14 DAY TRIAL // Creative fans should be happy to know that their favorite company has just announced during the 2008 International Consumer Electronic trade show two new micro boom boxes to join its popular MP3 player series.
Apparently, both ZEN Stone and ZEN Stone Plus will feature built-in speakers, albeit don't expect hi-fi quality out of these little buggers. As for their internal capacities, the ZEN Stone will be available in 1GB and 2GB models, while the ZEN Stone Plus will come in 2GB and 4GB versions.
Just to make an idea about the new Stone Plus version, you should know the player will come enhanced with a "vibrant screen", as well as FM radio, voice recording, clock/stopwatch and customizable equalizer settings.
Moreover, it's good to know the 2GB models of the new ZEN Stone and ZEN Stone Plus with built-in speakers can store up to 1000 songs. And when it comes for their capabilities, both players will be able to deal with MP3, WMA file formats, as well as Audible files, ideal for listening to audio books in the car.
However, the ZEN Stone Plus player also supports unprotected AAC files (including iTunes Plus). The same device is going to be available in elegant matte black, dark blue, pink or champagne colour shades.
As for the ZEN Stone players, Creative says they'll feature a "smooth, contoured design for a natural and comfortable fit in the hand" . There are some cool accessories included in the box such as a translucent silicon skin with a clip and a sporty armband. The ultra-portable key chain with a tiny case that carries the player are available separately.
"The ZEN Stone and ZEN Stone Plus with built-in speakers free people from having to wear headphones to listen to their portable music. They enable users to enjoy music when they are on a walk or in a group and want to enjoy a conversation or hear what's going on around them. It's hard to believe that such incredibly small players can have a speaker that sounds so good, enabling people to share their music with friends, without headphones," Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative, informs.
Notably, adding music to the ZEN Stone or ZEN Stone Plus should be an easy job. Users just drag and drop music files to the player and press 'Play'. The internal battery is said to be able to resist for about 20 hours of continuous play on a single charge. And it needs no software to add music. Private listening is possible if connecting headphones to the players.
We are just a few, but there are many of you, Softpedia users, out there. That's why we thought it would be a good idea to create an email address for you to help us a little in finding gadgets we missed. Interesting links are bound to be posted with recognition going mainly to those who submit. The address is 
.
