ZUNE ???

[Indiana Mike]

Not wanting to derail the thread on Ipods ...

I like the zune service , I can download IDK how many albums without purchasing every song , play them back as much as I want. I can my download my music to it , and I can purchase music as well. Most of my music collection was stolen in a burglary and or my oldest daughter destroyed it as a child ...ahhh.. memories

I hear nothing about it (ZUNE) and my GF may get me a ZUNE player but I don't know much about them and would like some feedback from the people here.

Mac lovers , please refrain unless it's constructive, who knows , you may convert me.

[ChrisBowsman]

You can do all those things with an iPod, as well. The only thing you MUST use iTunes to do is actually load up the device, but even that isn't a must. An iPod works with Mac or Windows, whereas a Zune will not work on Mac (should you ever go that route).

I am a Mac guy, but not because of the commercials, or because they're "cool" or whatever. They earned my loyalty and business. I owned three or four different mp3 players over the course of two years. Each new one was the result of the old one failing. I wound up with a second-hand iPod Video via a Craigslist deal, and two years later, it still works. I also have one of the little square Nanos, and love it as well.

When every other mp3 player crapped out, I decided to try something else, just to see how they were different. After two years with an iPod, I'll never try anything else.

[Joe Gress]

I have had my Zune for the last three going on four years. Built like a tank and still keeps going. I thought it had died a few weeks ago, but all it needed was a restart. The only other time it gave me trouble was on new years of last year when microsoft had a code problem and everybodys zune would not work. They fixed it within 24 hours. But other than that it plays my music and plays my music well. It may not have a click wheel, but to me that thing is a pain in the ass to use. My family have gone through many ipods (form the 1 gb clip on thing to the 120gb), and it seems as though they have gone though more broken ipods than anything. From what I can gather from other zune users is that theirs has kept going since they have had it, and they have not gotten another mp3 player in years.

But all I ever hear from ipod guys is that they need to either fix replace or upgrade to a new ipod.

[tplyons]

Two of my friends have Zunes, and they do some cool things, but I find their menus to be cumbersome and not too intuitive to navigate. Whereas the controls on an iPod simply make more sense, to me anyway. I owned several MP3 players before getting an iPod and my first one worked for two years until I lost it. I've bought several for family and friends that are still working and even the least tech savvy (my Mom) has no problem using them to their fullest.

Yes, I'm a Mac fanboy, but there's a reason the Zune isn't #1 and the iPod is. It simply works better. The Zune has some extra features like wireless sharing, but what are the odds you're going to run across another person with a Zune (something like 5% of the market) who's dying to share a tune with you?

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by tplyons

Two of my friends have Zunes, and they do some cool things, but I find their menus to be cumbersome and not too intuitive to navigate. Whereas the controls on an iPod simply make more sense, to me anyway.

And see I can't stand the menus and click wheel on the ipod. Way to sensitive, and I hate having to sit there and scroll. To each his own I guess.

[superfunk47]

I have friends who are loyal Zune guys, and friends who have been iPod guys since the beginning.

Personally, I tried a bunch of different ones, and stopped when I got my iPod video. That was almost 3 years ago. Still kicking as hard as the day I got it. Through multiple new OSs, games, 5 different computers, and more music going through it than many people will own in a lifetime, it still works as well as ever.

...much to the dismay of my hardcore Zune loving friend, who insists that the Zune design is lightyears ahead of the Apple design, more user friendly, just as small, etc.

I find Zunes to be clunky, in a few ways. They're bigger, heavier, and the front end interface is a lot less intuitive/user friendly, to me at least. Their menus just don't flow very well, IME. Even the external functions (power, lock switch, etc.) just seem sub-par to me. But again, I'm coming from the Apple camp, so I'll admit some degree of bias.

Also, IME, people who are new to mp3 players as a whole tend to have an easier time figuring out iPods than they do Zunes. I tried this as a sort of mini experiment - got my parents and parents of a few friends (none of which had ever used either before) and handed them an iPod and a Zune, and had them navigate a bit, look for a few specific things, and asked them which was easier/more natural. Some said they were pretty much the same, and a few said the iPod was easier. But none said that the Zune was easier. Call it brand name recognition if you want, but it's what I got.

