It doesn't take much to figure out who
Creative is slinging this
Zen Stone at, and Anything But iPod seems to think Creative has scored a direct hit. The player is comfortable in the hand, features a switch to toggle between track-by-track or shuffle all tracks, and to jump to the next folder of music, is similar to the shuffle in size, and best of all: goes for about half the price. It's hard to go wrong with $40 for 1GB of DAP action, especially since Creative allows UMS/MSC access to the player, letting you load files and songs in a cross platform drag-and-drop manner. Most people aren't going to be able to use a screenless player for primary DAP usage, but as a secondary player and fashionable accessory, the Zen Stone should treat you nicely.
posted May 11th 2007 5:52PM
Kevin,
Nobody's forcing you to buy a Zen Stone. If you are happy with Apple's offerings, be happy.
If you like a screenless player that doesn't require software to get tracks on (and off) it on virtually any machine (and operating system) you choose to hook up your player to, you may be interested in the Zen Stone. Or you just may like the looks (and colours) or functionality of the hardware or (optional) software better. Or the half price. Or even the sound. People have different preferences.
That's why there's choice.
Why does there need to be an alternative-to-iPod DAP? The same reason why there should be several competitors in any technology field. Competition is the catalyst that lights the fire under the ass of innovation as companies try to one-up each other.
It also helps keep prices lower when there are several different companies and products in the market. Monopolies are bad.
yes it uses flash you n00b
and about your ipod thing, ipods suck compared to most DAPs and they get so much credit even they fucking suck
lol, creative news appear one day after my good ole 5gb Zen micro crashed into the ground towards an unexpected hard drive death.
What's worse? loosing the gadget itself or now not being able to listen to music in a one-hour subway travel?
Lol, that's really weird I dropped my 5gb black zen micro really badly on the ground yesterday too. The fall seems to have half dislodged the battery from being 100% satble so it randomly turns off now after saying "battery low".
Could people stop spamming and putting links to their stupid websites along with their half-ass comments. . .
nobody is making you click the links. i think a single link should be acceptable. even if the post is a bit of random comment just to get the url up there.
www.donotclickhere.com
Wow. $40, can't complain about that.
Looks great! There are plenty of good players out there besides the iPod, but it's not just the hardware. It's the whole environment.
If one of those oh so cool Sony players integrated with iTunes I would buy one in a second.
*heavy sigh* Here we go again:
iPod shuffle WITH DOCK: $79
Zen Stone WITHOUT DOCK $40 WITH DOCK $80
In case your having trouble with the math, Get A Life Larryi5, thats A BUCK MORE!
Whats up with comparing the prices of Apples and kumquats?
You can go out and buy a stripped car- no A/C, power windows, etc- for a lots less than a car that's loaded.
But please don't pretend you're getting some kind of bargain.... and, the chicks will tell you how lame you are.
dave
In case you have not noticed, you do not require the dock to use the player itself.
You do realize that the difference between the Nano and the Stone is that you actually have to use a dock with the Nano. Stone just hooks up with a lil cable that comes with it. But I suppose that's unfashionable for some.
The Zen stone is small , like a key chain. Why the fuck would anyone need a dock you lazy fuck?
or even, for a lot less... as opposed to " a lots less"... whatever that means
dave-
You're aware that Apple was the pioneer of selling the bare bones to cut cost (or increase profit margins, considering how much they make per iPod), aren't you? With this exception, Creative almost always throws in some decent accessories for free, as opposed to iPods, which come with the thing itself, an AC adapter, connect cable, and headphones. No dock there, my friend. And my Zen Micro is still kicking, even after several severe drops, while a lot of my friends' iPods have tanked at least twice for no reason at all. Gotta love overpaying for a brand name.
Cheers,
Darius
For the retard that keeps saying the dock costs an extra fourty dollars.
Its fourty dollars for a DOCK THAT PLAYS MUSIC. READ THE PACKAGE DESCRIPTION. IT COMES WITH A USB CABLE THAT LETS YOU TRANSFER MUSIC.
So for the base price you get
one digital audio player
one set of headphones
one usb cable
and for an extra $40 you get a dock with built in speakers.
just cause the ipod needs a dock to sync doesnt mean everything needs a dock. read the details before you start talking about how damn awesome your stupid player is.
i need one of these for the gym. it looks so cool and it's only $40! the shuffle is now a complete rip off.
Blah, blah, blah.
"So for the base price you get
one digital audio player
one set of headphones
one usb cable"
Yes, yes, just like EVERY IPOD EVER MADE. So your point was what again exactly?
A USB cable is not the same value as a dock- it is a $5 item- if that.
