Zune review

Ok, we had a bit of a rough start after getting open the box and all, but we've given the Zune, and its software, sharing, wireless, etc. as good a looking over as we could hope to. We've got things we like, and things we don't; rough edges to go right along with the well thought-out niceties. We came away underwhelmed and not at all surprised -- and why? The expectations were for Microsoft to deliver a "Microsoft" player and system; maybe not too shabby looking, but not very usable, and definitely bug-ridden. But everyone hoped Microsoft had got it right this time, eschewed patterns of old and gotten a fresh start with new blood willing to think about things from outside the staid Microsoft culture. But that just wasn't the case. It's a Microsoft product (in the vernacular sense) through and through. Click on to find out why in our full review of the Zune, Zune player, and Zune marketplace. (And we do mean full.)

The hardware

Obviously the first thing you'll notice about any device is, of course, the hardware. We're all well acquainted with it by now; it's about as wide as a 5G iPod, but taller, heavier, and thicker than even the 80GB version. What do you get for that extra space? A larger 3-inch display -- which, like the iPod, is also QVGA -- and WiFi (802.11b/g). You lose battery life by comparison, which is saying something considering the 5G iPod isn't exactly known for its battery performance. The device layout is simple: static five way d-pad (that, of course, looks like a scroll wheel -- more on that in a bit), dedicated back and play / pause buttons, a dock connector and audio-out port, and hold switch. Since Microsoft didn't have the luxury of an extra dimension of input that Apple has in the clickwheel, and since the device changes orientation, their buttons are a little mixed up and wonky. A dedicated play / pause button is always nice to have, but many times we were left wondering whether things might have been done right another way. If the interface were arranged properly, the back button might not be necessary. Still, no matter what it was you intended to do with your Zune (except engage hold), it can be done with one hand (specifically, one thumb).

The device is eminently pocketable. Though it's fairly squarish in its lines, compared to the HTC Hermes we've been toting around it's not too hard to forget it's in your pocket. The hard plastic exterior has a soft-touch matte finish, which makes it very comfortable to hold and feel. The display and the exterior didn't scratch nearly as easily as we thought it might, which is a good sign. The doubleshot -- that green, blue, or translucent rim around the exterior of the device -- is something of a small delight. It gives the player an easily recognizable visual feature, something consumers can see and instantly recognize, something to remind them to pull out their Zune. It's no pair of white headphones in terms of iconography, but it's a start.

The Zune does also has a few useful additions that you can't help but like. The headphones, as we know, are magnetic, so they're easy to wind around the player when necessary, and don't fly all over the place. When you pull them out of the jack, your music pauses, just like Steve's player. Opposite the d-pad is a small, locationally-correlated indentation of the same circular shape. It kind of helps orient the hand when in landscape mode; not too shabby.

The screen is bright and clear, although album art downloaded was often not of a decent enough resolution to look even passable. Our Zune marketplace-acquired Lady Sovereign album art was, for example, only 200 x 200. Upon download it was already fuzzy to look at in an image view, but scaled up 40 pixels on the Zune -- where album art is king of the display in terms of real estate -- it looked just awful. The same followed for many of the covers the Zune software downloaded.

What's an audio player, though, without at least passable audio fidelity? Not much, and thankfully, the Zune delivers here. Though we lack the discerning ears of a card-carrying audiophile, sound quality was definitely up to snuff. Audio was loud enough at 20 (of 20 points) that our aging, deaf ears could hear it well enough in some pretty loud places, like on a really busy street or in a very crowded cafe.

The battery life was as expected. We got 11 hours and 37 minutes of continuous play with the following options:

• WiFi enabled
• Moderate usage of the display
• 30 second backlight
• A couple scans for nearby Zunes, but no actual transfers
• Volume at or around half (or 10 of 20)

If you're not cool with a player that won't ever go longer than 12 hours in a worst case forgot-to-turn-off-wireless scenario, sorry. But 12-14 straight hours of music should be plenty to get you to work, to the gym for a bit, and then back home again.

The wireless

We're not going to linger too long here; we've seen the wireless, we know by now what it's capable of: sending tracks to any Zune player in the vicinity, which are then placed in an "inbox," and restricted to 3 plays or 3 days (whichever comes first). We all think it's lame, but apparently it's the best Microsoft could do in terms of sharing. We wish they'd taken a page out of MusicGremlin's book by allowing Zune Pass (unlimited download) members the ability to trade files wirelessly without restriction, but maybe they'll add that in the future. Then again, maybe not -- they're not saying. Whatever, either way we're pretty clear on our feelings about the wireless feature as it stands today; but if we had to make good on our promise to Mom to say something nice or nothing at all, we would definitely mention that sending and receiving music and photos is totally seamless. No configuration was required, no menus traversed. You're prompted to accept a file, and boom, it's done.

For the purposes of this review, we did not scientifically test wireless transfer speeds, but our use was about as expected. Zune transferred an average-sized song in a few seconds; small batches of pictures took about the same amount of time because of the file overhead. Interesting note: when your device is not yet registered with a Zune Tag through setup, the wireless options are totally disabled. (See above for the WiFi-free Zune; note the lack of Community menu item and wireless settings.) We guess they absolutely must keep track of who's transferring what!