FWIW, I think you'd probably do fine with either. I'm not really loyal in any way, I just use what works for me, which happens to be the one iPod (or any Apple product, period) I've ever owned

[IconBasser]

do Zunes still not offer customizable EQ settings? Cuz that's always been the deal breaker for me. Zunes looked really cool when i was shopping for an MP3 a year ago, but no EQ = no sale.

Ended up going with a Sansa View instead. The interface is pretty cool, but this is the most bug-ridden device I've ever used. horribly slow, the buttons often don't respond, it locks up all the time, and it refuses to recognize a whole bunch of my songs. Even after editing the MP3 tags, it just chucks em into the "unknown artist" category. So... steer clear of Sansa.

Creatives have always been really nice. My sister has had her Vision M for 3 years now, still works perfectly.

[MadMan118]

Well after sitting on the fence between iPod and Zune, I went for the zune. While I loathe the software, the hardware is good. I got the 16GB HD , solidly built, touch screen responds well, battery life could do for some improvement but still not at all that bad.

[ChrisBowsman]

Originally Posted by MadMan118

...battery life could do for some improvement...

Can you dial down the backlight? That's always made a huge difference for the battery life on my mp3 players, regardless of brand. Also, try a nicer set of headphones, so you can shut off the equalizer. That will help, as well.

[ChrisBowsman]

Originally Posted by Joe Gress

...I hate having to sit there and scroll. To each his own I guess.

How do you navigate on a Zune?

[Joe Gress]

Originally Posted by ChrisBowsman

How do you navigate on a Zune?

Click a button. Hold it to scroll. None of this thumb going around a circle a million times to get to a certain song.

[L-A]

My drummer has one. He bought one, had it replaced three times in the first week, but having skipped those lemons early, the one he has right now is going strong.

I like the interface's look, but obviously they put experience and information design aside, which makes them a huge step behind Apple.

[theory028]

I love my Zune. My brother has a first generation Zune and I have the 16 GB flash model (not the Zune HD). It's easy to use and does exactly what I need it to. The software could use some improvement but it gets the job done. The new iTunes software isn't that great, in my opinion, either. The older iTunes, on the other hand, was nearing perfection.

I wish the Zune was more compatible with accessories. That's where the iPod really shines. I am going to be getting a new stereo head in my (future) vehicle and almost all of them feature iPod integration. One in particular has voice controlled navigation and iPod controls. That would be wonderful to have. I would love to see Zune integration in stuff like that but that is unlikely to happen. I will probably end up getting a used 160 GB or 120 GB (I'm not sure which one they have; I'll get the biggest available iPod) to keep in my car when I get the receiver.

It also sucks that there are only about two or three Zune compatible speaker systems or alarm clocks. It's not a huge deal because computer speakers (Logitech Z2300s, for example) sound much nicer and are comparable in price; it just requires using the headphone jack. Fair trade.

[MadMan118]

Originally Posted by ChrisBowsman

Can you dial down the backlight? That's always made a huge difference for the battery life on my mp3 players, regardless of brand. Also, try a nicer set of headphones, so you can shut off the equalizer. That will help, as well.

Yeah I should try cranking down the lights...I have a good set to earphones so I dont really need the EQ.

[Nappa]

I have a 1st gen Zune that I have had since 2006. 30gb was perfect for me at the time. My Creative Zen Vision: M wasn't being recognized by Vista; I had thought I had bricked it as It wouldn't charge anymore and I had restarted it before it bricked. My dad tried updating the firmware/charge it on his xp machine and it worked fine. Until I ruined it by accidentally putting a charger that was the exact size of an 1/8 (?) cable into it and it fried. Anyways, I was given A zune for my birthday.

The interface is easy and I can find everything. It just seemed right. I like the size of it. I disliked the small size of Ipods. I felt like I could accidentally break them by dropping them. I have dropped my Zune countless times due to ice and other conditions. It is in new condition.

I don't understand the user-friendly bit that apple fans/users tout when discussing apple products. What is there to figure out?

[mmbongo]

Originally Posted by ChrisBowsman

You can do all those things with an iPod, as well.

Well not really...Apple does not offer a flat rate, unlimited download service like the Zune has. It's incredible. You even get to KEEP 10 songs a month, which makes the cost $5 bucks a month for anything you can stand to download.