It's my instinct as a writer of stuff about technology to compare Microsoft's new Zune HD against Apple's iPod Touch. But the more I've played with the Zune, the less it feels like a direct competitor to the Touch: It has a number of features that the Touch doesn't (HD output, HD radio, an OLED screen), a significantly different form factor (much smaller), and is missing the Touch's single most interesting feature (support for tens of thousands of third-party apps). The Zune has no direct Apple counterpart-it feels a little like an iPod Nano in some respects, like the Touch in others, and is ultimately its own unique beast.
But like I say, my impulse is to compare the Zune HD to the Touch. So here's a first pass at a T-Grid comparing the two devices' specs and features. If all you care about is media playback, the Zune looks like a strong competitor-but stick around until the end of the grid. (To view the T-Grid you will have to click on the image to the right. That will open a second browser window that will display the entire chart.)
This T-Grid is a work in progress, subject to expansion and revision.
Harry McCracken is founder and editor of Technologizer. For more smart takes on technology, visit Technologizer.com.
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