Photos: Creative Zen Stone

The Stone will fit easily into any pocket, purse, or bag--just be careful not to lose it! The black one can be hard to spot at the bottom of a dark bag.

The top edge of the Stone features a standard 3.5mm headphone jack, a reset hole, and a function switch. You can alternate between repeat or shuffle modes, as well as set it to the folder icon to shuttle between folders on the device.

Although the Stone is noticeably larger than the iPod Shuffle, it can be easily concealed in a fist and is light enough to be worn as a necklace.

Devices without LCDs aren't for everyone, but the Stone does make a handy second player. It's simple to use and virtually featureless.

This player has straighfoward controls that click pleasantly. We wish they were backlit, though.

The Creative Zen Stone's shiny surface and rounded, rectangular shape give it the appearance of a pebble--too bad that name was already taken.

The left side of the device incorporates a loop for attaching a lanyard, though you'll have to supply your own if you want to wear the player around your neck--Creative doesn't include one in the package.

Standard mini-USB jacks are always a plus--because so many devices use them, it means you might be able to use the same cable for your player, digital camera, and other devices as well.