Zune HD coming September 15th, says leaked display stand
By Ross Miller 
posted August 11th 2009 10:09PM
posted August 11th 2009 10:09PM
Update: If you needed any more reason to take September 15th off from work, Buy.com has a Zune HD countdown leading to that very day. Huzzah! Thanks, Stephen!
If i didnt have an iphone i would get this in a heart beat. It looks amazing. Should give the iPod Touch a run for its money.
I recommend still getting it for the SQ, screen, and battery life (and games?). Don't sell yourself short, the ZuneHD is cheaper than an equivalent ipod and far nicer from what we have seen so far, so take the plunge and let me know if I should get it :D lol
My big question is, will it go well with my modded igrados (and the other grado phones I plan to buy...)? The SQ has to be stellar to beat samsung/cowon, but I am very hopeful.
I would get it if I had some crappy flip phone but i having perfectly fine music player on my iPhone. No need to spend extra money on the same thing.
Well, I do have a "crappy flip phone" and I need more capacity than my 8gb samsung p2 offers so it the ZuneHD is looking quite nice. I am tired of working with products that are just 'okay' because the companies don't have the development funds that microsoft does . Like I said, give me good sound quality and I will buy it. And if winmo apps work and they throw in some awesome secret feature on the public announcement day (such as a GPS) it will be icing on the proverbial cake.
How much do you think it would cost to add Bluetooth, an internal speaker, 27840 pixels, and Nike+ compatibility? (all things the iPod touch and iPhone have)
Don't be fooled, this isn't even in the same league as the iPhone/iPod touch, and it isn't even out yet. Why don't we give the folks in Cupertino a chance to intro their fall lineup before calling a winner, eh folks?
Oh yeah, because we all use Nike +, right?
LOL.
Will stick-on tattoos be included?
No, this is a lame argument. Assuming this thing plays mkv, mov, & avi, you know the formats the iPhone doesn't support, this would be quite the capable portable video player. I have component cables for my iPhone and I can only use it for SD YouTube and iTunes downloads. iPhone for audio, Zune HD for video. Thats how I plan to use them.
I don't feel like signing my music collection for life over to apple. Sorry. I like their computers but their DAP's are just unbearable. Like I said, I HAVE TO HAVE GOOD SOUND QUALITY. The ipod touch doesn't cut it, never has, never will (pending a revolt among consumers). Plus, I don't use nike+, Bluetooth sound quality is not up to par and the internal speaker is a joke( I can't hear anything coming from it except in a VERY quiet room). Believe me, I have done my research and know what I need and I happen to think the ZuneHD will meet my needs. However, the ipod might very well meet your needs so have at it, it is just not for me.
@iPoop
i didn't know the shuffle used apps. that is revolutionary especially since its pixeless.
Why do everyone want a gadget that does everything poorly and all those features eat up the battery life. Why not have items that actually do a job well. Why does an mp3 player need to have a browser and make phone calls. Thats the problem I have with the iphone is it doesn't do all things well. I never understood why people wanted cameras on the mp3 player either. Why not have something that just plays music well....
iPhone 3GS speaker is way louder then 2G and 3G phones. you can actually hear it in a noisy room.
@ipoop.
is the zunehd a phone? no.
stop comparing this to the iphone, your making yourself look like an idiot.
@josh
A downfall in the popularity of cargo shorts?
@sacapuntas
Three of my family members and I have 2nd gen iPod touches or iPhone 3GSes (I hate that name so much :/ ) that we use for Nike+, and I have a $100 Bluetooth speaker from iHome that works with both my cell and iPod touch simultaneously (if I get/make a call, it pauses and restarts the music automatically on my iPod) and it sounds great. The internal speaker is actually louder than the first iPhone's, and it is higher quality (you couldn't reach into the dog whistle/mosquito noise spectrum on the first iPhone, and you can on the current iPhone and touch), I've actually owned both devices, and done side-by-side comparisons on multiple occasions.
Lastly, the browser is unmatched, and those extra 58 pixels in screen width that the iPod touch and iPhone has on the Zune is a huge dealbreaker if you plan on using it for anything but music (like the tens of thousands of apps on the app store).
I wouldn't go so far as to say the current iPod touch will meet everyone's needs best, but you are all judging the HD against your imaginary specs for the 3rd gen touch. It's completely uninformed speculation on one unannounced product amplified by your own anti-Apple bias vs. the media whore that is the Zune HD. Can nobody see anything wrong with that?
This will compete with the 3rd gen iPod Touch, which adds internal microphone, camera. ZuneHD will have no WinMo app support. Apps will be written similar to Xbox360 XNA apps and require some kind of membership (like XNA). The advantage of ZuneHD is the well established DirectX and nvidia graphic chipset which game developers know well. Due to legacy support, ipod/iphone dev's won't support OpenGL ES 2.0, so the games available on ZuneHD should be night and day difference compared to iPod.
I think Microsoft will need to rely on xbox360 and Media center integration to move potential ipod upgraders to it's platform. The lack of video recording/microphone and a PDA grade OS will give Apple a big advantage in certain apps. On the other side, Zune has xbox360/MCE integration, better games, and better form factor/UI. This is the first credible threat to the Touch since it's release. It should be exciting!
@ipoop: Actually the MS employee from the video engadget posted today confirmed that there will be games and apps, but they aren't announcing how it'll work yet. So I guess that means WIN?
@ mmmmmh.... Dohnuts.
