Apple iPod Nano vs. Microsoft Zune

• The Contenders
• Navigation
• Sexiness
• Compatibility
• Sound and Science
• Wallet factor
• The winner is...

Round 4: Sound and Science

The technical stuff

Apple iPod Nano

Microsoft Zune

Let's talk about sound quality, build quality, bonus features, battery life, and any other wonders of science.

Player	Jasmine	Donald	Brian	Total
Apple iPod Nano	3 It feels sturdy and offers some compelling extras, such as the Genius playlist creator, but neither battery life nor sound quality is particularly impressive.	4 The Nano's sound quality is good enough and its battery life is all the more impressive considering how thin the design is. Genius playlists and Cover Flow are fun to show off.	4 It may not have the edge in sound, but it does in battery life-- touting about 3 hours more for audio and almost 2 hours for video. Accelerometer is nice, but shake-to-shuffle is cute and corny.	4
Microsoft Zune	4 Battery life isn't great, but the Zune sounds good, is constructed well, and offers two of my favorite extras: an FM tuner and built-in Wi-Fi, for retrieving fresh music.	3 The Zune's sound quality slightly beats the Nano's, provided you have a decent pair of headphones. There's no EQ, however, battery life is sad, and the Wi-Fi features are only fun if you have money to burn on a Zune Pass.	4 It's always had the edge in sound quality and that doesn't change. Battery life will take even more of a hit using the Wi-Fi features. I love the radio interface and the Zune marketplace on the device is great.	4

Winner: TIE