Microsoft Zune Black (30 GB) MP3 Player

I recently decided to sell my 30gb video iPod for a 30gb Zune. Why you may ask? The answer can be encompassed in one word, iTunes. Does any one else loathe iTunes as much as I do? I cannot tell you how many time all the content on my iPod would be erased. Also how expensive is iTunes? I try to be a legal internet music buyer but having to pay $1.00 just for one song caused me to seriously consider alternatives. The Zune Marketplace and the Zune equivilant to iTunes is in my opinion far more superior. Did you know that you can get a monthly subscription on Zune marketplace for about $25 a month and download as MANY songs as you want? I don't think very many people know about this otherwise iTunes would be out of business. As far as comparing the actual iPod to the Zune, the Zune does have a bigger size and once I put my Speck case on it, it looked more like a brick than an mp3 player. But to be honest with you, I kinda like the larger size. The screen on the Zune is much bigger than the iPod's so watching my favorite episode of The Office on my Zune is much more satisfying. Sound quality is about the same between the two of them. With the navigation menu's there is a massive difference. The menu system just seemed to flow more for me with the Zune. Don't get me wrong, I thought the click-wheel system was going to revolutionize the world, but Zune proves that a more traditional menu system is just as satisfying. You can personalize your Zune much more than your iPod, you can place whatever picture you want as your permanent background giving the Zune that personal touch. As far as battery life is concerned, I feel that the iPod is way over rated. When I very first purchased my iPod video I put a few movies on it and while I was on a road trip flipped on one. I was very much enjoying myself thinking, this is great, I can watch a few more movies and then kick back and listen to some of my tunes for the rest of the trip. Wrong. A full 2 hour movie totally wasted my iPod battery and I was able to listen to music for maybe another hour before it totally crapped out on me. The Zune isn't much better but I have watched full length movies and then listened to a solid 4-5 hours of music before the battery died. So extra features which really help the Zune to stand out are 1) The FM radio and 2) WiFi. For the iPod to be able to listen to the radio you have to buy another attachment for about $30. The Zune comes right with it allowing you to jam out to your favorite local dj's. The WiFi option in the Zune is probably one of the best ideas to ever hit an mp3 player. The only draw back is that when someone sends you a song over the WiFi, you can only either listen to it a total of 3 times or have the song on your Zune for an excess of 3 days before it is deleted. This is where the subscription comes in. If a friend sends me a song that I really digg, then I'm not just going to say oh well, I can't listen to it anymore, I'm going to go download it on Zune marketplace and remember, I can download as many songs as I like for as long as my subscription is live. I am a huge Microsoft supporter and the fact that now cars have the Sync capability that automatically link with my Zune as well as my Xbox 360 and my Window's Media Center, that was hook, line and sinker for me. Do yourself a favor and sell that nasty iPod and pick up a Zune. You'll be glad you did.