JD_Mortal  says:
2 years ago

I own the "Zen Stone 2GB w/speaker", which costs the same as the 1GB version now. This is closer to comparison, to the "iPod Shuffle Clip". It comes with a rubber case, and a clip, has the shuffle, but no record or am/fm radio.

In any event, it is a more proper comparison, with the model I have. You get a bonus of folder-jumping, with the zen stone, which iPod can not do. (You can throw 20 tunes in a rock folder, 20 in a rap folder, 20 in a country folder, and just hop from folder to folder. (That offers some form of listening control, which iPod does not offer.)

One thing you will notice, is that it has the same controls. (Wait, isn't that a design patent infringement? Yes, it is. iPod stole that deign from creative, and now iPod has to pay for that theft. That is why the price has not dropped on iPods, and how Creative was able to make the Stone series.)

LOL, every iPod you purchase, puts money into Creatives pocket too! Funny, I could have sworn that DVD players and CD players had that round design for years. Not sure how Creative got a patent on something that already existed without a patent for years. (Supposedly, it is illegal to patent something that has been in the market for over one year. That is why you can not patent a spoon, or fork.)

Any-who... The iPod shuffle does have that annoying demand for iTunes, with pop-up ads and other assorted spyware. Creative, requires nothing! Drag and drop, and use it like a thumb-drive. Keep-It-Stupid-Simple, and it works!

Though, I would love to see these players make a 10X skip, or more... because with 500 songs, shuffle, and seek-find takes forever. (Here is a tip, get the 1GB version, and only put your favorite 30 songs on there, in one folder. Keep the rest in another folder. Then, just folder jump, until you are sick of hearing the same 30 songs. That also ensures that you are keeping it fully charged.)

Battery life... Both have about the same power, but... Because the iPod does not play loud, and clips most of the highs and lows, it gets an additional 2 hours of play time, at 12 hours of listening time. The zen stone, which plays heavy bass fine, and super-highs fine, and has a louder volume, only gets about 10 hours of listening time.

The zen also has a settable max-volume level. You do need the software to adjust that. Lowering it to the loudness of the iPod, might get you an additional 2 hours of listening.

Don't compare loudness on iPod headphones, on the iPod, and Creative headphones on the Creative. That will give you false comparison. The headphones are not built the same. You need to compare it with an amplifier, and decibel-meter, and a frequency spectrometer. The iPod is 12db to 6db softer in sound, up to 40db softer on the highs and lows. (Pink-noise test, and full spectrum sweep at 320kbs.)

With the iPod, once the battery is dead, it will be nearly impossible to get a new one, or have it fixed. Gone equals gone. With the zen stone, there is a good chance that it can be replaced, though not easily. The battery is a standard 3.7v lithium ion battery, and the case comes apart with a tool designed to "Pop" the sonic seal. I do not know of any way to get into the iPod, without destroying it. (Translation, you would have to send it to the factory. Shipping would be cheap, but I am sure they will charge more than it is worth, for a new battery.)

The iPod, seems like disposable media, with no intentions of repair or battery replacement. The zen almost seems that way, until you actually see it apart. (The battery has nice long wire leads, and two big solder terminals, for easy replacement. For those who know how to do it.)

Battery replacement may seem like it is something that would be too far beyond worry, but because they are the same junky Lithium-ion batteries that cell-phones use, they get destroyed easy. Over-charge, excessive drain, under charge, heat-damage, all lead to short life. Not to mention that LI batteries only have a limited number of charges. After 500 full charges from inoperable voltage, to full, they no longer charge with full life. 12 hours turns to 10, then 8 then 6 then 4 then 2 then you throw it away. Could be a year, could be three years, could be a month. Due to defects, or only charging when it is dead, every time.

Zen is still the winner in my eyes. Besides, only half the people holding, what looks like an iPod, actually have an iPod. Turns out, there is a fake iPod running around, a few of them. LOL, iPod owners only think they have a popular toy. Turns out that half the users are holding a $9.00 clone.

Another interesting fact. You can buy thousands of dead iPods on ebay. (Real iPods that people killed. Battery death, dropping, rain, sweat, soda, just about anything kills them. Most seem to be software broken. Trying to play corrupted mp3's seems to kill the iPods. Well, at least they are highly recyclable, since they are made from $0.01 worth of aluminum.)