Can the Zune HD Trump the iPod Touch?

Get ready for Zune HD versus iPod Touch in a battle set for this fall
when Microsoft will take the wraps off of its first touchscreen
portable media player (PMP), the Zune HD. Microsoft says this is the
first PMP to combine a built-in HD Radio receiver, high-def video
output, an OLED (organic light-emitting diode) display, and Wi-Fi. But
will it be good enough to steal the glory from Apple's iPod Touch?

ZuneHD's
multitouch display is the centrepiece of Microsoft's new PMP. The OLED
display sports a 16:9 aspect ratio (perfect for those widescreen
movies) and supports a resolution of 480 by 272 pixels. Indeed, this
resolution is not enough to play HD movies on the device itself, but the ZuneHD will be able to play back HD video externally via an HDMI-based docking station (sold separately) at 720p HD quality.

OLED
screens are something new to the mobile handset market still, and they
have significant benefits over the more traditional LCD displays. OLEDs
are thinner and do not require a backlight to function, hence giving
longer battery life and superior picture quality.

Besides the already-announced Zune HD, a number of other mobile devices are expected to feature OLED screens, including the upcoming incarnation of Apple's iPhone and the Samsung I7500
with Google Android. That said, it would be safe to assume that the new
iPod Touch will feature an OLED screen as well, going head-to-head with
the Zune HD.

Like the Zune HD,
the iPod Touch already has Wi-Fi capabilities and a fully functional
Web browser: Safari. It is not clear whether the Zune HD will use a
mobile version of Internet Explorer or a specially developed browser
for the Zune platform. Zune HD will also be able to stream music over
Wi-Fi, which the iPod Touch is not yet able to do out of the box, but can do via various third-party apps.

The
Zune HD will also feature a built-in HD radio receiver, which gives
better sound quality compared to traditional radio output. Of course,
stations will have to broadcast in HD in order for Zune to receive
full-quality sound. The iPod Touch does not have an FM or HD radio
receiver, but again, the new iPhone is said to come with one as well,
which could translate down to the Touch.
However, the real
competition between the Zune HD and the iPod Touch will come down to
software. The new Zune will be based on a custom version of Windows CE,
while the iPod Touch runs on the already popular iPhone platform, for
which thousands of applications are available.

But
more details on the Zune HD will be revealed next week at the E3 Expo,
when Microsoft said it would demo how Zune movies and TV shows will be
streamed on XBox Live to create a "game-changing entertainment experience". Meanwhile, my colleague Matt Packham has an interesting analogy on how good the Zune HD will be as a gaming platform.

Follow Daniel on Twitter @danielionescu

em:
http://www.pcworld.com/article/165562/can_the_zune_hd_trump_the_ipod_touch.html