Yesterday I got the opportunity to compare the new Microsoft Zune with the latest iPod.
Zune looks bigger than the iPod, but in reality it’s not much. Design is always a matter of taste, but the edged design of the Zune makes it look clumsier than the iPod, I think. 
Zune needs two extra buttons since it doesn’t use the round navigation button the same way iPod does. But both players are simple to use; and if you are used to one of them, you will immediately know how to manoeuvre the other.
The screen on Zune is much bigger than on iPod, which is nice. But where the screen on Zune might seem contrast less, the screen on new iPods is very sharp. What is best? I don’t know, but for shorter films, I would definitely choose iPod. I really like the size of the screen on Zune, but it’s just not sharp enough! Fingerprints don’t show on Zune as they tend to on the iPod. I didn’t have time to study Zune in greater detail, but I think it might support more formats than iPod. But as far as I can see, it doesn’t support podcasts (unless you download them yourself, and then upload them to Zune).

Sorry for the quality of the photo. It was taken with a cell phone with a lousy built-in camera. Both players are showing the film “V for Vendetta”. You can’t see the difference in screen quality on the photo!

My choice? Not a choice really. With a sharper screen and direct support for podcast, I’ll stay with iPod!

This comparison was made between the latest iPod edition and the first Zune on the US market.