Customer Reviews

Creative Zen Stone 1 GB MP3 Player (Pink)

5 star:		(107)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(11)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(13)

 

 

In the week or so I've had my Zen Stone, I've been very impressed.

PROS
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1. It's cheap. Darn cheap. Why buy an iPod Shuffle when you can get this? Sure, it doesn't have a clip, but it's so light that you could let the thing dangle from your headphone cord if you wanted to.
2. It doesn't require any software. That's right, plug it in and use it, just like a USB flash drive, by dragging and dropping MP3s or non-PlaysForSure WMAs right into the right directories. You can even change the order in which the player plays the songs by modifying the folder tree, just like the old days. For anyone tired of bloated software (iTunes? Zune?), this player's for you.
3. Sound quality is good, and the player puts out an acceptably loud signal.
4. EXTREMELY durable. Although the finish is very scratchable, the player itself seems indestructible. I accidentally closed the player in my car door and it still works. Not bad.
5. Wholly acceptable headphones. Better than the iPod standard headphones in my opinion, in fact, but still worth replacing if you value higher quality music.

CONS
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1. Annoying LED that flashes every two or three seconds when it's playing a song. It can light up a small room.
2. A weird bug. I've had the thing randomly shut down while playing two specific tracks of mine. When I removed them, I no longer had a problem. Weird.

I can't give it a five because of the problems I've had, but I'd give it a 4.5 if I could.

EDIT: New firmware has been released to reduce the glacially slow ~10 second startup time to around ~3 seconds, comparable with a shuffle. Awesome.

My iPod died and I wanted a cheap replacement while I wait for the next generation of iPods to hit the market. I've also wanted a smaller, flash-based mp3 player for awhile, to for activities where my iPod was either too bulky or in danger of getting scuffed or broken.

What I like:

-Love the design, it's tiny and nice looking. I don't miss having a display. I almost bought the larger version with the display but decided this version was more aesthetically pleasing and really covered the bases I needed. I wish it came with a clip though. Third party options are available, but how hard would it have been to just put a clip on it to begin with?

-You don't need to install any software, you can just drag and drop files right into it, and put them in folders if you wish. It will play just what is in a certain folder unless you press the button to advance to the next folder, or have it on shuffle mode.

-It does what it's supposed to do, and is very simple. This is the kind of mp3 player you can give to your parents or any tech-phobe and they should be able to figure out how to operate it pretty easily.

What I dislike:

-There really needs to be a hold button. Twice now I have come back to find the device with a dead battery. Both times I am 100% positive I did not leave it on. It must have gotten bumped while on my desk or something and turned itself on. This is extremely irritating as I usually notice it's dead when I'm not near a computer to plug it in and where I was depending on the device to provide some entertainment. A hold button that locks the device in "off" mode would solve this issue easily.

-The only way you can charge it, without buying an adapter, is through your USB port. This normally wouldn't be an issue for me, but right now I'm moving between houses and don't have my computer set up, so this has been a big drag. Because of this, I had planned to use this device mostly with my work computer, but that has caused issues that are explained below.

-I wish the shuffle feature stayed within a folder, instead of choosing songs from random folders. To me, the whole point of organizing the music into folders it to divide up genres so you can listen to what you are in the mood for. And with a device with a small amount of memory, you are mostly going to listen on shuffle mode so you don't get bored. I like to listen to loud, fast music for certain activities, and softer stuff for others. It sucks that when you put the device on shuffle you may go from one extreme to another. I wish there was a toggle to either let the shuffle mode roam over all the folders, or stay inside the one you are in.

