iPod or Zune
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I never thought I'd say this but I'm thinking of getting a Zune. My old (well, one-day-past-warranty) iPod nano has become so unstable that it's barely usable. I was thinking of getting another then realised the Zune has - Wifi - A radio - support for WMA - a lower price tag - longer battery life Anyone had experience (and comments) with both?
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
Neither--Sansa View; 16 GB RAM, plays video pretty well, syncs to WMP easily. About $150.
David Veeneman www.veeneman.com
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Get an iPhone whenever it comes out.
Proud to be a CPHog user
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I never thought I'd say this but I'm thinking of getting a Zune. My old (well, one-day-past-warranty) iPod nano has become so unstable that it's barely usable. I was thinking of getting another then realised the Zune has - Wifi - A radio - support for WMA - a lower price tag - longer battery life Anyone had experience (and comments) with both?
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
I have the iPod Classic (Video) and I must say that I miss having a radio. Wonder why that wasn't included in the iPod? I have to use my Create MuVo for that. Plus the MuVo can record sounds and play MP3's as well. One item to do all of this would be nice. The MuVo does tend to consume batteries fairly rapidly, though.
What does an agnostic, dyslexic, insomniac do? He lies awake at night wondering if there's a dog.
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I never thought I'd say this but I'm thinking of getting a Zune. My old (well, one-day-past-warranty) iPod nano has become so unstable that it's barely usable. I was thinking of getting another then realised the Zune has - Wifi - A radio - support for WMA - a lower price tag - longer battery life Anyone had experience (and comments) with both?
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
Chris, I have both a 1st gen Zune 30GB and a 3rd gen iPod Nano. I got the Zune first and never had any problems with it. However, I succumbed to the peer pressure of Apple and got the iPod Nano when it was released. I hated it. The iTunes software is bloated and resource consuming. It would take forever to load and was very slow to get anything done. Recently, I switched back to my Zune when they released the Zune 2.0 software and the Zune Pass. I havent touched my iPod since. The new software, even though it is basically a re-skin of Windows Media Player, runs perfectly on my Vista system. The Zune Pass is the best part if you are going to be purchasing your music through the device's software. It's a $14.99 subscription and you can download as many songs as you want. However, some songs, mainly those just released or labels that don't have Zune Pass DRM rights, can only be purchased with the Microsoft Points. With iTunes, the cost is usually $.99 per song plus any applicable taxes and there is some cost discount per song if you buy the whole album. The only thing you would have to worry about is if you use a Mac because the Zune Software is Windows only. But if you are like every other Mac user I know, you have Windows on Bootcamp or Parallels/VMware Fusion. I would also like to comment on some of the features you noted: Wifi - the wifi lets you sync over a wireless network and 'squirt' songs and pictures to other Zune users around you Radio - the built-in radio is a good feature as opposed the the iPod addon WMA - better compression, I think? Price - lower is always better Longer battery life - the best way to get the longer battery life is to turn off the wifi when you aren't using it and let the battery completely die before charging it. Good luck with your choice! Ben
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>I wish they would release an api so we could write our own library management for the thing. PlaysForSure?
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)
Didn't they kill the whole PlaysForSure program last year? Was there an api associated with it? I thought it was just a sales/marketing thing.
Nick Lecrenski Founder/Lead Developer http://www.myfitnessjournal.com
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I never thought I'd say this but I'm thinking of getting a Zune. My old (well, one-day-past-warranty) iPod nano has become so unstable that it's barely usable. I was thinking of getting another then realised the Zune has - Wifi - A radio - support for WMA - a lower price tag - longer battery life Anyone had experience (and comments) with both?
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
I have owned an iPod Mini and my wife has owned an 8Gb iPod and Shuffle. I have also owned both a Zune 1 (30Gb) and a Zune 2 (80Gb). I much prefer the navigation on the Zunes. It seems more natural. Also, the Zune 2 software is pretty nice although not perfect - but at least it doesn't keep trying to trick me into downloading Quicktime. I personally think both the Zune and iTunes are a wash in terms of capability. One thing that I really loved, when Microsoft came out with Zune 2, they made sure you could upgrade your old Gen 1 devices with the firmware for the Gen 2 devices. All of us with older devices were able to get 99% of the new functionality with a simple software upgrade. This is something that seems to be lost on Apple. Given Microsoft's history, I can't wait to see the 3rd generation. That is usually when they really get things nailed.