The interface

If you want to see the Zune interface in its entirety, we've got you covered. But basically anyone familiar with the Toshiba Gigabeat S, or any other Portable Media Center 2 device will instantly feel at home with the Zune. Just as the Zune device is a custom-built Toshiba player that amounts in many ways to a Gigabeat, the Zune's UI is a hacked variant of Portable Media Center 2 -- and that's not a bad thing. The Gigabeat S, for all its niggles, is in terms of both hardware and software one of our favorite devices on the market. And the Zune adds to that experience; the album listing, for example, shows off cover art icons. Nice! Generally speaking, however, you've got to get yourself used to the way the the "twist interface" (the Zune team's name for PMC2) works. You've got categories up top (albums, artists, genres, songs, etc.), and moving left or right drops down a selection; up and down scrolls you here and there. This is generally a faster method of navigating large amounts of media, as the iPod, for example, requires you to back all the way out of your hierarchy to access your media from a different angle (say, switching from song view to artist view).

Adding songs to a playlist, selecting tracks to send to another Zune, going from music to video, all these things are relatively easy. Getting used to the actual player interface is a little more difficult, however. The play / pause button does what it should, but your label-free d-pad (which must remain as such because it expects to be re-oriented to landscape mode when watching video) can cause learning-curve issues. In the twist interface you move from list to list by moving left to right, and vice versa. In the player interface, left and right represent track forward / reverse (and holding represents fast forward and rewind); to switch to another player view or access the player menu, you press the center button. We often found ourselves going to the next or previous track after hitting left or right as our thumbs attempted to instruct the player to show the menu or current track list. It got to the point where we were unnerved to actually hit left or right for fear of skipping the song we were listening to. If your user is scared to push a button for fear of what might happen, that's bad UI design.

What's more, that left / right / center issue isn't only inconsistent in the player screen. You must select menus and menu items with a center click instead of a left or right, even though they might serve the same purpose. For example, to enter settings, one cursors over the menu item and center clicks; hitting left or right does not work, does not take you into the menu. Center click takes you inside; once at an item, you must scroll through the options one by one with your center click as well. Miss your option? Left doesn't take you back one. Left and right are poorly implemented in this player, and can be unnecessarily confusing to use. Not a deal breaker, just an annoyance.

Videos likewise share the same interface as audio, although your content is broken down into music videos and movies, as specified by we're-not-sure-how. We couldn't find any way to specify whether our clips were videos or movies, but that's not a huge deal. Currently videos cannot be sent via WiFi, although Ballmer has stated that's a feature they're looking to add -- probably also with the 3x3 restriction, we'd guess. Also unfortunately, the same "we'll go where the customer is" philosophy that brought the player AAC support didn't carry over to the video. The Zune supports WMV only, no DivX, no XviD, no H.264 -- basically nothing we use. Yes, the software will supposedly convert for you, but seriously, that shouldn't have be a part of the game. We're not saying the iPod is innocent here or anything, but we'll take H.264 as a standard over WMV any day.

And again, in video we have some interface oddities. Overlaying the video information (center click) is a nice feature. Getting rid of it isn't. One would think a second center click would rid them of the overlay. It's a back click. When your info is overlayed, center clicking again does nothing. We clicked over and over until we realized it wasn't going to happen. This kind of basic user interface flub is exactly what's going to keep the device from the sought-after perception that it's a well thought out piece of equipment.

Photos are simple enough. One can twist through by date, or by folder. Sorting by date had some load issues for whatever reason; perhaps the index wasn't updated properly, or perhaps it just didn't have one, but it went a bit slower than most of the otherwise near-instant interface.

The radio interface does use left and right, but again, not as one would expect. Left and right scan to the next station with clear reception -- but do not advance the FM radio by individual frequencies. Radio users are long used to single clicks moving one station, and hold-clicks for a signal seek. Adding a station to your favorites is, however, simple (center button again). And you get RBDS station and track info, which is a nice new trick to teach an old dog.

The community interface is fairly straightforward; from here you have your "inbox" (where people send you things), "nearby" (where you can browse the detailed or simple information other Zune users with WiFi on have chosen to broadcast), and "me" (where you can see what info you're broadcasting via WiFi). For reference, "detailed broadcasting" shows off what video you're watching or what music you're listening to; basic shows that you're online, nothing more.

The settings were, thankfully, pretty straight forward. Not a lot to get messy with here, except for the shuffle setting. Setting the shuffle mode in your settings menu acts as a total override. That is to say, if you set shuffle in your main menu, and then disable it in your player menu, the next time you load a new set of tracks it will be set back to shuffle. It took us a little while to remember that we set that first option and disable it (read: redundant options are bad and unnecessarily confusing).

