7-inch Creative ZiiO tablet review: Because tablets need their own creative spin sometimes

So the Android tablet craze is about to hit fever pitch with the introduction of Honeycomb and Motorola's XOOM. That is perfectly fine with us: after all, tablets are handy little devices which have the potential to do a whole lot of things. And while most OEMs are busy trying to work on making their tablets as versatile as possible, out comes Creative with its own idea of what a tablet should be used for. Or does it? We put the Creative ZiiO tablet to the test.

Tablets are making their way to the market en masse, and based on what we have seen, the current trend and demand for these devices are not about to slow down anytime soon. After all, it cannot be denied that these devices fill a certain niche in the market, especially when they appear to be capable of offering computing performance well above that of a typical netbook. but without their heft and bulkiness of a dedicated keyboard and touchpad.

However, it would also seem that most OEMs dealing with tablets have got a little problem on their hands. Due to these class of devices now being marketed as consumer electronics devices as instead of the enterprise tools they once served as, manufacturers are seemingly keen on cramming every single feature that could think of save for the kitchen sink, into these mobile devices in an attempt to making it as multi-purpose as possible to suit consumers' needs.

But is a multi-purpose device like the Galaxy Tab and Dell Streak really what consumers expect in a tablet? Well, at least one OEM by the name of Creative does not think so. So, how would the company's ZiiO tablet with its 'less-is-more' approach fare in the market? We shall see.

Before that, here is a quick list of the various hardware used in the ZiiO, along with their specifications: