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

Tue May 22 11:40:01 CDT 2007

Jennifer,
All you have to do is copy and paste the files from your own folder on your 
hard drive onto the player, which will appear as a removable drive. I do 
this all the time. It's nothing at all. No software needed, nothing.
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "albert griffith" <albertpgriffith at hotmail.com>
To: "'NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List'" <gui-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 12:09 AM
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: Creative Screenless Zen Stone MP3 player

You will need to learn to get good at using Windows Media player's sync
feature.  I've had two portable players and neither of them had a send to in
the start menu.  Maybe this one does.  If so, I hope someone posts it.

-----Original Message-----
From: gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:gui-talk-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
Behalf Of Jennifer Aberdeen
Sent: Tuesday, May 22, 2007 2:19 AM
To: NFBnet GUI Talk Mailing List
Subject: Re: [gui-talk] Fwd: Creative Screenless Zen Stone MP3 player

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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