[gui-talk] Fwd: Creative Screenless Zen Stone MP3 player

Tue May 22 01:19:19 CDT 2007

Wow, this is ironic...I just started looking for an accessible or somewhat 
accessible MP3 player. I've been worried about the drag & drop thing 
though...wondering if that was the only way to transfer music because 
obviously I can't use that method to transfer music. Anyway, as long as I 
can transfer music using the file menues, I think I'll look into buying 
this.

Jen
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Joel Deutsch" <jdeutsch at dslextreme.com>
To: "NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 1:33 AM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: Creative Screenless Zen Stone MP3 player

> This player sounds pretty attractive and accessible. I just checked on
> Amazon and, although there are only three reviews for the black model
> (really, when there's a clutch of models in different colors but they're 
> all
> the same product, they really oughta consolidate the customer reviews in 
> one
> place) and they were all enthusiastic.
> I'm unsure whether the information below is saying they're Audible
> compatible and support spoken word audio files from audible.com. I see the
> word audible among the formats, but if I were to order one of these, it
> would have to be usable for "reading" as well as music, so I just want to 
> be
> sure.
>
> anybody know?
>
>
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "albert griffith" <albertpgriffith at hotmail.com>
> To: "'NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List'" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 9:00 PM
> Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: Creative Screenless Zen Stone MP3 player
>
>
> I mainly use my JP3 player for Windows protected files and those I 
> download
> from Rhapsody which are also protected.  While the navigation system isn't
> voiced, it seems manageable.  The problem I have with the one I own is 
> that
> there are too many choices on the menu and they're not organized in a way
> where a pattern can be discerned.  I'm going to purchase one of these, 
> soon.
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Steve Pattison
> Sent: Monday, May 21, 2007 8:12 PM
> To: GUI Talk; Access-L
> Subject: [gui-talk] Fwd: Creative Screenless Zen Stone MP3 player
>
> Prices mentioned in this message are in US dollars.  -Steve.
>
>>From: petrakigianos-giasou at yahoo.com
>>To: blind_geek_zone at freelists.org
>>
>>This is for your information only. I am not telling you to buy this
>>screenless mp3 player. you make your own judgement on this.
>>
>>For $40 I think it is worth buying this device to use at the beach or
>>on a overseas trip to Europe one day.
>>
>>If you lose it on the trip that's ok.
>>
>>If it gets scratched that's ok too.
>>
>>The key is it is screenless. Has no display on the device.
>>Another good thing it requires no software. It is plug and play device.
>>The only thing I haven't found out is how to charge the battery. Looks
>>you need a computer or notebook PC around to charge the device. Regular
>>alkaline batteries would have been much better for this device.
>>
>>Note: The best mp3 player is the BookPort from aph.org.
>>
>>You can copy and paste your folders and files to the device which is
>>great.
>>
>>I will put my Replay AV 8 recordings on this device. Does this player
>>remember the last show you were listening to? Hope so.
>>You can put a couple of your favorite CDs on the device.
>>
>>Read the review below.
>>
>>-----
>>
>>Creative Zen Stone Review
>>
>>By: Grahm Skee - Anything But iPod
>>
>>Published on: 5/10/2007 11:13 PM
>>
>>Creative Zen Stone 1GB MP3 Player- Black
>>
>>Creative dropped the Zen Stone seemingly out of nowhere to compete
>>head-on with the iPod Shuffle,
>>
>>doing so at half the price with more to offer. Creatives screenless
>>player is a very basic offering - only audio playback and data storage.
>>However, the
>>
>>player does step out of the current Zen lineup feature set by offering
>>up true MSC drag and drop, catering to all operating systems.
>>
>>The Zen Stone makes a great secondary player to your audio arsenal,
>>handy for the gym or any
>>
>>place you need a simple, truly portable music solution.
>>
>>Read on for a look at all the features Creative has managed to pack
>>into this player, as well as
>>
>>a peek at the Stones insides, disassembled for all to see.
>>
>>
>>Quick Specs
>>
>>list of 8 items
>>. Size WxHxD: 2.1" x 1.4" x 0.5
>>. Weight: 0.88 oz
>>. Storage Capacity: 1GB (250 songs 4 minutes per song at 128 kbps mp3)
>>. Battery Life: Up to 10 hours continuous playback . Battery Type:
>>Rechargeable Li-ion Polymer . Playback Formats: MP3, WMA, WAV and
>>Audible . Connect Type: UMS/MSC . Available Colors: Black, White, Pink,
>>Blue, Red, Green list end
>>
>>Accessories
>>
>>Included in the package is the bare minimum: the Zen Stone itself, a
>>pair of earbuds, standard
>>
>>USB cable, and a quick start guide. Creative is also rolling out a few
>>accessories to go along with the Stone, like an arm band, neoprene
>>keychain holder,
>>
>>speaker dock, and silicone clip case. Third parties will be releasing
>>their own cases and accessories as well, so you wont be short changed
>>on available
>>
>>accessories.
>>
>>Design
>>
>>The Zen Stone is coated in a hard, smooth plastic giving it the feel of
>>a nicely polished river
>>
>>rock. The plastic is the same material found on the Zen V Plus and is
