14 DAY TRIAL // Well, it finally happened!After denying any rumor regarding a possible launching, Creative has just announced the Zen Stone.
At first sight, the player seems to made especially to compete with the popular iPod Shuffle. As expected, the Stone features a blue glossy piano look and a mini screen. While using the player, the owner can choose to play songs, randomly. It can also play the tracks in order by skipping through various folders.
The Creative fans have even more reasons to be happy, since the player is going to retail somewhere around 40 bucks, that's at least 40 bucks cheaper than the iPod Shuffle!
Regarding the design, Creative kept the shinny curvaceous line, simple, but elegant, just like the previous players. They look good no matter the outfit or the situations. The storage capacity is a convenient 1GB, as most of the possible customers would choose this for its good price and neat design.
As the rest of the Creative items, the Zen Stone supports MP3,WMA and Audible, so almost any audio file format available on the market, which can be considered a big plus. It comes with a standard mini-USB connection port for easier and faster data transfer from the PC or from the laptop.
The playing time shouldn't be a problem at all, since the player can keep on boasting music up to 10 hours playtime from built-in rechargeable battery. The Zen can be purchased in different colors, according to the owner's tastes, choosing from black, pink, green, red and white.
As I forgot to mention, I have to say that the battery life is a little bit lower, as the Shuffle can last up to 12 hours. And another details is that the Creative player is an exclusive UMS device, which means that it won't show up as a standard flash drive, so it won't let you drag and drop files on any operating system.
Anyway, there is no doubt that a lot of people will accept the Stone over the Shuffle, as it is given at half the price. Regarding the matter, Sim Wong Hoo, the CEO of Creative agrees: "This is an incredible price for everyone to get a high-quality MP3 player capable of holding up to 500 songs. Whether it's your only player or a second one to take with you anywhere, this price lets you think of MP3 players in a whole new way."
For all the music addicts that are in the mood to customize they favorite player, the Creative Stone can be "dressed up" in many funky accessories including a nice silicone skin with a built-in clip,an armband for the fitness sessions, and a keychain case.
How about that?