-My biggest issue with this device, and the reason I knocked it down a star is that it will not work at all on my computer at the office. The device shows up in My Computer, but when you click on it, windows hangs. I'm using XP Service Pack 2. The stone also comes up in the device manager, and I have uninstalled it and reinstalled it several times, installed the optional driver/software from Zen, and read all the support documentation on Creative's website and cannot find any suggestions that get this device to work on this computer. I have plugged it into three other computers and it has worked fine. I am pretty savvy when it comes to computers and have used all kinds of different USB devices on my office computer w/no problem. I cannot for the life of me figure out why it refuses to work on this computer. Even just having it plugged in to charge will cause the OS to randomly lock up and sometimes crash so I have to reboot. And if I reboot with the device plugged in, windows won't even load, like there's a new master disk plugged in. It is really annoying, and frankly disappointing, because I purchased the device solely to use with this computer.

Overall though, it's a good little player and I don't regret the purchase. There are just a few things that I think could be smoother. But for the price it's a great deal. With the exception of my isolated computer issue with it, it's extremely simple to use. A lot of these smaller flash mp3 players are ridiculously too complicated to use - it's like they are trying to make up for not being an iPod by having all these different "features" and "modes". But really you just want to click play and get going. Creative did a good job with the design and ease of use, they just need to work out a few kinks.

The Creative Zen Stone 1GB is a nice value in starter MP3 players. It has the same capacity as the iPod Shuffle at $40. For $20 more, you can get the 2GB Stone Plus which also has a screen, FM Tuner, voice recording and more.

Pros -
+ good stereo sound
+ nice capacity for a decent price
+ light-weight
+ simple design with more color options
+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, WMA, Audible)
+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity
+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage
+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via Creative software

Cons
- below-average battery life of 10 hours or less
- software issues - Creative software is buggy
- DRM song transfer issues with some firmware versions
- not expandable from 1GB (no SD card slot)
- no FM tuner or voice recording
- larger than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shuffles
- for just $20 more you get the 2GB Stone Plus with added features

Creative's Zen Stone line was meant to be the upgrade to the Zen nano, aka Muvo mini. The 1GB Zen Stone is decent but not perfect. It suffers from quality issues and is really ideal for specific uses. I love the new Sandisk Sansa's. The Sansa Express has the advantage that you can plug it directly into your USB port without a cable. SanDisk Sansa Express 2 GB MP3 Player (Black) Still, the Creative Zen Stone feels nicer in the hand. It's not as sleek as the Sansa Express nor as cool as an iPod shuffle or iPod nano. But it is priced very attractively. It's good for a starter, workout unit, or gift for a kid.

The Creative Zen Stone is lighter than the competition, but is still larger than the new iPod Shuffle 2nd and 3rd generations. The controls are an improvement from the Zen nano days. While I didn't mind the toggle wheel, it has been replaced by intuitive buttons for the standard functions (select, play, pause, forward or reverse). There's a headphone jack and a USB port.

Another change from the Zen nano days is the Lithium Ion battery, which gives you about 10 hours if your lucky. This burns out faster than the old battery operated unit, but is more convenient.

The sound is nice, and it comes through in stereo. As usual, you will hear complaints about the earbuds, which most people replace.

The Zen Stone Plus is the only larger option at 2GB. For those needing more space, you will have to explore the Creative Zen, Sandisk Sansa or new iPod Nano. All of those units have higher price tags.
Creative Zen 4 GB (Black)
Creative Zen 8 GB (Black)
Creative Zen 16 GB (Black)
Sandisk SDMX4-4096 Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion Slot
SanDisk SDMX4-8192 Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)
Apple 4 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Silver (3rd Generation)
Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation)

The price isn't a give-away, and the plastic case could be more durable. Creative has fixed some of the software issues. Still, this is a nice starter unit that can last you a while. Check it out. Enjoy!!!

