iPod vs Zen NX

[xpatx]

I never understood what was up with games on an MP3 player - isn't it a plain waste of firmware space? I mean, who takes your MP3 player out and plays with it when you're bored? A phone, I'd understand, but an audio player ...

lol, yea, i was wondering the same thing. as well as a feature for contacts too. i mean, i have my cell phone to do all that and more for me :)

[Endoscient]

I have a 10gb dock iPod and love it. Only prob does scratch easy. Anyways if you have more then 10 gb of music get the Zen, only advantage Zen has. iPod has many advantages taht hard to really say, its easy to navigatre, great interface, looks great, sounds good. everything xcept space is far supieror

[aaron901]

I never understood what was up with games on an MP3 player - isn't it a plain waste of firmware space? I mean, who takes your MP3 player out and plays with it when you're bored? A phone, I'd understand, but an audio player ...

i do. the games don't take up a lot of space. plus, i don't like the games on my t610.

and for the contacts, well, don't use it? not everyone has a mobile phone, this is just a bonus. and i don't see it interferes with the main function of the iPod which is music playing. so why not?

[Timan Veteran]

anyone see the new zen xtra? think i'm going to be picking me on of these up soon, looks hot! 300$ for 30gig 400$ for 60gig

way cheaper than the ipod.

[Diata]

i hate iPods.

[aaron901]

anyone see the new zen xtra? think i'm going to be picking me on of these up soon, looks hot! 300$ for 30gig 400$ for 60gig

way cheaper than the ipod.

yeah Zen Xtra looks pretty damn cool. the larger screen makes a huge difference! :yes: would be awesome if someone can make it sync with iTunes. :)

edit: for those who don't know about the difference of Zen NX and Zen Xtra. here you go:

[Daybreak]

i do. the games don't take up a lot of space. plus, i don't like the games on my t610.

and for the contacts, well, don't use it? not everyone has a mobile phone, this is just a bonus. and i don't see it interferes with the main function of the iPod which is music playing. so why not?

Well.. I owe an iRiver MP3 cd player, and they recently added one game ( Snake ) to it.. I just find it weird, having to haul out your player ( which is by all acounts larger than any handphone model ) and using a set of weird controls to play the game. For me, the firmware space would be better spent having more features - more equaliser presets blah blah blah...

If you don't have a phone, well that's another matter altogether.

[aaron901]

Well.. I owe an iRiver MP3 cd player, and they recently added one game ( Snake ) to it.. I just find it weird, having to haul out your player ( which is by all acounts larger than any handphone model ) and using a set of weird controls to play the game. For me, the firmware space would be better spent having more features - more equaliser presets blah blah blah...

If you don't have a phone, well that's another matter altogether.

you see, the choice of games is very important. do you know what kinda games are there on the iPod? those games need nothing more than the touch wheel of the iPod. thank god Apple is not stupid enough to put snake on it. ;)

[akaj23]

I went with the Zen NX. It's still small enough to fit in your pocket, and it does everything I need it to. EAX audio helps me listen on the plane or whatever, and as far as I'm concerned, it parallels the iPod in everything I need for a lower price.

My friend's iPod was so small that he sometimes forgot it was in his pockets. Let's just say it met its demise when he did his laundry. ;)

[bach_m]

ooooooooooooooooh... really??? that sounds like somehting i'd do. i SOOOOOOOOOO want an iPod, but my 'rents (who control access to my large depostits of money) have vetoed its purchase until i get a job :'( I WANT! luckilly, i'm finding a job as a tutor. and i think now that iTunes os out for windows, i dont see any alternative, cept this Zen puts up a good fight.

[isus]

anyone see the new zen xtra? think i'm going to be picking me on of these up soon, looks hot! 300$ for 30gig 400$ for 60gig

way cheaper than the ipod.

and built that way too, i'm sure.

[Timan Veteran]

well according to http://gear.ign.com/articles/452/452815p1.....html?fromint=1

Cons of the iPod : Delicate

Pros of the Zen : Tough

[aaron901]

i'm sure build quality has nothing to do with the toughness of the device. you think the Panasonic ToughBook is better built than the PowerBook? i don't think so. ;)

[Toxicfume Veteran]

For me too, the zen parallels the ipod with everything i want and for a more cheaper price, so yep..Zen Xtra all the way :yes:

[Yazoo]

zen

more hd for your money. better sound quality than an IPod.

plus you won't get screwed by apple not updating firmware. creative still updates firmware for their original Nomad Jukebox which i bought over 3 years ago

I had Zen and now I have an iPod, I can compare the quality of both, can you?

