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>> What's up Prizefight fans, I'm Brian Tong and we've got a battle where the bad blood runs deep. In this week's Prizefight, it's an MP3 slough fest between Apple's fourth-generation iPod Nano and Microsoft's third-generation flash-based Zune. Our ring-side judges for this fight are senior editor Donald Bell and Senior Associate Editor Jasmine France and your host with the most. We're going five rounds strong. In round 1, who's got the sexy 'cause you can have whatever you like. Apple did the right thing going back to a blade-like form factor with super smooth edges and a larger screen. This guy is just plain juicy. Now Microsoft Zune has a nice design and there's nothing wrong, but it doesn't really move us. And Donald can't stop thinking about Mickey Mouse's head when he looks at the controls. The Nano gets a 5 and the Zune gets 3. It's a click-wheel version of Zune pad. Next round is Navigation. The click wheel is one of the best interfaces on an MP3 player ever. But on the Nano, the wheel is so small that it feels kind of cramped. The menu structure is super clean and it's easy to find what you want. Now the Zune pad is more comfortable, and less confined with its touch sensitive pad and when you turn it sideways for video, the controls re-orient themselves. Menus are big and bold too. Now people that don't use the Zune might be surprised, but we're calling this round even at 4. So, after two rounds, the iPod Nano leads by 2. Next round is all about compatibility. iTunes is the software you'll use with the Nano and it's Mac and PC compatible, there's no subscription service needed and it has the largest digital music catalogue. Now the Zune software works with the PC and a PC only. It won't work with your Mac at all. Now you can buy tracks individually or go with the Zune pass subscription service, but the software isn't the snappiest in my experience. The iPod Nano gets a 4 and the Zune a 3. Next round is sound and science. If we're talking sound quality, the Zune has always had the edge and it sounds great. Its FM tuner is overlooked with a sweet interface and you can use its built-in Wi-Fi to get new music directly on the device. Now battery life matters with these small MP3 players and the iPod Nano shines here, getting 3 more hours of audio and almost 2 more hours of video is impressive and that's before you back through the Zune's Wi-Fi features. The Genius Playlist is cool and shuffle to shake, it's cute and corny. These guys shine in different areas and we're handing out 4 to both of them. So after 4 rounds, the Nano leads by 3. The final round that will decide it all is value. Both of these MP3 players are 199 bucks for their 16-gigabyte models and you're really getting a great bang for that buck. Now each of them have killer features that make them unique, but at that price you just can't go wrong. Both players get 4 in the final round. So let's add up the scores. The Nano jumps out to an early lead, but the Zune was no champ tying Apple's MP3 king in three rounds, but the iPod Nano fourth generation still reign supreme winning 21 to 18. I'm Brian Tong. Thanks for watching. We'll catch you guys next time on another Prizefight -- Pow!
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