Zune In

Zune came in three different flavours: White, Black and Brown. For the sake of contrast, I picked white!



Based on looks alone, I think the Zune beats the iPod hands-down. That's just me. There's something about the small-ish-ness of the iPod's screen that turns me off; it seems like it's being squeezed into such a tiny space by the round-click-wheel. This is especially true when you see that giant Zune screen. The lay-out of the buttons for Zune is quite simple too, and easy to get used to.

The real downer is the lack of a click-wheel mechanism. That circular thing in the middle looks like a click-wheel; but it's not. I kept spinning my fingers around it, but alas, I ended up a disappointed man.

Watching movies on the Zune is excellent: you have to hold it horizontally if you wish to watch a movie. The screen is big, and you get a better view as compared to an iPod. The only problem I have with it, is that it's a bit pixelated for my taste, but oh well lah.

The earphones are lovely; they're magnetic, so you can stick them to each other. It's useless, but nifty nonetheless. I'm not an audophile, so I can't tell the difference between Zune and iPod earphones. But you're not an audophile either, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Installing the Zune software into your computer is a real ass. If you've got a newer computer, then it shouldn't be a problem, but for those computers which are a few years old, you'll find yourself downloading this programme and that programme....hassle. The Zune software is shyte compared to iTune, I think. iTune's much more user-friendly; creating play-lists and transferring them to your device is much easier in an iPod. Until today, I don't have a playlist in my Zune.

You know how iPod's have that feature where they keep-track of your "Top-rated", "Recently Added", and "Most Played"? I loved that feature, but the Zune lacks that, for some reason, which is a real bitch.

You can't add date, time, and LYRICS to your Zune too. Fiack.

Check out this spread:


That gray pouch is the Zune holder, but it's butt-ugly, so I haven't used it really.

The major draw of the Zune is the song-exchange. You can connect to another Zune, and send him songs and vice-versa. But it's not as simple as you think. After three days, the song you received will disappear. You have to BUY them, or else they won't be permanent. Maybe I had to high expectations, but I was thinking that this was a feature similar to Blue-tooth. Sigh...

Looking at that spread, you realise...THERE'S NO ADAPTER! That's right; you've to connect it to your computer to charge it. It's very bothersome; if there's no computer around, then what will you do? And you've got to on the computer over-night to give it a good charge, which my parents don't think is a good practice, so it's been difficult.

So what do I like most about the Zune? I'm probably the only one who has it. Oh, Glen Wireman has it to, but he copied me x(. I'm the original Zune owner in Singpore. THE ORIGINAL.

The Zune and the iPod are of the same price; it's not sold in Singapore though, so you've to go overseas to get one.

Verdict? iPod for it's features. Zune for it's uniqueness.