Creative Gives Flash MP3 Another Toss with Zen Stone

With Apple's iPod becoming nearly ubiquitous, a serious #2 competitor in the same market has to strike out and make bold moves if it is to distinguish itself. That's what Creative Technology (the former Creative Labs) has been trying to do with its Zen series of MP3 players - look for the niches where buyers who would reject the iPod would flee, and then attack those niches with stylish designs and gusto.

Creative's already done this on the high side of the market with the Zen Vision:W, an attractive portable media player that makes a case for itself with a larger screen and more flexible support for video standards like DivX and XviD.

Now on the other side of the market, Creative is introducing a low-end flash-based player to go up against the iPod Shuffle, whose recent restyling as an unusual, money-clip-like device only added to its popularity. To combat that appeal, Creative's new Zen Stone omits the screen, and assumes the form factor of a polished cobblestone.

The Zen Stone is not a technically capable or replete device by any means, with 1 GB of flash memory yielding the capability to store about 250 songs at the 128 kbps bit rate (iTunes recently announced a move toward 256 kbps). On the other hand, the Stone tries to be a more convenient, usable device by means of compatibility with a wristband or a keychain, letting it assume less "gadget space" in users' everyday lives.

The price point will also turn heads as well, with a suggested US price of $69 when it hits the streets here in the middle of this month. Accessories will cost extra, of course, likely including translucent "skin" packages like you see for some cell phones; and an optional sound system dock will sell for $138.

This morning's statement from Creative chairman and CEO Sim Wong Hoo tries in a less-than-transparent manner to implant the idea of bulk sales, relatively speaking, in the customer's mind: "Whether it is your only player or a second player to take with you anywhere, the low price lets you think of MP3 players in a whole new way. You can loan it to a friend just like you would a CD or a mix tape and not have to worry about it, but you'll like it so much that you'll want another so you always have one with you."

The unit will run on two AAA batteries, though the company suggests lithium-ion rechargeables, for an estimated continuous lifetime of about 10 hours.