Best Selling MP3 & Media Players

Zune 120
I decided to upgrade to a larger MP3 player as I have outgrown my little Memorex 1G player. I had also been toying with getting one of those little keyfob digital photo displays. Well, I have to say that the Zune 120 meets and exceeds my criteria for both. I am pleased with the screen display and my friends with viual impairments seem to have no problem viewing the screen for photos. I like the Zune software and being able to set up various play lists. (Like others, I wonder why I can't just download directly for windows media player.) I am a bit of a techno-phobe and have yet to play with the video or podcast features. I bought the Griffin hard case and I really like it. It fits well and I have no problems accessing the buttons or cable hookup. I have an aftermarket case with speakers that it fits well in and sound quality is good (Sonic Impact Technologies speaker case). I have room for the 120 in the hard case and a set of ear buds, though I usually use my Sony noise cancelling headphones. (The battery life on the Speaker case is quite long- if you remember to turn the speakers off.) I wish that Microsoft/Zune would package the unit with an AC charger. I have one on order. Over all I am please with my purchase even though it was a little more than I wanted to spend. At least I know I won't out grow it anytime soon!

Want to love it.. full of problems
I love the concept of the Zune, wireless sync, sharing music, so forth. My problem, is as much as I've wanted to love this thing, I've had nothing with problems with every Zune I've purchased. This Christmas I purchased a 120 and 16 gig for gifts and for myself.
The 120's battery would not hold a charge out of the box. Back to the store to exchange it. Second one seems to work. My 30 gig had the same issue and was repaired by microsoft, twice.
the 16 gig, was dead out of the box. Wouldn't sync, turn on, etc. Returned it for exchange. The next one worked for a few days, then the backligth stopped working. Result.. it died too. I'm on my third and last.. we'll see how this one works.

Average for Audio, Mediocre for Video and so Many Limitations...
My Zen M-60 died after accidentally dropping it without the protective case. I searched for a similar replacement but since Creative stopped its production, after a comprehensive search, settled for a Zune 120. The reason was because pricewise (120GB for 0) it seemed like a great buy. But it's not the same reading specs & reviews of a new device as having it and being able to deal with its limitations. Even though many forums and experts recommend the Zune, after having used Samsa, Archos and Zens, here is my opinion on the Zune 120 after a week of using it. I consider it a good (but not great) device for audio only.

The few Good Features:
* Interface is easy enough to use and more user friendly than Apple's I-Tunes and Creative's Media.
* Allows you the option of deleting all content on the device since so many times it copies (in duplicate/triplicate) albums and movies.

The Many Bad Features:
* Battery life is not as advertised. I get not more than three hours of video playback and not more than six hours of audio playback with the screen off.
* Computer will not recognize Zunes as Mass Storage devices so forget about using it as a computer HDD backup.
* The screen's illumination is so weak (even at its brightest setting) that it's hard to see in daylight and no settings for screen contrast.
* Does not have settings for audio adjustment as Bass Boost or even a Simple Equalizer (as so many others have). Thus, old recordings have to be listened with the limitations of the 60s and 70s audio.
* As a video player it's the worst; only recognizes MP-4 files which are an ISO standard but not usually used in the USA.
* Converting MSFT AVI files to MP-4s is very time consuming and will take twice the space on the device. Ironically, the AVI format was developed by MSFT in the early nineties and Zunes don't offer support for said format.
* MP-4s taken 75% more of the HDD space than AVI formats with the same low resolution and audio quality.
* I have not been able to load a single Windows Media Video; WMV on the device although it's supposed to recognize it.
* Video playback does not have options of Fit to Screen or Zoom. So, a movie in 16:9 format will be played with black bars under and over the screen.

The Useless Features:
* Has a social mode but I don't think that anyone wants' to date someone that was met trough this feature...
* Instead of buying from the Zune's Marketplace, there are so many alternatives free on the Internet...

Creative has announced new players for this year so unless you need to get a device urgently, consider waiting until spring 2009. If you want a good video player immediately, go with Archos but by all means, avoid the Zunes.

I am returning my Zune now since my friend (who received my Zen-30 when I got the Zen-60 two years ago), is returning said device to me. But please be aware if you consider this MSFT product (Zune 120). If you are more interested in video playback, there are plenty of Archo's models. If you want the best of both worlds; audio & video, wait until spring when Creative starts selling their new Zen products. It is not important that you concur with my opinion but thought it would be worth publishing it. Hope it's useful for your decision on your next PVP.

A Music-Lover's Player
Poor little Zune. Less than 72 hours after owning it, someone has already told me that Zunes are "uncool". I couldn't disagree more. After owning two iPods, I've found it to be a refreshing change.

Set-up was simple, but fairly time consuming. The software took quite a while to download. Since my music collection was pretty disorganized, I spent a few hours deleting and editing song titles while the Zune synced, which may account for the slowness. (Tip: Make sure your "My Music" folder is nicely organized before syncing--it makes the whole process easier.) But so far, these are my only complaints.

I love the user interface. It's so simple to me--so much more simple than the ipod I used to have (a 30 gb video). The display is beautiful and there are so many little details that make it a pleasure to use. I downloaded a wallpaper to put on it from the Zune Originals site, so it already feels more "personalized".

The sound quality is excellent. Again, surpasses the ipods I tested, even with the crappy headphones it came with.

The best feature by far is the Zune Pass. I'm currently using the 14 day free trial and I already know that I definitely want to keep up the subscription. So far, I've downloaded nearly 100 songs, quickly and easily from both my computer and wirelessly from my Zune. I'm pleasantly surprised that the Marketplace has so much of what I want, especially since I've heard criticism that it's "not as good as iTunes". I've found obscure albums and songs and been able to download everything I want with the Zune Pass. Plus, you can permanently keep 10 each month (the rest you can keep as long as the subscription is valid). Personally, I think this feature alone blows iPod out of the water.

To me, the bottom line appears to be this: If you really love music, love exploring new artists and hearing entire albums for a reasonable price, the Zune is definitely the player for you. If you're bothered about having a really hip player with lots of available accessories, go with an ipod.

No EQ! No BASS Boost!
Great MP3 player, but no EQ! The Zune software is easy to use, but it is required, you can't just open the Zune as a drive on your PC. The buttons are sometimes not as responsive as I'd like them to be.