Zune versus First 1st Gen Ipod nano

Now that I have had my Zune for a over a week I will compare it to my Nano.


What the Zune does that the Nano doesn't
Video playback is cool. I know the newer ipods and nano have this. The larger screen (I hear it is larger than the ipod) is really nice. The software does have to convert video. But when the new zune and firmware come out it will have native support for h.264. Video podcast will not need to be converted.

30gigs rule. I can fit all of my audio on this which is the main reason I bought this (and the fact I got it for $100 off woot.com).

The zune's battery life is better than the 1st gen nano. Though the current gen nano would beat the zune. One thing the zune does to extend battery life is completely shut the screen off. The ipod will just shut the back light off. Though there might be an option to as I haven't been in settings for the last 2 firmware updates.

I love having a built in fm tuner. I know some people will never listen to the radio again if they have that much portable music but there is a decent modern rock station here. I just wish the fm tuner would display the extended info the station broadcasts.

Zune community. This is quaint, not very useful. This allows you to share your media with nearby zune users. If there was more market penetration this might be useful. A coworker bought the zune at the same time so we tried this out. The current firmware only allows 3 plays or 3 days, which ever comes first, for music. Pictures and video have no DRM. However, since wireless takes up battery I keep it turned off. When the new firmware comes I will probably turn it back on, you will know why in a following section.

The zune has a rugged finish. I will be getting a screen protector, but probably not a case. The 1st gen nano is scratch haven. I didn't think about getting a case for it until it was too late.


What the Nano does that the Zune doesn't
The nano has more value add features. Value add is little extras that give it more value. Alarm clock, sleep timer, portable storage device, and calender. I use the alarm clock and sleep timer. Also when you first turn the ipod on I have it setup to shuffle play my music when I press play. The zune will play the last media, not configurable.

The Zune can be used as portable storage with a registry hack on the computer you want to use it with.

The nano's playlist on a go is better than the zunes. On the ipod you hold the select button until the song flashes. It is then added to the quick playlist. On the zune there is no option to do that while the song is play. You have to find hte song in the menus to get the option to add it to a quick playlist.
The scrubber works better with the click wheel, it easier to fast forward through songs.

Lots more accessories. But this is due the the higher market share the ipod has. At least with the zune you don;t have to pay $50 for an fm tuner.

This is a minor difference but it does annoy me. On the nano (not other ipods) the dock port and headphone port was on the same side of the device. I like that. It means all the cords were hanging off the same side.


What they have in common but there are still differences
The both have simple to use interfaces. I thinkt he zune's interface it easier to a first time digital player buyer. I do like how the zune overlays info instead of switching screens like the nano. They both require software to sync and put media on it. The 360 recognizes them both, with an icon in the blade :) However, since the nano is flash memory and small the playlist loads faster. I think this is also why syncing on the nano is much faster.


My final thoughts
The next zune firmware will have podcast and wireless sync support . That will be awesome. I will probably keep the wireless on then. When the zune comes within range of your home network and if you computer is on it will automatically sync, at least that is what I understand will happen. The current firmware does play podcast, as that is just mp3s, but it is mixed in with the rest of the music. There is a registry hack which allows the zune software to convert divx. One thing I don't like about the zune software is you just specify media folders. You don't specify folders for pictures, music, etc. That means the first time I synced I put all the album art thumbnails that wmp generates onto the device and in the pictures section.

I like the zune but with the extra features I don't want to get rid of the nano just yet. I will try out the zune's ability to grab tv shows from Windows Media Center when the new firmware comes out. That will be cool, portable recorded tv shows. I will get some use from that, for example, when the packers are on espn. I record them and then take the game to my parents for them to watch. Now I don't have to waste media. Though video quality isn't going to be half that of standard tv resolutions. I'll probably try it once, parents won't like it, will still have to put the game on my laptop and use the svideo out.

Why didn't I wait for the zune 2? The only differences the zune 2 will have, since the zune 1 will get the same firmware update, is all hardware related. It will have a touchpad interface, I think I'd rather have the button interface. It will have an 80gig drive, that's cool but I don't need that size, yet. The screen will be glass. I'm not sure what to think about that. Would glass scratch easier? It would definitely add weight to it. What happens if you drop the zune from high enough? Plastic would crack, would glass shatter?