The software and marketplace

This is where things got really ugly. 50% of the magic is in the player, but the other 50% is in how that player works with your host machine. We know you probably read our horrific install story. (Just to catch you up, after a successful re-install 4.5 hours later, other members of our staff were still able to replicate many of the issues on other machines.) But we're going to put that past us now and review off a clean working install. Was it still buggy? Yes. Did it still crash? Absolutely. For example, syncing video for us crashed the app twice, and then stalled the third time at 38%. Even though the video was transferred in full that third time, it still didn't show up the next time we reconnected. Attempting to change the sync options crashed the app consistently. Our only hope was to stop the sync upon plug-in before it got to the crash-threshold -- that, or kill the files in the list. When the sync did work right, we clocked an average upload speed to the player of 5.89MBps, or about 80 minutes to load the thing up from empty. The usual. Even that, though, was a resource hog. Moving data consumed between 10 and 35% of our 3.0GHz Pentium 4's cycles.

To its credit, however, the player software does load rather speedily upon connection. Unfortunately it's not light on memory resources, either. The Zune software consists of a trifecta of applications, two of which are a bit piggish. Our Zune player software (Zune.exe) sucks up over 144MB of memory under normal usage with a relatively small library of tunes; the ZuneLauncher.exe app hovered around 3.4MB, but the ZuneNss.exe program (Zune Network Share Service) uses another 25MB or so -- just to share your Zune media with your Xbox 360.

Never before have we done so much device plugging and unplugging. When you finish adding files to your Zune, you can't go back and drop in more. You cannot interact with your player until you unplug it, and plug it back in. While it's plugged in you can't interact with it; with the Zune there's no such thing as listening to music out of the player and charging via the sync cable at the same time. We couldn't play music off the device through the application, either. When your Zune is plugged in, your Zune is absolutely nothing but plugged in.

The storefront itself is easy enough to navigate. It's not quite as nice as some storefronts we've browsed, but it definitely does the job. Anyone familiar with a PlaysForSure store like Napster will recognize the look and feel. Actually, while we're on the topic, can we just say it's a little too much like Urge? Because it is. It didn't take long to discover not much the Zune brings to the table isn't straight off the shelf.

There were a few things we liked about the software. Like other implementations, importing your library (and presumably also ripping) grants you access to automated cover art lookup. Unfortunately, unless that album is in its own directory, you won't get proper organization and a folder.jpg, you'll get a mess of files named like AlbumArt_{C04A1652-2DBE-48AB-A4D8-CA3822CC2945}_Large.jpg; classic Media Player. Hell, even if your media is in its own directory you'll get both the AlbumArt jibberish file, as well as the folder.jpg.

The Zune Pass subscription was easy enough to set up, and functioned like any other PlaysForSure store. It saves files in WMA, and these files play in Windows Media Player 10. Something tells us this mysterious Zune DRM is really just some PlaysForSure variant, and it won't be long before that too is cracked. But until then, sorry, no FairUse4WM. Yeah, so what if we tried it out, we're thorough! Downloads came up to five at a time for us, and were very speedy. Music is dropped in its own directory with album art ready to go. Why they'd ever let albums get through with 200 x 200 art files, however, is beyond us. Microsoft, the player has a 240 pixel wide screen, remember?

Otherwise, there were a few nice things about the player software. You can create instant playlists or sync lists by dragging artist, songs, genre, even year; it's auto-sorted and added according to your selection. Your library narrows down entries with each letter as you search, and if you don't have anything that matches your string, it automatically searches the store and returns those results. But that's countered by another interface issue: if you search for an artist and only one entry is in the store, you still have to click through on that artist to get to their page (instead of just going straight that lone entry -- see above). One step forward, two steps back.

Sending media to the Xbox wasn't too difficult, however, there was a little skittishness with Windows Media Connect. You have to make sure to disconnect your current WMC connection with your 360 before you can add the Zune. (Above shows both Zune and WMC shares.) Of course, if you're sharing the same library of folders with the Zune software, there's really no point, it's going to look about the same. And yes, getting the Xbox streaming working just right crashed our software at least once. It's also worth mentioning that the only music the Zune software will stream off your PC is music you downloaded from the Zune marketplace. Try as we did, all the music we imported into the library on our host machine just wouldn't even show up in the Zune Xbox 360 share. It was at this point we were beginning to wonder when Microsoft was going to really nail something with this player.

Finally, though, we have to address two things. First: Mac support. Yes, we know Apple users make up between 4-10+% of users in the US (depending who you ask), but not launching with Mac support is a Bad Thing. Microsoft expects Zune users to be Windows users. That's unreasonable. This was intended to be a product for people who love music, first and foremost, and more than just Windows users love music. Perhaps Microsoft wasn't prepared or inclined to fight Apple on its home turf. Microsoft has a Mac unit, believe it or not -- maybe they could have developed Zune for that platform in tandem with the PC Zune dev team. But they didn't. They're taking on the iPod -- the number one converter of PC users to Apple -- without a version for OS X. Don't they want to get some of those users back? We still hold that the smartest single thing Steve ever did with the iPod was to eventually give it Windows support. (If you'll recall, it didn't launch with Windows support.) Granted, the marketshare isn't exactly turned around on the Zune; the incentive isn't the same as Apple making their precious iPod PC-compatible. But if Zune wants users, Zune needs to find them where they're most likely living right now. And one of the more likely customers is the Mac user with an aging or dying iPod they're considering replacing. We're long past the days where a product launch like the Zune's can skate by without at least acknowledging the Apple crowd.

