Zune updates, more than just capacity?

For those of you concerned that Microsoft's seemingly imminent updates to the Zune will be limited to some glossy plastic and capacity bumps, lean in, we've got good news. Matt Rosoff over at cnet news offers this tease:

"I can't say much, but I've seen what Microsoft's planning, and befitting its status as a software plus services company, the real advances aren't going to be in the Zune hardware, but in the Zune software and associated services."

Sooner, rather than later though Microsoft, your target isn't standing still.

[notjoel @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:10AM]

how long until we hear something to/about Zune guy?

[TavisJohn @ Sep 2nd 2008 11:58AM]

He is no longer a Zune guy, he pitched a hissy when the last update did not allow him to connect his ZUNE to his Xbox360 just the way he wanted to, and he thinks that MS renigged on a free trip to redmand.
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/23/zune-guy-fed-up-with-zune-seeks-to-cover-up-tattoos/
http://www.engadget.com/2008/07/26/zune-guy-calls-microsoft-liars-says-zune-situation-is-f-in/
So as you can see he got his panties in a twist, because a free ZUNE and other swag was not enough.
And it appears that Apple has not done anything special for the ex-Zune lover.

[ybd @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:11AM]

PR disguised as a news report? In MY Engadget?

[Rae Whitlock @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:40AM]

It's more likely than you think.

[allen @ Sep 2nd 2008 12:06PM]

lol This is a blog about gadgets that you can buy from large corporations and you're complaining about PR being disguised as "news"?

[Kris @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:14AM]

Meh i was excited when hearing about the first gen zune...... then it came out..... now i just dont care. Im still waiting for a player that makes me rly want it... the iriver spinn is closest right now i might get that when it comes to US

[gad get @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:26AM]

Try Samsung P2.

[Homeboy @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:15AM]

Please let the enhancements be Dvix support, a clock/calendar, RSS reader, txt reader and other goodies. Hopefully some of it will be free since I don't feel like forking up extra dough for "associated services".

[iEye @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:15AM]

I played with a Zune for about 25 seconds... liked the screen effects... but other than that this thing is fail, software and a services will not help in any way... and games? forget games...

but I guess in the end if people have Jobs "no pun intended", and the company only makes a shiny new penny when the Zune plays the song of a sinking ship, thats the only thing that matters...

[Jonathan @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:44AM]

Well said. I think the divx support would be key. I impressed a bunch of people this weekend with the large screen videos on my zune. Luckily I didn't have to explain what a pain in the ass it was to get the videos on there.

[Higgy @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:06AM]

I can't remember when MS has charged for an update. Apple on the other hand......

[Kris @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:52AM]

How about getting rid of the goody "Like" "Don't Like" ratings? It goes against the Vista way of rating files and seriously, who puts music on their portable music player they don't like?

How about improving their smart playlists? They are only smart on the desktop. If you create a playlist of recent music and you decide to add music to your player from another machine (or from the same machine) and the playlist isn't synced up, it won't show up.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Zune (I own 5; don't ask why) but their software still leaves quite a bit to be desired especially when one part of Microsoft (Zune Team) goes a different direction than an already established idea (Vista). This reminds me of the WHS team decided to write their own copy sharing routines rather than using the well established ones used in Windows. We know how that turned out (corruption bugs!)

[Kris @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:53AM]

How about getting rid of the goody "Like" "Don't Like" ratings? It goes against the Vista way of rating files and seriously, who puts music on their portable music player they don't like?

How about improving their smart playlists? They are only smart on the desktop. If you create a playlist of recent music and you decide to add music to your player from another machine (or from the same machine) and the playlist isn't synced up, it won't show up.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Zune (I own 5; don't ask why) but their software still leaves quite a bit to be desired especially when one part of Microsoft (Zune Team) goes a different direction than an already established idea (Vista). This reminds me of the WHS team decided to write their own copy sharing routines rather than using the well established ones used in Windows. We know how that turned out (corruption bugs!)

[Kris @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:54AM]

How about getting rid of the goody "Like" "Don't Like" ratings? It goes against the Vista way of rating files and seriously, who puts music on their portable music player they don't like?

How about improving their smart playlists? They are only smart on the desktop. If you create a playlist of recent music and you decide to add music to your player from another machine (or from the same machine) and the playlist isn't synced up, it won't show up.

Don't get me wrong, I like the Zune (I own 5; don't ask why) but their software still leaves quite a bit to be desired especially when one part of Microsoft (Zune Team) goes a different direction than an already established idea (Vista). This reminds me of the WHS team decided to write their own copy sharing routines rather than using the well established ones used in Windows. We know how that turned out (corruption bugs!)

[Kris @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:55AM]

I like how I keep replying to Homeboy, but it keeps showing up under iEye above other replies.

