the apps out there, only a select few, even if it’s a decently large selection.
In terms of shape, it feels plastic and cheap, even if the weight is lower than, for example, an iPad. But it feels bad in terms of construction with a plastic frame that feels like it can be removed (which you shouldn’t). In short: Creative Ziio is a dull tablet that does not provide any fun experience at all. Spend the money on something else.
Creative Ziio
Manufacturer: Creative, www.creative.com
Processor: Zii Labs ZMS-08
Memory: 8 GB, expandable with microSD card
Screen: 10 inch resistive touch screen, 1024×600 pixels
Camera: yes
Other: bluetooth, wifi
Operating system: Android 2.2
Size: 20.7 x 13.3 x 1.4 cm
Weight: 400 g
Approx price: SEK 2,800
Plus: Can be connected wirelessly to compatible Creative speakers
Minus: Sad screen, low performance
Grade: 
(3 of 10)
Processor: Zii Labs ZMS-08
Memory: 8 GB, expandable with microSD card
Screen: 10 inch resistive touch screen, 1024×600 pixels
Camera: yes
Other: bluetooth, wifi
Operating system: Android 2.2
Size: 20.7 x 13.3 x 1.4 cm
Weight: 400 g
Approx price: SEK 2,800
Plus: Can be connected wirelessly to compatible Creative speakers
Minus: Sad screen, low performance
Grade: 
(3 of 10)