The second thing we have to address: the Universal deal. The Zune's initial launch takeaway is fashioned loosely around the concept of the "connected" discovery of unearthed indie music gems. The player comes packed with obscure (but awesome) acts like CSS and Band of Horses, and the marketplace has all kinds of hitherto unheard of acts all up in lights. We get that. So why did Microsoft cave at the last minute to Universal's demands to fork over a cut of its Zune hardware sales? Well, it was something Universal wanted for a long time from Apple, so this time they decided to take it from Microsoft. They obviously held the power; Microsoft needed that major label support to take on the iPod with mass-market consumers. But what about all the indie labels and artists -- do they also get a cut of Zune hardware sales? Well, "no further announcements have been made," as they say. We guess it's cool for indie to be indie and broke n' stuff so long as the big labels are allowed to get whatever they want -- while at the same time terrorizing legitimate consumers doing legitimate things with their digital media. Microsoft really wanted to convince everybody that this time they'd changed, this time they were starting from the ground up, working for the consumer, working for the artist. Well, no one's buying that story anymore. But really, that much is only peripheral to the device, what it does, and how well it works. So let's finish this off.

So, is it fair to have all these concerns with the Zune? It is, after all, a version one product; the player is the first in a series of forthcoming devices, and the software is just out of the gate. Our answer: yes, it's totally fair. Sure, the iPod wasn't that good going out the door (hell, we still don't really like it that much), but that's hardly the point. It's 2006, this is Microsoft's answer to Apple's flagship product, and yet here we are battling buggy software and basic user interface issues. Wireless nags aside, the Zune doesn't aggregate media and podcasts from the internet, another device-defining option Apple's opted-in on. It's open on audio with AAC, but it doesn't play the new video standard, H.264, or even anything else besides WMV. The platform is touted for its growth potential and ability to add features as the market determines, but we have no clue what these are, or when we'll get them. Ever hear the phrase go big or go home? The only thing big about the Zune right now is the marketing campaign.

The Zune is a player riddled with a lot of small issues -- death by a thousand cuts. Do we think any particular one is a deal breaker? Well, even given our nightmarish software issues, not really. Do we think they should have worked out the kinks and sat out this holiday season? Probably, yeah. Do we think there's potential for betterment of the platform and especially the player through software updates? Given enough time, absolutely. Would we recommend the product for purchase, like, right now? Not a chance.

People wonder whether Microsoft's underdog will overtake Cupertino's reigning juggernaut this holiday season. To be honest, we wish it could, since we too are getting kind of sick of seeing the iPod on top. A one man show is only entertaining for so long. But this buying season if the question is iPod, we're afraid the answer sure isn't Zune.

And now for some more pictures

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 2nd 2006 7:54PM]

~~You cannot interact with your player until you unplug it, and plug it back in. While it's plugged in you can't interact with it~~

Hum..odd...

I work at a radio Shack..we carry the Zune..the very first thing I did when it came into my store was rip open the box and plug it into my laptop..then I hit the play button while it was charging and installing..no problems whatsoever..it played through my portible speakers.

So..I went back and Synced it up with my Cruxshadows..left it plugged in ..hit play...guess what..music.

I'm a bit conserned about that cause I have not seen many of these issues and I wear it on my hip at work and as soon as I can get the 249 to pick it up I'll be wearing it on my hip home.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 3rd 2006 1:30AM]

The inaccuracies in this review are really astounding. To the point of making me question the integrity of the author.

"The screen is bright and clear, although album art downloaded was often not of a decent enough resolution to look even passable. Our Zune marketplace-acquired Lady Sovereign album art was, for example, only 200 x 200. Upon download it was already fuzzy to look at in an image view, but scaled up 40 pixels on the Zune -- where album art is king of the display in terms of real estate -- it looked just awful. The same followed for many of the covers the Zune software downloaded."

Ok, I'm not sure what was expected here. Did you want the Zune to magically make the album art a higher resolution than it was originally?

"Never before have we done so much device plugging and unplugging. When you finish adding files to your Zune, you can't go back and drop in more. You cannot interact with your player until you unplug it, and plug it back in."

That statement is 100% false. Once you've synced a bunch of files, you get a message saying, "You can now disconnect your Zune" which you apparently read as, "YOU MUST DISCONNECT YOUR ZUNE". If you've synced some songs and you want to sync some more, you just add more songs to your sync list and sync again.

"While it's plugged in you can't interact with it; with the Zune there's no such thing as listening to music out of the player and charging via the sync cable at the same time."

