Geeks.com, home of many digital media players, sent in the Zune 120 GB for a spin. In the eve of the upcoming Zune HD release, how do these players stack up against the iPod? Read on to find out.
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Member since:
2005-07-07
I picked up an older Zune 30GB (woot.com) and already had an iPod 30GB. After using both for music, audiobooks & video my choice based on many aspects is the Zune 30.
The screen & video performance is much better than the comparable iPod. The Zune accepts .WMV Files in syncing with solid playback performance. The size of the screen can't be appreciated until compared to an iPod with a smaller screen playing the same movie.
The FM Radio is a huge plus.
I don't see the Zune being a serious threat to Apple.
It simply came down to personal choice & preference.
I given my iPod 30GB to my son.
Member since:
2005-07-06
It is a pretty good device but what stops me from purchasing it is the fact that it isn't Mac compatible; if they made a syncronisation software which ran on the Mac, I'd seriously consider it over an iPod but Microsoft seem to be hell bent on excluding some users from being able to use it.
I also find it funny that it has been out for over 2 years and it still hasn't been officially launched in New Zealand or Australia yet? have Microsoft pretty much given up already when it comes to competing with the iPod?
Member since:
2005-07-06
Can't you just run a cable from the headphone out on the Zune, to the input jack on the stereo? I think that most recent stereos have some sort of "multimedia in" (mine calls it a "Mini-disc input," since it's a few years old).
That setup works fairly well with my stereo & my roommate's iPod touch. And after I finally found a free iPhone/Pod app that can receive a live encoder stream, I can just stream to it from SoundPlay on my BeOS machine.
Member since:2005-06-28
Member since:2009-02-17
A line-out is unamplified vs a headphone jack which is. I could see how doing it twice might cause a loss of fidelity but I don't see why they can't just provide a switch or two out ports on the player. I bought a 2GB mp3 player two years ago for less than $70 that did this.
Member since:
2009-09-05
Member since:2007-09-03
Member since:2008-08-01
Member since:
2008-06-30
The wifi is also available for games programmed with XNA. XNA is free and allows programmers to program applications for the Zune. I made a game for the Zune once which used the wifi capabilities quite a bit. I definitely prefer the Zune over the iPod because I can program games for the Zune using Visual Studio.
Member since:
2005-09-27
In order for Microsoft to dethrone Apple. I see to ways they can do it.
1. Make a superior version of its product. That will put the iPod touch to shame...
2. Make what they have but Much cheaper like hundred dollars cheaper.
Right now. They are really just an iPod clone that cost just as much more or less. I don't see microsoft being visionary enough to make a vastly superior product. But what they can do is make them cheap. Then they could win. Otherwise even if the Zune is slightly better and slightly cheaper the market isn't going to change.
Member since:
2008-05-29
Member since:
2009-05-15
I love the zune for the radio, but it s a pain in the ass too because of:
- No marketplace for canada
- Doesn't support WMP f or syncing, only crappy zune software
- No way to drop files/musics on zune as an external drive like I did on my creative device
- I had to use hard reset at least 4 time this summer
- Doesn't use mini-usb standard like my old creative zen v did
but the radio's great and despite these setback I bought a new one recently, cause I still like zune software more than iTune and the radio is just essential these days.
