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Get a 4GB Zune player for $69.99 shipped

Normally $99.99, the Zune offers amenities not found in your everyday iPod: an FM tuner, Wi-Fi syncing and media-swapping, and compatibility with Microsoft's music-subscription service.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
2 min read

Need a slim, lightweight audio player for the gym, the bike trails, the kids, or whatever? Newegg has the refurbished 4GB Microsoft Zune (red) for $69.99 shipped. New units run $99.99, so this is definitely a solid deal.

And a solid player. Joke all you want about Microsoft's failure to put even a small dent in the iPod juggernaut; the Zune has a lot going for it.

For starters, it's thin and light enough to ride unobtrusively in a pocket when you're jogging. I know: I've done it. Granted, it's no clip-on iPod Shuffle, but the Shuffle doesn't have a 1.8-inch color screen (just large enough to watch a video without ruining your eyes forever), FM tuner, or Wi-Fi radio.

The Wi-Fi is for swapping tunes and photos with other Zune users and, more realistically, wirelessly syncing with your PC (which totally rocks).

Microsoft is also one of the few remaining companies that offers an all-you-can-eat music subscription: $15 a month buys you unlimited access to Zune Marketplace and the millions of tracks therein. Admittedly, 4GB isn't enough storage to really make the most of it, but it's nice to have the option if you want it. Marketplace also sells TV shows.

Much as I like this particular model, I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that the Apple Store now has refurbished current-generation iPod Nanos with 8GB for just $99. You don't get the FM or Wi-Fi, but you do get twice the storage, a 2-inch screen, shake-to-shuffle, and a choice of colors.

Speaking of colors, if you don't like that gorgeous glossy red, the Zune is also available in black. So what do you think? Deal or no deal?