Zune v. iPod

[caladein]

I guess to me, "fixed" meant more than syncing. It meant being able to access the internet without restrictions like on the iPod Touch.

Yeah, I can hear that.

But with what input, the power of my mind?  Just putting in a WPA key via a Zune on-screen keyboard would make me put kittens in a microwave.

[naum]

I guess to me, "fixed" meant more than syncing. It meant being able to access the internet without restrictions like on the iPod Touch.

Yeah, I can hear that.

But with what input, the power of my mind?  Just putting in a WPA key via a Zune on-screen keyboard would make me put kittens in a microwave.

On the iPhone/iPod Touch, it just a simple password entry that is remembered.  And once you connect, it will auto-connect from then on, which isn't always desirable. Especially if you didn't want to connect to that WAP in the first place — a local Starbucks always connects now, and I don't want to pay (though if I can dredge it up, I believe I received a year free of T-mobile from OLPC purchase)…

[Llava]

What kind of free stuff would you expect in a software update then? They probably couldn't offer any of the touch/iphone specific software on another ipod even if they wanted to. Unless you mean something else?

Well, for example, the new-gen iPods have new UIs with the cover flow, as well as an assortment of games and the ability to install additional games from iTunes.  The previous-gen iPods don't, and they never bothered to update them to have those features.

When Microsoft put out new Zunes, they simultaneously released software updates to give the old Zunes the same features, everything except the larger drive capacity, of course.

The new gen ipods... As in, the "touch"?

Nope.  Got mine recently, it's not a Touch, it has cover flow.

[stray]

Damn. That's bullshit then.

[Venkman]

They're a hardware company. I expect no less.

One thing I will say about the Touch that I don't like is the thing I miss most from my Nano: thumbwheel. You don't know frustration until you're trying to go back in a Podcast a mere minute or so while driving. I'm still surprised nobody in jailbreak land has created an onscreen thumbwheel.

[Pennilenko]

Hehe Ipod or Zune............Neither.

16 gig San Disk Sansa, which is easily integrated/controlled by my rhapsody client. Unlimited content constantly changable for one low monthly subscription and the only hasle from DRM is that you have to connect the player to a rhapsody client once per week or so.

[DeathInABottle]

Hehe Ipod or Zune............Neither.

16 gig San Disk Sansa, which is easily integrated/controlled by my rhapsody client. Unlimited content constantly changable for one low monthly subscription and the only hasle from DRM is that you have to connect the player to a rhapsody client once per week or so.

That and a "low monthly subscription" sound like more than a hassle to me.  I've got several thousand mp3 files on my hard drive already, and 300 CDs or so; no need for a downloading service.

Plus, 16GB?  Way too little.  I know there are a lot of cheap, low capacity players out there, but they're not for me.

The Zune still isn't available for retail in Canada (though it's supposed to be on sale "Spring 2008", whatever that means), so I can't do any hands-on comparison shopping yet.  Lame.

Another question: is it worth paying the $80 or whatever it is for the extended warranty?

[naum]

One thing I will say about the Touch that I don't like is the thing I miss most from my Nano: thumbwheel. You don't know frustration until you're trying to go back in a Podcast a mere minute or so while driving. I'm still surprised nobody in jailbreak land has created an onscreen thumbwheel.

They need to fix this. It's annoying, especially on longer podcasts.

[Selby]

Another question: is it worth paying the $80 or whatever it is for the extended warranty?

I usually look at it this way: if it was to break, would I have been glad to have spent the $80 to have it covered?  The only time I didn't buy the extended warrany on an expensive electronic device was when it broke.  I had to spend $400 x2 to get the other half's laptop repaired twice and it would have been covered had I bought the extra $150 warranty.  If it is a cheap enough item, $80 vs. $250 is what it comes down to really.

[Prospero]

The Apple replacement thing is totally worth it. Mine has survived past it in all cases, but a friend of mine is a gadget killer and has received fantastic service. I can think of two occasions where his iPod died during class in the morning, and he came back after lunch with a brand new player. With the iPods it seems like they pretty much just hand you a new player if it seems dead. Plus if your battery craps out it covers a new battery, which makes it worthwhile.

[NiX]

I'm necroing this post because I need a new MP3 player for the walk to work. I used to have a mini,  but the fucking battery died for the second time to which Apple said "Wait, you didn't buy second warranty? In Soviet Apple warranty fucks YOU."

Has Apple improved the battery life? I just need music. I don't need all this Wi-Fi bullshit or fancy sliding touch crap. I want music into my ears when I hit 1 button.

Note: Don't try to sell me on iTunes. I hate iTunes ever since it broke my mini for a week.

[Oban]

I used these guys to replace my silver mini's battery:

http://www.irepair.ca/

Very fast service and the new battery, knock on wood, lasts quite a bit longer than the original.

[NiX]

Interesting. Don't know if I want to revive the ugly thing. I might grab the Creative Zen 4GB for $99 at Best Buy. Music, Video and FM tuner for $99? That's a steal.

[Engels]

GF's been happy with creative zen, and I've been very happy with SanDisk players. The sound quality on the SanDisk player I have, which is a budget one, is notably better than my iPhone's sound quality, using the same sony in-hear 'noise reduction' buds.

[DeathInABottle]

Since this has been resurrected, I may as well follow up.  I got tired of waiting for the Zune to be released in Canada (it's going to arrive on June 13, apparently), and took your collective advice to heart: got the 80GB iPod, and I have zero regrets.  Hopefully I'll be saying the same thing a few years from now.

[Oban]

Interesting. Don't know if I want to revive the ugly thing.

Metal beats plastic.

[Numtini]

I bought a 16gig zen which I use with the Rhapsody to go "rental" service. I could not be happier. Prior to that I went through an Ibiza and Sansa View. (I love Amazon's return policy btw.)

[NiX]

Metal beats plastic.

I'll agree to this, but there's something to be said about a product that can work fine one day and the next, after a full recharge, shut off after 1 song is played. I can drop it a hundred times, but the fucking thing still won't play more than 1 song.

[Oban]

I would have irepair look at your ipod before you throw it out.  Worst case scenario, you pay for the repairs/battery, decide you still want a new mp3 player and you sell the mini on craigslist/ebay/to-me.

[Tale]

Relevant necro ... Y2K-style bug made all 30Gb Zunes fail on New Year's Eve. Can't handle leap years, fix was to switch them off until January 1.

Report: http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/12/31/all-zune-30s-crapping-out/
For programmers: http://www.crunchgear.com/2008/12/31/zune-bug-explained-in-detail/

Facepalm, but that's Microsoft.

[Quinton]

To be fair, the RTCs for almost all SoCs I've ever worked with have been impressively braindamaged.  It's not uncommon to run into some really nasty and really hard to reproduce bugs related to the obnoxious critters. 

[Surlyboi]

 

[Murgos]

Is that a no more iTunes DRM  ?  'Cause it should be if it isn't.

[Fabricated]

iTunes is a pile of indefensible shit. It's awful. Every fucking bit of it.

At least on Windows.

As for players, get something else. Get a Sansa, Cowon, Zune, whatever.

[Trippy]

iTunes is a pile of indefensible shit. It's awful. Every fucking bit of it.

At least on Windows.

It's the same UI on the Mac.