Another completely false statement. It's true that while it's plugged in and the Zune software is running on the PC you can't interact with the device. But guess what? If you close the Zune program on your PC, the Zune continues to charge AND allows you to interact with it. Amazing, huh?

Hopefully I don't come off as a Zune fanboy, because it isn't perfect, but I really felt people needed to know that a lot of the points made in this review are misleading or just plain wrong.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 7th 2006 2:52PM]

One of the main issues with the Zune is, that the buttons are unmarked. I can't figure out why the MS guys can't think of a solution for that.
I could, check it out at http://www.wnas.nl/?p=199 and please let me know what you think of it...

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 7th 2006 7:20PM]

My turn to bitch. I own the latest edition 30G iPod... and it aint that great. The iTunes + QT installer choked many times. The latest Apple update ate just about every driver I had on my system. It may work well enough with OSX, but not so with PC's. And how many of us actually own a MAC.... less than 10% of the worlds computer users? I give Microsoft some credit here for rubbin' nuts against the heavy-hitting iPod makers. It's just a matter of time before the bugs are worked out of Zune. And with the R&D efforts behind MS (when they actually want to fix something), they'll do it real fast. Apple should be worried because this MP3 world isn't run by them. I give them credit for awakening the MP3 era, but they don't own it. And in a matter of time, they'll certainly feel the 'Zune effect'. Now, if MS doesn't do something to compete with iPhone (if they ever release that thing), that's another story. Plus, I think MS has to do something about DRM before all the 'geeks' tear them apart. I'm switching over to Zune just so I can get rid of that Apple symbol whenever I power up my player.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 9th 2006 9:02PM]

Notice how almost all (except me) of the positive Zune comments come from low ranking users and the rational (negative) comments come from nuetral or better ranked users. Microsoft pays people to pump garbage.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 11th 2006 11:26AM]

Ok, Peter. Unless I'm misreading here, your claim seems to be that Microsoft paid people to come here and argue on their behalf.

You should be aware that a much more verifiable claim can be made that someone paid the Engadget reviewer to post out-and-out falsehoods in their Zune review or that the reviewer was simply lazy. Either way, the review contains factual errors.

[Pliskin Posted Dec 15th 2006 7:19PM]

I read the part of the review where you said how you were having trouble getting videos onto your zune. I don't think that's going to be a problem for me, i just want to replace my ipod with something else because I have the same syncing problems with my ipod as you said u had with the zune. I have a 50/50 chance of itunes even recognizing my ipod when i plug it in, and then if itunes recognizes it my computer will freeze for a couple minutes before it starts syncing. sometimes it will freeze permanently. also the video player in itunes is horrible. I thought my comp. just could handle some of the movies i dwnloaded from ITMS, but I just play them in quicktime and they're fine. the player in the zune software is much better. this is my third ipod and I don't know if the zune is a great platform, but right now i want to get away from my ipod. Oh yeah, and I had no problem installing the software, plus i like the viewing feature for artists were it shows all of their songs separated by albums on one page.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 13th 2006 5:45PM]

Okay so i just bought 1 of these from www.dell.com ... and its actually GREAT! no problems what-so-ever with the program at all. and by the way guys, great review. if it wasnt for your review i would'nt have figured out how to get the thing to register on my computer ... i finally found out that i had to keep resetting it but i guess thats just a small kink. also ... does anyone know how to change .mpg video files to the type of file needed to use for the Zune? email me at [e-mail] please. thank you.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 15th 2006 10:39AM]

I think this has excellent potential. The only thing that worries me is that I have not seen any Zune advertising. No one knows what it is. This causes me to think the zune may fade out.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 16th 2006 8:10PM]

i really want a zune...its almost christmas...i used to want A nano/video ipod...i did have a shuffle but it wasnt great..a zune looks awesome.all the features on them are so cool/. i say get one fast before the prices rise way up because of how popular they are. but im afraid that i wont be able to figure out a zune...i am not so much a huge computer girl...will someone with a zune please reply and tell how it is? thanks--

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 22nd 2006 4:17AM]

So I bought my girlfriend a Zune for xmas and I have been ripping all her CD's and importing it to the Zune player so when she opens it the player will already have all her songs in it. So far I gotta say it has been very smooth, no problems whats so ever. Ripping and sync the CD's to the Zune is fucking simple and it can download album art for you ( not sure if iPod does this). The player is extremely easy to use and I was able to figure it out within minutes and without using the manual.

This is a big upgrade since she has been using a mp3 player that I bought her about 3-4 years ago that uses flash disks. Shes tired of having to shuffle all her disks and delete a bunch of music to make more space on the flash disks. Since we still buy CD's and Vinyl. We dont have a big itunes collection. Reason I chose the Zune is for its wifi and built in FM radio since she listens to NPR at work. I compared the Zen, Ipod and Zune for about 2 weeks and the Zune had everything I was looking for plus more.

If you dont own an iPod already I think the Zune is a really good choice. But if you own an iPod and have purchased a bunch of songs from iTune's theres really no benefit in getting another player. I hate microsoft as much as anyone else and I hate apple just as much. Both company's always try to lock you in some proprietary non-sense ( something they both learned from IBM).

