The Creative Zen Stone is one of the smallest and most economical MP3 players you’ll find anywhere. Compact enough to fit into almost any pocket and weighing less than an ounce, this featherweight player can be worn comfortably around your neck or on your arm while you’re traveling or working out. With a capacity of 1 GB, the Stone holds about 250 songs, or 16 hours of music, in MP3 format (or 500 songs in WMA format). In addition, the player’s convenient plug-and-play capabilities mean that you can simply connect the player to your PC–the player is only compatible with Windows XP or Vista operating systems–and drag-and-drop your music and data files between player and your computer without the need for special drivers.

The featherweight Zen Stone (0.9 ounces) is one of the tiniest MP3 players on the market.

With smooth curves and a glossy black finish, this stylish MP3 player is designed to make you look good wherever you go. Ergonomically designed controls, including a conveniently placed quick-play mode switch, let you skip to the next song or folder, or randomly play all the songs in your player with a single touch. Changing play functions is as easy as sliding a toggle switch. The player also supports Audible 2, 3, and 4 formats in addition to MP3 and WMA files. And while the player is compatible with for-purchase WMA DRM files, it does not support portable subscription WMAs.

The player’s ergonomically designed controls make it easy to skip songs or access your favorite tracks.

Other details include a multicolor LED screen that notifies the listener of the unit’s charging and playback status, support for Creative’s Media Lite software (available via download), a rechargeable lithium-ion polymer battery that delivers up to 10 hours of continuous audio playback, and a USB 2.0 interface. The Zen Stone measures 2.1 by 1.4 by 0.5 inches (W x H x D), weighs 0.9 ounces, and is backed by a one-year warranty on parts and a 90-day warranty on labor. What’s in the Box
Black Zen Stone MP3 player, earphone, USB 2.0 cable, quick-start leaflet.

Customer Reviews: Read 71 more reviews…

4 out of 5 stars The best digital audio value out there

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.

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