>>fairly scratch resistant; it will scratch but not easily under typical
>>use. It is
>>
>>pleasant to hold in your hand and lends to a very useable design -
>>small but not too small to use for bigger hands.
>>
>>A nice touch added to the left side of the player is a place to connect
>>a lanyard for wearing
>>
>>around your neck. The standard USB plug is found on the bottom with the
>>headphone jack located on the top. On the left face of the player is an
>>LED that will
>>
>>indicate the status of the player and the battery level with various
>>flashing sequences and LED colors.
>>
>>Controls
>>
>>Controls are very basic. The center play button operates as the on
>>button, as well as the off
>>
>>with a long press. The directional up operates volume and the
>>directional left and right operate the skip/scan forward and backward.
>>On the top is a switch
>>
>>that allows you to select either standard track-by-track play or
>>shuffle-all-music play. The switch also slides to the right, which
>>advances you to the
>>
>>next file folder. This is a very nice touch for allowing better control
>>and organization on a screenless MP3 player.
>>(More on this below under Music
>>
>>Playback.)
>>
>>Transferring Music
>>
>>The Zen Stone is MSC (UMS) meaning that it will work with any modern
>>operating system without
>>
>>installing software, including Windows, Mac, and Linux. Music is as
>>simple as dragging and dropping music files and/or entire folder
>>directories of music
>>
>>files. I have zero complaints about this method; it is the purest,
>>easiest way to get music onto an MP3 player. If you are interested,
>>Windows Media Player
>>
>>will also work with the Zen Stone, as it's compatible with any type of
>>removable media. This may be useful for using features that will
>>shuffle or
>>
>>randomly select 1GB worth of music to the player. [Also note that since
>>the player is MSC, you are able to use the player as a flash drive to
>>store documents,
>>
>>photos, and other file types.]
>>
>>Creative Media Lite Software
>>
>>Although not packaged with the Zen Stone, Creative Media Lite software
>>can be downloaded for free
>>
>>on Creatives website. The lite version of their Creative Media software
>>is designed for the player to transfer music, rip CDs, organize
>>folders, and
>>
>>manage some extra features you could only do on a player with a screen.
>>The main screen shows you the percentage of battery left on the player
>>as well as the
>>
>>firmware version, which is also updated though the software.
>>There is also a volume limit feature that allows you to set the maximum
>>volume limit and
>>
>>password-protects the ability to change it. This is useful for
>>protecting your childrens hearing.
>>
>>Disassembly
>>
>>Cracking into the Zen Stone without damaging it may be a bit difficult.
>>The face of the player is
>>
>>snapped into four places near each of the corners. However, all of the
>>edges seem to be glued or fused together. I was not able to get it
>>apart without
>>
>>causing serious cosmetic damage to the outside casing. There is nothing
>>user-serviceable, so breaking into the Zen Stone is merely for the
>>sport of it,
>>
>>anyway.
>>
>>Music Playback
>>
>>There are two different play modes: repeat all and shuffle all.
>>Repeat all simply plays all the
>>
>>files on the player in order. The order is alphabetical by track title
>>but also by folder title. For instance, if you have a few folders and a
>>few songs
>>
>>in the root directory, the player will start with the tracks in the
>>files in the root directory (files not in a
>>folder) then move through the folders
>>
>>alphabetically. The Zen Stone has no limit to the number of folders but
>>limits the depth of the folders to three. There is also a file limit of
>>1000 total
>>
>>files.
>>
>>The player has a folder skip button that is activated by sliding the
>>switch to the left. This
>>
>>will allow you to skip though one folder at a time. This is nice for
>>when you want to load entire albums onto the player where the button
>>will allow you to
>>
>>flip though the 10-12 CDs you ripped to the player. It could also be
>>nice to make folders for different mixes. For instance, you could make
>>a folder
>>
>>just for the gym or a folder for a party mix.
>>
>>Sliding the switch to the right will put it in shuffle mode.
>>This will shuffle through all songs
>>
>>and all file folders.
>>
>>Sound Quality
>>
>>Sound quality is pretty good and typical of Creatives line of Zen
>>players. I found that the
>>
>>frequencies are well balanced, having a flat response. EQs are always
>>nice, but the Stone can get away without having one.
>>
>>Conclusion
>>
>>The Zen Stone is an extremely basic screenless 1GB MP3 player.
>>Without a screen, Creative added
>>
>>some nice features that allow you to easily and blindly navigate your
>>tunes. The Zen Stone works with all modern operating systems and
>>doubles as a
>>
>>standard data flash drive, making loading music and other files as easy
>>as it gets. I really have a hard time finding a reasonable complaint
>>for a screenless MP3
>>
>>player priced at $40. If you need a simple music solution or something
>>to accompany your other player, pick one up. You wont be disappointed.
>
> Regards Steve
> Email:  srp at internode.on.net
> Skype:  steve1963
> MSN Messenger:  internetuser383 at hotmail.com
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