Zune HD getting previewed at select Best Buys this weekend
By Paul Miller 
posted Aug 21st 2009 12:28PM
posted Aug 21st 2009 12:28PM
[Thanks to everyone who sent this in. Warning: PDF link]
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no cleveland?
Sorry, I had to do it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZzgAjjuqZM
OMG that is the funniest thing ive seen online in a long time.
TY Field +1
Can't wait to see it at other locations. Nvidia is really hyped about this all.
Man, that thing is go sexy, way to go Microsoft, you really have made a winner here. I can't wait to sell my iPod Touch to get one of these.
Can't wait to give away my old Zune 80, everyone laughed me out the door when I wanted to sell it to them :(, to get this or possibly the new Touch.
The TV connectivity is beastly.
I'll take it!
I sold my iPod Touch last week and pre-ordered this.
Does anyone know if the zuneHD is gonna have that nifty feature like the ipod touch where you can control your computers music like a remote?
Field -
Yep, only if you use Zune music software.
Hopefully I can get it in China ASAP.
china will get the "Zone HD", would match your blockberrys (ies?) fairly well
...not to mention the nokLa and HTG
Is this thing coming to the UK yet?
Until then: What's a zune?
@fanman
i think they announced that it's supposed to be coming out in the US, UK, and Australia as definite locations. but you know... they said this about the other zunes too, haha
well im in the US anyways so im fine =D
no really, i was in china and their own people hate fakes, i can't believe but in shanghai i didnt saw any fake phone or fake car. they love audi and nokia and apple and bmw and everything but just original ones. i think they sell the crap ones to the poor people or other countries
I was certain Conetoe (kuh-NEE-tuh) North Carolina was going to have one at the nearby Best Buy. The universe has foiled me, yet again.
Heck, not even Raleigh! Sometimes, the universe foils us all...
An idea: How about you and me carpool down to an Atlanta Best Buy? On the way, we can come up with a plan to incapacitate the Best Buy security dude and make off with the display Zunes.
Unhindered by NDAs, we could then post videos showing things like, oh I don't know, the web browser on a working wifi connection, the OLED screen performance in daylight, and some comparisons with the iTouch screen.
This time, universe, WE will foil YOU.
Looks interesting. Hopefully it does well, as competition is always good. ;)
I wonder if the preview is in major cities since HD radio is more prevalent there?
HD Radio may have played a role, but I'd assume it's in major cities because the most people are there.
it's in plenty of cities, check the list here http://www.hdradio.com/#stationGuideWidgetry
Des Moines has HD radio! Come there Zune!! :-)
Anybody wanna road trip to the Twin Cities?
Thanks for the linky. I had no idea Indianapolis had so many HD radio stations. I just assumed they were on pace with T-Mobile and their 3G rollout here. ;)
Just like Sony, no love for Canada :(
...And I can't wait till you say something that doesn't make you look dumb, or get downranked. Or, when you learn how to spell and use proper grammar.
*sigh* people will eventually learn to not be such huge nerds.
Yay old orchard!
Lucky. I have to stick with the LAME Hancock Center store. Seriously, worst Best Buy EVER.
Yeah I'll be at Old Orchard too.
engadget, you should have a place where people can send their in-store experience with the zuneHD. I think the readers here will be able to test some things that have not yet been demonstrated on the HD. It's just a thought.
there is a place like that. gdgt.com, don't know if i can put websites on here but it was started by engadget and gizmodo guys.
No previews in Nvidia's home city?! Man I live right down the street from nvidia's hq but they're only showing in SF.
I was thinking the same thing. No love for San Jose or the rest of Silicon Valley.
"HOw do I launch the browser like on my iPhone"
You know this has a browser right?
30 mins is too long of a drive. I will wait till it comes out.
Because I'm a huge nerd I drove an hour to Pleasant Hill Best Buy and checked this out. Very baddass little device, surprisingly small and very light once you put it in your hand. Didn't get to listen to HD Radio on it because the antenna is in the headphones but the navigation was FAST and video on device and on 40" HDTV looked excellent
wtf!?!? the dallas area showings don't include dallas itself? that doesn't make any sense at all.
It's the same for the "boston area". Apparently the boston area means anywhere in MA. I'm excited for the zune HD, but not excited enough to drive over half an hour to go see one. There's a Best Buy right in Boston! Why not go there?
Michigan officially sucks...
We are kind of close to Chicago... but yea not the best place for these events.
Tell me about it. We get no love whatsoever from the gadget gods.