As usual, you blowhards hold Apple to a different standard than every other craptastic company that churns out commodity mp3 players.
the point is very simple- equip the items the same, make a fair comparison, the cost is the same. Actually, the crappier player costs more.
okay what does the shuffle dock do
it transfers music to the player
what does the usb cable for the zen stone do
it transfers music to the player
dont get your feelings all hurt jsut because someone made a product that performs the same and costs less than your precious ipod shuffle
well you did get one thing right... the crappier player does cost more. about $40 dollars more. Are stupid people just getting more common or louder?
hey dave your a fart knocking dick puncher like the other guy said you dont need a dock with the stone but you do with the igay, you should compare zen vision m and the "video" ipod and then we'll see who has a shitty DAP
"fart knocking dick puncher" LOL
hit the nail on the head.
oh by the way dave heres the review for your dock which you feel is so precious.
http://store.apple.com/1-800-MY-APPLE/WebObjects/AppleStore.woa/wa/RSLID?mco=6C04E0D7&nplm=MA694G/A
if this dock is so wonderful then whys it averaging a 1.5 star rating?
Where's the clip? The clip is what sells the new shuffle, but you gear-heads will never figure that out. I don't see a clip on this thing, sorry no sale.
Man, thanks for the url to the apple store site. Almost EVERYONE HATES the dock. Too bad apple can't figure out how to use the cable "thingy" to transfer music.
This is a deal maker for the zen.
OOOOOOOOOOooooooo, ouch. You got me there.
Maybe 'cause I don't want to be crawling around looking for a spare USB port while I could be doing your Mom?
Zen or iPod, I reckon they are an amazing invention :)
Especially when we think that all of the world's audio recorded information is now at our fingertips.
http://www.themodernman.com/
iPods suck in terms of audio quality and bass. SnR ratio is so bad in the iPod, compared to the others, it's the reason why Apple chose not to report it on their products. But the iPod ClickWheel interface, for a player with mutiple gigs of music, is something that can make enough slack for the audio quality shortcomings. All other players simply SUCK in terms of button interface.
"Actually, the crappier player costs more."
Oh my, I agree whole heartedly, the iPod does cost more. :)
The POINT being made, dear friend, is you do not NEED the dock with the Zen Stone, whereas should you need another Apple dock, well, my my, won't you pay a pretty penny?
Moving right along, I can be pretty Anti-Apple, never cared for their Windows software, or their OS, and I can't say I've ever liked the clickwheel, so alternatives are always great to hear about, I don't do screens on my players, never made sense to me, it's for music, in my mind, it should work like a CD player. That way, it looks quite good, if I can gather up the money I think I'd like to have this.
So, uh, where are you going to plug the iPud dock dave?
the ipod dock plugs into a usb port you idiot. it doesnt run on your imagination. Theres nothing magical about your dock. The only difference between a usb cable and your dock is 5 cents worth of plastic and the shape of the connector. If you went to the apple website you'd know because its labeled as a USB DOCK.
uh Dave. I'm sorry Dave, but I can't release the lock on your brain, Dave. It's gone ... terminal, Dave.
Maaarsey oooaaats & doszzzey doaatzzzzzzzz ....
and liddell lammzy divey...
This is an entertaining comment thread.... I won't be getting this because Creative still refuses to support AAC files. Creative software also sucks chunks. Rawr.
WOW, I have never seen someone ruin themselves so completely with so few posts! Thanks dddave, You just made my weekend. Hahaha....
To those who wonder why consider alternative DAP's to the Shuffle, please remember that competition is always a wonderful thing for us, the consumers.
Also please remember that if it wasn't for the already thriving flash-memory DAP market (of which Creative was main player), Apple would not have changed their philosophy regarding their iPod lineup, and moved away from the micro-HDD of the Mini to the flash iPod Shuffle and Nano. Both flash-based iPods out-sell the HDD iPod w/video today....
And if it wasn't for the popularity of the Shuffle and Nano helping to drive down flash NAND memory, we would still be buying 4GB Nanos, Zen V Plus's, Sandisk Sansas, iriver Clix's, and Samsung K3's for $300, instead of for $100-$150. THAT's why we welcome competition. Get it??
dave!
your mom!
is a dock the icock shuffiler!
I like the Shuffle better because it's shinier and made of aluminum.
"Ed T @ May 12th 2007 10:45AM
Where's the clip? The clip is what sells the new shuffle, but you gear-heads will never figure that out. I don't see a clip on this thing, sorry no sale."
You can buy a sleeve for the stone for $9.99, which includes a clip. Also, it helps protect the stone. (The sleeve thing actually looks pretty cool)
So lets see...
lets round it up... $40 + $10 = $50
Ipod Shuffle = $80
Still cheaper.