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Didn't they kill the whole PlaysForSure program last year? Was there an api associated with it? I thought it was just a sales/marketing thing.
Nick Lecrenski Founder/Lead Developer http://www.myfitnessjournal.com
I'm not too sure. It is sitting in my Winamp though (I have never personally used it). "Nullsoft PlaysForSure Plug-in v0.7": and I have the very latest version of Winamp.
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)
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I want a small, ultra-light-weight music device. I do not want an over-priced brick aimed more at pleasing phone companies rather than those who actually need to use it.
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
Hey Chris - I've been using a 30Gb Zune for several months now and I'm well pleased with it. The sound is excellent, the format choices are a little restrictive. The unit is a little larger than I'd like, but when watching video the screen is good. One thing I'd change would be for it to use a standard USB cable which can be a hassle when you want to add some content but don't have the special Zune cable. I also have a Sansa 2Gb and I like it a lot also, no video, but very small form factor, generous formats, and uses a standard usb cable, good sound and has a radio and a recorder (up to 2 hours rec time) built in. Price is very good too.
Tom Hamilton Sacramento, CA
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The Zune did all its own digging at first, it could have been produced by Nazi Inc. and it would have received as much bad press. It didn't help Microsoft tried to be cool with the marketing and depict acid dropping bunnies. It also came in brown. The latest Zune is pretty good though.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
Yeah, I forgot about Microsoft Stupidity (tm).
Christopher Duncan Author of The Career Programmer and Unite the Tribes www.PracticalUSA.com
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I never thought I'd say this but I'm thinking of getting a Zune. My old (well, one-day-past-warranty) iPod nano has become so unstable that it's barely usable. I was thinking of getting another then realised the Zune has - Wifi - A radio - support for WMA - a lower price tag - longer battery life Anyone had experience (and comments) with both?
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
You should look into a Creative Zen Vision:M if you don't mind the desktop UI and the ugliness of the hardware. It has all those features you mentioned except Wifi.
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I never thought I'd say this but I'm thinking of getting a Zune. My old (well, one-day-past-warranty) iPod nano has become so unstable that it's barely usable. I was thinking of getting another then realised the Zune has - Wifi - A radio - support for WMA - a lower price tag - longer battery life Anyone had experience (and comments) with both?
cheers, Chris Maunder
CodeProject.com : C++ MVP
I have a first-gen Zune and an IPod nano (that I won). Both cost the same retail, about 80 bucks. The Zune has wifi, FM, 30GB and a nice, usable UI. it uses its own software, not WMP, but I wish it did use WMP. You can sync wirelessly, but its a bit wonky. Syncing w/ the wire charges the battery, so that's what I do. I get at least 10-12 hrs on a charge. The nano is a little toy that's good for playing random music when you really need it, like riding the bus. Otherwise, its close to useless. I'm not sure why 'Evil' matters, as Apple's concern for its user base is also ~zero. If you want bang for the buck, get the Zune. If you like shiny, expensive things, get the IPod.
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I like the Creative MuVo better. http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=215&product=17474[^] thankfully, the 4 gig one comes only in black. it's a little larger than a usb stick, can be used as one, doesn't need that FRACKIN quicktime software of doom and has a radio. It also plays .WAV files if you're into pure quality at the expense of #songs. I got my son one for his birthday and the thing is cool. a usb stick with earphones, basically. The drawback? no clip. Oh yeah, no need for those flippin' cables, too. ...Steve http://shazware.com
I have the 1GB: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=215&product=15441[^] Handy device and takes ONE AAA battery..
Rocky <>< Blog Post: Sites and Domains for sale! Tech Blog Post: Microsoft Live Writer Plug-ins! Photo Stuff Blog Post: CHDK Motion Detection and other stuff - Quick notes!
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I have the 1GB: http://us.creative.com/products/product.asp?category=213&subcategory=215&product=15441[^] Handy device and takes ONE AAA battery..
