Zune HD Vs. iPod Touch

When it comes to buying electronic gadgets like portable media players and cell phones, we have plenty of options to choose from. Thanks to the cut throat competition in the consumer electronics market, there are multiple options for everyone of us who has varying requirements and budget. In the portable media player arena, there is a competitor to Apple iPod Touch, launched by Microsoft, named Zune HD. This is Microsoft's foray into the portable music player market which has been an Apple stronghold for quite some time.

Zune HD Vs. iPod Touch Review

The best way to choose between two products is to make a head to head comparison according to technical specifications. That is exactly what we are going to do in this article. What does one really want in a portable media player? Good sound and video quality and plenty of storage space are the things that you are looking for. Other than these, long battery life and extra features, if any, are the things to watch out for. Both these devices are more than just Mp3 players.

Tech Specs
Let us compare Zune HD and iPod Touch according to storage capacity. Both devices offer 32GB and 64 GB storage capacity flash memory cards. Zune HD also comes with 16 GB capacity flash memory card, while iPod touch comes with an 8 GB version.

While the screen resolution of Zune is 480 x 272 pixels, iPod Touch offers 480 x 320 pixel screen resolution. Zune HD sports a glass covered OLED display with a 3.3 inch screen size and iPod Touch has LED screen with 3.5 inch screen size. Both these devices have a touch screen interface and Wi-Fi connectivity. While Zune HD offers HDMI or composite video output, iPod Touch comes with 480p and 576p video output. Both support H.264 and MPEG4 video formats, while Zune offers support for WMV too.

The Zune HD audio battery life is specified to be 33 hours compared to the 30 hours offered by iPod Touch. The video battery life is also longer at 8.5 hours compared to 6 hours in the latter.

Extra Features
Audiobook, online music and podcast support are other common features in both gadgets. Zune HD has FM radio connectivity which iPod Touch doesn't have. When it comes to music equalizer settings, iPod Touch offers a wide range of presets compared to Zune HD. Voice recording and in line call recording are other features that the iPod Touch has, which are not matched by Zune HD.

The Apple product provides calendar and maps, besides providing support for more than 75,000 applications that can be downloaded from the Apple store. Compared to that, Zune HD has very few applications to run. This is the only feature in this comparison, where the latter is found lacking. The range of top apps for iPod Touch are what make it popular.

Zune offers superior video resolution and sound quality (offered by HD technology). It is indeed an excellent portable media player, but then that is exactly why it loses out, it is 'just' a media player. So, if you want a good media player, go for Zune HD, as it has all the state-of-the-art high-definition video and audio output capabilities. Don't expect to match the versatility of Apple iPod Touch which is a media player and much more, including a personal digital assistant. The range of applications that can be run on iPod Touch takes the versatility factor to a new level. Microsoft has to work harder in this area to offer real competition to Apple! Versatility is perhaps the trademark of all Apple gadgets and that is what makes them leaders in the market.