CNET Editor's rating: 7.0 out of 10
Reviewed by
Jasmine France
Review date: 07/26/07
The good: The Creative Zen Stone Plus comes in a choice of six colors and offers 2GB of storage for less than $70. It includes some handy extras, such as an FM tuner, a stopwatch, and a voice recorder. The player also has good sound quality.
The bad: The Zen Stone Plus interface is not totally intuitive, and the screen is too small to display full track info. It also doesn't offer full ID3 tag sorting for music, and the rated battery life is unimpressive.
The bottom line: For those who want a supersmall and cute MP3 player that offers more than just simple music playback, the Creative Zen Stone Plus fits the bill nicely.
Creative has a penchant for offering a wide array of choices for the MP3 player consumer, so it comes as little surprise that the company decided to add a screen and some extra features to the ultra-basic Zen Stone. The new Plus version, which comes with 2GB of storage and a palatable $69.99 price tag, isn't exactly an improvement over its predecessor. Instead, it's just a different option that will appeal to active users that need a little more than a screenless MP3 player can offer--and that's not a bad thing.
At first glance, it appears that the tiny (3/4-inch), round screen is the only thing distinguishing the Zen Stone Plus from its Plus-less sibling. Indeed, the players are the same size (2.1 inches wide by 1.3 inches tall by 0.4 inch deep) and nearly the same weight (at 0.74 ounce, the Plus has 0.09 ounce on the Stone), and they come in the same six colors: black, blue, green, pink, red, and white. They both have a lanyard loop built into the left edge, a standard mini USB port and reset hole on the bottom side, and a 3.5-millimeter headphone jack on the top. To the right of the screen, the Zen Stone Plus has a five-way control pad, which consists of volume and track shuttle keys surround a center button. However, unlike with the Stone, this center button is a select/menu key. The play/pause function can be found on the top edge of the device, making up one half of a rocker (the other half is a shortcut key). On the Stone, there was a shuffle/repeat switch rather than this rocker.
Creative will be offering a plethora of accessories for the Zen Stone Plus, including some very travel-friendly speakers.
Overall, it's a basic design that is not unattractive and certainly falls into the cute and pocket-friendly category. However, the simplicity in the design paired with the tiny screen make for navigation that is not the most intuitive--most users will not get by without reading parts of the included quick guide. For example, rather than stepping you out or forward in the navigation tree, the track shuttle keys do the same thing as the volume keys within the menus: move the selector up or down. Music organization also suffers, in that there isn't much to it. You can't browse folders without actually skipping through them--that is, the first song from each folder will start playing as you browse. The gist is that you're getting the same exact music navigation as with the Stone, just now you have a screen. Essentially, the screen just serves to allow for several other features.
Thanks to some handy fitness-friendly extras, the Zen Stone Plus is a great fit for the gym.
Still, those other features are redeeming, and users looking for a gym companion will be quite pleased. The Zen Stone Plus includes a clock and stopwatch, as well as a superb FM tuner with an autoscan feature and 32 preset slots. Plus, Creative will be offering several fitness-friendly extras for the player including a silicone case with a built-in belt-clip ($14.99 for a three-pack), an armband ($14.99), and--my favorite--a wristband (also $14.99) that "doubles as a watchband for the clock and stopwatch." There's also a unique keychain accessory ($12.99), which is quite fitting for a player of this size.
If you're prone to misplacing small items, the keychain accessory offers a handy way to keep track of the player. Just don't go losing your keys.
Other onboard features include several playback settings, such as the ability to shuffle and repeat, either taking the folders into account or not. There are also five preset EQs (rock, jazz, classical, pop, and normal), a five-band custom EQ, and a bass boost function. The Zen Stone Plus even offers a built-in mic for voice recording, and it supports MP3, WMA (including purchased but not subscription tracks), M3U (playlists), and Audible files. You can transfer music either via drag-and-drop in Windows Explorer (the player works with Windows XP and Vista only) or through a Windows Media jukebox, such as Rhapsody or Windows Media Player.
Unsurprisingly, the Zen Stone Plus performs very well in the sound quality department. The included headphones sound passable but don't do the player much justice. I used our standard test 'buds (the
Shure SE310), and results were much better. (For a cheaper sound-isolating option, try the V-Moda Bass Freq). Bass response is tight and the mids are rich and warm, yet the high-end is not overshadowed. The player offers nice, even sound overall, so all genres come off well.
Unfortunately, the Zen Stone Plus didn't perform quite so well with processor speed. The time between clicking the control pad and the next item in the menu being highlighted is painfully lagging--this can be a major annoyance. Luckily, this problem doesn't translate to skipping tracks or transferring tracks--both happen speedily. The rated battery life of 9.5 hours isn't impressive by any stretch--and CNET Labs test results of 9.2 hours matched that expectation--but considering the ultracompact size of the player, the short battery life is not much of a shock. It's a trade-off.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Fantastic...exceeded expectations.
I purchased this player for my wife with the wristband option. The size is perfect and all we did was ...
I purchased this player for my wife with the wristband option. The size is perfect and all we did was plug it into the computer and it appeared as a hard drive, so copying WMA or mp3 files was an absolute snap. There was no confusion as to what is being synched...you are in complete control. This is definately a welcome change from my Zune which requires it's sometimes frustrating software to use. This also means you can use the Zen Stone to backup important files...such as your resume and such and have it with you at all times...much like a USB key.
As far as sound quality, it's great. Not only that, but in addition to the preset equalizer settings (ex: rock, jazz, etc.) you have the option to adjust the equalizer settings manually. This makes a HUGE difference depending on your speakers...sometimes bass isn't full enough...no problem with the Zen, just equalize it where you like it.
