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05/03/2007, 8:45am, EDT

Thursday, May 3rd

Creative Zen Stone guns after iPod shuffle

Creative today made clear its ambitions by introducing the Zen Stone, its first completely screenless music player and the first aimed at beating the second-generation iPod shuffle. Claiming to be even simpler than the Apple device, the Stone is loaded through drag-and-drop file transfers. It's also more intelligent, Creative says: the device can recognize folders and will let the owner skip between them to limit in-order or random play to a particular album or playlist. Music is supported in MP3, WMA, and WAV as well as Audible audiobooks.

The Stone comes with 1GB of storage and will ship in six different colors by May 14th at a price of $40; it should be followed in July by the TravelSound Zen Stone (also $40), a black- or white-colored portable speaker system which provides stereo music for 20 hours on a pair of AAA batteries. Accessories will include a silicone skin with a built-in clip to match the portability of its iPod rival, a keychain case attachment, and an armband.

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Playlist select-shuffle
0
05/03, 9:04am, EDT
...is such an obvious option I sent that suggestion to Apple over 2 years ago... It is about time...
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Aug 2002
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Lossless support...
0
05/03, 9:06am, EDT
...would be another helpful & easy shuffle upgrade...
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Aug 2002
User is offline
hmmm...
0
05/03, 9:06am, EDT
...I wonder if Apple will take issue with the controls, seeing how they're identical to the shuffle and the Apple remote.

Don't know if they have any patents on that design, though, or if Creative is safe from Apple suits after the whole menu/navigation settlement.
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined Apr 2000
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Audible
0
05/03, 9:41am, EDT
Without support for audible books, I wouldn't consider. Needs to sync seemlessly too. I don't want to drag files to a device. Not sure how the Creative devices work though so I'm not sure if it's as smooth as iPods and iTunes.
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Inaccurate
0
05/03, 9:42am, EDT
Creative had screenless MP3 players a LONG time ago, aka MuVo.
inconsequential
0
05/03, 10:15am, EDT
There is no new ground broken here. No paradigm shifted. No earth shattered. This little player is no more than (arguably) incrementally better than Shuffle.

In order to present a valid challenge to the iPod juggernaut, competitors must create a device that is so many leaps and bound ahead of iPod in every respect (and especially in design and ease of use) that it blows it out of the water. As long as every teen talks about iPods and ONLY iPods, no challenger will be of any consequence.

Nice try, though, Creative and good luck with your little device!
Fresh-Faced Recruit
Joined May 2005
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what a lazy comment
0
05/03, 10:33am, EDT
'i don't want to have to drag files to the device'

then turn in your mouse and go back to the command line. i'd rather have a device that works in a DnD process than required a Windows or Mac OS program to interface with it (iPod or iRiver). Some of us DO use Linux machines.
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nat
i agree
0
05/03, 11:01am, EDT
it's inconsequential. copying apple will not generate sales like apple has. clearly adding a few new features isn't doing it either. however that $40 price tag may make an impact.
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The price is right
0
05/03, 11:45am, EDT
Only $40 and "drag-and-drop file transfers!" Nice. At that price and ease of use, they will sell a good number of them... at least until Microsoft releases a Zune shuffle.
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Joined Dec 2005
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Environmental waste
0
05/03, 11:46am, EDT
Talk about being anti-environmental. All those disposable AAA batteries being used to power this device, whereas Apple's devices have built-in rechargeable batteries.
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Joined Nov 1999
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