Mp3 issues (Zen Stone Plus)

[Retalion]

So a bit over a year ago, when I was in Japan, I bought a Zen Stone Plus (http://www.creative.com/products/mp3/zenstoneplus/).

I felt that it was a pretty good price, getting a stopwatch, mic and 2 gigs of space for music for what I paid (at least at the time).

Last weekend, it started having some problems. The battery died one day and it wouldnt charge (It charges through a special USB that came with the mp3 via computer) no matter how long I left it in for (it usually charges within 15-30 minutes). All the files on it are still accessable when I plug it into the USB from my computer and whatnot. On Saturday, the Mp3 worked again but after I turned it off after using it a bit, it wouldnt turn on again (and the battery showed up empty again).

Im not sure, but for myself, it seems to be a battery problem (probably the battery draining/not recharging?). What Im wondering is this: Is a zen stone plus' battery replaceable? Is it worth replacing or should I just get a new mp3? If it isnt a battery problem, what could be the issue/how can it be fixed?

Sucks for me as I cant send them an email cause the warranty just expired >_>

Thanks for reading and hopefully replying. Its not exactly a computer related issue but I assume it goes in the Technical help section regardless.

[ZuWrath]

Im sorry but, all I can say is, it is Creative. Creative has a reputation for having their products stop working randomly, and not be able to get repaired.

I had a giant Creative Zen. . . Broke the next day, RANDOMLY. Like, it would never work again >_>.

[Rain]

Can i ask what these are?

[Retalion]

Can i ask what these are?

They're mp3, meaning they're things that play music.

[Bacon]

Sorry to spoil things for you, but the Zen Stone Plus has a non-replaceable battery. I'm pretty sure that the battery is soldered on, which means you're not going to be able to change it unless you have amazing-freak-of-nature soldering skills. A friend of mine broke his Zen Stone Plus and cracked it open to see a bunch of small solder. Pretty much even Zen is like that.

Tough luck, and it really sucks that your warranty ended so soon.

[Retalion]

Sorry to spoil things for you, but the Zen Stone Plus has a non-replaceable battery. I'm pretty sure that the battery is soldered on, which means you're not going to be able to change it unless you have amazing-freak-of-nature soldering skills. A friend of mine broke his Zen Stone Plus and cracked it open to see a bunch of small solder. Pretty much even Zen is like that.

Tough luck, and it really sucks that your warranty ended so soon.

So in summary, Im screwed and need a new mp3/audio player? lol.

[Bacon]

So in summary, Im screwed and need a new mp3/audio player? lol.
Yeah, pretty much. I was just trying to make it sound a bit better than it really was...

[Retalion]

Yeah, pretty much. I was just trying to make it sound a bit better than it really was...

never thought I'd be saying and admiting it, but I shoud've gotten an ipod or something "popular with good rep" -.-"

*has always stayed away from Ipods because they were too popular*

[Beloved]

Actually, iPods are a little inconvenient.

1. What goes in, doesn't come out. I think there's an exception to this though.
2. What goes in, must go in via iTunes = more junk for your computer. It takes over as your default music application AND uses up precious resource that could've been better used elsewhere.
3. Not all music files can be conveniently dumped into the ipod with itunes. I quote


I also question your comments about the iPods' ease of use. As with the View, digital audio players (DAP's) that have MTP and/or MSC/UMS compliance allow for audio - and often photo and video - content to be loaded directly to the player via drag + drop, without the need for a media managing/syncing program such as iTunes, Windows Media Player/Media Center, RealAudio Player, etc. to sync with the player first.

What this means is with such a player, a user can connect with any XP or Vista box (with MTP), or with any operating platform (with MSC/UMS), and the player will be recognized, and the content will load. This cannot be said for the iPod as an audio/video player (an iPod can be used as an external storage device using the MSC/UMS protocol, but any audio or video content - even content that's supported natively by the iPod - loaded in this fashion will just be "data", and cannot be read or databased by the iPod for playback).

Further, your comments about the iPod, where you can "buy music from any service and convert it for use on the iPod" needs clarifying. You cannot subscribe with any online stores that offer DRM-WMA - or PlaysForSure - music, using an iPod. This includes sites such as Yahoo!, Urge, amazon.com, Napster, etc. You can transcode the music into a supported format for the iPod, but the music will be rendered worthless. This also includes protected music subscribed with Real Player.

If you out-right purchase protected WMA music from the above sites, you can transcode that music to mp3. But I cannot see how all this supports the argument that the iPod is user friendly and easy to use in comparison to the Sandisk View or Creative ZEN, when both of those players support all those online sites and formats out of the box WITHOUT the need to transcode everything. And as I said, without the need for media managing software like iTunes.

