Zune complete interface walkthrough video
By Ryan Block 
posted November 3rd 2006 2:37PM
posted November 3rd 2006 2:37PM
Want to know what it's like to use a Zune? We're going to take you on a comprehensive tour of just about everything this device can do -- every menu, submenu, function, and feature. Then we'll transfer some songs and images, expire our three plays (before those three days run up, of course), and watch some clips. If you want to know what it's like to sit down and play with the anti-iPod, we're ready for ya.
P.S. -Our flash video isn't the highest quality / res. If you want the best looking video, check out the VGA h.264 file below.
Download video
MOV (h.264) - VGA, QVGA
AVI (DivX) - VGA, QVGA
Music: Christopher Willits - Orange Lit Space (Ghostly International)
P.S. -Our flash video isn't the highest quality / res. If you want the best looking video, check out the VGA h.264 file below.
Download video
MOV (h.264) - VGA, QVGA
AVI (DivX) - VGA, QVGA
Music: Christopher Willits - Orange Lit Space (Ghostly International)
MUST ...TURN...OFF VIDEO...CANT ....TAKE ...MUSIC ANYMORE... SOMEONE STOP...THIS....FOR ALL...OUR SANITIES....
i'm impressed. very nice interface- and it doesn't really seem that big. was considering getting an ipod (upgrading from my current mini)- and... and... and I'll still be going to the apple store tomorrow to get the 30 gig ipod because the zune's not working on my macbook. haha- but i do have to say- i'm seriously impressed.
apple is going to have a difficult time overhauling its classic ipod interface in order to compete with these more cutting edge devices.
Drew: If this is cutting edge, them Microsoft is hurting ;) Looks no different than most Creative Lab Zen units, hey at least the new Apple iPod Nano
Red unit goes for a good cause :) The only thing that is Classic is a Mini or a 3G iPod.... Over hauling the iPod will be easy, make it more durable material, the started doing that again with the Nano and now the Shuffle, ad a FM tuner and maybe put in a DVR and I don't think you can do much more.
I like the radio stuff. I didnt know recognition of the song was possible like that. Once I sell my Creative Zen Vision, im getting one of these.
I have the 4th gen B&W iPod, bought my girlfriend a gen 2 ipod nano, have a client who uses the 80 GB iPod (and thus use it a lot). Have extensively played with the iRiver Clix and the Sansa players. I must say that I am impressed by the Zune. iPod vs Zune almost seems to be the same, or at least parallel Mac vs PC.
Personally, I'm waiting for the next generation of the iPod and the Zune (and any other players) before I buy anything.
Zune is cool. R.i.Pod.
Hmm... still some less features than my old iRiver H-120 (microphone, line in, optical line out/in, folder drag/drop or DB on device)
But the color screen and the wifi is pretty nice... I want to know if I can have a couple songs renamed as JPGs so I can send them if I need to.
It's sad that the technology is there to make it an awesome WiFi sharing system with no DRM yet we have this DRM crap but I don't know who is going to get around it...
Archos? I really hope archos makes a player with all the features of their new 604 in a smaller package/screen. They are just too big to use as a mp3 player...
I like how fast the interface is. The font is nice too.
This is a great video. I know it is a tech site and the techies get all the lingo (including myself). I would love to see a similar video that was non-techie enough to send to my wife. I forwarded this link to her, and she was like, "I don't understand half of what he is saying."
She loves her iPod too.
-dm
Can anyone tell me if the 3 by 3 restriction will also be on my own mp3s? songs I've donwloaded that arent "legal" ?
ummm the interface looks really really clutered. how many "taps" did the guy do to get into his music or movies or whatever. but i will give it that movies look good and i like how it does album art. but the interface is way way too stuffed do you expect the 80 year old grandma to be able to surf her music? or what about just getting to a track really quickly? i like to be in close contact with my music not having to push a button 5 or 6 times just to pick what album i want.
I find the music quite fitting. It's better than silence yet not controlling the video with something like guitars or drums.
i cant wait until some genius gives me linux to put on this...
expect a lot more music like the background music in this vid to be available at the Zune Marketplace :p
Or I can share with you for 3 days or 3 plays, my good friends. Never fear, the Zune Marketplace is near.
