ZUNE HD 32GB (?)

[b5blue]

  Opinions, experience, buying a "Zune HD 32GB" for my 17 year old? His "most wanted" Christmas present.  I know nothing about this kinda stuff, if you do please post.
  He's a budding "Tech" and a great kid, into "robotics competition" in school. (They are going to regional and have broken records with this years robot!) For his birthday we bought components and he built a real nice computer for himself with a friends donated high tech tower case and fans, the thing glows. Repaired my old HP laptop with parts from his brothers dead Gateway.
  He found the best price at Walmart, about 204.00+ tax. Any idea if I get this device will there be other crap I need to buy? I'm running out of time to order one and got lost last night trying to learn about it! 

[lisiecki1]

any mp3 player you buy should come with everything you would need to use it.  There shouldn't be any other equipment that you HAVE to buy to use or charge the device. 

side note: I didn't realize the zune's were so expensive.

for about $250 you can get a 60 gig Ipod, which would hold just about twice the amount of information, that is unless he's just not into apple.

[Ponch ®]

The only reason Ive never gone with an iPod or a ZUNE* is the DRM crap.

DRM = Basically restricts what you can do with the songs you BUY (how many times you can transfer it from the device to a computer(s), etc).

I got my trusty 32GB Creative Zen about 4 years ago and I heart it. It's the size of a Zach Morris phone (well, not really..more like a deck of cards, but compared to the super sleek and thin ipods it seems that way), but its been bulletproof and I can hook it up to any computer and download/upload songs as I please.


*For all I know they may have changed that since the last time I was looking for a MP3 player.

[LaOtto70Charger]

Pesonally I really like the Sony Walkman mp3.  Same reason too.  You don't any special software to download your music or videos.  The new Walkman even has a built in speaker. Not sure on the Zune but I think it includes software your have to use.  Of course it sounds like your son may already know what he's asking for and why.

[b5blue]

Thanks guys! Yea he's tested his friends out, kinda remarkable wi fi  is included, tons of apps and such.