Creative Zen Stone Plus

The Zen Stone Plus isn’t going to put you in a transcendental meditative state, but you might lose it if you were to drop it on a pebbly beach. An MP3 player so tiny it would rattle around if you put it in a matchbox, it offers decent sound quality that defies its minuscule proportions.

Features
Clearly designed to take on the iPod Shuffle, this MP3 player might be small but it’s got features where it counts. The biggest difference between this and Apple’s model is the screen. This adds a little to the size, so it isn’t quite as small as the Shuffle, but its smooth, rounded edges serve as something of an optical illusion, making it look and feel smaller than it is. The screen is a simplistic affair – you’re not going to be watching video on it – but it’s more than adequate for choosing the track you want to listen to next. It also has twice the capacity of the Shuffle at 2GB, an FM radio (in case you tire of the music you’ve put on it) and a voice recorder – should you ever need one.

Performance
The supplied earbud-style headphones do a decent job of turning your digital music into audible tunes. Plugging the device into your computer is swift and simple, while transferring tracks to the device can be done quickly and efficiently.

Ease of use
We were expecting the addition of a screen to make using this device particularly simple, but we still found ourselves having to read the instructions in order to get the most out of it. Some of the controls feel like they could be more intuitive.

If you’re already familiar with Windows Media Player and know how to use it to store music on your computer, then plugging this device in and transferring your music will be simple. You don’t even need to install any drivers or additional software. It’s true that Media Player still plays second fiddle to iTunes when it comes to ease of use, but it offers more flexibility with purchasing music and using different MP3 players.

Value for money
As long as you’re happy not using iTunes to store your music, this device offers far more than Apple’s rival for less money. Competition in the MP3 market is stiff, but consumers have to look away from Apple’s sophisticated design and branding to get the best value. A price tag of five pounds less doesn’t sound like a lot, but the screen is invaluable for those who want more than just a random barrage of tracks, and the doubled-up storage capacity means you’ll probably need it to sort through the extra music you can fit on.