Hands on: Creative ZiiO tablet review

We're just back from the launch of the Creative ZiiO tablets – and we managed to get some time with the latest addition to the Android family.

First up, it's important to note the price-point – Creative has set the price for the 10-inch at £249.99 for an 8GB version and £269.99 for the 16GB version.

For the smaller 7-inch version the prices are £199.99 (8GB) and £219.99 (16GB).

The reason this is important is that Creative has taken some major decisions to bring the tablet price down to virtually half the price of the Apple iPad or Samsung Galaxy Tab.

First up, the screen – although our time with the tablet showed that it was fine, it's not going to win too many awards, principally because this is a resistive 1024x600 display – or 480x800 on the 7-inch version.

This does, of course, impact heavily on performance. Although using a stylus with the screen helps, the screen is noticeably less responsive than its more expensive brethren.

This means that users are going to get a little frustrated with a perceptible lag (from what we have experienced), although it should be pointed out that Creative was at pains to make it clear that this is not a final model.

The second major decision that Creative has taken is that it is using its own ZiiLabs ZMS-08 processor, and although the company is remaining coy on the processor's speed, it certainly does not feel quite as nippy as some other Android tablets and phones.

The tablet itself is light and feels well put together – the 7-incher weighs in at 400g, and its bigger 10-inch brother at 650g.

Both of the tablets are the same width – at 13.7mm, and both are relatively comfortable to hold.

The Creative ZiiO 10-inch has room for an SD card (up to 32GB) and the 7-inch tablet has a microSD slot (also up to 32GB). Input wise, both have mini USB and 3.5 stereo jacks.

As you may expect from a company that prides itself on its audio heritage, Creative's big push for the tablets is their capability with music and movies.

To that end the tablets both lean havily on their Bluetooth 2.1 – and the APT-X and A2DP codecs.

Indeed, the first impression of the audio is certainly that it is outstanding – with the X-Fi audio enhancements and the proprietary media player from Creative playing a part.

Both tablets run a version of Android 2.1 – not ideal for tablets – and the company itself acknowledges that both will benefit greatly from the arrival of Android 2.2, which will be available as an over-the-air update or via PC.

But it's functional enough, and the prototype handwriting recognition – when teamed with a stylus at least – seemed pretty good.

Both of the tablets have a front-facing VGA camera – not terribly high spec, and functional rather than particularly wonderful – and there is no Wi-Fi 802.11n, either, with Creative plumping for the older b/g instead.

The Creative ZiiO 7-inch is available in white and the 10-inch in black – which seems a little limiting.

Overall, this is going to be an interesting test of the market. The creative ZiiO lacks some of the polished qualities of its tablet cousins, and the resistive screen will put many off.

But the price point is significant – this is a major chunk less cash to lay out than for an iPad, or even the Samsung Galaxy Tab, and it remains to be seen if consumers are prepared to accept a little less finesse for a lot less cash.

In truth, this tablet needs to get through its Android 2.2 certification as quickly as possible – as this should improve it significantly.