Took the plunge (finally)

Well, I finally did it. I have been wanting to for some years now, and finally, I just said "enough is enough, I don't care what happens, I 'm just gonna do it." And, of course, I'm talking about getting an MP3 player - or what they refer to these days as a "Media Player" because most (like the one I got) will also play videos.

I've been wanting an mp3 player for years. The kids all have one, but I've never gotten myself one. I had high hopes this past Christmas when the 5/8 said she got me something I'd been wanting. I'm thinking to myself 'w00t! she got me an mp3 player'. But of course, that was just wishful thinking. What I ended up with was some portable FM radio thing that never really worked. It would just shut off for no apparent reason, or change station without warning. Anyway, I'd finally said to my self, "self" I said "self, enough is enough. You never really buy anything for yourself, and to hell with it, you're getting yourself a Zune." So I did. And I'm not sorry about it either.

After consideration of the options, I chose to go with the Microsoft Zune. The price - feature ratio is pretty good, and I just couldn't go with the iPod. The iPod, for those not in the know, is married to iTunes, and will only accept one type of music file. The Zune, on the other hand, will take any kind of music you throw at it, and load it up and play it, without the need for time-consuming conversions. Also, a built-in WiFi sync with the PC (which I haven't yet been able to get to work) and the ability to trade music/videos/photos/podcasts via WiFi with other, nearby Zune players is kind a cool (again, I haven't used it, and quite frankly, don't know that I ever will, but it does have a high cool factor).

Oh yeah, and I can plug the Zune into the kids' XBox 360, and watch the videos from the Zune on the TV. I don't think the iPod will do that (but I could be wrong). So far, I love this thing. I almost haven't stopped listening to music since I got it, and I only have two small complaints.

The most annoying thing are the ear buds. The Zune 80 (which is what I got) comes with 'premium' ear buds. They come with several sizes of rubber attachments that fit into your ear. This creates a seal which 1) pretty much completely seals off outside noise - very nice (especially when the 5/8 is ranting about yet another thing) and b) makes the full range of music sound oh so much nicer and more vibrant. I have never really paid much attention to things like headphones or earphones and their quality and what not. But my-oh-my these things make you feel like you sitting right there next to the musicians while they are playing.

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking 'so what is annoying about that?', and the annoying thing is this. Well, I'll tell you. The Einteins that designed these things have a cloth-type covering for the cable instead of the standard plastic covering. While this gives the cables a nice look and feel, the problem comes when you're listening to the thing and the cable moves. The sound of the rough cloth-rope-like texture travels the cables and is loud.

The other minor annoyance is that you can't sync the Zune using Windows Media Player. I love WMP. I have tried other media players for the PC, and I have found them all somewhat lacking compared to WMP. I use it for everything, and even purchased the plug-in to allow me to play .m4a files (mp4 audio - what iTunes uses). Personally, I prefer using .wma files with their variable bit rate, but we can't get everything we want.

I can't figure why they did that. I mean, it is Microsoft after all. They make the Zune, they make Windows Media Player. It seems to me that it would have been much more efficient to create a plugin or special version of WMP to sync with the Zune than to create a whole new program that for doing it. Oh well, I suppose that is why Bill Gates & Co are worth billions and I'm...well...me.