The one thing that the Zen doesn't have over the iPod is better sound quality. The Zen is very low(volume) and tinny (lacks bass). If you like that kind of thing then get the Zen. If you want full rounded sound then iPod for sure.

Don't listen to fanboys of either camp, go and listen to both yourself and then decide.

[xpatx]

zen

more hd for your money. better sound quality than an IPod.

plus you won't get screwed by apple not updating firmware. creative still updates firmware for their original Nomad Jukebox which i bought over 3 years ago

I had Zen and now I have an iPod, I can compare the quality of both, can you?

The one thing that the Zen doesn't have over the iPod is better sound quality. The Zen is very low(volume) and tinny (lacks bass). If you like that kind of thing then get the Zen. If you want full rounded sound then iPod for sure.

Don't listen to fanboys of either camp, go and listen to both yourself and then decide.

creative has the EAX feature which blows the iPod's sound out of the water

[Yazoo]

does it really? have you compared it? What kind playback quality does the Zen have if it relies on equalisation to correct it?

Ever seen EAX on a home HiFi?

I've never seen Encoded in EAX on any CD I bought :whistle:

[aaron901]

The one thing that the Zen doesn't have over the iPod is better sound quality. The Zen is very low(volume) and tinny (lacks bass). If you like that kind of thing then get the Zen. If you want full rounded sound then iPod for sure.

Don't listen to fanboys of either camp, go and listen to both yourself and then decide.

it's weird that you say iPod sounds better than Zen because people always say Zen sounds better. and i think my iPod doesn't sound too good and the equalizers just suck. so i wouldn't be surprised if Zen does sound better.

[YaZoR]

hehehehe, for all the ipod fanboys:

:p

[eppisode3]

Something like this seems to always come down to personal preference. I, for one, am getting a Zen Xtra for one reason only: the blue screen. I cannot stand the purple backlight of the iPod. And for a 60GB ZenXtra, it is enough room to keep my entire mp3 collection and still have some money to take my girl out.

I guess for a college kid like me, wise and beneficial spending is more important.

[aaron901]

Something like this seems to always come down to personal preference. I, for one, am getting a Zen Xtra for one reason only: the blue screen. I cannot stand the purple backlight of the iPod. And for a 60GB ZenXtra, it is enough room to keep my entire mp3 collection and still have some money to take my girl out.

I guess for a college kid like me, wise and beneficial spending is more important.

it's white, or a little bit blueish if you wish, but definitely not purple. ;)

[eppisode3]

it's white, or a little bit blueish if you wish, but definitely not purple. ;)

Really? The picture you posted, and all the others I've seen, it looks more "blueish" than that.

Oh well it still beats that fuschia or whatever color Apple has. I know it's nitpicky, but it's alot of money either way, and I want it to at least appeal to me.

Maybe someone will take my idea of having a customizable interface (changeable colors, faceplates, screen fonts, etc.)

[Erichiwaann]

Well, I guess we know what your focus is on... not the ipod gui but your dates... ;)

[eppisode3]

Hahaha, well let's just say I follow the old saying "When you find someone as good as her, don't ever let go..."

The iPod just doesn't do it for me, but I know there are alot of people, including my dad, who swear by them, so I respect that. If money wasn't an issue then maybe, but I don't think they have a 60GB model yet do they? That's damn impressive and its 2x my mp3 collection. Room to grow!

[CrimsonBlur]

The one thing that the Zen doesn't have over the iPod is better sound quality.  The Zen is very low(volume) and tinny (lacks bass).  If you like that kind of thing then get the Zen.  If you want full rounded sound then iPod for sure.

Don't listen to fanboys of either camp, go and listen to both yourself and then decide.

it's weird that you say iPod sounds better than Zen because people always say Zen sounds better. and i think my iPod doesn't sound too good and the equalizers just suck. so i wouldn't be surprised if Zen does sound better.

Uhhh... using the same headphones? I don't have an iPod, but my ex-roommate does (the newest 20GB) and not only is it beautiful and easy to use, the sound quality impressed the hell out of me. I've worked on many high-quality audio projects compressed and uncompressed, and when I plugged in my studio headphones into that iPod, it sounded amazingly good. I haven't used this Zen machine, but somehow I doubt it is possible for it to "blow the iPod out of the water" in the audio quality department, it sounded pretty perfect, and I know what perfect audio sounds like, I don't need to listen to another device to get the comparison. By the way, EAX is a joke. If you think an advanced software EQ is actually making the SOUND QUALITY of the audio that is playing literally BETTER, you're in dreamland. Boosting levels dynamically isn't really going to change the audio quality of a professionally mastered song... you may like the way it sounds, but to say it improves the audio quality is a bit of a stretch.