Engadget's comment system sucks

[Mark @ Sep 2nd 2008 1:47PM]

it already has a clock, calendar, and text reader along with various games, a calculator, etc, etc, etc. Just go to zuneboards.com and look under download games(other sites have similar stuff too, that's just the one I go to)

[Mark @ Sep 2nd 2008 1:52PM]

it already has a lot of that(clock, calendar, text reader) and a lot of other stuff like games and calculators...

[Ike Turner @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:18AM]

Shame on you for putting a picture of yourself in your avatar. Ugly sucker!

[Erwos @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:27AM]

Well, you know what? I own one, and totally disagree. It has its share of flaws, but it's a perfectly fine portable AV player.

[TheGringo @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:37AM]

@Erwos:

You've hit the nail right on the head!

[Kris @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:53AM]

Ugh, I replied to Homeboy! Dammit Engadget!

[Mark @ Sep 2nd 2008 1:57PM]

arg!!! die engadget, die!

[PynkFloydd @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:55PM]

I played with a Mac for about 25 seconds... liked the screen effects... but other than that this thing is fail, software and a services will not help in any way... and games? forget games...

but I guess in the end if people have Gates "no pun intended", and the company only makes a shiny new penny when the Mac plays the song of a sinking ship, thats the only thing that matters...

See what I did there? Wanna do some more useless "Madlibs - Fanboy Edition"?

[Eric M. @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:04PM]

@PynkFloydd

Haha, I see what you did there! Thanks for the laugh, lol.

[PynkFloydd @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:31AM]

@Eric M.:

No problem! What people forget is that using a PC is really a lifestyle choice. ...like being American. So, when they attack people using PC's...they're really attacking Americans. It's a little like being a terrorist. Yup. ...like being a terrorist.

[MrGutts @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:15AM]

Zune guy will tattoo his arse this time..

We need a software update for the zune...

[gad get @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:25AM]

"Your target isn't standing still."

No, just taking backwards steps. I cannot believe the horrible new Nano design. Glad I haven't committed myself to the iPod/iTunes universe, because Apple just seems to be getting further and further behind the competition (if you can call it competition, as it unfortunately remains a virtual Apple monopoly) in features, quality, and price.

iPod sound quality: poor
iPod battery life: mediocre
iPod format support: limited
iPod build quality: unreliable
iPod ease of use: good
iTunes software: only good insofar as it provides access to the iTunes store
iTunes store: good
iPod interface: sweet
iPod physical design: as of the 4G Nano, really bad!

[Serial 8-Ball Mouse @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:30AM]

"iPod build quality: unreliable"

What, exploding isn't a desirable quality in an MP3 player?

[Eric H @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:30AM]

I agree about the nano, I thought the mini ipod classic look was pretty cool, I even considered getting one, but the new one not so much.

[Bobjim @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:36AM]

Just out of curiosity, if you haven't "committed [your]self to the iPod/iTunes universe", what makes you qualified to make those comments?

[dennis @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:47AM]

I disagree about sound quality being low, at least on the iPhone 3G. I'm an audio quality elitist. After the iPod 2G, I went with 3 consecutive Cowon players and the iPod Shuffle 1G, all of which had outstanding sound quality. I don't know how the other iPods are holding up, but the iPhone 3G's headphone jack provides excellent sound quality.

[Nytrojen @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:09AM]

What exactly do you mean by "i'm and audio quality elitist"? Is it just your pathetic way of lending more gravita to your (unsupported) claims, and that you believe that you're better than everyone here who believes that iPod sound quality is poor? Now I for one couldn't care less if that's just your opinion, everyone's entitled to their own, and I personally don't see a problem with my iPod sound quality.

Next time you bring your "i'm an elitist" BS to the table though, I'll unleash the cyber-hounds with bees in their mouths, so that when they bark they shoot bees at you.

[dennis @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:28AM]

@Nytrojen: That's funny (actually -- I liked your use of the term "gravitas")...but you clearly don't know what I'm talking about. Everyone who cares about sound quality on DAPs knew that the older iPods were crap for audio quality, that Cowon players were among the best and consistently provided FLAC and ogg support, and that the iPod Shuffle 1st gen. had the best headphone jack of all the iPods at the time of its release. If you require high quality audio for whatever reason, you encode your files at some high bitrate, blow hundreds of dollars on headphones every few years, and you never use DAPs that have crap sound quality, because you would rather pull out your own fingernails while humming along. If you don't do those things, that's fine, more power to you.

