So, I currently have an 8GB iPod Touch I got as a gift. I got it and started building up my playlist, which currently exceeds 8gb, so I need a new player. At first, I'd wanted a better iPod Touch, but then I realized that I'd be paying $400 for less than a third of the memory that I could get for significantly cheaper. So, basically, I'm going through options. My first thought was iPod video, with its nice 80gb+. Then I decided to see what else exists (and remembered the horror of the click wheel), and came found the Microsoft Zune (looking at the 120gb version - not only is it $120 cheaper than a 32gb Touch would be, but it has a large screen, and with so much space maybe I could regularly rotate videos onto it) and the Creative Zen series, which I didn't like as much because of small capacity.

So, currently I'm thinking of getting the Zune, but I'd like to know if it's easy to maneuver around the interface and all (compared to click wheel) and if anyone has other suggestions. I'm looking for at minimum 32 gigabytes, reasonable price (I'm planning on getting someone to make this a birthday present, but no need to bankrupt them), and the ability to play videos. And a nice GUI, of course.

EDIT: I also found something called Archos and another something called iRiver (with the most retarded website ever, so I'm probably not getting it). Anyone have experience with those?

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 4 2009, 7:48 pm by Centreri.

If you're getting a Zune, don't bother buying songs on marketplace.

Pfft. I don't bother buying them there even with an iPod. I'm not paying a dollar per song. Usually around $.12 per song, or free.
You heard nothing.

Just buy a Zune. It's way better and they have good updates. I regret buying an iPod Touch. And I heard you get unlimited downloads for only $30 a month.

It is, the menu is actually quite convenient, in my opinion, and so much better than the ipod's.

get an ipod classic.

Well, if you say so, how can I possibly say no...


If you didn't get why I said that, I want reasons. Not commands or suggestions with nothing to back them up.

other than the space issue, hows your iPod working for you right now?

Good. But to buy the 4x more memory version, I'd have to pay $400. And there's quite a difference between classic and Touch, I hate the click wheel.

The Zune, on the other hand, is ~$280 for 15x the space I have now, albeit with drawbacks in survivability and shininess.

I have a 16Gb iPod Touch and I love it.

The only problem I can see with you Centreri is that you have way too much music. Do you even listen to all of it? I think of myself as a vivid music listener and video watcher and I only have 12GB used both music and videos, I really see no use for anything more then that.

If I had to choose though, I would go with the iPod Classic. I remember when I bought a black 30GB Video, or Classic, whatever it was called, like one year ago and I loved it. I would also like to throw in that 480x320 resolution isn't bad.

I get bored of music too quickly. Back when I had maybe 300 songs, I got sick of them. Now I have 1001 fitting on my iPod, and for the most part nothing gets stale, but some still does and there's still music I'd like to try, so I'm going for more. So, I'm trying to boost my playlist so that while shuffling through everything, no one song or musical group gets stale. Additionally, it's nice to have room for videos and such, it's like a huge flash drive .

What about just changing the bit rate of all of your songs to 64? O_O

Archos sucks. It's like a really crappy Touch. Never heard of iRiver.

Get an iPod Touch. There are so many different things you can do besides just listen to music with it, plus you can access the internet from it.

I get unlimited downloads for $0/month
As for something on topic, I own the first generation zune, and I think it's even better than the iPod classics.

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 5 2009, 4:13 am by omginbd.

I'm afraid I have no idea what that does, and either way, eventually I'll run out of space. 8GB is definitely too small.

Thanks for the Archos advice. As for the iPod Touch, it just seems way too expensive for its features. The 32GB version of the iPod Touch is $400, while the 120GB version of the Zune is $280. The screen isn't as good, but it will still play movies well. As for the internet, what would I need that for? I've never needed to use the internet on my iPod Touch, and even when I wanted to there was very rarely a suitable network. The problem with it is the battery life - apparently, battery life of the Zune while watching a video is four hours, while the iPod Video is eight. This is rather annoying, and makes the video features on the Zune pretty much useless - what the hell am I supposed to do on a nine-hour plane flight?

Post has been edited 1 time(s), last time on Apr 5 2009, 4:11 pm by Centreri.

I'm not sure if they use the same connector as MicroDrive iPods, but it may be possible to crack yours open and insert a, say $62 32 GB CF card in place of the normal SSD, and then format it with the Touch firmware.

That might be an interesting way to do it. I'll read up on it, thanks. Save $340 . EDIT: I searched around, it seems pretty damn unfeasible.

Naw, it's illegal!

Post has been edited 2 time(s), last time on Apr 5 2009, 7:47 pm by Centreri.

With the Zune you do get software upgrades for it, regardless of whether it is a new model or the oldest one. I don't know whether Apple does this. I've also sometimes heard that the Zunes have higher quality sound output than the iPods. For the controls, I think the newer Zunes have something that you slide your finger across and also push down as a button.

Note: I don't actually have a Zune or iPod (or any player with hard drive or flash memory).

Sansa Players are pretty nice and they're cheap, my bro has one and he likes it.

I've had two Ipods, both a first gen and a second gen nano, and my Zune 30GB first gen smokes them all. Great battery life, love the interface, great volume and sound quality. The only thing I dislike is the zune software but once you get used to it you'll be fine.