The radio is great...picks up signlas with no static even in our basement laundry room with the machines running.
Haven't done too much with the recorder, but the only thing negative about it is the button is a bit hard to push and control being so small. Other than that, it works exactly as it should.
The screen is a bit small...but it's easy to read. The only complaint is it's limited screen space to dsiplay information...but that is to be expected in a device this small. This is a clear winning feature over the shuffle.
Finally, everything seems to be well designed and non-proprietary. The accessories are reasonably priced and the standard headphone jack can utilize any speakers you want. As an additional bonus...if you already have a mini USB charger for your phone or other electronic...then you can most likely use it to charge this device as well (I used my Motorola Razr charger with no problem).
All in all...a welcome surprise to the mp3 market. For the price, compatability and size, this is definately the mp3 player to get. My wife is extremely happy and after seeing the other options out there...I'd definately not hesitate to buy this again.
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by Lawryll (see profile) -
August 10, 2007
4 out of 10 - Mediocre Good value for the money if you don't care about playback order.
First I will lay out my biggest gripe. I listen to a lot of audio books so it is IMPERATIVE ...
First I will lay out my biggest gripe. I listen to a lot of audio books so it is IMPERATIVE that tracks be played back IN ORDER. Creative's documentation states that the play order is alphabetical by file name. However, that is not true. I went and renamed 42 tracks manually 01 through 42. It starts with track 04 then plays in order through track 42, then goes to tracks 1, 2, and 3. I have been to the Creative forums and found others with similar complaints. Although it says it plays in alphabetical order on "Normal" playback mode, it does not work properly.
If you don't care about playback order or having playlists then this is a truly awesome value for the money. The sound quality is great and the AM/FM radio feature makes it great for picking up the short range FM audio on the TVs at the gym.
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by manwithabook (see profile) -
February 10, 2008
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular best deal in the market
Yes, there are some minor drawbacks in this player, such as its ability to get scratched and the sort of ...
Yes, there are some minor drawbacks in this player, such as its ability to get scratched and the sort of short battery life. However, there are some major advantages regarding the main competition in this price range and portability players, such as the Iriver S10, the Sandisk Sansa clip, and the very own Stone [the regular Stone].
First of all, the sound quality is spectacular. You´ve got to swap the earbuds and get some decent ones. But this player sounds spectacular with the Creative´s own Aurvana earbuds. You have to be aware that a good sound does not mean a loud sound. In this case, the channel separation is at least on-par with that of the Iriver, and much superior to that of the Sansa Clip.
As for the screen, I have to admit that it is more than enough. And the interface is much better than what it seems. If we can live up to the fact that Apple and Iriver products have to be learnt how to use, why feel different about the Stone´s interface?
Couple of hours are more than enough to understand how things work, and it gets to be pretty intuitive.
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Absolutely Thrilled!!!
Absolutely cool. So much so, that I purchased this as a gift and decided I just had to have one ...
Absolutely cool. So much so, that I purchased this as a gift and decided I just had to have one too. I believe that the keychain case is a must. It is much smaller than I anticipated (cute). I'm not thrilled with the fact that the battery is integrated and must be replaced by Creative. However, in light of this, I think that it may be a good idea to purchase the protection plan through them (I do not normally recommend that, however, I believe the value is there in this case). I thought that the earphones were more than sufficient and the sound is of excellent quality (I'm certainly not one that places a great deal of emphasis in this area - however, I think it's just awesome - I suppose if you were in that area you might feel differently). My Husband is picky about sound and he thought it rocked! We were both pleased. Bottomline, if you are looking for a player of excellent value, and with very good Customer Support Service; I would highly recommend this one. Finally, I would mention that it would be nice if Creative would include the keychain case as a standard with this product.
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by NightTech (see profile) -
August 9, 2007
1 out of 1 users found this user opinion helpful.
8 out of 10 - Excellent Best budget MP3 player out there!
The iPod Shuffle and even the 2GB Nano better look out, this player has the best of all worlds in ...
The iPod Shuffle and even the 2GB Nano better look out, this player has the best of all worlds in terms of size, ease of use and features. The OLED screen is clear and crisp, the interface is simple and logical, and the fact there's no need to convert the files to proprietary format is a BIG plus (especially for those who know the horrors of using iTunes). The only thing I didn't like was that fact it doesn't come with a strap/lanyard, which is required since the player is so small (it would be very easy to lose).
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by carmaniac88 (see profile) -
July 22, 2007
6 out of 10 - Good ehhhhhhh not that good
Its not that good i had a sandisk before this the 512 mb one and that was way better than ...
Its not that good i had a sandisk before this the 512 mb one and that was way better than this
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by rasenaran (see profile) -
May 1, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Very cheap and easy to use
I bought the Zen Stone for just over $50 at Target for my wife to use at the gym. It ...
I bought the Zen Stone for just over $50 at Target for my wife to use at the gym. It is very small and has a built in FM tuner so she can tune in to the televisions at the gym. For some reason mine did not come with any instructions, but it is easy enough to use that I was able to figure it out without them. I think price wise I would go for this over the Shuffle any day. May only complaint is that we will have to buy additional arm strap because it doesn't come with a clip.
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by eclcell (see profile) -
January 27, 2008
9 out of 10 - Spectacular Cheap player with great sound quality. Easy to use.
This MP3 player has better sound than my old Shuffle and I can search for tracks! Top choice for small ...
This MP3 player has better sound than my old Shuffle and I can search for tracks! Top choice for small player.
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by gyaway (see profile) -
January 6, 2008
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