Launched on 3 December, the three-week Sansa Experience tour will visit 12 major cities and shopping centres across the UK and France in the pre-Christmas period. The two-pronged campaign - involving both outdoor and indoor activity - aims to raise brand awareness by encouraging consumers to get hands-on with three of SanDisk’s leading sansa MP3 players models.
Products being showcased include the eagerly anticipated Sansa View MP3 and video player - only just released to the UK market - as well as the tiny Sansa Clip model and the Sansa e200 series.

Outdoor activity is being led by a striking mobile exhibition unit that is touring major cities including Manchester, Birmingham, Paris, Lille, Lyon and Bordeaux.

The 9m unit features listening booths where consumers can try out the sansa MP3 players, a giant light wall and a plasma screen showing product videos.

Creative is a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products. Famous for its Sound Blaster sound cards and for launching the multimedia revolution, Creative is now driving digital entertainment on the PC platform with products like its highly acclaimed ZEN™ portable audio and media players. Creative’s innovative hardware, proprietary technology, applications and services leverage the Internet, enabling consumers to experience high-quality digital entertainment — anytime, anywhere.

Creative mp3 players, a worldwide leader in digital entertainment products, today announced that it has now shipped a total of 25 million MP3 players. Creative is recognised as number two in global unit shipments in the IDC March 2007 report on worldwide and U.S. flash and HDD-based portable media player shipments.

“Shipment of 25 million MP3 players marks a major milestone in Creative history, as our player unit volume exceeds the combined unit sales from some of the biggest names in consumer electronics,” said Sim Wong Hoo, chairman and CEO of Creative. “We believe that we now have our strongest lineup of MP3 and portable media players ever, as we continue to innovate with our recently introduced ZEN® Stone, ZEN Stone Plus, and the credit card-sized ZEN.”

There’s coding in the Zune software that already has IM support. This would be on the computer since it would be pretty hard to text with the Zune wirelessly since the Zune has limited interface when it comes to typing.

The Zune is Microsoft’s answer to Apple’s over-rated iPod. The iPod, for a long time, has never had any real competition (when I say that, I mean anyone that has the marketing power to get their product visible. When was the last time you saw a commercial for a Zen, or Sansa?) Now Microsoft is the first to enter the portable media ring with the pockets and resources to compete at Apple’s level. The problem is everyone loves iPods so much, it’s hard for them to see ZUNE IS THE BETTER PLAYER…

Bigger Screen
Radio
Wi-Fi
Optional Subscription service
Better battery life
More durable
Better earbuds
4 out of 6 people rate Zune’s sound quality better than iPod
Customizable backgrounds

A: Yup, it is a good MP3 player, I like it, but here is my review on it compared to others, sorry if it sounds one-sided.

The iPod, the Zune, Zen, or any other MP3 Player are all pretty much the same as far as what they were made for. However all of them have there flaws and also there benefits, except the Zen, the Zen by far is the worst out of all 3 of them. It is basically a cheap imitation of the iPod showing no real benefits, just flaws. The only thing I can see that is good out of getting a Zen is the money you save, it is not much, but you save.

The Zune does have a larger screen, and Wi-Fi capability, but the screen is the only good thing. With Wi-Fi, sure, you can exchange music, but only for a limited time, it would be the same as if you switched you iPod with a friend for a limited time. The Zune is very ugly, just like the Zen, except the fact that the Zune looks like a gigantic plastic box.

Other MP3 players are just cheap imitations based around the iPod, sure some of them work, but if you really want to look good with your MP3 Player, the iPod is the way to go. With those little MP3 Players the benefits are just price, and that is about it. Don’t get me wrong though, I like the Sansa, the Zune and others plenty, but when compared to an iPod, they just don’t make the cut.

The iPod has an endless amount of benefits. First off, it looks great, so nice and shiny, with that mirror-like chrome back plating on the video. With the Nano, you get a range of color choices. Also with the Nano, the size amounts are perfect for whatever anyone is looking for. The iPod is centered on one thing, simplicity, everything is within reach the of your thumb. The iPod has many products already made and perfected specifically for the iPod. With an iPod, you will look good. Sure the prices are higher, but look at all the benefits you are getting with it.

With the video capable MP3 Players, it is very hard, actually quite near impossible to find for them. However with the iPod no matter where you get the video, there are a number of converters made specifically for the iPod. I use Videora myself, and I love it, I have well over 50 movies and have never thought of switching to a different MP3 Player. I’m also pretty sure you’ve held an iPod, and you should have noticed its ease of use. Most other MP3 Players have the buttons everywhere, while the iPod has them all within reach of your thumb.

Simply put the iPod is the highest ranking as far as market sales and satisfaction. If you go iPod, you won’t go wrong. As you can tell, I am for the iPod, however the Zune does have it’s high moments, and they all play music. Hope this helps you decide what way you wish to go!

I own 6 iPods, an iRiver Clix 2 and now a Zune 80 and here is what I think of the Zune after one week.

Pros

Navigation with twist interface much better than the interface on the new iPod nano’s and iPod classic. I can’t stand the split screen.
Brushed aluminum back: This is one of the best features, I own 6 iPods and I scratched every single one of them within 15 minutes of taking them out of the box and I baby my electronics!
Glass screen: another plus, all my iPods(save my iPod touch) I have scratched the screen within a week or so of owning them.
Zune pad: I love tactile feedback, my iPod touch is frustrating sometimes because it attracts smudges and fingerprints with all the “touching”. I also love being able to swipe to change a song or menu on the Zune.
Stock ear buds that are actually worth keeping/using
Wireless syncing was easy to setup and use but I seriously doubt I will ever use it.

Cons
Build quality is nowhere near the iPod. The Zune 80 feels toy like.
My Zune has frozen during use 3 times in the 5 days I have owned it which required a reboot( ala holding the back button down while pressing up on the Zune pad)
Zune software installation process. On Vista Home premium it took me over an hour to get the software installed(I work in the IT Field so this should have been a no brainer). Another hour to figure out how to get all my album art to show up on Zune 80(Erase all content and resync device after rebooting computer).
Zune marketplace software has been dumbed down way too much. Microsoft could have just cloned iTunes and it would look better and be a lot better laid out/organized.
Wifi sharing: I think it will be many years if ever that I find another person with a Zune that I can/want to “squirt” a song to.
Only works with Windows. Thankfully I now have a Intel Mac and am able to run Vista in Bootcamp. Before when I only had a Powerpc Mac I had to admire from afar. If they made the Zune cross platform I have a feeling more people would try them out.

In closing I enjoy the Zune 80GB and its interface over the new iPod Nano and iPod Classic, however it could use more advanced settings options, an equalizer, and the video playback needs some tweaking(When a video ends on the Zune it doesn’t do anything. On the iPod it kicks you back to the video menu.)