Review: Creative Zen Stone

After having my Creative Zen Vision:M for almost 3 years now, I have decided I should get a smaller MP3 player for more portable reason, like using it in the gym or doing the very-annoying grocery shopping (fighting with aunts and uncles in a queue is no fun). The first thing I looked at (of course) is iPod Shuffle mainly because iPod has become the name of MP3 player. Friends who know me well know that I really dislike Apple stuff due to their unreasonable price tags. So after checking the price of Shuffle (which is about 400 RMB), I have decided no way! Then, I just turn to Creative, my favorite still. To my surprise, they actually have a similar products, which are apparently to tackle iPod Shuffle, called Creative Zen Stone. And, I found a very good offer, only about 170 RMB! So, without any doubt, I just ordered Zen Stone. And, to my satisfaction, I have decided to write a short review about it.

Look
Look is great! OK, if you compare to the so-called stylish Shuffle, probably it is not that "mass". But, I love it. It is really small, yet handy. The surface is actually scratch-resistant, which is a plus point. It is really adorable to hold it. The Zen logo is on the left side of the front, and the control buttons are on the right. There are only 5 controls, namely volume (up and down), next and previous, play and pause. To turn it on, just press the play/pause button for a while, and there is a small LED indicator at the edge blinking with green colour. To shut it down, just need to do the same. Simple, intuitive (really, I didn't read the manual).

Use
To transfer music to Zen Stone, use a standard USB cable to connect to the PC, and simply perform drag-and-drop. No additional software is required. Another plus point! Even though there is no LCD screen, you could still do some simple file management, i.e., creating folders for your music. By pressing the button at the side to the green icon, Zen Stone will skip to the next folder and play the songs in that folder. Simple as that.

At the back, there is a small speaker, which the Shuffle does not. Don't look down on this small speaker, the volume could be very loud. I sometimes use it in the morning to play some music while having breakfast. And, the quality is perfect.

Overall, I love it! It really is a portable MP3 player! And, it certainly deserves 9 out of 10 from me, with the price, the look, the use!