Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, green)

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc. Part number: 70PF219100NN1

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CNET Editor rating:
3.5 stars Very good
Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 1 review

More product information:: Editors' review; User reviews; Specifications; Product series; Manufacturer info

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.

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CNET editors' review

Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, green)

price range: $30.65 - $67.83

Reviewed by: Jasmine France
Reviewed on: 07/26/2007

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.

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Creative Zen Stone Plus

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.

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User reviews

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Average user rating: 4.0 stars out of 1 review
My rating: 0 stars

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8 stars

Excellent Auditory Sensation

by googooboyy on September 3, 2007

Pros: Tiny. Light. Direct. Excellent Audio. Multi Function.

Cons: 1+ sec lag from push of button. Unintuitive folder navigation.

Summary: I couldn't rate its battery life proper as i've yet to test it 9 hours straight (as claimed) but after a full charge, the battery life went to ...

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Summary: I couldn't rate its battery life proper as i've yet to test it 9 hours straight (as claimed) but after a full charge, the battery life went to 1/3 after about 3 hours usage (with volume at full blast.)

The 1 sec or so lag from the moment you press the button can be forgiven due to the fact that you won't be doing much navigation apart from next track/previous track (shuffle!) but this is an area it could be improved. It pales in comparison to, say, a click wheel, but who's comparing~.

And that seems about it for the cons. As for its pros, I can't quite list all as there's plenty but here's one or two which migh influence your purchase decision.

1. Price! Competitively priced, this nifty little player consists of features you'd adore. Like its little clock, and combined with its wirst band, it doubles as a wrist watch! With FM, Stopwatch, Mic for recording, and supporting M3U (playlists), this player's worth more than its priced at.

2. Audio Quality. I've yet to hold a player that beats the audio quality of Creative's players. From Apple's, Samsung's to the Zen Vs, the Stone plus's stellar audio is a direct winner. At full blast, and with a decent pair of earphones, you'll feel your music envelope your senses completely without really 'popping' or 'hissing'. Brilliance!

In other words, get the Stone if you want a no fuss player, that connects to the comp easily and your most important requirement is good audio quality.

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Specifications

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.
Part number: 70PF219100NN1
Description: The tiny ZEN Stone Plus is designed for life on the move. Compact and sporty looking, it comes in glossy color and can store up to a thousand songs. You're sure to fall in love with its smooth curves, round blue display with clock/stopwatch, FM radio and microphone. Whether you're running between lessons, keeping fit in the gym or commuting to the office, just pop the ZEN Stone Plus in a pocket and keep it with you all the time... because it's the MP3 player you'll love.

General
Width 2.2 in
Depth 0.5 in
Product type Digital player / radio
Height 1.4 in
PC interface(s) supported USB
Weight 0.7 oz
Color Green
Digital player signal-to-noise ratio 90 dB
Digital Player total harmonic distortion 0.1 %
Flash memory installed 2 GB Integrated
Digital storage None
Dimensions (W x D x H) 2.2 in x 0.5 in x 1.4 in
Packaged quantity 1
Software type Drivers & Utilities
Digital storage media type None
Radio
FM station preset qty 32
Tuner type Digital Radio tuner
Station preset qty 32
Tuner bands FM
Digital Player / Recorder
Digital player supported digital audio standards WMA, WAV, ADPCM, Protected WMA (DRM 9), Audible, MP3
Digital player response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
Digital player supported bit rate 320 Kbps
Carrying Case
Case type None
Battery
Rechargeable Battery Rechargeable
Battery Enclosure Type Integrated
Included Qty 1
Technology Lithium polymer
Battery 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Mfr estimated battery life 9.5 hour(s)
Audio System
Sound output mode Stereo
Additional features Voice recording, USB 2.0 compatibility, Upgradeable firmware
Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)
Cable(s) included 1 x USB cable - External
System Requirements
Peripheral / Interface devices USB port
Min Operating system Microsoft Windows XP SP2 or later, Microsoft Windows Vista, Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition
Connections
Connector type 1 x Headphones Mini-phone stereo 3.5 mm, 1 x USB Mini-USB Type B
Slot(s) provided None
Slot(s) Required None

Built-in Display
Audio system built-in display OLED
Resolution 64 x 64
Backlight display Yes
Display illumination color Blue
Power
Power Supply / Device None
Manufacturer Warranty
Service & Support 1 year warranty
Audio Features
Built-in clock Digital clock, Stopwatch, Timer
Equalizer
Equalizer factory presets Classic, Rock, Jazz
Remote Control
Remote control None
Microphone
Microphone type Built-in
Microphone operation mode Mono
Headphones
Headphones type Binaural Ear-bud
Sound output mode Stereo
Response bandwidth 20 - 20000 Hz
Sensitivity 109 dB
Impedance 32 Ohm
Connectivity technology Wired
Battery / Power
Power device type None

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Product series

Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, black)

$49.99 - $61.99

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.

Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Protected WMA (DRM 9), 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, white)

$52.71 - $60.56

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.

Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Protected WMA (DRM 9), 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, red)

$49.99 - $67.83

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.

Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Protected WMA (DRM 9), 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, blue)

$53.99 - $63.83

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.

Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Protected WMA (DRM 9), 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, pink)

$52.98 - $67.83

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.

Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Protected WMA (DRM 9), 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated
Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, green)

$30.65 - $67.83

Manufacturer: Creative Labs Inc.

Specs: Digital player / radio, 2 GB, MP3, WAV, WMA, ADPCM, Audible, Protected WMA (DRM 9), 1 x Lithium polymer Rechargeable Player batteryIntegrated

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Manufacturer info

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Creative Zen Stone Plus (2GB, green)

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Specifications

General

Radio

Digital Player / Recorder

Carrying Case

Battery

Audio System

Cable(s) / Peripheral(s)

System Requirements

Connections

Built-in Display

Power

Manufacturer Warranty

Audio Features

Equalizer

Remote Control

Microphone

Headphones

Battery / Power

Product series

Manufacturer info

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