All right, I'm gonna make this as unbiased as possible, as too many reviews claim its either great or awful. The truth is, it's a great device for what it was made for: a Pocket Media Player, with some frills. If you want a do-all system that has downloadable application and youtube support, plus the ability to play audio and video, go for the iPod Touch. However, if you want one of the best MP3 and Video player on the market, and aren't so concerned about browsing online or downloading new apps, go for the new Zune HD.
As far as unique features that the iPod don't have, the best are probably HD Radio and the OLED screen. While the iPod has a beautiful screen, the Zune stands out because of the better colors that stand out more. However, the screen size on the Zune is a little smaller, so if size is an issue, the iPod might be a better choice for you. But for a PMP, I prefer how the image looks over size. Also, HD FM radio is fantastic. I only have a single station in my area that currently uses it, but the differences in quality are quite noticable. On top of that, if you are on the fringe of losing your HD FM signal, it automatically and seamlessly switches to the standard FM feed. Very nice indeed.
The interface is the biggest reason why this thing is better than an iPod as a PMP. The GUI is much more attractive, and more intuitive to navigate if you are using it primarily as an MP3 or video player. Unfortunately, the downloadable apps (what few are there) are just bundled in a menu, with no good way of organizing them. You can pin favorites to your "desktop", but that's as far as you can get as far as customizing your apps. the iPod still runs away with it in this category. Also, the sheer selection of the apps you can get for your iPod means that Microsoft has an uphill battle ahead of them if they want to compete on this front. It's not impossible, there's just a lot of work to be done.
Web browsing was a little slower on the Zune, but still light years better than Windows Mobile units. If it weren't for Safari on the iPod, the Zune HD would have the best mobile browser on the market today. I'm sure if they tweak it a bit for speed and add a couple features (like change the way the page is formatted on the screen, sort of like what you can do on the LG Dare), they could easily overtake iPods Safari.
As far as music downloading goes, Zune wins hands down. Apple has a great itunes store that works great for buying songs, but Zune has their 15 dollar a month plan for unlimited music downloads, and you get 10 free MP3s that you keep FOREVER (even if you get rid of the Zune Pass service) every month. For the same price, you can buy a regular full album from itunes. Zune Pass is definately the better deal, as you get your album plus a months worth of whatever else you wanna listen to.
An unknown at this point is the nvidia Tegra chip inside the Zune HD, able to push some major graphics. So far, nothing really utilizes it impressively, but some games coming in the future this fall (2009) are slated to change that.
Overall, if you want a do-all machine that works well, the iPod is still your choice, although it may not be in a few months after Microsoft tweaks the Zune HD some. However, if your main concern is audio and video on your handheld, go with a Zune, you won't regret it. If I could I'd rate it 3 1/2 stars, but we'll boost it to 4 for now just due to the unknown features of the Tegra chip and the fact that this player will improve with every update.Get more detail about Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum).
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