So to anyone thinking about buying a Zune it really is a good player

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 9th 2007 1:49AM]

Hey nasty_butler, is your girlfriend still speaking to you? I'm a lawyer and if she walks into my office looking for divorce representation, and sites the Zune Christmas present as grounds... I godda say she's got a cast iron genuine case man imo.

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 24th 2006 1:43PM]

I bought the Zune yesterday for 50% off. Not bad for $120 bucks.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 6th 2007 2:51AM]

I'm an Apple guy. All my life, 17 years! But this seems like the 2nd gen could be my savior from the have-to-get ipod craze. Iwant something differant everybody and their grandma has a n ipod.

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 12th 2007 10:20PM]

iPod -> iPhone
Zune -> wastebasket

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 5th 2007 7:21PM]

hey i was wondering did you guys keep the songs you downloaded from the zune pass or did they disappear after a while because the software said it needed to update when actually it was erasing their use?
thanks,
alex

[(Unverified) Posted Feb 11th 2007 3:06PM]

Considering the availability of songs in iTunes Music Store and the better working sync and software, I have to say I stick with my 4Gen monochrome iPod.
However, I have to give credit to the Microsoft for the industrial design, Zune really doesn't look so bad.
If the software would work more reliably, I'd happily embraze the wireless feature which iPods are lacking, and the larger screen.
For mac user Zune really doesn't seem so attractive.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 9th 2007 1:41AM]

Which "People wonder whether Microsoft's underdog will overtake Cupertino's reigning juggernaut this holiday season."? And why? NO really, WHO? And what mental institution have they escaped from? There is no mystery. Zune will fail because it's a nasty uninspiring and uninspired product. It reminds me of a cheap imitation leather plastic suitcase Circa 1973... or a current Dell laptop, which is pretty much the same thing.

And why would you: "... wish it could [overtake Cupertino's reigning juggernaut], since we too are getting kind of sick of seeing the iPod on top."?? What manner of socialist inspired garbage sentimentality is this? We're not talking about an African child with Aids here, or even a Madonna magnet. We're talking about a fat ugly turd - the only BROWN MP3 player in the known universe.

iPod is at the top because 8 out of every 10 people who buy MP3 players prefer it to ALL the alternatives, some of which are produced by companies that actually understand their market and how to design a UI - like Sony.

I simply don't understand what: "A one man show is only entertaining for so long." means in this context. Zune is nasty, turd coloured piece of badly thought-out copy product with a crap interface that doesn't deserve to do well. It deserves to disappear as quickly as it was still born.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 16th 2007 3:35PM]

You're an attorney, and you can't tell the difference between 'sites' and 'cites'? God have mercy on your clients...

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 16th 2007 2:35PM]

"If your user is scared to push a button for fear of what might happen, that's bad UI design."

Or PEBKAC.

[(Unverified) Posted Mar 22nd 2007 9:38PM]

Had my G4 ipod for 9 months. Reloaded it on average every 5 weeks. Hard drive toasted. Die-pod, die. Got my Zune in December. Not one problem Love showing photos with it. Bought the base. Radio reception is very good for its size. I admit I didn't like the menus at first because of the ipods ease but once you get used to it, no problemo. I want to see more accesories for it though. But the way Microsoft of going they probably won't allow outside competition. I didn't like the ear buds so I bought Creatives $90 buds. Pleased.

[(Unverified) Posted Jun 19th 2007 10:44PM]

i just got my zune a few days ago and so far i think its a pretty good media player. the device feels alot more of a personal one when compared to the ipod; photos can be viewed by dates, by folder, and in automatic slideshows, and even put as backgrounds for the stunningly beautiful screen; you can create a playlist while walking down the street, and save your favorite radio stations.

but there are alot of kinks and annoyances.

oh yeah....
you CANNOT view all the songs by one artist at a time, unless they are all under one album, or under no album.

the zune media player is horrible. i really did think i hated itunes, but with itunes at least you can edit song information (album, album art,etc). the only song info i was able to edit was the song name.


that = lame


and only being able to look at jpeg formated pictures, and wmv formatted videos sucks. the battery life is especially horrible, you'd think that with the device being as large as it is, microsoft could have fit a larger, more powerful battery in it, but i believe they failed to see that people are going to be away from their computers more than 8 hours at a time.

waiting untill the second generation would have been a great idea, but im still happy with it.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 8th 2007 1:35PM]

Can you charge a zune in a wall socket?

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 11th 2007 11:26PM]

Just to let you know, you CAN use the Zune when it's plugged into the computer. Just close the Zune program, wait 10 or so seconds for it to finish updating, and then the Zune can be played like normal while you watch the battery charge. Also, the screen is ALWAYS on when it's charging and playing.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 16th 2007 1:42AM]

What is the deal with every compliment this review makes towards the Zune being backhanded by something negative? I've been using an ipod for ages and have found the transition to be smooth and enjoyable and fairly bug free. I'm not taking this review seriously as it stinks of bias.

