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"a real upgrade to its ugly duckling elder sibling" on by the411
Pros: the reduction of its size, its new user interface(I could go on)
Cons: its battery life
Summary: The wireless trick is simply astonishing as i hardly feel up to the task of plugging my Ipod to my pc. I still think Microsoft should make a mac version of the Zune software as this could or rather would increase (whether you agree or not) its market and hope fully ensure a take over s i would buy the Zune 10 times over .
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"Great music player, good for watching video too." on by Dysalot
Pros: Large screen
Good menu
Sound Quality
Podcast section
Packaged HeadphonesCons: Hold button fragile
Complete shutdown complicated
Possible software failureSummary: First of all I've had this for a couple months and absolutely love it. It completely gets the job done, and since I run Windows, I find it supports music much better than the iPod.
Lets start with the bad:
I had purchased one from a retail outlet and got home, opened it up and started the setup, after it finishing, the software wouldn't even recognize itself and restarting it did nothing, it was stuck in a virtual endless loop. I don't think it is anything I did but who knows... I went back to where i bought it and showed them the problem, and they let me exchange it no problem, I had only purchased it a few hours prior. The next one worked/works perfectly. So it may have been a fluke.
I have had on a couple occasions the hold switch popping out on me while trying to shift it, all I had to do was pop it back in, but it's still a minor annoyance.
Another problem I had was battery life, it seemed to only last 1 day even when I had shut it down by holding the "play/pause" button. Well that doesn't really shut it down it only puts it to sleep I have come to find out. And no where in the instructions does it say how to do a complete shutdown. So here's the secret it's even hard to find online. You must hold the down arrow (by clicking in) and the back button at the same time for about 3 seconds and then it will shut down. This will allow you to preserve the battery.
Now to the pros:
I like the larger screen vs. the iPod. I realize that the resolution is the exact same, but at that small you'd be hard pressed to tell the difference. The screen is not grainy at all leading me to believe that the iPod has a better resolution it needs to get the job done looking correct.
I like the nice easy free menu. Personally it seems easier to navigate than the iPod's but that is just personal preference.
The sound quality is excellent, I am not a professional, but this really does the job well. The volume is also good, often in a quiet setting such as in my room by myself I only need the volume at level 1 and can hear it fine. If there is background noise I turn it to 4-5 and if I'm outside I set it somewhere between 8-11 but it is still considerably below its max volume of 20, so there should be no problems there. I'm sure you could be mowing the lawn and listening at the same time no problem except beware of hearing loss.
I like the menu for podcasts I never was into podcasts until I got this, first of all the Zune software is great and find new and quality podcasts, along with the ability to set your favorite podcasts of course. But the feature I like is the split between audio and video podcasts. This allows me to choose without thinking. I know that when I'm in a car that I just go to the audio section, since I should watch and drive. And when I'm in my room and want to watch something I can go lay down and and choose from the videos.
The packaged headphones are many times better than the ones that come with the iPod. They fit better in the ears, and have multiple sizes you can snap on to accommodate odd shaped ears. Disclaimer: I have stopped using the headphones in favor of over the ear headphones because Even though these are much more comfortable than iPod headphones, I still do not find any in ear headphones very comfortable.
Well those are my pro's and con's. When I started looking at a new mp3 play I initially looked at the iPod classic and was really kind of decided on that. but after coming across a comparison I started looking at the Zune more and eventually decided that the Zune was right for me. I consider it a great decision personally, even though I was enamored with the iPod, I allowed my self to look at something else, and it turned that there was better and I found it. -
"Zune Gets Better" on by alex1350
Pros: -Huge Screen
-Wireless Syncing
-Great Sound Quality
-FM Radio
-Shows Album Covers
-Zune Pass
-Gets Better Every UpdateCons: -There is Still no Touch Zune
-Can't Rent Movies on the Zune Marketplace yet.Summary: The Zune 80 is way better then the iPod Classic/Nano and it keeps getting better with every update. If your looking for a Hard Drive/Flash Based MP3 Player. Go with the Zune. If You get it, i recommend getting the Zune Pass.
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"Best High Capacity MP3 Player on the Market" on by Alan6738
Pros: Sleek Design
Glass screen versus the plastic ones on the iPod (not including iPod Touch)
Gorgeous screen
Squircle makes navigating so much easier than the iPod
Audio quality is better than the iPod, most people don't notice this though
Wi-Fi!!Cons: Lack of an EQ (equalizer)
Lack of accessories on the market for the Zune.
Putting songs on a playlist is cumbersome.
Battery life is half of the iPod.Summary: After owning a variety of MP3 players, iPod, Creative Zen, Flash based, and Hard-Drive based, I must say the Zune smashes all competition. Even though the Zune has the same amount of pixels as the iPod, the pictures are still pretty good. Fine details get blurred and jagged edges, but hey- MP3 players are all about music.
Video quality is superb, but again fine detail is lost. The bigger screen makes it more comfortable to look at for long periods of time (movies).
The Zune does not freeze every 2 hours like the iPod. In fact, mine hasn't froze since I bought it (when it first came out).
Overall I am very pleased with this product. I highly recommend this to everyone. -
"The best player I have ever owned" on by heldweb
Pros: Lots of options and really big text! Fast and touchpad is so cool
Cons: Haven't found any yet
Summary: I have had an mp3 player back when RIO actually still made them. I have sampled so many over the years and LOVE this one the best. Go ahead...join the SOCIAL! U will be glad u did!
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