Customer Reviews

Creative Zen Stone 2 GB MP3 Player with Built-in Speaker and Clip (Blue)

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

If you're looking for something fancy, this definitely isn't the player for you. If really just want something that plays your favorite songs because you're either new to this technology and are afraid of something too complicated or are looking for a basic extra player to take to the gym or to keep your sanity while on the bus/train every day, then keep reading.

NOTE: this does NOT work with subscription music programs. If that's how you get most of your music, you have now been warned to look elsewhere. Any music that you have truly "bought", however, should work -- licensed files are going to be more complicated to transfer than their DRM-free counterparts, of course, but both will work.

Presuming you don't mind the lack of a screen. . . what's not to like about this player? Not only is it small and easy to control like an iPod shuffle, but it also includes a little speaker if you'd like to easily let someone else in the room listen in and lets you transfer music by dragging and dropping the files into it. No quirky transfer software necessary! (It does include an optional software program if you'd like one, though.) Oh, and did I mention this is generally selling for around $40 or less at the time of this writing. . . and comparable iPods aren't?

The in-box earbuds aren't anything spectacular if sound quality is a major concern to you, but this is easily fixed by plugging in a better pair -- the player will put them to good use. The battery life isn't exactly spectacular for not having the huge power drain of a screen, but that's likely forgivable if you're near a computer to be able to plug this in regularly. The cable's a standard mini USB, so no worries if you lose the tiny little one that comes with it.

I'm one of those people who needs something to listen to in order to fall asleep. I also wake up a lot overnight, and late night radio isn't what it used to be. So I've taken to listening to podcasts, using a Creative TX-FM with a battery-operated portable speaker under my pillow. (I really don't like earbuds.) The speaker is small, but big enough to put my neck out of whack when it's under my pillow very long. I've also been running through an awful lot of batteries between the MP3 player and the speaker. (It doesn't help that I tend to fall asleep and leave them turned on all night.)

This little Zen Stone is a godsend. It's tiny, about the size of a box of wooden matches. The speaker is plenty strong for me to hear it through my pillow, but I don't feel it at all. The LED indicator light is handy for finding it in the dark. I can leave it on all night, it's still going in the morning, and I can just plug it back into my computer til it's time to load it up with more podcasts. No getting up in the middle of the night to find a new battery.

Now for some features that might make it aggravating for other applications. There's no display like on the TX FM, so if you're trying to locate a particular portion of a track, or just trying to locate a particular track, it's not so easy. Also, the fast forward and rewind feature seems to be a lot slower than on the TX FM and you have to listen to chipmunk gibberish while you're trying to find your place.

I tried to listen to an hour-long part of an audio book on the Stone and it drove me wild. I had to find where I left off before being distracted, and never did get to the right place again despite numerous tries. It isn't easy holding down the rewind button for a long period of time, and annoying to listen to it rewinding for long periods. With the TX FM, I can find my place again within a few seconds, silently, because it moves along faster and I can watch the track's time display. One more thing that might be frustrating--you're supposed to charge it for 3 hours before using. Hard to wait that long when you're anxious to start playing with a new gadget!

If you want something with a speaker, if you want to listen in bed at night, if you have a selection of tracks that don't need to be listened to in any particular order, if you're tired of buying batteries and you like pink--this might be the perfect MP3 player.

This is my 2nd Zen stone. My first was the 1 gb. I like this one even more. It is just as small which is one of the Zens biggest assets. It has a case that helps protect it. But they are very tough to begin with. I love the 20 hr. charge which is double the 1 gb stone. I work at an Army hospital and have a 12 hour shift on Saturdays so the extra charge is great. The little speaker is just that, little. But it works surprisingly well for its size. If someone asks you what your listening to, you just unplug the earbuds and turn up the volume and they can hear it. For those who have never purchased a MP3 and are trying to decide what to buy I pose these questions. Who needs more than 2 gb. thats 500 songs. Who needs a touch screen to tell them what they're listening to. You put them on there!! You don't want to replace batteries and the Zens play time is awesome. On top of that the interface to add or remove music is simple. Just click and drag. I hope I've been of some help. Happy listening!

