Zune, Zune, Zune

Let me qualify this article first with, this is my opinion. My opinion is not based on any fact or fiction, just my personal preference. That may not be the same as yours; it may just be the same as yours. I got a Zune for Christmas. I love it. Now before you say another thing, you have to know I was one of those other users. I loved my IPod too. It was one of my favorite toys, but it was time to upgrade to more space and the ability to do pictures. And the Zune was the upgrade of choice.

The first thing I did was go online and read reviews. And I have to tell you, the places that I went to trashed the Zune. Everything from its boxiness, to its click navigation, to its screen size. These three things I have to admit really appealed to me. I liked the looks of the Zune. It has sleekness to it. There is not that metallic look of the older iPods or the glassiness of the newer ones. It has its own look that I for one appreciate. Now I am a bit worried about scratches and dents and will go over the solutions I found for that in a bit.

It has sleek lines. I like this. The sides are not rounded, which may give you the impression of a box, but the corners are rounded. It has a gorgeous matte finish. Mine is the black/blue one, which I think is the ultimate in coolness. Me being a forty year old work at home mom, so my version of coolness may be slightly off, but my seventeen year old son thinks it is not bad looking either.

Now let's talk about the navigation. The IPod has a wheel. You run your thumb over it to navigate or to turn up the volume. This was always really confusing to me. The Zune has a wheel, but you get to click it. Just like your handy dandy mouse. It has a separate back and play/pause button. The play/pause button when held down for three seconds doubles as the one/off feature. I like this. I like being able to click. Call me an old fashioned kind of girl.

Now let's talk about screen size. And this, I have to admit, was a real selling point. The screen on my Zune is a three inch screen. IPod is only a two and a half inch screen. I like the bigger screen. It really doesn't make it any bigger, and when I held both of them, to me the Zune feels a lot lighter, even with the bigger screen. I have already put a lot of pictures on my Zune and I like to be able to look at them and show them off with the bigger screen. And, going back to that click thing, it is so easy to navigate them. I don't do video, yet. So I can not give you an opinion on whether or not the screen size is better for this or not. But I am thinking it is. We will have to wait and see on that one. Also here I was worried about scratching up this screen. Well guess what? They have screen protectors you can buy. Well worth your investment. The one I got was from Belkin and designed specifically for Zune's screen.

Another feature I love is that it has an FM receiver. How cool is that? I often times sleep listening to it, and rather than have it go through a play list over and over again, I can just pick my favorite radio station and go to sleep. I like that feature, a lot.

Zune comes with its own software. You can't use the Itunes you have come to know and love, but dare I mention how no one liked Itunes when it started out either? There was and still is complaints about how difficult and how it needs upgrades. Zune software also allows you to sync your Zune to your computer. Yes people that means that you can take music and pictures off your Zune. Now that is definitely an improvement. You can also use Wi-Fi. Though I am at a loss as to what this feature will do for me. I do know that my kids have already seen an advantage of taking music off Mom's Zune to put on their X-box 360. Don't ask me details; just know that a seventeen year old with an Xbox 360 can do it. As well as take avatars too. I know what avatars are, but why do you need them on an Xbox 360? I may know music, but game systems are over my head. I do think though that it is a cool feature!

All and all I love my Zune. Now I know that it is the first of its kind and will be subjected to upgrades and sleeker newer models, but at the moment I am happy and glad I made this choice. I am not saying the other is bad, but all means, we still have them here and members of our family enjoy music on them every day. But it is the Zune for me for a while!