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.

easy of use, lightweight and simple interface make this player a good contender against the apple analog. I did a little research before buying this puppy, so I can't relate on a comment about the supplied earbuds. I will however mention that the supplied USB cable is only about 3 inches long, so bear this in mind for data transfer and charging if you use the included cable. transfer rates and charging were very good, and I do suggest updating the firmware on your Zen Stone to the latest version since it improves the effiency of charging. once you take the player out of the box, Creative suggests you charge the player right away. I did so in under an hour, then I updated the firmware. once this was completed, I used Creative Media Lite to begin file transfer, and I noticed that my player was once again charging itself. with the stock version of firmware, it had been charged to 100%, but after updating, the device realized it was actually only 85% and continued charging itself to the correct level.
while some people will complain about the load time from startup taking a couple of seconds, this is a small sacrifice for a very good budget 1 GB MP3 player. I had stayed out of buying MP3 players because the price had been too intimidating, but it just got entirely too cumbersome to lug around a CD player anymore. I was quite shocked to see how small this player really is... just a tad larger than a box of matches. so far I have had no problems with it, it is a solid little device and a good deal at the current price.

I currently own a 30gb Zen Vision M, and previously a 20gb Zen Touch, so I am a loyal Creative customer. When I heard about the Stone, I felt I couldn't pass it up, mostly for the price alone and how great it looks. I figured I will get a lot of use out of it for the times I'm in a hurry and want to get an album loaded quickly, or just don't feel like carrying the larger Vision around.

Nothing to complain about as far as functionality goes. Sound quality is as I would expect from a Creative player. I've so far used it mostly plugged into my car stereo and it sounds just as good as my hard-drive based player. The folder switch button is a plus, as it allows you to skip between folders/albums/however you care to organize. In my opinion it's nearly identical to the 12-cd changer in the back of my Jeep, but it holds more music and I can toss it in my pocket when I get out!

I don't mind the lack of a hold button, as there are only a few buttons that could really affect playback, and they are not as sensitive as other players. I do plan on purchasing either a skin or the keychain for it, just to give it a little extra protection.

This player is a great choice for a younger person or someone who is new to owning and managing an mp3 player, or, as in my case, as a companion to your player that already holds all of your music collection!

Hope you like my customer images posted for this product!

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.

First few days owning this and i have to say i am really impressed with its performance. Sound Quality is simply superior, nicely done. major ups on this product is the "folder" option, where you can find songs a lot easier...for example you have 2 folders one for rock one for pop, you can switch folders to listen to the music specifically in that folder or you can switch it to shuffle mode where it will play every song (shuffled). some major downs about this product that i notice is that it doesn't have a hold/lock button, and sometimes while i listen to my music it switches, buttons are very easily pressed but are solid enough to a point where accidents like pushing the forward button can be avoided. another thing is you have to charge directly from the computer, which i find annoying and the USB plug to the computer is extremely small, good for those people who have their whole computer next to them. the plastic cover can pick up fingerprints easily if you have the black one. but nonetheless, this is an overall good player, i would recommend it to others...its only 40 dollars, quality already satisfies me, this mp3 is definitely worth your money

I justed needed something for the gym, but I got a whole lot more.

All I had to do was connect it to my computer (with the USB cord that came with it), then drag and drop the files I wanted. So easy! No additional software required. Additionally, it charges by being plugged into the computer (my old prehistoric iriver was battery powered).

It's small enough that I keep it in my school pencil bag or, when not at the gym, it fits into my pocket for listening on the go.

This is a great MP3 player. I learned the interface in about a minute, and had it playing as soon as it charged up. Sound quality is excellent, as is true of all Creative products. There's a palpable elegance to the integrity of the design; it really is sort of Zen.

Windows recognizes it as a portable drive without any restrictions or, really, any need for special software (Creative Media Lite is simple and straightforward, but really only necessary for firm upgrade). Explorer or similar file management software work just as well.

Also, there's a place to attach a lanyard and hang the Stone from your neck. I'm using one I got with a flash drive; don't know why Creative doesn't include one.

Only cons I can think of are that file transfer is really slow, varies from 200 to 500 kps. I assume this is an inevitable result of form factor, but it is annoying when you're in a hurry. Also, of course, earbuds are worthless. I ordered Philips clip on earphones at the same time for less than 10 dollars and they work fine.

One more con: my wife and daughter both now want one. And how can I deny them?