Rocky <>< Blog Post: Sites and Domains for sale! Tech Blog Post: Microsoft Live Writer Plug-ins! Photo Stuff Blog Post: CHDK Motion Detection and other stuff - Quick notes!
Glad ya like it, but have ya seen the T200 4 gig? I got my son a T100 4 gig, but I'm gonna get a T200 and swap with him. I don't need the display or radio (and he might dig em). Still pretty cheap, and not even any battery to deal with. Although, ehm, 10 hrs means you're a bit tethered to the pc. But it keeps the songs fresh.
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>I wish they would release an api so we could write our own library management for the thing. PlaysForSure?
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)
I have a couple of zune 30s and they intentionally didn't use the playsforsure api. Which means that nothing else can synch with it. It also means that you can't plug it into any car stereo yet, though kicker is making a unit that will plug into factory car stereos.
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I have two Zunes, the original 30 and another 4 gig. They are both great. The wifi on the Zune though is limited only to other Zunes. It is not really true wifi at all.
Well it is limited to other Zunes or synching with your computer via your network. My problem with the synching is that it doesn't let you use WPA2.
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Glad ya like it, but have ya seen the T200 4 gig? I got my son a T100 4 gig, but I'm gonna get a T200 and swap with him. I don't need the display or radio (and he might dig em). Still pretty cheap, and not even any battery to deal with. Although, ehm, 10 hrs means you're a bit tethered to the pc. But it keeps the songs fresh.
The biggest problem I have is the battery. I love being able to carry a spare or if the battery dies I can just pull over to the next available super market and pick one up. This is a big selling point for me. It was even a large consideration when I purchased my new digital camera a month ago (Canon S5 IS) which takes four AA's. I love flexability :)
Rocky <>< Blog Post: Sites and Domains for sale! Tech Blog Post: Microsoft Live Writer Plug-ins! Photo Stuff Blog Post: CHDK Motion Detection and other stuff - Quick notes!
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I have a couple of zune 30s and they intentionally didn't use the playsforsure api. Which means that nothing else can synch with it. It also means that you can't plug it into any car stereo yet, though kicker is making a unit that will plug into factory car stereos.
Should have called it iMaybePlaysIfYouAreLuckyPunk (the i to make it super-cool like iPod). Really, I tend away from the brand names: Zens just work. Show up as a removable disk and let me manage my own damn syncronisation. Mass storage device is to Linux as iPod Touch/Zune is to flipping knobs on an ENIAC.
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)
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Should have called it iMaybePlaysIfYouAreLuckyPunk (the i to make it super-cool like iPod). Really, I tend away from the brand names: Zens just work. Show up as a removable disk and let me manage my own damn syncronisation. Mass storage device is to Linux as iPod Touch/Zune is to flipping knobs on an ENIAC.
He who asks a question is a fool for five minutes. He who does not ask a question remains a fool forever. [Chineese Proverb] Jonathan C Dickinson (C# Software Engineer)
All I can say is that if that were true, then iPods would never have taken off. There were devices that looked like mass storage devices well before Apple walked onto the stage, and no matter how fervent the argument, nothing changes the fact that Apple still continues to have 90% of the market with their "flipping knobs" that are easy to use for the average consumer. My mom and dad both got clunky looking Zens and my mom's stopped working right after the initial warranty, whereas my original iPod lasted 3 years (after which I decided I wanted something cooler and got an iPod video). I've played with a lot of devices, and most are a pita compared to iPods and Zunes. User interface counts. Mass Storage Device access may be nice, but if the device is worthless for actually sorting and listening to the music you want to listen to at the time you want to listen to it, then the device has failed its primary function. I've played with quite a few non "brand name" devices and even found spelling errors in the interface. I mean come on. At least attempt to do it right.
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No, where did you see that?
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.
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Here is the link: http://canon2008promotions.onlinerebates.com/intro.aspx?country=ie&view=promos[^] Check the conditions though; I think it should apply for you, but I am not 100% positive about it.
Rage, you made my day. I can get €100 cash-back for the HF100. Thank you very much for the info. I owe you a pint or ten anytime you are in Ireland.
regards, Paul Watson Ireland & South Africa
Fernando A. Gomez F. wrote:
At least he achieved immortality for a few years.