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General discussion

Zune HD vs Ipod touch please help.

Dec 22, 2009 11:22AM PST

im not sure which i should get. Things i care about
Sound Quality
Durability
Radio
Reliability.

Discussion is locked

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oh and i also care about...
Dec 22, 2009 12:10PM PST

Video quality.

which has has better file support?

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Zune HD is a good choice.
Jan 17, 2010 10:25AM PST

As far as a portable media player goes, the Zune HD is the top of the line player, it's lightweight, has a great screen, and great sound quality. There are also rumors that Xvid support will be hitting this month. You made a great choice, I bought mine the week after release. If you can afford it, I highly recommend the monthly Zune Pass.

iPod Touch is a great device too, big screen and the app store is amazing to say the least, but that is the only place that it beats the Zune HD so it really depends on if you need that or not.

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My take
Dec 22, 2009 5:24PM PST

Sound quality: Zune HD

Durability: toss up...if you toss both up, they will both break. Seriously, it all depends on how harshly you will treat the device. My 2G Touch and Zune HD have been spot on durable so far. But I wouldn't want to drop either of them, even with a good protective case on.

Radio: Zune HD has HD radio, Touch doesn't do radio. At all.

Reliability: Touch has been around for a while, not widely varying much in all of its three generations; Zune HD has not.

Video: Touch does multiple formats better and bigger, Zune HD has the killer OLED screen.

One thing you left off: apps. No contest; Touch wins hands down. Also the Touch does Bluetooth; the HD doesn't.

The Touch is the far and away better multi-purpose device. The Zune HD is a marginally better media playing device. It all depends upon what you want to do and how you plan to use you device. For me, I use my HD than I do my Touch, but then again for the bulk of the multi-purpose stuff that's why I have a netbook.

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thankis for the reply.
Dec 23, 2009 1:53AM PST

is ther any other important info i should know about these two which one do you think has the better bang for your buck?

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(NT) well i went ahead and purchased the 16 gig zune hd.
Dec 23, 2009 8:08AM PST
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Congrats
Dec 25, 2009 1:36AM PST

Personally I don't think you made a bad choice. It all depends upon what you want out of the device. If playing music and the occasional vid is the absolute key purpose, then the HD is pretty darn good. The UI is sublime and beautifully designed for this. But if versatility is the prime mandate, there's simply no beating the Touch, short of an iPhone or Android device.

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Congtrats on the Zune 16GB
Jan 9, 2010 4:51AM PST

Gary,
I too just purchased the 16Gb Zune HD. I have an 8Gb second gen Zune and I love it, but wanted the touch screen and HD radio. The software is quirky on occasion, but that is not a problem. I just like the Zune better, although I have owned an iPod and they're nice as well. I just think the Zune is sleek and looks cool. I get a lot of comments about it when I'm out walking and people see me with it. I'm a college studen and I enjoy being able to surf the web and check my email witout having to bring my laptop with me to campus. Also the sound quality for both music and HD radio is stellar. Keep us posted how you like your Zune HD!

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Zune question
Jan 28, 2010 9:58PM PST

Not to hijack the thread, but I am in the same boat. I have been debating between the two, and more than likely woul dnot use the aps. I just want a player. However, neither is compatible with Napster and I am wanting the Zune more..is there a way that I can transfer my songs to the Zune? I guess, can I use windows media to get songs on the Zune?? Please help as I am far from an expert when it comes to this..Thanks in advance everybody..
Nate

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No.
Jan 29, 2010 3:58AM PST

I don't consider myself an 'expert' on the Zune, but I guess I qualify as being experienced since I've had one since the very first 30GB 'brick' model came out (and even in toilet bowl brown, at that).

The Zune ecosystem only works with the Zune software. No 3rd-party app to date has cracked the system, and WMP in any of its forms doesn't recognize any of the Zune players, unless it's been previously hacked. Rule of thumb is if the Microsoft-sourced Zune software can't read those files, then they're not getting on the Zune.

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Ipod Touch 3G vs Zune Hd reply
Oct 10, 2010 1:31AM PDT

Hi Ill see if I can adress you main concerns without taking up too much space. I'm referencing and trying to summarize a good ipod touch vs Zune Hd comparison for you here so you should do your own background when your finished .
Okay basically,
Sound Quality , the Zune Hd apparently has the edge on the iPod Touch interms of quality , the headphones it shipps with may be another story though as the iPod's generally seem to be higher quality.
Durability: haven't seen anyone address this , i have no idea which will last more drops and bounces but short of that they re both very durable
Radio: the Zune has Hd Radio
Reliability: The Zune far outlasts the iPod Touch in terms of battery life and takes lesss time to charge. That said , the iPod OS is more stable than the Windows based Zune HD. Also you have many more apps available to you with the Apple , over 200,000 compared to the 6 or so that the Zune HD ships with

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Had both, gave the ipod away after 2 days.
Oct 16, 2010 2:45AM PDT

HD radio not only has better quality, but it means each station can broadcast 3 songs at once. Living in the dallas area I have only seen two at a time (hit the next button to change between songs), but I'm not complaining! As for apps, the 2nd gen zunes shipped with 6, the HD has around 40 in the store now, more are being added all the time, and there are hundreds more on sites like zuneboards. You can ever put in a request for apps, I did and it was made by the end of the week. The in-store apps are all beautifully done, and not

If Microsoft followed apple's lead then all the homebrew apps would be in marketplace. Also ALL HD APPS ARE FREE! The internet browser on the HD is not as good as the itouch's. The HD's OLED screen really is that much better. Although the ipod can have a brighter screen on maximum settings, turning it up that high will blind you, and it still won't look any better. Also wireless sync is very handy on the HD.

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Zune is not an iPod!
Mar 12, 2011 2:01AM PST

Zune is great as a MP3 player, video watching, photo review and has a decent FM radio. It will not let you on the Internet or call your cell phone.
Zune comes with an 80gb flash drive, a FM radio and allows downloads through the Zune Marketplace or off your PC. It is durable, has great sound quality, an FM radio you can purchase songs from, and is reliable. A 2 year replacement warranty ran $20 through Square Trade. $140 for a refurb unit. $300+ new.
iPod Does all that, is durable, has great sound quality,and allows purchases through the Apple store. It features WiFi which is handy, if you need it. Apple is a little fussier about what you can load; most units are 8, 16 or 32GB (although 64GB and 128GB are available)and run $300- $800. They offer touch screens, Applets and have speakers. Not sure about the radio. I found Apple software longer to download and a little more confusing to traverse. We had problems syncing to multiple computers with multiple iPods.
It comes down to what you need. I wanted storage for alot of music files and some photo veiwing. Zune's 80 gb fit the bill and I liked the low price. If you want what iPod does, you need to buy an iPod. My kids love them!

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^ thats a different product you are comparing
Mar 14, 2011 2:43PM PDT

You are talking about the 2nd gen zune with a 80GB hard drive, not the HD which this thread is for, The HD does not come in a 80GB storage capacity, as of now it is available in 16, 32 and 64GB file storage capacities.