1GB Creative Zen Stone goes for $30 shipped

(Credit: Newegg)

Sheesh, how cheap can MP3 players get?! Granted, the Creative Zen Stone holds only about 250 MP3s or unprotected WMAs (and that's assuming they're encoded at a relatively low bit rate), but for $29.99 shipped from Newegg.com, so what? Toss it in your gym bag, coat pocket, pants pocket, Altoids tin (seriously, it's really tiny), or wherever and listen to your top tunes anytime, anywhere.

The $29.99 price is for a new player, black only, and it includes free 3-day shipping. The Stone itself knocks off the $79 iPod Shuffle, which does have one clear advantage: It's designed to clip onto your shirt, sleeve, belt, or whatever, while the Stone just sits there like, well, a stone. You'll have to pocket it, hold it, or slip it in a case.

Good news on that front: Newegg's offering a free universal MP3 case with the Stone. Alas, it looks like a wool sock, but at least you can wear it around your neck or clip it to belt loops and stuff. Make sure to scroll down to the Combo section of the ordering page to add the free case.

Here's the fairly positive CNET review, just in case you're still on the fence. Readers liked it even better than the reviewer.

[joe643]

You can get these on ebay for the same price. You might not get a free sock, but you'll have several colors from which to choose.

[Ninth_Life]

Sansa's 2G player features backlit onscreen display, special playlists, and radio you can even record from, as well as your voice. Those go for about $35-40, and compared to the old standard audio iPods which had cost over 3-4x that, or similarly overpriced players, it's a great value. Sansa has a kids' shuffle-style player too called a Shaker at about the same price, with the genius concept of using XD Memory Cards. This idea is perfect for organizing large MP3 collections into more manageable groups, people that share players but have different tastes, audio books, or easy enjoyment of seasonal music. The smaller cards are really cheap and perfect for minimal collections or those more specific MP3 needs.