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Some of you may know that I am admittedly of the crowd who would walk a mile extra to not use an Apple product and would find it no surprise that when I finally dove into the large capacity mp3 player world early this year that I chose the second generation Microsoft Zune 80gb…

I will openly admit that I love the iPhone/iPod Touch interface and admire the whole package that it represents.  But for sheer usability I love the Zune. Its biggest weakness at first was the Zune software but the v2.5.1 that came out a couple months ago turned it into a great operating, great (almost Apple like) looking application.

So operating wise I can’t really say it stands out a huge amount from a iPod Video (except for larger screen) but the customer service/warranty just made me an even bigger fan.  About a month ago tragedy struck when the seemingly secure Zune and portable speakers balanced on the balcony railing tumbled two stories to a firm brick sidewalk.  It was encased in a light rubberized shell which seems to have cushioned it cosmetically as there were no marks, however the internal pieces jingled and jangled… it didn’t boot.

So I put in a repair request at zune.com and over the course of about 17 days (they claim 15 days) I was returned a different, refurbished Zune in good as new condition.   To get a free and relatively quick replacement for a catastrophically damaged unit with no hassle whatsoever was a pleasant bonus to the ownership experience.