Amazon's DRM-free MP3 beta

[bicostp]

I'm leaning Zune

Nooooooooo[imagine a ton of 'o's here]ooo!

Why? The Zune software is pure garbage in comparison to iTunes, and I think the user interface on the device itself is a lot clunkier.

Sure the Apple hardware is a little bit more expensive (however the 80 gig models are the same price in both camps at $250), but they put a lot more effort in usability and presentation than Microsoft does.

I think, if you don't need to carry every CD you own around with you and don't care about video, you should track down a refurbed or new old stock 8 gig 2nd gen Nano, replacing the battery if necessary. (You could probably do that job with your eyes closed.) It's small enough that you don't think twice about grabbing it on your way out the door, but holds more than enough music for a few weeks' worth of use.

Fanboyism in this post? Perhaps. But at least I'm backing it up with actual information and personal experience!

[lifeisbetterwithketchup]

The Zune software is pure garbage

^ What he said. The Zune itself isn't too bad, but the software for it is simply god-awful. Imagine it as an unholy blend of Internet Explorer 7, Windows Media Player 11, and Vista. I thought iTunes was a memory hog; the Zune software takes up well over 100MB of RAM, just sitting there with no music or anything at all. I had to use it when I was putting South Park episodes on my friend's Zune, and there was no built in converter for the video (not sure where iTunes is on this), and I had to use some really crappy .avi to .wmv software to convert all the episodes, as I couldn't find a way to convert them with something decent like MediaCoder. However; once all the stuff was on the Zune, it was fairly easy to navigate and playback. So, if you don't plan on putting new music on it very often, a Zune just might work. I would still recommend an iPod classic, as it's the same price as an 80gb Zune (or as Bic said, get an older one cheap) with iTunes. iTunes kicks the crap out of the Zune software, and I prefer the iPod interface, but that's probably just because I'm used to it (I've had my iPod mini for about 3 years now).

Also, the Zune can't be used as a standard USB Mass Storage device, a feature I really like that my iPod can do (although this may not matter to you).

[benol]

Just a heads up on that .avi to .wmv conversion, you can do that with Windows Movie Maker.

[tom61]

What kind of intergration with WinAmp are you looking for? If you just want to copy over MP3s (WMA, FLAC, AAC, etc.) and your .m3u playlists, look into a MP3 player compatible with the Rock Box third-party firmware.

Amazing little firmware, took my little $20 Woot Sansa and made it cooler and more functional.

[rockem sockem forever!]

iTunes+iPod=win
even if you don't use iTunes the iPod as a usb hard drive is awesome mostly
because of lack of power cable, that used to kill me with a 3.5" external.

The Zune itself isn't too bad, but the software for it is simply god-awful.

i agree the zune actually looks OK but the iPod trumps it with its looks and its software.
all this from a die hard apple design fan

[SZF2001]

I know it sounds crazy, but if you are looking for a player from anywhere around 4 to 16 gigs you could try a sansa. Mine hasn't crapped on me yet, and I've copulate around with it time and time again, enough to confuse the BIOS at one point (installing rockbox and firmware and then more firmware and then some other variant of rockbox... yea).

It's a flash player (I know, that seems horrible) and you can switch it between MTP and MSC, so that means you can either use MSC for drag 'n drop into the MUSIC folder or MTP to sync your playlist(s).

Two bad things though (probably one for you) - there is basically no good video compression for Linux. But I never used the video feature anyway. And once you take your sansa out of the box, there WILL be bastard finger prints and likely small scratches on your screen. If your a gizmo freak and need everything clean, don't touch this with a ten foot pole.

Just my two cents.

[benheck]

Typing this from my new 8gig iPod touch. Web browser FTW!

[theelk]

That's a good Ben. ONE OF US! ONE OF US!

Actually I've been looking at the codec-filled Cowon A3. It has support for every format under the sun. http://www.amazon.com/COWON-A3-30SL-Por ... 653&sr=8-2