Updated 13 Feb, 2012, 6:30 pm IST

REVIEWS / PMPS / CREATIVE TECHNOLOGY

Creative Zen Stone

26 Jul, 2007, 12:00 pm IST | Shayne Rana | PMPs PMPs

MP3 players seem to be getting smaller and lighter with each new model. Some may lack features or just not have any, but hey, all I want to do is listen to music. What's next - an MP3 player that fits directly into our ears and plays music? But truth be told I’m all for miniaturization of gizmos provided, of course, they can live up to a certain standard. The Zen Stone (it should have been called the Pebble considering its smooth curved surfaces) is just this. But does it live up to the standard? Let's see.

Form Factor
What can I say about this player? Not much really. It’s small, and extremely light weight at a mere 0.65 ounces. Its entire dimensions are 2.1 x 1.4 x 0.5 and with its smooth curvy surface it makes for a simple yet cool design.

On one of it’s slim sides, Creative managed to fit a 3.5mm earphone socket (thank goodness!) with a slider that allows you skip folders, and shuffle the order of tracks to play randomly. On the other side is a mini USB port to connect to your PC for data storage and transferring your music.

The front is not too different from the iPod Shuffle - by that I mean the new clip version. The difference is, it has embedded buttons with the Play/Pause key in the dead center. This key also doubles as the power switch. All you need to do is keep it pressed for a couple of seconds to either switch it on or off. There is no Hold switch, which I found a bit odd, but then again, the buttons are placed in such a way, it’s not easy for the keys to get pressed my mistake if it’s in your pocket.

I do like these earphones. They may look like any ordinary pair but they have very slight protrusions at their top corners that make them sit in your ears a little better. The little extension and the rubber exterior surface of the speaker actually helps them stay put without falling out. There is also a provision for a strap in case you'd like to hang it around your neck. It'll end up looking like some sort of an ornament more than an MP3 player though, but what the heck.

Tags: DAP

Would you buy it?

Is it really necessary to have a multimedia mobile handset and a PMP? I don't think so.

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