A few weeks ago I was approached by the folks at Matchstick, a marketing company specializing in word of mouth marketing. Surprisingly, I'd heard about them through word of mouth, specifically, via local blogger extraordinarie Miss 604. They asked if I'd be interested in filling out a questionare to see if I qualified for an mp3 offer. I took a few minutes, filled it our and a few days later I was contacted via telephone for a few other questions. To make long matters short, I qualified for the offer and was the new owner of a Microsoft Zune. Sweet.

I came home that night and did a bunch of research comparing my current mp3 player, a third generation iPod Nano 8Gb with the Zune 8Gb player I would be getting in the mail. Checking the specs, the two are not that much different. Here are a few of the important ones, side by side:

Spec	iPod	Zune
Weight	1.74oz	1.7oz.
Display	2-inch (diagonal)	1.8-inch (diagonal-music; horizontal-pictures & video)
Resolution	320 pixels x 240 pixels	320 pixels x 240 pixels
Playback Time	Music-Up to 24hrs on full charge; Video-Up to 5hrs on full charge	Music-Up to 24hrs on full charge; Video-Up to 4hrs on full charge
Charge Time	1.5hrs (80%); 3hrs for full charge	2hrs (90%); 3hrs for full charge
Radio	Not included (extra)	Built-in
Wireless	Not included	Built-in (up to 30ft range)

On specs alone, the players are pretty much identical though the Zune is slightly longer than the iPod. The size difference is minimal and when you consider that the Zune also has a wireless sync option and the built in radio while they both cost about the same...the Zune seems to be the better of the two. Where on earth was this player when I was shopping for a replacement last year after the death of my Sansa?

More info to come. For now, let's just say I'm ready to start playing!