Creative Zen Stone Plus 2 GB MP3 Player (Red)

I was enjoying the player immensely when after only 7 weeks it just stopped working. Since it was past 30 days i could not return it via amazon.com and had to call Creative directly. Their customer service staff were insulting. I explained what was wrong and told I needed to "troubleshoot" over the phone. When I said to Arnold, the rep, "there is an on/off switch, when I press it nothing happens, what exactly do you think we can troubleshoot?" his response was, that perhaps I wasn't charging the unit correctly. Now if it had only been 2 or 3 days I would have seen the logic in this, but after 7 weeks this was a ridiculous suggestion. I was then directed to a web site to request RNA. The website did not work. I searched the entire Creative web site and found only one place were a text email could be sent. After sending email to this link, I was finally provided an RNA and am still waiting to receive the player back. I would most definitely not recommend this or any Creative product.

The Creative Zen Stone Plus 2GB doubles the size of the iPod Shuffle and adds a monochrome screen for viewing track names and settings. Add in the functionality of a built-in FM tuner and voice recorder at $65 and you have a great value.Pros -+ good stereo sound+ nice capacity for a decent price+ light-weight+ FM tuner with 32 presets ( though it's just average )+ voice recording+ simple design (no more click wheel!) with more color options+ great navigation and sorting features+ Nice format compatibility (MP3, WAV, WMA, Audible)+ USB 1.1 and 2.0 connectivity+ Can be used as a USB drive / mass storage+ Can sync music with drag & drop or via Creative software+ Nice extras like stopwatch functionCons- average battery life of 10 hours (OLED screen sucks the battery)- mediocre backlight ( but it can be disabled )- some DRM song transfer issues with some firmware versions- not expandable - few size options 1GB and 2GB- Creative software is buggy- larger than the 2nd and 3rd generation iPod shufflesCreative's Zen Stone line was meant to be the upgrade to the Zen nano, aka Muvo mini. Unfortunately, the 1GB Zen Stone had some quality issues. With the new 2GB Zen Stone Plus, Creative has tried to improve on previous models and compete with the Sandisk Sansas.I love the new Sandisk Sansa's. The Sansa Express has the advantage that you can plug it directly into your USB port without a cable. SanDisk Sansa Express 2 GB MP3 Player (Black) Still, the Creative Zen Stone feels nicer in the hand. It's not as sleek as the Sansa Express and doesn't have all the cool cache' of an iPod shuffle or iPod nano. But it is priced very attractively and has some NICE features. It's good for a starter, workout unit, or gift for a kid.The Creative Zen Stone Plus is lighter than the competition, but is still larger than the new iPod Shuffle 2nd and 3rd generations. Unlike the shuffle, you can actually see your track names! The OLED screen is perfect for a player this size but does suck more power and shorten the battery life.The controls are an improvement from the Zen nano days. While I didn't mind the toggle wheel, it has been replaced by intuitive buttons for the standard functions (select, up, down, play, pause, forward or reverse). There's a headphone jack, microphone hole, and a USB port.Another change from the Zen nano days is the Lithium Ion battery, which gives you about 10 hours if your lucky. This is less versatile than the old battery operated unit, but more convenient.What about sound? The sound is great, and it comes through in pure stereo. As usual, you will hear complaints about the earbuds. Most people replace their standard earbuds so I won't hold that against Creative.The Zen Stone doesn't have larger storage options. For those needing more space, you will have to explore the Creative Zen, Sandisk Sansa or new iPod Nano. All of those units have higher price tags.Creative Zen 4 GB (Black)Creative Zen 8 GB (Black)Creative Zen 16 GB (Black)Sandisk SDMX4-4096 Sansa e260 4 GB MP3 Player with SD Expansion SlotSanDisk SDMX4-8192 Sansa e280 8 GB MP3 Player (Black)Apple 4 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Silver (3rd Generation)Apple 8 GB iPod nano AAC/MP3 Player Black (3rd Generation)This unit is ideal as a player and not for those who primarily want to use it for recording. The built-in microphone is nice for short reminders.The price isn't a give-away, and the plastic case could be more durable. Still, this is a nice starter unit that can last you a while. Check it out. Enjoy!!!

I bought this as my little everyday and workout mp3 player because the other Creative Zen W that I have is not that great to carry around with. i use it every day.Pros: It has great sound, doesn't even need an installation CD, just plug and drag and drop, much better than the Zen W. The battery life (10 hours) is sufficient. Very light and compact. Love the display. The volume is very loud on high much more than the Zen W.Cons: little delay when clicking the buttons. I wish the pause button would be on the front as well and not on top, because it takes a while to find, when it is in the pocket. I don't like that I just got this for christmas and a week later they are coming out with the same model that has double the battery life and a speaker, which is what I would rather have for almost the same price.

I bought this MP3 player for my 7 yr old daughter for Christmas this year. She asked for an Ipod and I thought this was a better alternative than a pricey Apple Ipod with less storage capacity. I am so glad that I did! We got it out of the box plugged it into the PC USB port to charge and in a few hours my daughter was listening to music on her own MP3 player and extremely happy! I was very pleased with the ease of downloading software and the PC recognized it immediately and transferred over 80 songs in a matter of minutes. We were both ecstatic. I will probably be buying one for the rest of my family now that we know it is so easy to use and has great sound quality even with the cheaper earbuds.Overall I give it 5 stars!

When I bought my Creative Zen Vision:M, I became a rabid Creative fan. So when the Stone Plus came out, I was very excited. This excitement has just become disappointment... more on that later.It's a nice looking product, and though it feels cheap, it's well-built. Uploading songs is a snap, as easy as drag n drop. With the armband, it's also a very nice workout companion, with good sound quality and easy operation from the arm.Navigation on the device itself takes some getting used to but it's manageable. I wish it were easier to bounce back and forth between the stopwatch and the music. No big deals here.... but the battery life sucks! After two uses in the gym (like 3-4 hours?) the battery is dead! Also, battery life is not well-preserved if the player is not used for a couple weeks. Even if it was fully charged before, you'll find the batter dead in a matter of a couple of weeks, even with the unit shut off. Perhaps I have a defective battery, but I've read other online reviews complaining about the battery life.Anyway I'd take a look at the Sansa Clip player... it's exactly the same size as the Creative Stone Plus, and clips on you just like the new iPod Shuffle... only this one is better, with a nice color display, and excellent sound quality.