Unboxing the 8GB Zune Original

The 80GB Zune might be hard to come by, but the rest of the family is doing just fine -- and Zune.net user halfcirclepunch is here to unbox his fancy-pants 8GB Zune Original for your viewing pleasure. The device is obviously identical internally to the standard 8GB Zune, but the box contains a fullsize poster of the custom-engraved artwork, and a nice soft carrying case -- and the deep red Zune looks way better in these pics than we've ever seen it before. Peep all the rest of the shots at the read link.

[Thanks, Kevin]

[js @ Nov 20th 2007 3:09PM]

Can we stop with the Zune posts?

/sarcasm

[shishyan @ Nov 20th 2007 3:13PM]

I'm mad right now, because I can't get one (still waiting for the 80 GB). D*amn you Microsoft!!!

[GJP303 @ Nov 20th 2007 3:44PM]

The star covers up a letter in a word. You do not put it between letters. Gosh!

[shishyan @ Nov 20th 2007 5:27PM]

@GJP
yeah, a typo out of madness.

[js @ Nov 20th 2007 3:19PM]

One more thing... get rid of that stupid oversized Mac ad. It's making Safari really really slow.

[Jason @ Nov 20th 2007 3:57PM]

Young grasshopper, firefox + ad block plus, 'nuff said

[Jack @ Nov 20th 2007 4:14PM]

Good advice on Firefox and NoScript. I banned Doubleclick, away went the too large Mac ad, and voila, my browser is back to normal speed. Gee whiz, I like Macs and find the ads funny, but this one is way too much.

[raven7587 @ Nov 20th 2007 6:07PM]

a mac ad making safari run slow? the irony...

[aaron @ Nov 20th 2007 3:19PM]

my zune originals comes friday (4 gig)... i was trying to decide against the red and green and while i thought the red looks better i opted for the green because reviewers have said the red is as scratch prone as ipods and the green does a much better job (since the red has that gloss effect to it). you can even see it in those pictures where the red one just out of the box already starts to look bad.

so just a note to anybody else looking at them in the future....

[Markus @ Nov 20th 2007 3:21PM]

So i'm in Toronto, about thirty miles from the U.S. border across Lake Ontario. When i try to visit the Zune Originals website i get this:

https://zuneoriginals.net/BSTSite/errorPages/IPError.aspx

RELAX Microsoft, sorry my I.P. address identifies me as a foreigner and therefore undeserving even to look. Real friendly tactics...

[loci @ Nov 20th 2007 3:37PM]

yeah, that pissed me off...
i took a huff and may not buy one now :)

[Brian @ Nov 20th 2007 3:44PM]

I wonder what insular mindset not to even show you details of the zune. Never going to be an anything killer if you cannot even see it let alone buy one.

[Ruben @ Nov 20th 2007 3:46PM]

Blame Canada.



Really. Its all our fault that its not here yet. I'm sure Microsoft would like nothing more than to sell it in another 30 million person market.

[Ricardo Dawkins @ Nov 20th 2007 3:48PM]

get an Annonymouser or Ultra Reach....

[Ruben @ Nov 20th 2007 3:53PM]

UltraReach is great. Finally, i get to see them.

Good find!

Time to look at things i cant have.

[Andrew @ Nov 20th 2007 4:23PM]

I was thinking of maybe buying one somehow (I'm in Canada too). But this takes the cake. Now I won't buy it on principle. Ever.

[wetworker @ Nov 20th 2007 5:11PM]

try this and see if it works.
http://zunethoughts.com/news/show/23576/an-international-zune-user-s-guide.html

[Esat @ Nov 20th 2007 3:21PM]

If I was an mp3 player, I'd totally hit that.

[Warren @ Nov 20th 2007 3:28PM]

I like the engraved artwork on the back. Thats really cool of Microsoft to do something like that. They should do a limited edition 'user submitted' artwork deal. You would probably see some really creative stuff. Not to mention it would really go with their 'You make it you' thing they have going on....

[Zoesch @ Nov 20th 2007 3:42PM]

Yep, I think it's the nicest detail so far of the Zune, does anybody have a gallery of the back engravings?

