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I tend to have a difficult time picking out birthday gifts for my family and friends - not because of personal indecision, but due to the same stubbornness and personality quirks that everyone seems to share.  My parents generally refuse to give a straight answer to the “What do you want?” question, my brother always answers with “I don’t know,” and the majority of my friends will go on and on about how they’d feel guilty for accepting any kind of gift.  It’s frustrating and almost invariably means that something is bound to be re-gifted six months down the line.

Well, my brother’s birthday is just around the corner and this past weekend I once again found myself at a loss regarding what to get him.  As usual, he hadn’t been very forthcoming about what he wants – he just said that he’d let me know when he thinks of something.  Without knowing it though he did manage to give me an idea.

No matter where he goes, my brother always lugs around with him an ancient Walkman CD player.  Along with that player comes a massive folder full of CDs, as well as a carrying case that looks like it is only being held together by the sheer willpower of an otherwise malevolent entity.  Needless to say, upon seeing him Tuesday afternoon walking around with the “Carry-All-That-Should-Not-Be” I decided that it was time to buy him an MP3 player – whether he wants one or not.

When I first started my search Tuesday evening the obvious big names came to mind: Apple, Microsoft, Samsung and Sony.  The field was narrowed down significantly though when I realized he probably would never use one without a built-in radio tuner.  Eventually, my search led me to the “Coming Soon” section of BestBuy.com and to the Zune HD.

My first thoughts of the Zune HD were that while it may not initially prove to be as app-friendly as the iPod, it does appear to promise at least one thing that the iPod cannot deliver: the ability to play back videos purchased through the Xbox Live Marketplace. What were my next thoughts?  I may have found the perfect match - my brother is an avid Xbox 360 player and would probably love the ability to bring downloaded Netflix videos wherever he goes.

Now, if it only came out before his birthday…