Yesterday when I released those screens from a potential ZEN Zii, a lot of the commenters immediately pointed out that they were missing a battery indicator, a "Photos" options and other things that are usually found on Creative's players. I too had my doubts of their authenticity. Then the source of those screens replied back and stated that they didn't say they were for a DAP, but rather a "Creative device". He's right of course, it was me who automatically assumed they were for a ZEN player.

One of our members noticed that the interface is nearly the same as the one found on the Xdock HD. This was an all-in one docking device for iPods that Creative announced at last year's CES. It not only output music in X-Fi quality, but it also upconverted video from your player to 720P so you could watch it on your HD set. The product gained a lot of buzz and was even a Best of CES nominee. But for some reason Creative never released the device last year. Check out the video below to see a look at the Xdock HD's interface (courtesy of iLounge).


Pretty much the same as those Zii screens right? Now that in no way confirms that Creative is going to announce an updated version of the XDock HD, with a Zii chip inside. In fact, some here would say this confirms those screens are fake. To me, it makes them more likely to be real. I don't recall seeing any stock photos of the Xdock HD's interface, and these new screens certainly look like they were taken from a stock image. Second, why on earth would anyone go through the trouble of faking these? Why would that same person reply back to correct us that it wasn't for a Zen player, but another Creative device? Perhaps I'm being naive there but it seems like someone who got the publicity of their fakes being shown wouldn't really care about whether people knew what device it was really for. That would be one thorough faker!

Real or not, a new Xdock HD, (or ZiiDock HD) in no way means this is all the Zii chip is capable of. It is merely one consumer application of it. Keep that in mind before making judgments about the chip itself. And like always, we'll keep you updated on this rumor and others surrounding the all-changing Zii.

Thanks Varuna!