[Marc Federico @ Nov 20th 2007 3:53PM]

Yea, I've seen them all on the website www.zuneoriginals.net, but I'd like to see them in a non perfect world, photographed. These are so cool though, I'm definitely getting a black Zune 80 with full artwork as soon as they are available. My iRiver iHP-120 has been around way too long, need the storage, video, pictures,podcasts, wireless....haha you get the point.

[Ricardo Dawkins @ Nov 20th 2007 5:32PM]

@Zoesch
www.zuneoriginal.net

or

http://www.coolhunting.com/archives/2007/11/zune_originals.php

[SteveJ @ Nov 20th 2007 3:44PM]

I'm not intersted in buying one (on a Mac, so couldn't, and have an iPod touch I'm very happy with), but the new flash zunes are nice looking, especially with the engraved artwork.

[Truthjerk @ Nov 20th 2007 4:00PM]

Easy there. Mention anything Apple on a Zune post and you're automatically "low ranked' by the fanbois here.

[JohnAllison @ Nov 20th 2007 4:02PM]

I'm totally with you. I think one would have to be coo coo for coco puffs to try and pair a mac with a Zune. Second, the red isn't the right kind of shade for me, I'd prefer rosso corsa.

While I am intrigued, I am still very happy with the functionality of my iPhone.

[Ruben @ Nov 20th 2007 4:00PM]

Did anyone else notice (Canadians in general) that in zuneoriginals, the State area states State/Province, the zip code area states Zip/Postal Code, and theres a field for Country?

Could we be getting it? Im well aware that other countries use similar names, but we have to be second in line.

[Jeff Lewis @ Nov 21st 2007 4:57AM]

The packaging for the new Zunes are in English, Spanish and French, which tends to support the idea that they're coming to Canada sooner than later.

[Kaiser Machead @ Nov 20th 2007 4:23PM]

This is pretty cool, and a pretty nice one up over simply engraving the backplate. If this was available for Apple I so would've done this.

[rickytickytarvy @ Nov 20th 2007 4:52PM]

The artwork done for this zune was done by graphic design sweethearts/genius' Tado
check out their stuff at tado . co . uk!

[Greg @ Nov 20th 2007 5:10PM]

Man, if they supported Macs, I'd totally get one (would love the Citron, but would probably go red)

[TDG01 @ Nov 20th 2007 5:12PM]

I just got (2) Zune 8GB personally engraved by ZuneOriginals for each of my boys for Christmas...They just came in and look awesome....The only thing that I'm a little bothered by is that the really nice carrying pouch is too freakin big to carry the player...they've got it where the entire box is in the pouch...but obviously you're never going to carry the box around....If you stick just the player in the nice carrying pouch, it looks like it lost 50lbs...makes no sense to me...

[Greg @ Nov 20th 2007 5:13PM]

Actually, I think I like the green more (but still would really like the Citron). Of course, I also liked the brown, so I'm not exactly fashionable.

[shishyan @ Nov 20th 2007 5:30PM]

@SteveJ

I bootcamp Vista in my iMac. So to me, it shouldn't be a problem.

[Tom @ Nov 20th 2007 6:45PM]

ooooo sexy

[tadmarketing @ Nov 20th 2007 7:51PM]

Great photo. I think it's cool that Microsoft is at least trying to do something to separate themselves from the iPod's.
I wrote about the Zune Original graphics on my blog if anyone is interest:
http://www.tekbite.com/2007/11/news-from-zune-world-is-free-engraving.html

[J.Y. @ Nov 21st 2007 12:11PM]

The person who posted the pics made a comment about the color: "the red color is almost maroon, which is different than what I expected from photos". Here's the photo to go with that comment - http://home.roadrunner.com/~a.baez/zuneorig4.jpg

That maroon & black color combo reminds me of the evil robot Maximillian from the movie "The Black Hole":
http://orbita.starmedia.com/~necrose/Sci-Fi/Filmes/bnegro5.jpg

Coincidence? :-P

[freeway8989 @ Nov 24th 2007 1:29AM]

I'm gonna get one for my brother for Christmas.

As for me, I gonna go after the Zune 80. Even though the P2 looks very compelling, 80GB is the practical choice.

I hope that once the 80 becomes engraveable, that there will be enough room on the back to fit text AND the large artwork. That, and me being a total fan of the new software makes the Zune 80 all the more compelling.