Zune (30GB, white)

Pros: Large, Clear screen; Scratch-resistant Body; Simple, easy to use navigation

Cons: Slightly larger than iPod Video; Limited accessories at launch; questionably limited video formats

Summary: I popped into Best Buy today after work to tinker with one of these, and I am quite happy to report that it feels solid, and isn't as large as my initial impressions from this online review had left me with. The unit is slightly taller than an iPod Video, and more thin than the admittedly Bulky Creative ZEN Vision:M. These would be the two best comparisons to this play in my opinion. Style-wise, if they came up with about 10 more of those double-shot colors, It would easily topple the iPod. Sure, they're both solid units, but Microsoft kept with the old addage of KISS(Keep It Simple Stupid!) and here it pays off very well. While not quite as endearing as the click-wheel or the touch-scroll pads, navigation was far more straight-forward than any other player on the market. the processor was quite fast and removed any Clunkiness from simular interfaces offered on Samsung's T9 player. I didn't get the pleasure to listen to it, but judging by reports by non-apple fanatics(you can tell who's an iPod zombie from the sub-3 rating they give this player without any thoughtful remarks) the sound quality will slot right in between the Creative and the Apple. I won't remark on the WiFi, because while novel, time will tell of it's usefulness. I think personally, I'm going to try waiting until Black Friday to see what they do with this player. It's priced exactly the same as the iPod Video but any edge in pricing will only serve to benefit this interesting new entry into the Portable Media Player market.