Zune - technical definition

A digital media player and service from Microsoft. Introduced in the fall of 2006, the Zune brand refers to the entire system, including portable player, software and music store. The player is manufactured by Toshiba, which makes its own line of players under the Gigabeat brand.

Multimedia Formats
Audio formats supported are MP3, WMA and unprotected AAC audio, but not protected AAC tunes from Apple. The Zune also handles H.264, MPEG-4 and WMV video as well as JPEG images.

Zune Vs. iPod
The Zune was launched more than five years after the iPod's introduction. Compared to the iPod classic (the original hard disk iPod), the Zune has built-in Wi-Fi and an FM radio, all of which are third-party extras for the classic. The Zune is a little heaver and larger, and battery life is a bit less due to its larger screen, but the Zune's 3" screen offers 50% more viewing area than the classic. Its main control resembles the classic's scroll wheel, but is actually a cover for buttons and not a wheel interface. See iPod classic.