How would you change Microsoft's flash Zune?

Hey, we gave you the opportunity to voice your opinion on Microsoft's original Zune back in August, so it's only fair that the new kids on the block get their turn in the ring, too. This go 'round, however, we're adding a little twist -- focus your attention on the flash-based iterations only. The diminutive Zune 4 and Zune 8 were probably more highly anticipated than their HDD-based siblings, and considering that the rumors were literally all over the map leading up to the release, we can't say anything really shocked us when launch day came and went. Granted, we were a bit bummed to find that these wouldn't feature TV outputs, but hey, at least we got the option of adding more than just two lines of text to the thing's rear, right?

By now, you've had more than ample time to give the flash-based Zune of your choice some serious play, and we're sure you've logged a couple of complaints in your mind, so here's your chance to get it all out in the open. If given the keys to the Zune 4 / 8 design lab, what changes would you implement? Add in a few more pixels? How about a few more gigabytes? Melt the whole thing down and shape it like a discus? Or is your heart still longing for the oh-so-elusive Zune phone? Whatever your wish may be, feel free to let the whole world know in comments below -- you never know who'll tune in.

[dj-kenpo @ Dec 14th 2007 6:39PM]

anyone who says "more memory" should get a kick in the balls, likewise for "doom".

more memory is a given. and it'll happen with time.

i vote for an msn option, using the squriqle whatever thing as a simple yet annoying input device.

internet radio/wifi.

[bufsabre @ Dec 14th 2007 7:07PM]

MORE MEMORY!

[LiQuiD_FuSioN @ Dec 14th 2007 7:08PM]

I think we should ask Walt Mossberg how he would change the Zune.

[Deputy Doffoos @ Dec 14th 2007 8:45PM]

MORE DOOM!

[Luis @ Dec 14th 2007 11:54PM]

MORE BLENDING!!!

[Russell @ Dec 15th 2007 2:46AM]

Walt Mossberg is a douche like Dvorak and the other non-techie tech reviewers

[Garst @ Dec 15th 2007 4:03AM]

More storage space

[Wwhat @ Dec 15th 2007 6:38AM]

I for one -don't- welcome our microsoft overlords

[computer.dude.28 @ Dec 15th 2007 10:54AM]

About the Wifi.. I think Syncing the Zune over Wifi is great and all, but it would be a lot more useful if we could do it from farther than ~300 feet from our home computers. I think they should have internet syncing, so that we could pick the network on your Zune, connect to it, and then Sync over the internet. You Would need to configure your router, and it might be a little slow depending on your home connection, but it would still be a hell of a lot more useful than it is now.
Also, some form of web browser. The controls aren't perfect, but I figure you could manage your way around an on-screen keyboard using the Squircle.

[Mark @ Dec 15th 2007 1:50PM]

Make it available in Canada.

[Chris C. @ Dec 15th 2007 2:12PM]

Syncing.... over the internet....

What... do you expect the data on your computer to suddently change when you're not at home that would REQUIRE you to sync over the Internet? :)

[NickS @ Dec 15th 2007 2:26PM]

Maybe the guy that wants to sync over the internet has more than 8 GB of content and wants to change content when he is out of town?

[Crono (NDF - Knight of the Old School) @ Dec 20th 2007 3:10PM]

how about remotely picking what you want to sync, instead of being tied to the computer anyway.

And native Divx support would be nice.

[nxtiak @ Dec 14th 2007 6:40PM]

Make it shorter and a bit wider so that the Back and Play buttons are on the left/right of the Zune Pad just like the Zune 80gb so it doesn't look like Mickey Mouse

[Andrew Fong @ Dec 14th 2007 6:53PM]

Or taller so you could just put the two buttons above the the pad.

[MacVicta @ Dec 14th 2007 7:20PM]

"Make it shorter and a bit wider..."

What do you mean, like this?

http://www.apple.com/ipodnano

[the_boo @ Dec 14th 2007 7:30PM]

No, not like that, if it looked like that everyone would like just because they were told to, not because it was any good.

[404error @ Dec 14th 2007 8:10PM]

Or everyone would bash it without ever using it or seeing it in person.

[js @ Dec 14th 2007 6:40PM]

Stamp an Apple logo on it.

[Zeus the God @ Dec 14th 2007 6:44PM]

Maybe you should stamp the Apple logo into your forehead.

[Davef01 @ Dec 15th 2007 3:23AM]

phahaha, apple rules the whole digital media revolution and people know that. I will probably never buy nothing but an iPod, BUT apple needs to add some things that people want in their regular iPods like an FM tuner?, maybe some personalization features and such?

If I had to change the zune i would probably make the screen a wide-screen like the ipod nano's because then you don't have to view videos when it's sideways.. and stuff.. im guessing thats how you view videos on this... i mean i dont have an ipod

[Constable Odo @ Dec 14th 2007 8:53PM]

My sweet Jeebus. Stamping an Apple logo on that Zune would be like stamping an Apple logo on a turd. Engraving a picture of an iPod on the back would be as useless as the Zune controls on the front.

How I hate squircles. Thank heavens this is the last of the Zunes. The end of the anti-iPods.

[Bryant @ Dec 14th 2007 9:15PM]

"like stamping an Apple logo on a turd."

Really? I thought they did that all the time.

[Dave @ Dec 14th 2007 10:02PM]

Microsoft is the poster-child of turd products. Everybody knows it. To deny it is just lying to yourself.

[ramune @ Dec 14th 2007 11:59PM]

i wonder how many BJs Jobsy gets a day from apple fanboys. well, i guess then they'd be fanMEN.

[Al @ Dec 14th 2007 6:43PM]

Make it more like the Toshiba T400. I have used both and the T400 felt nicer not to mention had a nicer 2.4in screen.

