Zune or iPod?

• An alternative to all the iPhone vs. iPod touch questions: Do I want an iPod touch, Zune HD, or iPod Nano? So my 2nd generation iPod nano poofed last week, and after hours of searching I’m fairly confident I’m never gonna find it. It’s unfortunate, but not awful, because I’d (finally) been knocking my head against the 4gb storage limit. Yeah, I have a pretty limited music collection. I’m the kind of person who doesn’t really seek out new music, though I’ve been doing so more lately. Plus, it’s not too much of a tragedy because it was free, and because I’ve decided lately I’d really like a radio built into one of my gadgets. I really liked the iPod, but I’m not a fan of iTunes or Apple in general. I liked the build quality (that thing was indestructible!) and general reliability. I didn’t like how apple refused to update the firmware to include new features that would not have been difficult to include, like genius and video playback (yeah, the screen wasn’t huge, but sometimes you don’t need huge.) I have a g1, though I don’t want to deal with a headphone adapter or memory card so I don’t use it as an mp3 player. That said, it is generally my browser and my app library, so apps aren’t huge for me (though access to the incredible apple app catalog is a plus.). I only use it on wi-fi, but of course that would be true for any of the above gadgets. I occasionally run with my iPod. Probably more in the near future. Obviously, nanos are more compact and good for running (I am of the opinion that you can’t beat buttons.). But how unwieldy are the other two gadgets? I’ve tried a zune HD, and loved it. The interface is nice. The screen is gorgeous. It has a radio. It doesn’t have a giant app catalog, but again, whatever. Maybe if I actually browsed apple apps, my mind would be changed, but my general opinion is that I won’t miss what I never had and everything I really want is already present in the android market. Aside from mint. But that’s coming, or so they say. I’ve pretty much decided that I’d want a zune HD over an iPod touch, because of radio, which I really want, and the gorgeousness (plus colors!). But I put all three in there in case someone can change my mind. Money is also an issue, but I’m able and willing to pay for quality. As I see it, a 16gb zune HD is only $20 more than a 16gb iPod nano, and is much nicer. I don’t know how much storage space I need. I’ve gotten more into music lately and will probably need much more space in the near future. I don’t forsee a ton of video needs, but if I had room I’d probably fill it up with back episodes of Lie to Me and 30 Rock. And then watch them incessantly. I don’t buy music from the iTunes store on principle. All my music is from Amazon mp3 or CDs, ripped into mp3 form. I’ve used windows media player to sync sansas belonging to my brothers, and as much as I love the sansas (video playback AND radios for like 35 bucks on woot!) that would be a dealbreaker for me. It was just impossible, especially when juggling a memory card and sansa internal storage. How does the zune app compare to iTunes? Anybody know about the durability of zunes? iPod touches? Can they take nearly as uch as my iPod took? I tried to have in a case for a while but gave up ont hat and just tossed it in outside pockets of my stuffed backpack, in my pocket, in my purse, whatever without a second though. Can’t tell you how many pairs of headphones I’ve been through (including both iPod and Zune ones). I’m guessing big screen can’t take as much, and I can be somewhat more gentle (inside, padded pockets of my backpack rather than outside and unpadded) but I’m not gonna baby them. My camera, phone, and laptop have all taken severe drops before. Other details: I’m 16 (which shouldn’t matter but always seems to end up mattering. I’m still buying it for myself, though, with money I earned myself. As is the case for everything I buy, including clothes). Birthday coming up and I expect a job (well, paid internship) offer next Tuesday so I’m buying this as a treat for myself. I listen to music much less regularly then many but relied on my iPod especially during bus trips, walking anywhere, going running, and car trips. Basically, transportation. Sometimes I go weeks without using it, other times I’m taking it out every opportunity and using it for 4-5 hours during a day. Also: can I do podcasts without the iTunes store? They’re basically audio files and RSS mashe dup together right? Could I do that easily with zune software? I don’t use it for anything obscure, just This American Life and The Splendid Table and some Car Talk. I use Windows 7. I like windows. I don’t like OSX. Believe me, I’ve tried, sometimes for extended periods of time. I will likely get another laptop in 2 years for college, but I don’t think it’ll be a mac (love the build quality, hate the OS. And no, installing Windows as a secondary operating system while using it fulltime is not a solution I’m pursuing). I don’t think that limitation of a zune is important. Oh yeah, I don’t care about subscription music. I can’t even afford a data plan for my phone that is barely more than that. PS: Wow. I seem to have a lot to say on the subject. I’m typing this up with word, and I’m on page 3 of this document. PPS: surfing through Ask MeFi, looks like Zune has wireless sync. Is this true? Does it work well? I would LOVE that. That’s just awesome. PPPS (sorry): I may be 16, but I couldn’t care less about what’s cool. I chose my g1 over an iPhone for the keyboard and because I believe in android. I’m not a heavy geek. I browse style.com thrice and much as I browse engadget, if not more. But I do geek out sometimes. I guess my point is that unlike 90% of my friends, I don’t care about shiny.

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  Also: can I do podcasts without the iTunes store? They’re basically audio files and RSS mashe dup together right? Yep.