Best Wi-fi DAP?

[Maxvla]

If I opened it up to phones, would Apple still be the best? I see HTC has a ton of good looking devices. My main concern with phones is the cost of subscription. The cheapest plan I see for iPhone with limited texting is $60 a month. I currently pay $15 a month for my phone on a family plan. I only use about an hour a month of talk time, and no texting currently, but probably would do more if I had a better device. I find it hard to justify an iPhone or similar if the plan costs so much. Any alternatives?

 

[Maxvla]

Went up to Best Buy for a bit to check out the iTouch and Zune. The iTouch they had on display was functional, but had never been plugged into a computer so it was completely useless. Waste of time to strap it down and turn it on if you can't do anything with it. Dumb people at BB.
 
On the bright side the 16GB ZuneHD they had on display was fully functional and had content pre-loaded as well as a wifi signal in the building it had access to. The Zune looked not quite as nice as I remembered from the pictures, but it was still fine. I'm sure if I could have held it instead of it being strapped down my impressions would be better. There were some Senn HD438 headphones and Koss DJ100s strapped down but within plug range so I gave them both a try since I'd never heard them. Both sounded like they were well driven, but of course very different headphones. The interface was somewhat similar since I have a Zune 8, but it was a better more evolved version and the touch screen felt right at home with this UI. It's very intuitive, except I didn't realize I had to hit the button on the side to get the volume option. The Zune 8 you just scroll up and down on the touch pad, which I thought was better, but this is ok also. I would just need to get used to it.
 
The real surprise was loading up the wifi. This device was strapped to a pedestal type thing so I couldn't turn it for landscape browsing, which I'm sure would be better. I browsed a few minutes in portrait and found it to be extremely easy to use, though having never used a small device like this there are several things I'd have to figure out or read about to know how to do. Visuals were great and loading speed was far better than I was expecting. It wasn't all that much slower than my home computer.
 
If the Zune is supposed to be a headache to browse with, I have to try the iTouch before I make a decision. I'll try my friend's 2G iTouch tomorrow at work if he has it with him.
 
So far Zune is good all around, but I'll be trying out the iTouch to get it's side.

 

[slaters70]

As with most small wifi screens, I really limit my browsing to checking web mail and reading Google news or other such sites. For that, once you get the URLs locked into the favorites list, the ZuneHD is not bad at all. But it just doesn't seem as easy to use as the Touch, which has the zoom features down. I am glad to have both, but if I had to give one up, it would be the ZuneHD. Luckily, I don't.

 

[uofmtiger]

 
Quote:

 Screen size up to 5"

 If it wasn't for this requirement, I would recommend an iPad.  It has the ability to get a digital output via USB from the camera connector accessory.  With your requirements, I would also recommend the Touch.

 

[wdugarry]

The browser of the Zune HD isn't bad at all but the iTouch has a better one and combined with the bigger screen that it has, makes it a definitely better experience for browsing the web.

 

[TheGame21x]

I'm very far from what you'd call an "Apple/Mac fan" but in the realm of wi-fi players, the iPod Touch simply can't be beat. I have a 16GB second gen iPod Touch and I love it. Sound quality is actually quite good, the web browser is one of the best you'll find on a DAP and you have access to the App Store and the wealth of applications that reside within it.
 
I was in a similar position a year ago and as much as I disliked the idea of owning another iPod (I owned a 4th gen monochrome model, which broke itself) I just couldn't fault the iPod Touch considering all it can do. So, I broke down and bought one and I greatly enjoy it. There's probably no other DAP on the market that can best it in terms of features and usability.
 
That being said, you might want to wait a couple of months to see what Apple has planned for the fourth generation iPod Touch and then make your decision then.

 

[Maxvla]

Friend forgot his iPod today so I'll have to wait til tomorrow to check it out closer.
 
Thanks for the comments. I had considered an iPad very early on, but saw one at jury duty a month ago and it was much larger than I expected. Something on the order of the Dell Streak but no phone/camera stuff would be ideal, but I don't see anything like that out there.
 
