Like I said, though, this was not intended to be an in-depth side-by-side comparison. This was really intended to be more of a put them next to each other and see how they look, quick glance comparison.

Now, if I get my hands on the iPod Touch 3 and the Zune HD, then you can expect to see another run at my Listen To This series, with these three players. And if I do that, then I will certainly include an in-depth comparison of the screens and video quality, taking your comments into account.

As for using different videos. as I have said, that was a mistake. I always (except here) use the same content for testing. In this case, I was having some problems with the conversion. So, I probably should have spent a little more time on that, but the review was running late and long, so I went with what I had. I honestly did not think it was necessary to point that out since it was clear from the picture.

As for your comment on the included software package, I am glad to hear it worked for you. It did not work at all for me. I trued converting several videos and it crashed and froze every time.

It is crispier, vibrant in colour reproduction, great viewing angles and holds the fort well even if you have to look at the screen up close.

Display/Video sections of this review lacked basic details. I think at least when comparing 2 products, basic minimum details (like viewing angles, contrast, brightness, colours) could’ve been discussed in more detail.

Without reviewing any of the above mentioned factors in detail, this review proceeds to make the following statements which I found to be entirely untrue and unmerited.

“I sat it next to the ipod Touch, and I must say I was impressed. The iPod Touch is a little larger and a little bit crisper,”

“the video was crisp and clear…second only to the iPod Touch”

Could you please justify your comments in terms of the above factors?

1. As a reputed reviewer, you should’ve mentioned the fact that both the players weren’t tested with the same video during the review process. I strongly believe that when 2 products are compared on uneven ground, readers should be notified of it.

2. Did you try again later to test both the players with same video? Most of the tech blogs and reviews update their reviews with their latest findings and it’s not a bad idea at all. It would be interesting to see your findings. Again, just a suggestion.

Also, it’s worth mentioning that while the bundled software was pretty useless (for me that is) for managing music, it was excellent in converting videos to play on S9. It converted each one of the 200+ videos of different formats with ease and it’s absolutely great.

But i would not call that holes in the review. A hole would be more along the lines of not discussing video at all.

And you are right, all glass does attract fingerprints. I know that all too well. This just seemed to show them more than most touch screens I have used.

Doug

1. (more of an answer than a critique) The reason most PMP manufacturers don’t waste time packaging fancy phones is because it would be a waste of resources. If you already have your own pair of $200 earbuds, why would you want to add another $50 to the price tag of your media player just to get “premium” phones? Personally, I like being able to choose which ones I use, rather than being forced to buy a certain set with it.

2. The “cheap plastic” feel is likely due to the fact that they didn’t make it artificially feel “expensive” by putting in weights. Think of it this way: If they can build it well without adding unnecessary weight, won’t it have an easier landing in the event of an accident?

3. “You can even choose one of two different skins” is a kind of misleading statement. The S9 supports User-Created Interfaces, which means flash developers can make their own interfaces. One interface in particular even allows you to have multiple skins (button icons and wallpapers) without changing the interface (IDK your policy on advertising, so I won’t bother listing it. shouldn’t be hard to find).

4. You actually can jump to different parts of your browsing lists. Tap on the scroll-bar located on the right side of the screen. A simple understanding of alphanumeric organization will assist you in knowing where to jump to on the bar (I know it sounds kinda like an insult, but I couldn’t find a better way to word it. Sorry.).

5. Failed to mention Folders as a way of browsing your music collection. Believe it or not, many people prefer that over ID3 browsing.

6. I have to agree with Alex in saying that the S9’s screen is superior to that of the iPod. Better viewing-angles, better color reproduction, better power consumption. But you were also right: The iPod has a greater-resolution screen (480×320 compared to S9’s 480×272 pixels). I find it great for viewing videos because it natively supports divx/xvid (don’t have to run through some stupid converter), and also supports specific encodings of h.264 (not officially, but the encoding settings have been accidentally found out by users)

There are so many other things to mention in a review of a PMP, and it took me about a week to figure most of it out for this one device. I’m not putting this here to criticize you so much as just to inform future visitors. I’m sure you probably only had a day or two to use this before your review was due, so missing points is understandable.

Oh, and glass (especially on dessert display cases) attracts fingerprints. It’s a fact of life :-p. Luckily, unless you are wearing a sandpaper t-shirt, you can just wipe the Gorilla Glass screen off with your clothes.

Oh, and I know Doug is more than tech savvy enough on this and a broad range of other topics.

Good review, Doug — but still think you’d be happier with a Centro.

Full moon maybe??

I checked out the youtube video (had to search for it since the provided url didn’t work). My conclusion there… youtube videos aren’t great for comparing small screens.

No doubt an LCD screen is going to get kicked by an AMOLED. Which is what the review said. At the same time, at 3.5 inches or less even small differences in size like the one here will have a major effect on the overall enjoyment of watching a full video on a handheld. I look forward to Apple upping their game with the next touch (hopefully) but until then that .2 inches is a huge issue for me and would make the touch my choice. Add to that the ease of getting video on it (I’ve tried pretty mch ever conversion program and it is still hit or miss much of the time) and it is hands down the winner still.

h t t p:// w w w.youtube.com/watch?v=b64SKiLc80o&feature=related