The ZuneHd has less pixels width because it has a smaller screen, but the screen is widescreen unlike the itouch. The web browser appears to be awesome on the ZuneHD as well, it looks very similar to the webkit version of safari on the ipod touch. I am not assuming anything except that apple will continue with their closed market/system and bad codec support and sound quality ( I meant through headphones more than the speaker). See you are locked into the apple system and you can't get out without a ton of hassle, for me it is the opposite. I will go and compare the new itouch and the ZuneHD side by side when they come out, and review them honestly and fairly. Does that make you feel better?
@sacapuntas
Yeppers. And for the record, I'm with you in thinking that the sound quality will be the same. Now if only the rest of the people here were as level-headed as you... Seems like they hate on people for even owning Apple products these days ;.;
The biggest reason for me to get it is the portability of HD movies. Right now whenever i want to go to a friends or relitives house and watch a movie (considering most people have decent HD displays now) i have to burn an ISO of the movie and play it in their DVD player, this not only wastes a DVD but i also have to bring down the resolution to 480p to fit it on a single layer DVD and make it compatible with most DVD players. With the ZuneHD i can multiple 720p videos (about 5 or 6 on a 32GB) and just plug it in with an HDMI cable and its good to go. Id prefer having a bigger side either 64 or 128GB and fit all my music along with it so i dont have to worry about not having all my music while working out or jogging but 32GB is a good start. Or even updating a Zune120 to have a tegra processor and be able to run HD video because I almost prefer having buttons to a touch screen but thats just me. I would also like them to better integrate the zune software with windows media center like they have done with the xbox 360 so i can stream off my PC and maybe even sync over wifi.
@James
You're a donkey. Just do what I did get a 16GB flash drive and save movies there and play them over at a friends house via USB on their Xbox 360/Playstation 3/HDTV w/ built in USB (many samsungs include this)/Blu-ray player/DVD Player or connect their computer to their HDTV via a VGA cable (allowing you 1080i and even 1080p depending).
If your friends have none of the above then I think it's time for new friends. Go on a man-date.
I have a zune 30 and it's great. I think anyone who has ever owned a zune will agree that it is superior the its ipod competitor. If the iFanphux's only argument is that the ipod is more popular, you can keep your popular device. Honestly, I wouldn't want A-holes of your type enjoying the great device that is the zune. I'll stick with quality over quantity any day.
@Ricko
Well i mostly bring movies to my girlfriends and she doesnt have an xbox or anything other than an old dvd player and HD comcast cable box/dvr hooked up to her 36 inch samsung lcd and her laptop overheats as it is so hooking that up to the tv isnt really in the picture. And it would just be overall more convenient to just bring over a zune in my pocket and be able to plug in 1 cable and be good to go.
Well plug in one cable to the tv and be good to go to plug in something else.
Microsoft please give away a year of Xbox live Gold with each Zune and they will sell like hot cakes.
@James
It's not quite as easy as plugging in an HDMI cable; you need to plug it into the dock in order to view 720p movies.
I assume this is due to a technical limitation.
@kazbaeden
That "technical limitation" is that the Zune does not have a HDMI port built in so it uses the dock to provide that. I imagine the accessory market will quickly have a HDMI cable that snaps directly into the Zune (just like the charging cable does) and/or a Zune to HDMI adaptor (similar to the DVI to HDMI adaptors you can pick up on MonoPrice for $3). The dock will not be the only way to get HDMI out, I guaranty it.
It looks good, but am gonna hold off buying this of a few months to see if it has any down sides. :)
@ishism
What about the argument that it has more features? I hate to be the guy who always stands up for what other people despise, but you don't seem to be considering all the factors involved in the choice of a product, and instead are focusing on hating things that you feel are popular or common.
If you're choosing to be a minority to try and prove that you are different than the iPod users then fine, but don't be a such jerk about it :/.
i was excited for the 8th. I can wait a week longer though. Fine by me.
Tell me when and where and I will see you all there...
Damn...a Tuesday. Guess I'll have to miss some school to pick one of these babies up.
Who needs the first week of classes anyway? :p
Fuck school, were talking about a zune hd here
@Ellianth
lucky bastard i started school this week x.x
Just wake up early and hope walmart has them out already lol.
Scribblenauts & ZuneHD? that will be a good day!!!
Ohhh yeah, count me in.
Going to check out the store tomorrow to see if they have the packaging for reserve.
Hey.. if they were wrong about the date, they could be wrong about the price.... $200 32g Zune HD's for everyone!!!
my 290 is ready
I thought the prices were $220/290 not $220/280. I thought you just copied Gizmodo's post, but you have a post from yesterday that states that it was shown at $220 for the 16GB and $290 for the 32GB.. Were messy today with are posts, arn't we Engadget? :P
Your messy with your posts, arn't ya Engadget? That's how the sentence should look like, since I don't help post anything.
Insider tips maybe? ;O
@ holy_moly: I think you meant "You're messy with your posts..."
As in the contraction of "You are messy...", since you're brave enough to self-correct, I thought I'd share. :)
I think he meant to say "we're messy with out pants." I don't think I want to go any further than that. Might be giz in my pants thing ...
wow.. cutest zune I've seen.
iPod touch is shit compared to this OLED beaut.
Oh man oh man oh man.
I'M EXCITED!
I guess this is where my paycheck from the last month of my summer job is going!
I'm tempted to pre-order, but I may wait for a review from you cool cats.
man... i really want one, but i hate carrying a phone AND a Zune HD... make it a phone please!!!!
I am about 99.999% sure that if the Zune HD sells even close to as well as the iPod Touch does that the Zune phone shall cometh...
Or maybe that should be Zune phones in the plural...
In that case, it's a pity that they chose to start off this product line at such a low resolution. Upscaling is such a hassle.