About the 4G iTouch... If I decide to get the iPod I will certainly wait til 4G comes out in a month and a half. We already know it will basically be a 4G iPhone but no phone/camera. I like the 4G iPhone casing much better than the current 3G iPod so that will be a plus also.
 
Upon further searching I found the Zune HD was also released last year in September. I wonder if we'll see a 2G Zune HD at the same time as the 4G iTouch...

 

[slaters70]

A 64GB ZuneHD is coming out in August, but rumor has it MS is abandoning the ZuneHD. I saw that rumor but bought one anyway, and no regrets. Owning both a ZuneHD and a Touch is the perfect solution for me.

 

[TheGame21x]

Quote:

A 64GB ZuneHD is coming out in August, but rumor has it MS is abandoning the ZuneHD. I saw that rumor but bought one anyway, and no regrets. Owning both a ZuneHD and a Touch is the perfect solution for me.

I've heard similar rumors. MS may just bow out of making Zune hardware in favor of complete integration with Windows Phone 7 and let HTC, Motorola and the like handle the marketing of the hardware.

 

[warrior05]

Hadn't heard about the MS rumor but had been wondering about something that goes in the other direction.  With the release of Windows Phone 7 I was hoping that MS would release a major ZuneHD update that would answer some of my qualms with the unit.  If it did, I would immediately grab a 64gb ZuneHD and drop my iTouch like a hot rock.  The ZuneHD is real close - for me - to being THE replacement of my iTouch.  There are just some key shortcomings with the unit.  I'm holding onto my 16gb unit for now.  But if MS does turn its back on the ZuneHD then I'm unloading it and looking elsewhere.

 

[slaters70]

Funny, but I am writing an article for a magazine (my job) about social media and talent management/recruiting right now, and one of the people I may interview is the head of talent for MS's music player division. Might have to see if he has any dope on the ZuneHD. Though I doubt he will tell me.

 

[Maxvla]

Had a chance to look at my friend's iTouch and found out it's actually a first generation not second. Wifi was pretty chuggy on that dated machine, and the screen was much less amazing than the Zune HD. I do like the 'desktop' tile type interface better than the Zune's menu. The biggest thing for me though is if MS is truly abandoning the project, I'd rather not be left without updates/upgrade paths. The total lack of apps is pretty bad also. I'm really hoping the camera makes it to the 4G iTouch because it would actually be a better camera than my point and shoot I bought about 5 years ago (3.2MP vs 5MP)
 
As long as the 4G iTouch comes with the features I'm expecting, I'll probably buy one with 32GB unless a 64 is available at the $300-350 mark (not expecting it).
 
Thanks for the comments. I guess it's a waiting game now. Do we have to wait til September for real info on the 4G iTouch or is that just when the product starts rolling out?

 

[wdugarry]

Quote:

A 64GB ZuneHD is coming out in August, but rumor has it MS is abandoning the ZuneHD. I saw that rumor but bought one anyway, and no regrets. Owning both a ZuneHD and a Touch is the perfect solution for me.

Isn't the 64GB Zune HD out already?I think it has been for a couple of months now, and yea I've heard those rumors about discontinuing the Zune too , as they're integrating it in Windows Phone 7.As for the new iTouch, I'm guessing it's going to be announced in September at some point and be available shortly after that.Isn't that what Apple always does?

 

[slaters70]

Not sure, all I know is Amazon.com says it's being released on Aug. 19, so it might be available elsewhere but not on Amazon for U.S. buyers. I didn't check anywhere else, just figured Amazon usually gets products pretty fast.
 
Okay, I checked the Zune store, and it does say buy now, and it says $349 for the 64GB. Stand corrected. Wonder why it took so long to land on Amazon?
Quote:

Isn't the 64GB Zune HD out already?I think it has been for a couple of months now, and yea I've heard those rumors about discontinuing the Zune too , as they're integrating it in Windows Phone 7.As for the new iTouch, I'm guessing it's going to be announced in September at some point and be available shortly after that.Isn't that what Apple always does?