Is the iPhone the ideal portable movie viewing device?

Is the iPhone the ideal portable movie viewing device? Apple would certainly have you think so. Microsoft, not so much. They tout their Zune HD, which has slightly better specs than the iPhone and certainly looks a little more stylish than the brown brick (that’s a polite version of its nickname, by the way) that was the original Zune.

The Zune will play a wider range of video formats, but let’s face it. The Zune is still tainted by the Microsoft affiliation and the general attitude of being a wannabe. I’d take the iPhone any day, at least so long as it was equipped with an iphone skin. I’ve had too many iPod screens wrecked by those tiny little scratches that magically happen in your pants pockets, then suddenly bloom into an eye wrecking bit of nastiness that ruins the viewing experience. I mean, you’re already squinting at a screen that’s only a few inches across, so add some scratches to those awesome viewing conditions and it’s going to end with a headache. Unless you’re stuck watching a pirated version of Transformers 2; in that case, I have no doubt that a messed up screen will actually add to your viewing enjoyment. Speaking of Michael Bey’s noisy robot opus, I’ve seen some of those ultra complex, “stylish” clamshell iphone 3g cases that look as though they’re complicated enough to fold into a Transformer. Bulky iCrapbot or something like that. So that’s another reason to avoid those things.

Who wants an iPhone (or a Zune for that matter) that’s encased in a mound of plastic with ridges, grills, hinges and whatever else looked cool to the guys designing it (and you know they were guys ‘cause these things are like the Hummer of protection)? If you want your iPhone to retain its sleek look and still protect the screen and case from scratches and dirt so you can sit on the subway and watch your videos without causing permanent vision issues, just get one of those iphone skins instead.

And I’m pretty sure they make them for the Zune too.