--What do you like about the Zen over the iPod?

Several things [i've spent time with a video iPod, so I feel I can fairly make the comparisons]

- I've listened to both - the Zen has better sound quality. Now, a casual listener who merely rips MP3s at a low bit rate is unlikely to notice any difference. But I'm an audiophile, and I've used my Shure E4s to listen to both, and the iPod sounds a little more tinny than a Zen. The Zen [and some of iRiver's products] come very very close to TRUE CD-quality.

- Watch a video on the iPod. It looks 'nice'. Then watch a video on the Zen Vision M...everything is better - colors are much brighter, and less flicker. I know a person who owned both, and said it was like going from an old VHS tape to DVD-quality.

- Battery life on the Zen is better.

- Go to amazon and read through the 400-plus reviews of the zen vision M. Some are video iPod users, and the consensus is that the vision M is a better product.

Now....the iPod is a little thinner, and maybe arguably has a better interface. But I trained my thumb in a day to navigate the Zen, so big deal. The iPod looks a bit sleeker, though the Vision M's appearance has a 'coolness' about it as well. I really think the iPod was designed to attract a little different audience, though they both carry the same price tag.

I'm not blasting the iPod, it's a good product. But Creative's goal has never been to make a product almost as thin as a credit card - they've always been about what you get out of the product.

Kevin