[kccboy2004 @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:41AM]

Blasphemy !!!! Burn Heathen

[PynkFloydd @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:50PM]

@Dennis:

If you really were an audio quality elitist then, you'd know that no MP3 player on the market has sufficient DAC's or power/power filtering to provide truly high quality sound. On the run, I use an MP3 player to carry all of my music with me from point A to point B. At home, I use my Cary SLA-70MKII tube amp, Kimber Kable, Audio Physic Steps SLE.

Anything above 192kbps is really hard to tell the difference on an MP3 player. Actually, I'm pretty sure that the circuits MP3 players can't output anything over 256kbps (I could be wrong though). It's not that there's a ton background noise or anything poor quality about it. An MP3 player just can't get a strong enough, pure signal to power an exact replica of the original recording. This is really important in a near-field listening arrangement. Most headphones use tricks like sound isolation, etc. to try and get a better sound. It's like comparing a laptop to a hardcore gaming desktop.

The Zune 80gb does sound better than the iPods that I've owned though...

[dennis @ Sep 2nd 2008 5:42PM]

@PynkFloydd: You'll get no argument from me. You're a step higher than I am. I usually encode mp3s at around 256 - 320 kbps and use Etymotic ER4-p's on the road, or Grado SR-60s at home. I know the IEMs aren't accurate, but they do give good sound and block out other noise. I just asked the guy at the local audiophile store about headphone amps, he recommended the Grado RA-1. But I've been holding off on getting into the next level of equipment, because I'll just get sucked right along, probably.

[gad get @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:06PM]

@ Bobjim

Having two brothers with iPods, and having iTunes installed on my computer.

[gad get @ Sep 2nd 2008 9:14PM]

@ Bobjim

Oh, and having done my research, reading lots of reviews and the like. :p

[PynkFloydd @ Sep 3rd 2008 11:24AM]

@Dennis:

You should check out Audiogon. I actually got my setup for dirt cheap on eBay. Most audiophile types give the white glove treatment to their stuff. The used VTL, VAC, Dk Design, Cary stuff is all awesome. They all make great integrated amps. The nice thing about an integrated amp is that you could always connect some speakers down the line. I run a Yamaha receiver between my tube amp and PC and it sounds just as good as my Pioneer Elite DVD player. You can bypass the DSP's in most decent receivers and with a lossless format, it sounds dead on!

If you're in the market for a MP3 player. You should give the new Zunes a fair try though (unless you're running Mac's OSX or Linux). I think that they're more catered to audiophile types. One of the nicest features that is included in the software is that you can encode your music in Lossless format (or whatever else that you choose) and it'll convert your music down to 256kps when it loads on the Zune. So, you've got the high quality stuff on your computer for home use because you've got a ton of space. ...but, the Zune maximizes space and only contains what it can benefit most from.

If you're on a PC, if you right click on the speaker (in the lower right) for Sound Properties, go to Playback Devices...you'll actually notice a difference when you max the format to the highest quality "studio" setting. The default is a much lower CD quality; it resets to default everytime you upgrade the driver. When you boost it, you'll notice your sound stage focus a lot more and instrument reproduction be a LOT more accurate.

Anyway...hope that helps!

[Jon @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:29AM]

Can you say....Zune Store.

I can see it now. A really novel idea. An online application store where you can purchase/download for free apps for the Zune.

What do you think? Think it will fly?

[Cody @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:33AM]

Or they could integrate XNA Games with the Zune Marketplace.

[wetworker @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:54AM]

You mean like this.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsmobile/catalog/cataloghome.aspx

[DeoWulf @ Sep 2nd 2008 3:43PM]

Indeed, Cody, I'm thinking they'll finally integrate XNA games with the Zune marketplace and hopefully make it so you don't have to shutdown the device after every game. Maybe they'll also integrate that smart shuffle idea I remember reading about...

[TheGringo @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:31AM]

UK SUPPORT WOULD BE NICE!!!

But in terms of the software itself, 'proper' game support where the machine doesn't reset itself when you exit an app will hopefully be in the next release. Less resource hungry desktop software would be nice too but that's more of a dream...

[Christian Walters @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:07AM]

God do I feel you on the system resources thing my man, 170+/- of RAM for a damn sync software is WAY to much, I mean what does Microsoft thing it is, Firefox 2 or something!

[Jason @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:40AM]

Zune games with achievements that link to my XBL account would get me to buy one.

[inteller @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:43AM]

if Zune 3.0 doesn't have Unicode support I know one unit that is going in the trash.

[bigl523 @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:00AM]

AMEN.

[Christian Walters @ Sep 2nd 2008 10:09AM]

Shoot, I can DEFINATELY take that Zune off you hands mate!

[Stupidiot @ Sep 2nd 2008 8:47AM]

My main annoyance with the Zune is that it isn't recognised by WMP or by explorer, something which I really miss from my Zen.
My other complaints include poor battery life and difficult navigation under direct sunlight.