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MY ZUNE AND ME

On November 15th, Microsoft released its new Zune media player to the US market. Not so surprisingly, my kid asked me "What's a Zune" when I told her that I had bought one. Microsoft hasn't really tried to market this device that much, probably hoping to capture more of the viral market. With iPod out there, it will be hard to convince people to switch to a new media device that costs $249. If there was a "trade in" deal, though...

I love my Zune. The handprint of the Zune is more inline with the size of my hands. The iPod gets lost in my oven mits, and I can feel the hard drive in it humming along. The Zune, though, is quiet. I tried to hear the drive in it, but couldn't. I even tried to make it skip by banging it on the table lots of times while it was playing, and still no skip. My iPod is a skipping champion and often times just blanks out in confusion.

The screen is crisp and attractive. My kid loved it when she saw it. Plus, when I told her that she could "send" her music to other Zunes, and get music back, she was sold. Did I mention she has an iPod? Yup, but she's ready to get the Zune instead of a bigger capacity iPod.

Sound quality is competitive with the iPod, if not better in some instances. The earbuds that come with the iPod are the secret to its success. Microsoft has not forgotten that, and has included not only equally sounding phones, but also more functional ones. The Zune earphones have magnets on them so they stay together when you store them! You have to appreciate that little feature.

My family put the Zune to the test against the iPod and iTunes. We searched for music that was missing from iTunes, and found that Zune had listed the music, but noted it as "not available". Yet, some European versions of the songs for which we searched were available on Zune and not on iTunes.

Although brick-like in appearance, the Zune is the same weight as my 3G iPod, and about the same as the 4G video iPod that my wife has. She wasn't sold on the Zune because it's not as pretty as the iPod. Typical. She's more of the Apple demographic anyway.

So let's recap why I love my Zune:

1. Beam music between other Zunes (can be turned off too).
2. Better form-factor for my large hands.
3. Ear phones that are easier to store.
4. Non-skipping technology that defeats the iPod like George Foreman!
5. More ways to shuffle and repeat ad hoc play lists.
6. Device controls are more decisive (no weird rub-wheel interface).
7. Capable of interfacing with your home media center to playback of video.
8. Pulled in my iTunes music without any problems or prompts.

Problems with the Zune:

1. Installation of the Zune 1.1 update did not work properly, likely because of my wireless internet and bluetooth transmitters that surround me.
2. Apple iPod 30GB is $10 cheaper at CircuitCity with $10 rebate offer.
3. Not nearly as stylish as the iPod.
4. Only 2 other accessories for the Zune - a travel pack and a charger.
5. Volume control is not fine-grained enough for sensitive hearing.
6. Can not publish your playlists on a LAN through the Zune interface.

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