I hope they are displaying them in darker rooms as OLED sucks in bright light situations (like direct sunlight), it gets washed out really easily, one of the main reasons Apple decided to stick with the current reflective LCD screens.
Where is this improved battery life they've promised with OLED and Tegra? The specs match the current iPod touch, which is ancient technology.
Can't wait to see all that 720p glory... Oh wait, the iPhone 3GS can already handle 1080p. Apparently Microsoft is always a step behind.
I was wondering the same thing... turns out they were comparing it to netbooks.
NVIDIA Tegra processors feature always-on operation for instant access to the Internet, which compares to that of cell phone-class power management, and up to 5x the battery life of current netbooks—making days of HD mobile Internet experiences a reality.
So, in a cellphone/mid, you get about the same as we already got. "yay"
The zune HD has a smaller battery than in the iTouch and iPhone - so it is using less power, but it has less to use in the first place. I guess that it helps keep costs down and allowed the zune to be smaller/lighter whilst having a good battery life still (would have been nice to have more life though).
OLED I won't argue, matter of taste.
Battery life wise, you'll notice it actually gets 2 1/2 hours better battery life for video(more than 40% better), so you're just plain wrong there
For the claimed 1080p, no, it cant. What it can do is do a very bad job at downconverting 1080p video and play a 420x272 video. The Zune HD can output native 720p smoothly.
"Can't wait to see all that 720p glory... Oh wait, the iPhone 3GS can already handle 1080p. Apparently Microsoft is always a step behind."
Did you actually read that Iphone video article? The Iphone was falling all over itself trying to play 1080P in more then 1 of the tests (720P got the best of it in another). I think the 3GS hardware is nice (I currently have a 3G) but I think you should see the difference in frame rates and overall experience with the Tegra equipped phone before you make the judgment that the Iphone is "One step ahead of Microsoft" in terms of HD playback. Especially since you have all of 0 experience with the Zune HD.
One is a platform with a dedicated hardware setup just for this purpose (including delivery to a monitor/TV via HDMI).
The other is a phone that happens to have a CPU that has just enough juice to muster playback in some instances but is running at full tilt to do so.
I'm not taking anything away from the Iphone, it's pretty cool that it can do this but just because my beater Buick can probably move my race car trailer if I attached it, doesn't mean I should start telling people it's going to out pull their diesel trucks (that come equipped with hardware and engines to tow).
In the mean time you enjoy your "one step ahead" 3GS and the 720P video being played on the 3.5in screen... Although it's really going to suck every time someone calls you and the video dies >_
" hope they are displaying them in darker rooms as OLED sucks in bright light situations (like direct sunlight), it gets washed out really easily, one of the main reasons Apple decided to stick with the current reflective LCD screens."
yeah, and they they told everyone using the 3GS software to keep the units out if the sun or they may overheat.
...so, what was your point again?
(first)
The Zune HD doesn't have an HD screen! What blatent LIES!
(then)
Oh, the iPhone plays 1080 content. It plays HD! HOW AMAZING IT IS.
I feel like saying something mean and negative, but why rub salt in the wounds -- of a stinking, bloated corpse? You will see what I mean come the second week of September.
Hmmm, what could you mean? Oh, I remember now
http://www.engadget.com/2009/08/17/apples-ipod-event-set-for-september-9th-with-nary-a-tablet-in-s/
The 9th is the second week of September
The 15th is the third week of September
a ha..ah hahaha... a hahaha ha ha ha ha.. ah ha. Boy howdy, Ed T, you just go served like cold soup, and returned to the kitchen for your inevitable thow down the sink haha.
It looks wow! I wish it was a phone too. Project Pink...pink me pink....fast!!!!
its a media player not a phone you tard
Emeryville, San Francisco, Pleasant Hill in Norcal.
What's up with that MicroSOFT?
Don't you have the balls to preview down here in San Jose?
Right in the back yard of Apple?
I didn't realize previewing a device in big cities instead of San Jose meant they didn't have balls.
I mean seriously, it's not even in Seattle, where Microsoft is.
as those who can read may notice, Nvidia is doing the demo... Not MS.
I know... They should have...
Oh well I'll be at the Emeryville one probably...
uh yeah, it is in Seattle. I'll be at the Lynnwood Best Buy on Sunday, but its also at Northgate and in Bellvue
I'm gonna attend the burbank one in Chicago :D
My. You can tell by the onslaught of comments on this thread the the ZuneHD is a big deal! Wait. No you can't.
