Author Topic: What do people think of the Microsoft Zune? (Read 4001 times)

MurasakiNeko · « **on:** September 16, 2006, 12:31:20 AM »

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Finally! Months after the rumor mill and FCC-website fanatics first spotted the Zune, Microsoft today lifted most of the not-so-secret lid on its upcoming 30GB player. WiFi-enabled and sporting a 3-inch QVGA display that can switch between landscape and portrait modes, the Zune also has an FM tuner with RBDS (station and song information will show up on the screen) and will be available during the holiday season in black, white, and (heinous) brown. Still not a peep about pricing, though you can be sure that it'll be tagged to compete with its adversary, who just got marked down to $249.

More stuff including video of the interface below...

The WiFi connection is what sets the Zune apart from the rest, moving your portable media experiences in a new direction with features like “Zune-to-Zune” sharing. This allows you to share songs, photos, and video with friends via WiFi. The details on this are sparse, only mentioning that you can listen to the track three times within three days before it becomes unplayable. Tracks can then be purchased at the Zune Marketplace by single-track download or an unlimited Zune Pass subscription. What the deal is with photos and video is still unknown.

The supported audio and video codecs are also up in the air. We can assume that the player will play MP3, WMA, and WMV based on the previous versions of Portable Media Center (PMC) seen on the Toshiba Gigabeat S series. However, that may be it since the press release mentions that users “can import audio files in unprotected WMA, MP3, AAC; photos in JPEG; and videos in WMV, MPEG-4, H.264 [QuickTime].” Import is the keyword, leading us to believe that not all of these are necessarily natively supported. On the plus side, the press release mentions that the player will notify you when there are updates that could possibly add new and unsupported codecs.

Below are a few videos of the Zune interface. It appears to be a version of PMC as seen recently on the Gigabeat S series. Based on first-hand experience with PMC, the Zune will have one of the slickest, easiest to use interfaces of any MP3 player. Go ahead, quote me on that. Here… I will put it in quotes for ya...

http://www.youtube.com/v/zMmD6a8N8Q4
http://www.youtube.com/v/jpHzQYKDlWU

source: www.AnythingbutiPod.com

Would anybody consider buying one?

discuss.

thatguy · « **Reply #1 on:** September 16, 2006, 12:37:35 AM »

niche product. microsoft is pushing more the technological envelope than the social envelope. compare microsoft and apple ads: it's significantly easier for people to buy into ipod because they keep their marketing so much simpler. microsoft is throwing too many acronyms around for people to care.

wifi is a nice idea for portable media, but it's going to take a better marketing team to make it happen. before the ipod video, no one needed to be able to watch videos on their pmp/pmc. there certainly were already ways to do this (either hacking older ipods or buying other pmps), but the way apple added music videos and tv shows to itunes, it became successful.

zune gives people the ability to share. but microsoft isn't doing anything about what they're going to share. so in my opinion, it's going to be largely under-utilized, unless microsoft learns to take advantage of how apple's been marketing the ipod for years.

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #2 on:** September 16, 2006, 07:54:38 AM »

At least thisone has a screen size big enough where you can actually SEE something (eventhough the screen resolution is currently the same like the iPod: 320x240)

I'll keep using my HPx4700 with 4" screen and 640x480 resolution for now.
Hardware H264 is good though (not sure it has it but read soemwhere else it might), and wireless playback might also be a good feature (saves on storage/recompress on the player itself), but I don't think you can use it for a wireless headphone unless they actually do streaming (will take a lot more power then).

JFC · « **Reply #3 on:** September 16, 2006, 08:09:31 PM »

If it means I don't have to get iTunes on my comp, I'll consider it.

ToasterKing · « **Reply #4 on:** September 19, 2006, 10:22:37 PM »

Doesn't look all too special to me, just a late iPod

trickraca · « **Reply #5 on:** January 10, 2007, 12:59:00 AM »

the screen quality is amazing...i personally dont like the 3 play for 3 day gig but theres ways around that...along with the copyright issue with mp3's... all i had to use was the zune software and it worked surprisingly well....and fast.

Mikitty-saikou · « **Reply #6 on:** January 10, 2007, 01:35:39 AM »

Wellllll....... I happen to like it. (Well, that's because I got mines for FREE!

).

^Trickraca; There is a way to break that you know.

Not sure if I can tell you how here, but if you want to know, PM me.

Overall, It's a great player. Video screen and video playback is incredibly crisp! Sound quality is just like the iPod. And the likes.. Radio is great - Even tells you what's playing and the title of radio shows most of the time.

Ahh.. The only thing I don't like about the zune is the 4-way click wheel thing. If you have a long list of artists (like me) - You end up holding down a button for what seems like foreverrrr.. :X But yep. That's about it.

StreakInTheSky · « **Reply #7 on:** January 11, 2007, 01:41:14 AM »

I used one for a bit and I quite like it more than the ipod, but yeah what thatguy said, the marketing for it sucks balls and I doubt it will really catch on.

frblckstr1 · « **Reply #8 on:** January 11, 2007, 07:01:34 AM »

It seems to be able to do games now also...

mysterio · « **Reply #9 on:** January 11, 2007, 07:08:21 AM »

I will hold my judgement on it until I get a hands on. It's been slow in reaching my country.

Peacimowen · « **Reply #10 on:** January 11, 2007, 01:16:17 PM »

Never going to touch one.

THUNDERDUCK · « **Reply #11 on:** January 11, 2007, 11:44:33 PM »

Zune is to be compatible with XBOX 360, so I'll go toward that.

Yuna · « **Reply #12 on:** January 18, 2007, 05:06:38 PM »

I just bought an ipod, my friend is bringing one from USA for me, it arrives 20th this month, so no Zune for me, at least until my iPod becames obsolete or breakes.

browngom · « **Reply #13 on:** January 20, 2007, 09:37:36 AM »

i dont like the way it looks. . . kinda plain dont you think? the bigger screen is a plus over the ipod video for sure. haha, actually i was considering a ZUNE when my audio port broke, but my IPOD was still under the 1 year warranty. =)