4. Unlike creative, files not loaded onto the player with iTunes, end up becoming merely files. Files that can't be read and played by iPod itself.


Anyway, I bought a zen micro about 2-3 years ago. It's been dead for about a year now, so its lifespan was about 2 years. I really like creative mp3 players. Since i'm really not fond of all that hassle, I just stuck with zen and got a creative zen a couple weeks ago. Also, creative is well known for its sound quality when it comes to sound devices -- mp3 player and headphone/earphones included. It's mostly the reason why I've stuck with creative, time and again.


That said, I'm a little bit biased here, I'll admit. But creative's cheaper, with less hassle to use.. and well, I'm bait.

Edit: If creative still has products that use harddrives, then, well, stay away from that. My zen micro died cuz its hard drive had died and replacing the harddrive AND battery was worth more than buying a new one. Plus, the harddrives don't always work right out of the box (thank god for the warranty lol). With the zen micro, I've dropped it for a total of 6-8 times in the 2 years that I've had it (yeah, i counted). The flash-based players aren't that prone to sudden death via harddrive failure though.

[Yoorah]

never thought I'd be saying and admiting it, but I shoud've gotten an ipod or something "popular with good rep" -.-"

*has always stayed away from Ipods because they were too popular*

Actually, iPods have had a terrible rep when it comes to sudden failure. It has supposedly gotten better with newer models, but still. Creative has pretty crappy build quality right now, according to what I hear from communities such as http://www.anythingbutipod.com It is an awesome review site for all MP3 players that aren't made by Apple, btw.

[Zaotsu]

iTunes isn't a necessity for iPods, back when I had one, I still used Winamp to sync. (just required an add-on)

I utterly hate iPods though. Two of them I had broke within a year each, both with the exact same problem of the jack having worn out / bad connection, resulting in only one of my ear buds being able to work..

You might try looking at iRiver products. I have a iRiver Clix 2, 8 GB and I love it, their products are durable enough and the SRS WOW that comes with their hardware is amazing.

[Beloved]

True that iTunes isn't a necessity, but that meant you had find other programs or addons/plugins to perform that function. You couldn't just drag and drop like the creative players could.

[Retalion]

Thanks for all the replies.

Just curious, but what's the average lifespan/intended lifespan of an MP3/ipod anyways? >_>

[Beloved]

Well, first of all, I realise you're probably looking for a short answer, but I think it's nice to also know the factors that contribute to lifespan of a mp3 player. But if whoever reading this post doesn't feel like reading its contents, the tl;dr version is at the bottom. Now then, the lifespan usually depends on the lifespan of the battery, though, it can die off "prematurely" too, due to method of storage.


Methods of storage:

For hard drive mp3 players, they generally are more prone to being dropped. The reader head of the hard drive, cannot handle the shock of being dropped, and therefore sometimes end up jumping right off the disk it's supposed to read data off of. Long story short: if your player emits funny noises out of the norm, your harddrive is likely dead. Time for a new player.

Flash storage mp3 players have it better since it is a solid state storage. That means it does not contain moving parts. Therefore, dropping it should not damage it....unless you dropped it in the toilet. lol


With that in mind, you also understand two things when it comes to electronics: moving parts require energy in order to move. Which means, hard drives tend to eat up a bit more of the battery. eg. My zen micro (hard drive player), its maximum per-use life is 8-10 hours whereas my creative zen could last 24 hours maximum.

On the other hand, you need to watch for the battery type. Most "bigger" players use Lithium-ion batteries now (as do laptops), so you won't need to worry about constant recharging that makes other batteries life short. These guys age from the time it was manufactured regardless of use or charge. However, the small players that use AA/AAA batteries, usually do have this kind of limitation imposed on its lifespan.

tl;dr : If we neglect use and storage type, Lithium-ion batteries generally "die" after about 2-3 years. Where, its per-use lifespan becomes noticeably and significantly shorter than when it was first bought. As for intended lifespan... well, they like to say a buncha big numbers that aren't realistic unless you're real strict about how you use your player.

Edit: typo

[Leaves]

K, here's the thing. Most often, the thing that fails in mp3s/ipods is the battery. In terms of lifespan? These kinds of batteries are known to last for, at most... 2-3 years? They're not long term.

It's like laptops. Most laptop's batteries get fuxxed up after about 3 years... or so I've noticed.

Sorry for your "loss". D:

[Bacon]

One of the things our dearly Beloved forgot to mention was that battery life and lifespan really depend on how well you take of your MP3. For battery life, if you watch videos on your MP3 player, you won't be surprised to find that most MP3 players die out after a few movies. Listening to just music without having the MP3 screen open is much easier on the MP3 player and the batteries aren't likely to die out as fast.

