Personal media has become all the rage over the past few years. One trip to the electronics department of your local retailer is proof positive of that. While IPod has stolen the stage in a big way, other companies are coming on strong. In fact, one player that is competing is the 30 Zune.

The 30 Zune has made significant strides toward making a dent in the IPod market. Features include:

• 30 GB hard drive
• Wireless networking
• 3 inch color screen
• Automatically imports music from your ITunes and windows media player
• Holds 7,500 songs, 25,000 images or 100 hours of video

Review

The 30 Zune has many features that outpace the IPod. First on the list is the size of the screen and screen resolution. Many who have used both products comment that the Zune’s three-inch screen is a vast improvement and is much clearer when viewing video.

The 30 Zune also added FM Radio to the features list. This is a great addition for people who like to keep up with current events and the weather. Besides even with the vast amount of storage it is nice to listen to something different once in awhile.

One other major difference between the 30 Zune and other major name brands is the wireless capability. Similar to Bluetooth this feature allows you to share songs, pics and videos with friends.

You can even share music that you have purchased from the Zune marketplace. The song will be available for up to three days at which time you can purchase it, this is a nice way to preview albums and tracks before buying them.

When it comes to making music purchases the market place has tried to keep it simple and affordable. For around $15 per month, you can have an all access pass to download all the music you want.

As with any type of technological device there are always pros and cons and the 30 Zune is no exception.

Pros

• Full sound
• Easy Navigation
• Large Display
• Photo Slide Show
• Good battery with music playback

Cons

• Head phones that come with device are substandard
• Video shortens battery life significantly
• Bulky

Conclusion

If you are in the market for a new personal media player with a great screen and some cool features the 30 GB, Zune may be the right one for you. They still have a little ground to make up in the accessory sector but all in all this is a great alternative to the IPod.

Also, check out my other guide on portable players and mp3 audio player.