This is the first time I've ever seen Apple fanatics say anything other than "What's a Zune?" and "Does it come in brown?"
To me, that says something.
all the other ZuneHD posts have 200+ comments
expected responses include,"wheres the app store";"why is the apple logo removed on the back" and the best,"microsoft makes this, so wheres the windows?"
mainstream consumers know not of the zune and its trend breaking uniqueness
god! why couldn't they put a phone in this too!>!>!!?! meh... it will probably come out sooner or later...
Okay. This guy is a troll. Can it get any more obvious? Stop getting involved in the same old flamewars. Engadget obviously enjoys the traffic from the same old MS vs Apple BS and won't ban the trolls.
Zune HD will be awesome, but not everyone will like it. Move on, find something less vitriolic to do.
Why is there not a preview at a best buy in albany NY. Its the capital of NY.
Have you been to Albany? That's why.
Trust me, I've lived in Saratoga, Schenectady and Albany... and there's a good reason it's not in Albany.
owow.. look at all the philly options =]
oh shut up
oh...u were being sarcastic
There are 4 Philadelphia options. That's on par with the other metro areas. Luckily one is right by me!
Willow Grove ftw!
Lousy Naperville....always gettting the good stuff
But then again, I'm gonna be at Six Flags all day tomorrow and then helping my friends move on Sunday so I wasn't getting to see it anyway.
Naperville is everything that is wrong with our country, and exemplifies most if not all of the reasons terrorists hate us.
What a shining bastion of rampant excess and consumerism. McMansions and cookie cutter homes as as far as the eye can see.
It's like orange county, but with even LESS character. Yes, it's possible. I've been seen Naperville.
Houston, TX. WOOHOO!
I'll be hitting up the Gunspoint... err... Greenspoint location. Astros game in the evening so Willowbrook is out :)
I'd go to one of these previews but the closest Best Buy, that is actually doing one of these previews, is too far away for me. I guess I'll just have to enjoy the flood of poor quality cell-phone photos and videos of the Zune HD this weekend. :)
4 stores listed for DC, and none of them are actually IN DC.
WTF.
I can't wait... I'll definitely be going tomorrow.
oh yes Miami :D
Yes! its in Minnesota! multiple locations actually, including the MOA! I'm jazzed! Funny thing is a Microsoft store will probably never open at the Mall of America. kinda sucks.
Damn... nearest one is an hour and a half away...
Yes - Best Buy in Pentagun City mall (Arlington VA) is on the list.
SCORE--Best Buy in South Philly Woohoo!
I will have to waddle my way down there to see this.
So want one.
awesome, yeah? and i finally find some fellow philly engadget readers :)
Baugh. They're all out of the way for me in Chicago.
I don't know about other states but the three locations for GA are all at least 1~3 hours away from the city of Atlanta. Why couldn't they choose a location in the big peach as well?
Ridiculous....Saint Louis, MO gets no respect when it comes to stuff like this....I understand that we're not Chicago or NYC, but come on, we're still a big city, and oh yeah, ever heard of the Saint Louis Cardinals?? Um, only the best baseball team in major league history...second to the Yankees of course. Sorry, didn't mean to get this off the Zune HD topic but this is just plain unfair :-(
I hope they have these hooked up to WiFi and have media content on them.
I would expect that to be the case and if not then I'll just load up my phone's wifi tethering and let the Zune have at it :)
Hopefully there's something other than Mos Def on them. I'm sick of seeing him in every single video.
I kinda enjoy reading these flame wars, too. It really provides insight on the flamed side.
i just uprank the best insults
Interesting that they're staying away from Silicon Valley. Wonder why that is? There's no shortage of Best Buy stores here.
Whoever planned this event in DC is either stoopid or lazy. Let's see, for all of DC metro the preview is at two VA stores a couple miles from each other, and two other stores that are closer to Baltimore. Since when is Baltimore in the DC area? Great PR work guys. And people wonder why Apple trounces M$.
luckily my school doesn't start til the 24th. and honest to god, the drive in the LA area is only like 12 miles from me. guess i'm gonna have to do it.
Zune - Phone! ... Zune - Phone! ... Microsoft, you should have went Zune - Phone! Take over the iPhone and do a Zune AppStore. Listen carefully ... Zune - Phone! :)
they'll put it in all the other stores eventually... right?
ipods suck
the end
@brandoshido
"*sigh* people will eventually learn to not be such huge nerds."
Wow, you're being magnanimous. I was thinking 'dicks' was a better word.