Ipod vs Zune

[ponyracer]

Hey guys,

I wanted to get your collective opinion on these. We are in the market to get one for our 14 yr old daughter who has never had one before. I read some stuff on the Zune and am wondering about it. There is a sale Friday morning and they have the 30 GB version going for $79.99. What do you think? Pros/Cons/market options:shrug:

Thanks in advance for your coments!!

 

[terrible one]

i think this was asked a while back and the consensous from what i remember was in favor of the zune.
i have not owned one so i cant comment, however, i do have a 30GB iPod bought used (older model 2004) and i have not been particalary impressed. of course it is older and used so that might have something to do with its reliability, however, i have read online people having similar problems. it used to freeze quite frequently and then start again for no reason. then i would get the sad face popping up for no reason saying i needed to go online for tech support (no such luck fixing it) i was almost ready to throw it against the wall when i started doing some research online.
i took the thing apart and disconnected some stuff and have not had any problems since but it was a hassle at first and while reading online it seems to be a common problem with all iPods regardless of newer or older models.

 

[Stavesacre21]

considering how overpriced i believe the ipod to be, i'll have to say that the zune is totally the way to go.

plus i don't like apple.

 

[type911]

love my zune. the new software is awesome. interfaces seamlessly with my xbox, computer, media center.

 

[ponyracer]

Thanks for the comments. how is the battery issue? I hear they cant be replaced like the Sansa models

 

[type911]

I am unsure. Have had it almost a year with no battery problems.

 

[XCELR8]

iPod Touch:

 

[type911]

^ looks great but at 16GB it would not hold much music let alone video. 30gb almost isn't enough these days.

 

[XCELR8]

Hold more than enough for me! :shrug:

 

[spinz4]

zunes are for gays.

 

[BuBbABFP]

Zunes are cool and if you don't want to spend 200+ on a iPod then i say go for it. At the end of the day they all do the same shit which is listen to music.

 

[Stavesacre21]

zunes are for gays.

good job.

you do make for a hard case :bored:

 

[Ry_Trapp0]

i hate both, my old creative zen was easily better than both. the menu system was SO much better!

 

[carrrnuttt]

Rockbox, FTW!

http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/WhyRockbox

What is Rockbox? Why should I use it?
Rockbox is an open source firmware replacement for a growing number of digital audio players. It has been in development since 2001 and receives new features, tweaks and fixes every day to provide you with the best possible music listening experience. Rockbox aims to be considerably more functional and efficient than your device's stock firmware while remaining easy to use and customizable. We believe that you should never need to go through a series of menus for an action you perform frequently. We also believe that you should be able to configure almost anything about Rockbox you could want, pertaining to functionality. It is written by users, for users.

Another top priority of Rockbox is audio playback quality. Rockbox, for most models, includes a wider range of sound settings than that device's original firmware. A lot of work has been put into making Rockbox sound the best it can, and improvements are constantly being made. All models have access to a large number of plugins, including many games, applications, and graphical demos.

You can load different configurations quickly for different purposes (e.g. a large font for in your car, different sound settings for at home). You can even customize your While Playing screen to display only and exactly what you want to see when your music is playing. In addition, Rockbox features a wide range of languages, and all supported models also have the ability to talk to you - menus can be voiced and filenames spelled out or spoken.

I have Rockbox on my Sansa brand media player. You can change the whole look of your interface, play all kinds of games, and even play Gameboy games. It also allows you to play mpeg videos without having to run it through player-specific formatting. It even allows you to overclock your player's processor!

Here's some of the main features:

• Support for over 15 Sound Codecs, including OGG and FLAC
• Gapless playback
• 5-band fully-parametric equalizer, and crossfeed
• High-resolution volume control, 64-100 levels (model-dependent)
• Abilty to create your own themes or use user-uploaded ones
• Advanced crossfading
• ReplayGain support (volume normalization)
• Cuesheet support
• JPEG image and text-file viewing
• Doom!
• MPEG video support
• Real Time Clock (RTC)
• Customizable Tag Database
• Unicode support
• Advanced On-The-Go playlist creation
• Multilingual Interface - 30 supported languages and counting
• Optional spoken interface
• Many plugins - games, apps, and demos
• Open Source, so Rockbox is constantly improved

And here's the LONG list of current plugins that come with the latest build: http://www.rockbox.org/twiki/bin/view/Main/PluginIndex

 

[T-Bolt]

User interface: Ipod

Storage: Ipod (offering 80 and 160 gigs FTW)

Reliability: Zune

Compatibility with other products, such as car stereos: Ipod

Accessories: Ipod

I have an 80 gig ipod and love the interface and menu setup, but it is the most unreliable piece of crap. At least Apple backs their warranty up, so long as you make a fuss. I'd buy a Zune, but few companies make adapters for Zunes to aftermarket car headunits, and since I use it 95% of the time in the car, that's a big deal for me. The other 5% of useage is between my ihome alarm clock, which rocks, and listening while not in my room or car (my computer is wired to the stereo, so no point in using the ipod then).

Get the ipod, and for god's sake, get a set of different headphones. The stock ones are the world's shittiest headphones, which really pissed me off (I expected a 350 dollar thing to come with better headphones, but the Zune's headphones suck too). If it's for your daugther, get her a set of skullcandies, available at most major retaillers. They don't have excellent sound, but for 15 bucks, they sound fine and she probably wouldn't notice the difference compared to expensive earbuds anyway. I personally use a set of sennheizer CX300s, and they sound fantastic, plus they seal out almost all outside noise, which I love. I had a set of shure e4cs, and while they were the best sounding headphones I've ever used, they did not seal out outside noise, were uncomfortable, and were expensive to the point that I was afraid to put them in my pocket.

 

[grimreefer]

Does the Zune play media from iTunes?

 

[Mr. Mach-ete]

zunes are for gays.

Well stated thought. You must be 16.:bored:

 

[KingCobra10Sec]

Does the Zune play media from iTunes?

does not play itunes, will have to convert to mp3 or wma

 

[type911]

Zune also has unlimited downloads for $14 a month. bigger screen.

 

[Mach1threat]

I have had a 60 gig video ipod since they came out. I spent about $350 for it, and i really think its the best investment i've made. Its always reliable, great battery time. I think I would die @ work if I didn't have it! I havnt really been looking into any replacements so i couldnt tell you how good the zune is.