[(Unverified) Posted Apr 27th 2007 5:28PM]

You know, I've actually owned a Zune since a little after Christmas - when I returned the iPod nano I had been given and applied the purchase towards a Zune. Software/firmware problems that were decidely pesky at the beginning have long since been addressed.
My kid's got a 30gb iPod that I have to load up for her all the time. I like Zune's software interface much better. And the thing just LOOKS and PLAYS cool. The interface is graphically interesting, it's VERY quick and snappy, and the backgrounds are infinitely customizable. I've even created a website at www.zunetrek.com where you can customize your Zune with customer Star Trek pictures and backgrounds. Like the LCARS Zune background (LZune?)
Sitting in my office lunchroom watching an episode of 'Firefly', I had no less than -5- people just stop me and ask 'Hey, what's that?' I don't know of any other media players (since the iPod itself, of course) that have such an instant 'wow' factor.
Don't know what else to tell you. I love my Zune. It's like an iPod for adults.

[(Unverified) Posted May 16th 2007 10:54PM]

does the zune work well with windows media player?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 27th 2007 2:02PM]

Right on! Your review was perfect. I hit "review Zune" on Google to see if anyone else out there was having trouble with the software interface. Your story was a welcome read.

The thing that upset me about Zune was the lack of a paper manual. I know 9 out of 10 people throw there manual away whne they get it -but I don't. It is nice to look away from a computer screen every so often.

I am returning my Zunne to Frys today. Terrible design with too many dead ends and labyrinths. Good luck Microsoft. Time to hire a new round of engineers.

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 4th 2007 6:01AM]

hey i m getting 1. i was hoping if sum1 could explain to me if i can put music i burnd frm cd's on to it. fr sum apparnt reasn i am convinced you can only put the music u bought frm zune services on it. tell me i m completly wrng plz.lol

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 19th 2007 6:50PM]

When my iPod mini finally croaked, I figured it was time to upgrade to bigger and better things. An employee at a well known electronics store encouraged me to invest in the new Zune, which, according to him, had received nothing but positive feedback. Being deprived of music is high on my list of discomforts, so I purchased myself a sleek black Zune... only to find out first hand the "thousand cuts" that are referred to in this review. The Zune is unnecessarily large, clumsy to use, and in my opinion the sound quality does not equal that of the iPod. Somewhere on the Zune website, in reference to Zune's many accessories, it says that looks are everything. Unfortunately it seems that microsoft took its own tagline a little too seriously, because that's all the Zune has going for it. Make your own choices, but don't rush into things...

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 24th 2007 5:16PM]

i just want to know, unbiased, which i should get. so far all ive heard it that the only difference is bill gates and steve, answers?

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2007 12:14PM]

Zune is a great product, however, the only thing disheartening about owning one is having to put up with Microsoft's drag a$$ pace when it comes to coming out with firmware updates. To put the icing on the cake, when they do release an update, it sucks (1.4: really, who gives a damn about the "improved shuffle" feature? I use shuffle mode about as often as I use the "wifi": never). Microsoft needs to wake up and maximize on the Zune's potential quickly if they hope to expand in the future. Help send the message to Microsoft by signing the petition located at this site:

[(Unverified) Posted Jul 26th 2007 12:17PM]

http://www.petitiononline.com/zune/petition.html

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 1st 2007 1:04AM]

After burning through 2 ipods in less than a year, i broke down and bought a brown zune and am in love with it! sure i have software bugs but every program like to do that to me and it is so much easier for me to fix than my 3 month ipod/itune software induced break down. also an easy 20 dollar way to get your zune pass music as your own forever is to BUY MuvAudio2, using the trial version lays down a "this is a trial version" voice over.

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 26th 2007 7:45AM]

hey i just bought a zune. i can't get it to connect to my pc! it keeps making the (connect and disconnect) chime for the XP operating system repeatedly! i've tried everything! i've installed and reinstalled the zune software multiple times! theres nothing wrong with my usb ports either! it connects to my xbox 360 just fine. could someone please help me?!!! oh, i own an 80g ipod that crashes constantly! when i return from the midd-east, its going back to bestbuy!

[(Unverified) Posted Aug 31st 2007 3:31PM]

I bought the Zune because my IPod started crashing so i figured it was time for something new, this was less than a year after i bought it.

I have had a Zune for some time now, I bought it about a week or 2 after it came out. When I 1st bought it I had some problems loading the software but after trying a few times I got it to work.

The player it self is nice, people rag on its size, but i bet that 90% of these people have plastic or rubber covers which make their iPod almost the same size of the Zune, and unlike the iPod i feel better about leaveing the Zunes outer shell exposed (I also have a plastic sticker screen cover on the screen).

The truth is no matter what people say it's alot like and iPod. It plays movies, shows pictures, it does have a slightly larger screen and radio but i don't use it for movies and i don't listen to the radio so i don't really care.

For all the people bashing the Zune... I like mine.

-Happy Zune owner

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 5th 2007 1:12AM]

I just bought a 30GB ipod and Im having trouble with downloading videos onto it. I was looking at the reviews for the zune. does anyone know if it has the same problem?