So let's sum up:
1) No native Mass Storage mode to put music on and off the device on virtually any operating system without software? Sandisk, Cowon, LG and heaps of virtual upstarts offer this.
2) no USB On-The-Go that others like Cowon offer in their HD-based models? Dumping digital photos directly from cam to device frees up the card in your cam. Great usefulness. BUT not offered here.
3) Oh how we love being tied to Windows (only) and crappy requirement of using Windows Media Player to transfer our music. JOY, I tell you. JOY.
4) no playback of FLAC or Ogg Vorbis files? No, that would undermine the lock-in and inferiority of Windows Media formats.
5) virtually useless "3 days or 3 plays" music sharing
The comparisons with iPod are justified;
1) both offer mp3 simply 'cause they have to - it's too popular. As must all others.
2) both offer the similar useless DRM-infested online stores
3) both ignore truly open formats (these formats would undermine their own licensed formats and DRM too much). In contrast to a sizeable portion of the rest of the industry that doesn't want to foist their own DRM crap on the world.
4) there's no option for the potentially far more useful USB On-The-Go.
So we have:
1} a nice big screen
2) apparently ok UI
3) Windows-only limitations
4) the 'new' wifi feature and overhyped 'social' sharing with 3days or 3play limits (but no limits on the picture sharing)
This is what generates hype nowadays? This is what I'm crying out for in a portable?
I actually thought there was something wrong with the audio in this piece, and then I realized it was the "music". It's very distracting and just sounds like something is broken. Please remove it!
very nice. love it. can't wait til i get mine.
only 12 days left. come on..... ship it already...
Hello enGadget lovers,
Zunerama has posted a minute-by-minute index of the enGadget Zune walkthrough.
It lists each of the 40 features demonstrated by Ryan in the video, with an index showing where in the 13-minute video the feature appears.
Just drag that video cursor to the feature you're curious about.
http://www.zunerama.com
Wow, that video was like 12 minutes longer then it needed to be. You can use the controls to access the stuff on the Zune. Got it. How about something interesting, such as how easy or difficult it is to load songs on the Zune from the computer?
Dman, would like one of these butI have all my own ripped music in OGG. I'm regretting that a little now when I can neitgher use this or an ipod but I'm not re-ripping hundreds of CD's just to pay to use this. I wish either MS or Apple or both would give OGG some love, it's a free format for goodness sake so would cost little for them to implement but they just don't want people using a high quality format they can't easily wrap drm on, mp3 is bad enough but they had to eat that one up.
This is a proven interface although id say the 360's is better, i dont like the fact that it is the psps interface. i think all the time and money they spend all they can come up with is this?
This thing looks great! I really love the album artwork features. I was real close to buying a Video iPod until I heard about this and decided to wait and see. I think I gotta have it. Great job showing it off with the video. Thanks!
I really liked this and it kills me to say it but I really think I like the new touch screen i-pod's better. The bigger screen just turns me off of the Zune, when I really wanted to support M$ on this one. Sorry, but you wont have my money this year. Except for 360 games.
ok to everyone complaining about how many clicks it takes to get to play a song, im pretty sure i just counted 3, um how many is it on the ipod..3 or 4 so stop complaining...
Zune looks good. Viva la difference! --Dig the radio, dig the options for playback. I'd only get one if I had money to burn though.
I have a few "deal breakers" for my own use: Can't use it as a harddrive (I carry all sorts of stuff on my iPod), can't play my iTunes protected content (I ain't converting it), only 30 gig (for now), "point system" for buying music in the marketplace (70 points = 99 cents? $5 or greater "refuels" only? No thank you). Points? Isn't that so bubble-era? How much will MS make on unused credits? Not with my money...
While 2 months away, I'm thinking January will be an interesting month for portable music player fans... when Apple patents move from drawings to drools.
Not bad, M$, like all other competiters with the iPod, it cannot be as simple, that is the problem. With the layout and views, the many ways of seeing you files, etc. I like the colors though, too bad apple will come out with something that will probably look cooler than this or does more things or both, just in time for holiday season. But not bad, M$, more than I expected. Good luck, you'll need it.
Wow, that video was boring. I'm still buying a Zune though but please make future videos less boring.