Taking care of your MP3 really matters on how long it's going to last. If you're the type of person who throws things around willy nilly, then your MP3 player isn't going to last very long. But if you take care of it, you'll have it for about 3-4 years.

Besides, every 3-4 years, you'll see something new that you're going to want. The MP3 players are going to cost the same, but you'll get a lot more storage, longer battery life, and more features built in. I suggest changing MP3 players every 2-4 years.

[Beloved]

Yeah, it wasn't really addressed or emphasized. I just kinda figured that was common sense so I didn't really bother to say much about it. :f3:

[Leaves]

One of the things our dearly Beloved forgot to mention was that battery life and lifespan really depend on how well you take of your MP3. For battery life, if you watch videos on your MP3 player, you won't be surprised to find that most MP3 players die out after a few movies. Listening to just music without having the MP3 screen open is much easier on the MP3 player and the batteries aren't likely to die out as fast.

Taking care of your MP3 really matters on how long it's going to last. If you're the type of person who throws things around willy nilly, then your MP3 player isn't going to last very long. But if you take care of it, you'll have it for about 3-4 years.

Besides, every 3-4 years, you'll see something new that you're going to want. The MP3 players are going to cost the same, but you'll get a lot more storage, longer battery life, and more features built in. I suggest changing MP3 players every 2-4 years.

:f3: It's not that batteries couldn't last longer - it's that companies DONT WANT them to last longer, so people buy their products again ^__^ but yes, what you say is indeed correct.

[Retalion]

Just tried turning on my mp3 and it turns on again, lol. Then again, its inconsistent on when it works and doesnt work so... yeah >_>

Thanks for all the comments regarding mp3 and whatnot. I'll look into all options and then decide what to do.

When Im talking about batteries, my mp3 has a built in battery that is rechargable yet it doesnt recharge anymore... so... yeah >_>

[Beloved]

Problem: Zen Stone/Plus cannot be charged, when plug into computer usb port, put for 3hr take out, cannot switch on.
Solution: Use an external charger(usb to the power source), don't plug your zen stone/plus into the computer. Works for me.


Relating to the quote above... Basically, what I've found is that recharging doesn't like to work on laptops, try on a desktop tower computer. See if that helps. Should you choose to buy another creative mp3 player, buying the charger would be worth it: it's universal to all creative manufactured mp3 players.

[Taiketo]

I personally like my Zune... Similar to iPods except a bigger screen...

The thing with iPods and Zunes and probably some other MP3 players, is they use certain programs to put the music and videos onto them, but see, part of that is organization... It's much easier when your music is already sorted by artist and album and you don't have to do anything except plug it in.

[Retalion]

Relating to the quote above... Basically, what I've found is that recharging doesn't like to work on laptops, try on a desktop tower computer. See if that helps. Should you choose to buy another creative mp3 player, buying the charger would be worth it: it's universal to all creative manufactured mp3 players.

Is it too late to buy the charger and try using it on my malfunctioning battery? >_> Like it still works some of the time, just not at the times I want it to D:

[Bacon]

Is it too late to buy the charger and try using it on my malfunctioning battery? >_> Like it still works some of the time, just not at the times I want it to D:
Since it seems that your battery charges only some of the time, I doubt it's a problem with the charger. It just sounds like your battery is deteriorating. Getting a new charger wouldn't really help if your battery can't hold the charge. But that doesn't mean you can't try it, and you won't lose anything. Buy a new charger if you want to try it out before splurging on a new MP3 Player, and if things don't work out, just return the charger.

@Taiketo: One of the problems with the software that some MP3 players comes with is that people just don't want extra software it comes with. It's just something extra that certain manufacturers (ahem, Apple) push onto the user. I don't really care how easy it is to install and use. I don't want to mess around with the resource hog that is called iTunes and I don't want iTunes in charge of what I can or can't put on my iPod. Some people just find it better if they have complete control over what they want to put on their MP3 Player. No extra software required. That's the best.

While we are on the subject of suggesting MP3 Players, I'll go ahead and contradict myself there by telling you to get a Zune or iPod. Both would require special software to use, unless you use Plugins on other programs you have running. But they are both great MP3 and video players and have large tech support communities in case you're having trouble with them. If you're up to spending the money, I'd get an iPod Touch. I got mine when it first came out, and have been using it since without any hassles. I've never Jailbroken my iPod, which would unlock so many more possibilities, but it still works great for me. With the new App Store, you can do a lot of things with the iPod. I only wish it had Flash support...

But you don't have to listen to me. Get whatever MP3 player you want, and if you're really scared it's going to break, just get an extended warranty.