Zune? iPod?

[FallenAce]

I have a Zune. I prefer the Zunes to the iPods. I don't really care for iPod designs. I have a 1st gen iPod (thick, black&white, firewire only), and my gf had an iPod until this week, and now she sold it to my ultra-trendy, techno-rave, lives-in-miami brother and bought a Zune, because she likes my Zune more than her iPod.

What do you guys think? Zune? iPod? Other?

Also, if anyone knows a good free prog to convert m4v to wmv or any standard Windows format, please let me know.

Thanks!

[Akaymay]

I don't like the Zune too much, it's too bulky. I like the iPod better. I'm getting an iPod touch soon, so I mean, that's kinda the reason.

[DShiz1029]

Zune=multi media
Certain iPods=multi media

Questions one should ask thyself...
1. Whats my budget?
2. Would I use my (Zune, iPod) for music only, or would I also have videos and pictures on there?
3. Do I wanna share music with my friends wirelessly? (for Zune)
4. Apple comes out with a new model iPod frequently, would I want to keep up?
5. Zunes are big and bulky, do I want to haul that extra mass around?
6. iPods is to Apple as Zune is to Microsoft, or do I really care?
7. Zunes only have three colors, iPods offer more colors, do I really care?
8. Which one is sturdier if I drop it on accident?

Edit: thought of two more.

9. There are other neato media players out there, am I just that much of a trend follower?
10. iPod has soooo many inhome accessories (example: iHome), do I need or care about all of those?

Edit 2: Thought of another one (credit to SmokaCola)
11. Which one has the largest capacity for media?

[SmokaCola]

Whichever has the biggest Hard Drive... Which I think is the Ipod Video.

[travmeatwad]

I have a Creative Zen Vision: M. I like it, but it's kind of big and it's froze on me quite a few times.

[TheRocker]

Sansa aren't bad , they are manufactured by Sandisk and i think 2 new ones just came out.

[gh2masterwellalmost]

I've had bad experiences with MP3 players, and my friends iPods stop working. I bought a £20 2gb memory card for my phone and I do well with that. And, if for some reason I fill it up, I go buy a £30 4gb memory card, AND they're releasing an 8gb one soon, so I kinda like to have everything in one pocket (i ditched my PSP cos I have some really good games on me phone)

[Monsterpoptart]

i have a zen:m too, its awsome, but it does get screwed up every now and then.

[Oxyplox]

http://www.zunescene.com/comparison/
Check this out for the pros/cons of both.

[Apples]

Last holiday I wanted an MP3 player as a gift, so I did probably 6 hours of research while I was at work one day... scrutinizing over the details of a dozen different models. Based on my criteria, I was amazed to find the Zune as the overall winner. Having owned it for over a year, I can say it really fit *my* needs very well.

Here's the overall pros of the device:

* Durable. Will stand up to the every day rigors of travel without nicks or scratches.

* Video. Best video on an MP3 device bar none. The screen is large and easily viewable... perfect for trips, at work, etc. I ripped most of my DVD collection to the device and have plenty of occasion to watch them.

* Radio. Kind of a silly feature you might think for an MP3 player, but I have used it on occasion. The surprise of it is, it gets better reception than any radio I've ever used.

* Cost. I saw an ad last week where I could get a Zune for like $99. I was happy paying $200 a year ago, at $99 it's a bargain. I guess there's also Zune 2 versions coming out within a couple months so I'd expect the price to stay low as they clear inventory.


The "big picture" MP3 player things it seems to do as well as anyone... audio is crisp, battery life is acceptable (though I've never had occasion to used it unplugged for more than 5 or 6 hours) The sync software is a little wierd to get used to, but better than iTunes IMHO. It is slightly more bulky than some of its counterparts, but it will reasonably fit in a pocket or your jacket.

I know the above review sounds a bit fanboy'ish, but it's because I genuinely enjoy it. A year ago when it came out, a lot of Microsoft Haters and Apple fanboys jumped on the thing and gave it a lot of (undeserved) bad press. It took a lot of pre-buying reasearch and a quality product to win me over.

[MrGrieves]

I own an iPod Video(30GB) and I might be buying the new iPod Touch later this year

the sansa mp3's are pretty good too, cheaper than the Zune and iPods

[cmg4894]

I've had my i-pod for 2 years last month. It's not even a video. I just got it for music. I love it. Need a new one though it's starting to wear out. I use it every day in my car. I can't get a touch though because it only holds 3500 songs and right now I have 4330 on my i-pod. I have used a Zune, and don't like it. I know someone that has the Sandisk one and she loves it. I would have to say i-pod.

[Simonious]

Zune. iPods fail at everything. Yay for being excessively biased. :D

[BeckRokk]

I love my Zune to death. One major reason is that the main control is a d-pad, something most of us are instantly familiar with. I'm not afraid to admit that the first time I picked up an iPod that I tried to use the controls like a d-pad, and was really turned off by the whole click-wheel thing. Another great thing about the Zune is the large letters that show where you are when scrolling through your media. It's a great feature, and one I really couldn't live without. Customizable backgrounds are cool and make every Zune unique. Pictures are crystal clear, the screen size is perfect for watching widescreen videos, and uploading media to it is no frills. I'm not a big fan of MS (my next computer WILL be an Apple), but I'm keeping the machine I'm using right now just for media storage so that I can keep using my Zune.

[Akaymay]

http://www.zunescene.com/comparison/
Check this out for the pros/cons of both.

Wow, that definatly isn't the most biased chart EVER....:rolleyes:

[Oxyplox]

Wow, that definatly isn't the most biased chart EVER....:rolleyes:

Don't you roll your eyes at me!

[R0ck3r]

Well theres a website (www.media-convert.com) that converts stuff to another format for you. Anyway, I was thinking about buying a Zune but actually started looking at a phone (Nokia Xpress Music 5700) because right now I have a PoS $20 phone and that thing has most of the things I use/need in my life... Only bad thing is its about $380. I didn't buy either one yet, so I'll just have to see...

[Brock_Landers]

I hate iPods just on general principle. Heh yeah, one of those "too many trendy ******s have them so I'm going to be just as shallow and not get one for image sake" deals.

Atm I've got a Creative Zen. Hdd is too small for my taste, but I didn't expect to have so much stuff to put on it when I bought it.