I bought this little player to take with me while I walk with my dog. I needed something I don't need headsets or earbuds to hear, as I need to listen for traffic noises. This works well for that reason. The speaker is good, considering the unit is only about two inches big. And that's my problem with it. The software works very well, easy to understand and use. But, the controls are random. It says in the pdf that you can forward to a new folder....never went well. There is no way to be sure what you are going to listen to next. It seems random. When I try and make an adjustment to the sound or fast forward while walking or driving, it invariably goes wrong as you have to precisely place your fingers somewhere with very little room for error.

But it is nice and small. I wear it around my neck as a pendant and am able to hear music or in my case, mystery stories from old radio programs and still be safe on the road.

I love my 4th gen iPod, but it's kind of heavy and big for workouts, plus I worry about the hard drive, so I started looking for something a fraction of the size with fewer moving parts. This is what I ended up getting.

I would have bought it sooner, but I didn't want to have to buy any accessories for it. This new version came with a skin that has a place for the included clip to be attached. Yay!

And what a great price with Amazon Prime shipping! I ordered it yesterday, it arrived this evening and in three hours it was charged with hundreds of new tunes freshly installed. It's now in my gym bag ready to go in the morning. Talk about simple, light and efficient.

eta 12/28/09

Even though I own an iPhone now, this is still my favourite gym companion. Still works great, a single charge lasts weeks. Well done, Creative!

I already own a Zen Vision:M 30GB player, which I have adored from the moment it arrived. It has been a year and a half and the battery life on my Zen:M is still perfect! I ordered this Zen stone because I am going on a trip and don't want to take my more valuable player. Not only was it on a fabulous sale, with free shipping, but it arrived much earlier than expected! I fully charged the player last week, and have been listening to it every day, and still have no had the battery run out. The directions are simple and easy to figure out. It comes with a flexible case, which is clear and is great to use in my opinion because the case has the optional clip, that you can use for running or even grocery shopping! Sound is great (with a good pair of headphones of course). It is very easy to transfer files, particularly if you already have a Zen product, as you can use the Creative media source organizer to transfer between your two zen products, or your computer and your zen products. The player also comes with its own program if you would rather use that. The only downside I see at the moment is that the package does not include an AC charger adaptor, only the adaptor for charging on your computer. I intend to buy one, but don't know the prices yet.

Will update when I have owned the player for more time to find any cons. But for now, I love it!

I bought this at a different store earlier this year. I'm 40 years old and just wanted something plain and simple to list to when I worked out and this definately fit the bill. It's simple to use and doesn't have any fancy bells or whistles. It holds tons of songs and I've even loaded books on CD to listen to (although it can be a bit tough to find the start of the the chaper as it doesn't save in files). If you're looking for somthing that just plays music and a great price, then this is the player for you.

PURCHASED THIS MP3 PLAYER FOR MY WIFE TO USE ON SEVERAL UP COMING PLANE TRIPS. NO SPECIAL SOFTWARE IS NEEDED, BUT SOME COMES WITH IT. THE SPEAKER FEATURE IS A REAL PLUS. WE DO HAVE SEPERATE MUSIC FOLDERS, JUST TURN UNIT ON, SELECT FOLDER, SIT BACK AND ENJOY. WILL ALSO, STORE DATA SUCH AS OWNERSHIP INFO. CLIP AND CASE GREAT. ONLY COMPLAINT, THE USB CABLE SUPPLIED WITH UNIT IS SO SHORT IT IS HARD TO EVEN SEE. PURCHASED A LONGER CORD AT ANOTHER ONLINE MERCHANT. ONE THING IS A PAIN, IF YOU PLUG INTO 1.1 USB, YOU GET A MESSAGE ABOUT 2.0 PORTS BEING FASTER.
OVERALL, THIS IS GREAT BASIC MP3 PLAYER. I WOULD GIVE IT A 5.0 IF THE CABLE WAS LONGER.

I've had this mp3 player for about three years or so--this is the best purchase I have ever made! The 2 GB of space is enough for 400 songs... and I do not even fill it up to the max. Putting songs in the mp3 is easy with drag and drop via USB. The silicone cover it comes with is awesome! I've dropped this player countless times from 4 feet heights and it still works. I also dropped it a few times into the tub of water and it still works fine. The clip is really weak though! Overall great product!

ok this thing last forever i got it used 5 years ago and my older sister had it for about 3 years before and she droped it in water run over it with her car and throw it at the wall when she was pissed and after 8 years of abused it finally kicked the dust last night most mp3 players wont last a year with what this one went throught and we pay $35 buck for it