Creative Zen Stone 1 GB MP3 Player (Black) by Creative
|
List Price: Category: Network Media Player See more digital camera details and other models |
|---|
(Click here)
Digital camera reviews of Creative Zen Stone 1 GB MP3 Player (Black)
Digital camera Review: Good, but....
Summary: 4 Stars
The zen stone definitely competes with the Ipod shuffle, but there are a few quirks.
Pros:
-Size/Weight: At first I was bothered by how light the stone was, made it feel sorta cheap, but the fact that I can actually have it dangle from the headphones (especially if you get the lanyard style) makes it sort of a plus. Unfortunately, you can totally tell this thing cost creative like 5 bucks to manufacture.
-COMPLETE TACTILE USAGE! This is where you pay the extra money. While the materials are cheap, the R&D department at Creative definitely thought the controls through. You can control every part of the Zen stone without ever taking it out of your pocket. Not sure how to explain it, but you know exactly what to press where and there is no confusion. It even has a folder skip feature which I find really handy as I can seperate my music into folders by "mood" (gym, bus, home, etc). I just wish it would let you have more options for the repeat feature such as a single track, folder, or all songs.
-Sound Quality - No EQ settings here, but I've never had any problems with distortion or lackluster sound.
-That LED light, it just amazes me how much information a two tone LED light can tell you, from battery power to song transfers, to charge status, etc.
-Drag n Drop - you can easily load songs and even files for transfer. Uses a standard mini-USB plug, so if you lose the one it comes with, a replacement isnt too big a deal (I have at least 4 products that use that plug). Good thing Creative didnt go all propriety on us.
CONS:
-The repeat button (read above)
-The material - the plastic scratches very easily, kinda annoying. Not that theres a screen to look at.
-The Skins- my most major issue. I have no clue what creative was thinking. Do you honestly think someone frugal enough to buy such a cheap mp3 player is gonna dish out 1/4th the price for a belt clip? c'mon Creative, we're not fools.
Overall, I'm happy with the purchase, but primarily cuz I got it open box at a good discount. I would never consider this my main MP3 player, I do however, recommend it for the gym as it is excellent when you only want a handful of songs to listen to while you work out. The belt clip isnt too much an issue since its so light and would actually fit into the small "key pocket" most pocketless sport shorts have.
Digital camera Review: Great Little Player
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought the Stone to supplement my 60 gig Ipod. This is great to take on long walks or jogs or anyplace you just want some specific music/words but don't want to carry the larger player. I also bought some accessories so this player is very easy to carry around. You can clip it to your pocket or get the key chain holder or the arm band holder. The sound is great and it's very easy to add and remove songs. This is truly great for active people who don't want to carry their full featured player around at certain times.Digital camera Review: Great MP3 Player
Summary: 5 Stars
I bought this because I am not a big fan of all of the iPods these days and I wanted a small MP3 player that I could use while running and exercising. I decided to go with the Creative Zen Stone and I have never regretted it. This MP3 player is simple and requires no software to transfer music to it. You just plug it in to your computer and drag and drop files. You can organize them into folders and then easily switch which folder you are listening to by pressing the switch on the top of the Zen Stone. You can also set it up to syncronize files if you prefer with a program such as Windows Media Player. The buttons are easy to press while running and the light on the Zen Stone tells you if it is on/off, playing/paused, and it tells you battery life status(impressive). I highly recommend this player for active use, and if you buy this you should definitely get a skin to go with it so you can clip it on your shorts. Even buying both of those things together, it is still cheaper than an iPod.Digital camera Review: Great Product. Great Price.
Summary: 5 Stars
I just recently purchased my Creative Zen Stone, and so far so good. Its a nice tiny light weight player, and you can't beat the price at approximately $40. I bought this as a companion to my Creative Zen 8gb Micro Photo Player simply because I wanted something extremely small and light weight to walk around my school's campus with. This does the job perfectly. I put it in my pocket while walking, and I don't feel the weight of it at all. Its nice not feeling as if you're lugging something huge around.
I bought the black colored one and you can see your fingerprints all over it, but you can just easily wipe them away so its not really a big deal. The sound quality of the player is very nice. The folder option is great because I like to organize my music according to their genres. I can just listen to a particular genre without having to listen to anything else. Although there is no hold switch, the buttons don't easily get pressed by accident so its not that big a deal. The LED light is great because it tells you what state your player is in. You do have to get familar with what color light means what and what the blinking lights mean though. The 1 gb of memory can hold approximately 200 mp3s. I especially love the fact that no software is needed for this device. You simply drag and drop your songs into the player's folder. Of course there is a software available for download on Creative's website for free if you really want one. The included USB cable is very small (approximately 4 inches) which is great for laptops but maybe not so good for desktops.
Overall this is a very good player. Its tiny and very light weight. Its great for those looking for a simple, inexpensive player. You can't beat the price at $40 bucks. This should definitely be bought over the Ipod Shuffle, which is double the price.
Digital camera Review: Great Quality For A Small Price Tag.
Summary: 4 Stars
This little mp 3 player works great. The volume controls allow the music to be played loud or soft. I couldn't believe the awesome sound quality. The thing is really light weight. The creative medialite software allows you to customize three different folders to seperate music files into different categories. The software can be downloaded to your computer from CREATIVE after registering your mp3 player. It has a few drawbacks, like it has no digital screen to see which of your soundtracks are being played, the running time or how much of the battery life you have left. Battery life is measured by a flashing light on the front of the player. Also, it only has 1 GB of memory. For about twenty dollars more, you can have 2 GB of memory, a digital crystal screen, an equalizer, a voice recorder, etc. in the same size with The Zen Stone Plus.