zune80 Zune Zune. I am happy to see that Crave included the Microsoft Zune in the mix!

The year Microsoft and Sony stepped-up their game

Let's face it: the first-generation Zune was released amid plentiful skepticism and criticism and--although it had plenty of redeeming qualities--the Zune didn't really come into its own until the second iteration. The design was slimmed down, the Wi-Fi features were refined and expanded, and the already excellent interface got a refresh. Plus, the player sounds great. While we're on the subject of stellar audio quality, let's talk Sony. The electronics giant made a lot of people really pleased when it finally gave up on its horrific SonicStage software, and moved its new Walkman's to the more user-friendly MTP platform. Sony added support for both AAC and WMA, while retaining its reputation for excellent battery life and sound. As a result, the NWZ-A818 is one of the best players I've ever laid hands on (I even bought one for my own brother). Other players of note: the fabulously green flash Zune, and the FM radio-sporting Sony NWZ-S615.

Not only did the Zune get some love, they were also happy with the Sony line of players. You can win a Sony player from Mobilitysite, and I am announcing Got Zune Contest #5 on Got Zune today! If you care, they also talked about the Creative Zen and even the "iPod Touch". Head over to Crave to read more.