But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. —The Ugly Duckling
It’s been a long, brown trip for the Zune: from its early days (mocked and abject) to its awkward years (deemed a dead end and money pit) it’s been embattled and criticized, and rightly so. After all, here was an unpopular company with a frankly ridiculous brand it had pulled out of thin air, attempting to compete with the guys who defined the market. We’ve always been champions of the devices, despite their quirks, and of the service, despite its growing pains — and Microsoft occasionally made it pretty hard for us to stand by our favorite little misfit media player. Well, for once they just made it really easy.
Let’s not beat around the bush, now: this thing is going head-on with the iPod touch, one of the most versatile and well-liked devices on the planet. There are other PMPs, sure, but the caliber of these two devices is well beyond the best offerings from Creative, Samsung, or Sony. To make it easy on the Apple fans who are impatient to comment on this story, let me just state it right now for the record: the Zune HD is not an iPod-killer, but it’s the only player out there that can go up against it and not be annihilated in the process. It’s good enough that everyone owes it to themselves to give it a look — unless you’re afraid of just how good it might be.
Now let’s take a look at this thing. This will be a long review, but at least we aren’t splitting it into multiple pages like half those other sites.
The Hardware
I’d say that at this moment, the Zune HD is the best-looking media player on the market. It beats the iPod touch handily in terms of sheer sexiness, and it appears to hold its own in build quality and materials.
I won’t waste words describing the device; you’ve probably already seen a hundred pictures of it, but just take a second and look at this thing:
Give me a break. They’ve outdone themselves. The slimmer profile means it feels tiny in your hand, and although it’s not much flatter than an iPod or other comparable players, it’s far lighter, at only 2.6 ounces. You wouldn’t think a difference of an ounce and a half would be that noticeable, but it really is. It goes into any pocket like a champ.
Yet it’s extremely solidly constructed; the metal build gives it a solid and sturdy feel, unlike many players and phones (even with metal bits) which seem to just have a shell around them. Torquing it didn’t seem to bother it at all, and a few light bangs on the table (hey, if I didn’t, you would have) suggested I could use it to hammer nails.
The buttons are integrated well with the outer layer, and there are hardly any gaps. I have yet to use it for more than a few days, but it doesn’t feel like anything will be getting loose for quite a while, and the cracks in between the screen and lower section are minuscule and do not seem likely to admit any crumbs or dust of significance.
The one hardware-based complaint I have is the charging cable. The original Zunes had locking plugs, with tiny levers on the side that you squeezed to release the lock. The new one goes in and you have to pull quite hard to get it out; I’m sure the plug is rated for a million of these actions, but it still feels like you’re getting rough with it.
Battery life has been excellent for me: the OLED+SSD combo is rated for 33 hours of music and 8 of video, which after a fair amount of use I can easily believe. Mixed use plus wireless stuff will probably put your average battery life at 13-15 hours by my guess. It’s a squirrelly statistic to nail down, so we’ll keep an eye on customer reviews.
The Screen
Much has been said about the OLED screen already, and much of it is true. It really is an excellent little display, the primary cause of which being the deep blacks possible with a non-backlit screen. Right off the bat, due to the top menu’s minimal design, you see how contrast is markedly improved. It’s difficult to photograph, so just use your imagination on this shot:
The colors are vibrant and motion shows no trace of blur, lag, or ghosting. I didn’t experience what people seemed to preemptively criticize the device for, namely a screen that’s not bright enough. The backlit displays of iPods are certainly brighter, but firstly they’re not so much brighter that they’re usable in broad daylight, only in other marginal circumstances, and secondly the improved contrast of the OLED screen makes up for the lower brightness.
The touchscreen is very good. I would rate it second in class after the touch and iPhone’s, but it doesn’t lose by much. It’s responsive and precise — and that’s all she wrote.
Like every other glossy little device, the screen does get smudged easily, but it was easily cleaned by a microfiber cloth. The brushed metal back and bottom part of the front show no fingerprints at all.