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 6th 2007 10:32AM]

It could be helpful to describe your problem in more detail than just "having trouble".

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 2nd 2007 1:53PM]

Funny that iPod fanboys accuse everyone of being an MS shill when they say something positive about the Zune. That's ridiculous. It's the other way around. More likely you are Apple shills! You fanboys are here, AT A ZUNE REVIEW, for the specific purpose of knocking it in favor of a 'closed system' iPod. Like being locked to iTunes? Fools. Jeezes! You're sounding more and more like republicans everyday. All rhetoric, no truth.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 26th 2007 1:46AM]

Ipods are nothing special.Itunes sucks death butt!
It probably wouldn't take much for someone to make a media player that makes the Zune and Ipod look like what they really are.
Overpriced underachieving music holder.

I am sure everyone on here could tell both of these companies how to make a media player that really works well and gives people what they want.Ease of use,freedom,and customization.

[(Unverified) Posted Sep 30th 2007 1:14PM]

i'm sorry but this was a horible review. Half the stuff was fixed in the FIRST firmware update

[(Unverified) Posted Oct 2nd 2007 2:49PM]

A year later, and I have still yet to see someone actually carry a Zune. And I have to wonder about the people claiming to have gone through 2 and 3 ipods. I have a 3G 20GB that has been a workhorse for me, using it to DJ at least once a week for the last couple years on top of regular use.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 8th 2007 1:07PM]

Hey I actually have real life issues concerning my zune that a potential buyer might be interested in knowing about. The thing I really hate about mine is that after you delete song files off your computer and connect the zune to re-charge, it will automaticlly "update track information". Then those deleted files will be removed from the player. wicked lame. Acessories for the zune are expensive, and unlike the ipod, you can't find cheaper generics yet. Every blog I came across before I made a descion on what device to buy was filled with these weak petty arguments against the zune. No functional issues, which is why I decided to buy one. The size?! how small are your pockets dude? you wearing short shorts or something. Ohh god I really want to listen to music but...can't find the strength to lift...Zune. God help me! You Sound like a bunch of elitist, pompus, nancies. I'd prefer an extra 6 oz of weight and 1/2 inch if size, if it meant that I could actually read the dispay screen. I think most of your arguments against the zune are weak...oh god it's an wmv format, sooo archiac. I bet if you listen to a lossless file then a wmv you wouldn't be able to tell the difference. The deleting of files is easily bypassed if you close the zune media player that pops up when you plug the mp3 player into the usb. Yeah I'm bitter.

[(Unverified) Posted Nov 26th 2007 7:13PM]

How long does it usually take for a movie to upload to Zune... 441MB WMV??? Can anyone help? Thanks!
Beth

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 4th 2007 8:07AM]

Could someone please explain to me why the Zune would not work with my brandname aftermarket car stereo, basic USB port? The main reason why I purchased the Zune was to get rid of the 400+ CD's in my car, and it doesn't even work. I'm now regreting the fact that I didn't buy the i-pod instead of the Zune. I also dislike the fact that it only works with microsoft music sites, where i-pod seems to have multiple sites that work with them. I obviously didn't do my homework before my purchase. LOL

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 12th 2007 6:11PM]

i am not sure whether to buy a 80gb Zune or Ipod... i have heard both ways about software problems, i dont care about the size but i do care if it isnt easy to use and if it has a short battery life. I am uncertain which to get cause my sisters ipod broke down a couple moths after she got it. But the Zune isnt actually known to be that easy to use... does anyone really know which one is better? please dont be bias

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 14th 2007 8:20AM]

I just love this article, I have bookmarked it as I would like to make a catalogue with some of the best reviews I have read. I will hit a link for this site of course.

Thanks again,
J.Mihai
http://www.jmihai.ro

[(Unverified) Posted Dec 14th 2007 8:47AM]

http://www.dinamis.eu

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 19th 2008 11:00PM]

My Microsoft Zune 30g malfunctioned and sent a static discharge or electrical shock through the earbuds to my ears. At the same time, the Zune reset and emitted a very loud noise through the earbuds.

I suffered a temporary threshold shift, meaning my hearing was impaired for some time, and I still deal with discomfort and ringing in my ears.

Has anyone suffered similar injuries? If so, please elaborate. Did you report the incident to Microsoft? Did you see a doctor? Please share your experience by commenting below or at http://www.microsoftzunereviews.com

[(Unverified) Posted Jan 19th 2008 11:00PM]

My Microsoft Zune 30g malfunctioned and sent a static discharge or electrical shock through the earbuds to my ears. At the same time, the Zune reset and emitted a very loud noise through the earbuds.

I suffered a temporary threshold shift, meaning my hearing was impaired for some time, and I still deal with discomfort and ringing in my ears.

Has anyone suffered similar injuries? If so, please elaborate. Did you report the incident to Microsoft? Did you see a doctor? Please share your experience by commenting below or at http://www.microsoftzunereviews.com