[nate @ Dec 14th 2007 6:44PM]

I'm getting a red one for christmas (i think)
looking forward to trying it out, but it's too bad I won't be able to chime in here yet. I think microsoft might've done well to drop the price a bit under the ipods. Also, the screen could've actually filled the space available, for a little nicer video viewing.

[Seth @ Dec 14th 2007 11:55PM]

This is what I was thinking. Make the screen go all the way to the top and side edges.

[cmonkey @ Dec 14th 2007 6:44PM]

It pains the geek in me that there is wifi and some pretty capable hardware in it, and yet all you can do is play music and watch videos. At minimum, streaming audio or video over wifi would have been nice.

[Taylor @ Dec 14th 2007 7:11PM]

Yeah, actually, if it could stream to a media center extender (I.E. my xbox 360), i'd probably buy one. Well, assuming they support divx too, i dunno about that. 'Cause then i could carry my movies around with me, and whenever i was at a friend's house with a 360 (or my house), i could wirelessly stream the media, it would be awesome.
-Taylor

[Backlin @ Dec 14th 2007 8:07PM]

And internet radio, can't forget about that.

[Lewislink @ Dec 14th 2007 8:22PM]

Unfortunately streaming such a low resolution file, which looks acceptable on the display of the Zune, would look horrible on a TV or monitor. The screen would be badly pixelated.

If the files were of higher resolutions this would be nice...maybe they are, I don't know. All I know is my video converter for "Zune" selection provides only a 320 x 240 res.

[Tiptup300 @ Dec 14th 2007 9:18PM]

A way to do custom plugins. That would enable ANYTHING! Imagine if M$ used their C# and released a new "CREATE YOUR OWN ZUNE APPS, USE ALL WIFI POSSIBILITIES" campaign. I would be in an orgasmic state.

[cmonkey @ Dec 14th 2007 11:24PM]

I suppose I should have been more precise. By streaming, I meant from the outside world into the Zune. As in, connect to an access point and watch youtube videos or stream internet radio as Backlin suggested. You could even just use it inside your house. Rather than being limited to the 4/8gb on your Zune, you could stream from hundreds of gigs of music stored on PCs.

[fh @ Dec 14th 2007 6:46PM]

scroll wheel, apple logo... heck, make it an ipod then i'll buy one

[ugg.tryptophan @ Dec 14th 2007 11:38PM]

iTunes=DRM=heck no!!! i'll stick with my zune

[Lewislink @ Dec 14th 2007 8:34PM]

The Zune, at least my 80GB one, is actually much better and simpler than the iPod counterpart. The Desktop software is amazing for its simplicity and convenience...that is, once a person gets used to it. They will find it much better than iTunes, I do and I've only ever known iTunes for media management. The Zunes are definitely pleasing, they grow on you. :)

[Penguin Warlord @ Dec 14th 2007 9:40PM]

I definately have to agree with it being simpler and better. My only quams are with the software since I have been having problems with it adding random music from another computer on the network (I don't want it to) and for some reason it misses adding a couple songs every once and a while and there's no way to manually add. Final problem

ID3 EDITOR!.

[Yours Smugly @ Dec 15th 2007 2:02AM]

Oh yeah, Zune Marketplace doesn't use DRM. And iTunes doesn't sell DRM-free music at all. By all means, please do continue spreading untrue statements.

[Lewislink @ Dec 15th 2007 8:54AM]

I know what you mean about missing some songs, I had the same thing quite often till I finally discovered what was causing it. The missing songs are listed in the desktop part of Zune but those particular songs aren't in the source folder on the computer. Zune will automatically look for files where it is assigned to look for them. I deleted those missing songs from Zune and also assigned my desired folders for Zune to look in for files. It's very easy once a person figures it out. That's what I meant about getting used to the software.

[Z Monster @ Dec 14th 2007 6:46PM]

Bluetooth 2.0

But real Bluetooth with A2DP, OBEX and more.
Not that lame "bluetooth 2.0" from the iPhone

[Jack Storm @ Dec 15th 2007 12:33AM]

Thats ALL i would want :-)

[Ray J @ Dec 17th 2007 3:37AM]

Great idea, I'm willing to bet Apple will release an iPod with bluetooth stereo the right way long before MS even thinks about googling A2DP to find out what it means.

[Z Monster @ Mar 8th 2008 8:13AM]

microsoft is familiar with bluetooth A2DP since they have supported it in Windows Mobile Devices since early 2007

[Greg @ Dec 14th 2007 6:50PM]

i would make it not suck.

[bufsabre @ Dec 14th 2007 7:13PM]

very descriptive, microsoft needs your input at their product quality meetsing

[jamma @ Dec 15th 2007 1:18PM]

I would make your comments not suck

[mr mario @ Dec 15th 2007 5:48PM]

lol
i got a good chuckle out of this comment
not being sarcastic either


ps i love my brown zune30

[inyoface @ Dec 16th 2007 4:25PM]

Like your face!(it sucks)

[mushrooshi @ Dec 14th 2007 6:54PM]

To all the people to way "Make it an iPod".

You all are being total idiots and disgraces to our cult err I mean Apple Fanaticism.

No, really, in all seriousness, I am an Apple fanboy, but I don't go around saying the Zune sucks unless it does. I sayt he zone 30 sucked, but in my opinion the ZUne 80 and the flash zunes are sitll flippin sweet!

However, having no experience with the new zune, I can't really give much improvement tips.

However, I do think making it look less Generic-PMP and more Professional Company like would be greay. I also say make it look like a hybrid of the Zune 30 and the current ones. I liked the way the front of the zune looked like, I don't like the squarish motif though.