The Sound
The sound is high quality, like the old Zunes, with the added bonus of an equalizer. There are no custom settings, but the usual suspects are there for you to choose from on the fly. The default setting sounds just fine, though. People will argue back and forth about the sound quality of different devices, but honestly there’s almost always going to be more quality variation in the encoding and your headphones than in the device. Do yourself a favor and stay away from the included earbuds.
The Interface
Many of you checked out the video of the interface I put up earlier, but for those of you who skipped it:
The interface in motion says more than I can in words (or at least, it says it more succinctly), but I’ll summarize. It’s gorgeous, and once you get the hang of the few things that aren’t immediately obvious (what does that icon mean, how come there’s no back button on this screen and so on), it really is very intuitive. The iPod touch interface is still functional, but it lacks the style of this one, and the media-specific additions like the quick launch section of the main screen. There’s nothing worse than having to drill down through layers of interface to get to something, and while the Zune UI makes drilling down as painless (and pretty) as possible, it also lets you skip it via the Pins and recent items on the main screen.
Zune’s UI is designed to do two things: first, to direct you as quickly as possible to the content you’re looking for, and then to envelop you in it. Album art or a sort of screen saver monopolize the screen space, which is an unfamiliar thing to me; I don’t tend to look at my MP3 player while I’m listening to it, though I certainly have a good reason to now. I neglected to include the excellent ability to display the artist’s bio, pictures from shows and such, and related artists, to which you can jump directly if you feel like it.
Unfortunately, this leads to some sacrifices in the now-playing screen. The old Zunes had controls always at the ready thanks to their little Zune Pad (RIP), and since that’s obviously no longer an option, I’m surprised that the Zune doesn’t have pause and volume controls at the ready. Having to tap the screen before doing that isn’t exactly a lot of work, but when the most frequently used controls are hidden and more esoteric ones (send to a friend, add to playlist) shown prominently, it can rankle one.
I found the keyboard to be pretty damn good for a first try; typing in “crunchgear” in the video up there was the first time I used it, and I didn’t have a single typo. The narrowness of the display makes for difficult two-fingered typing, but as yet there isn’t much of a need for writing more than a web address or artist name. That will probably change but I think the keyboard is up to the task.
The Browser
While it doesn’t surpass the iPhone and iPod touch’s excellent Safari-based browser, the Zune’s browser is actually very good. It doesn’t support Flash, of course, and being based on IE6 being a version of the IE mobile browser seen in WinMo phones, it does break on more creatively-coded sites, but by and large it rendered things correctly and was reasonably fast. Text is readable at most reasonable zoom levels and scrolling is easy and smooth. The accelerometer response is fantastic; no delay at all when switching from portrait to landscape. (This paragraph updated with better information after speaking to Microsoft people. It’s not based on the desktop IE6)
The Marketplace
The ability to browse the marketplace on the device is fantastic, and they’ve really made it easy to do. You can see it in action towards the end of the video above, so I won’t go into too much detail here. Basically, on the device, the Marketplace is simplified but you still have access to all its music, and searching was fast and accurate. Previewing music was instant, as was buying (none of the delay I have with the Windows client), and the download was fast (about three or four minutes to get a 50-minute album). If you have a Zune pass you can listen to your heart’s delight.
Critics are rightly pointing out that there are hardly any apps available (and those that are there are basic and slow to load), which is indeed a disappointment. There will be more available in time; after all, they’re not just launching a player but a new platform. Still, while it explains the lack of apps, it doesn’t make everything all right. The iPod touch absolutely kills the Zune in this respect, but in a few months you’ll have a lot of serious apps available that will close that gap somewhat: Facebook, YouTube, and so on.
Don’t get me start on the “showing ads before games” thing. That’s garbage and with luck Microsoft will realize it and pull the plug.
The Client
I’ve never really liked fancy media clients, but I do prefer Zune’s over iTunes. I think one of their taglines is “browse your music, not a spreadsheet,” or something, which is applicable if you don’t want to use the clumsy album art views in iTunes or the impractical but pretty Coverflow. Zune does give you more of your music front and center, especially in quickplay mode.
The main part of the client hasn’t changed noticeably since version 3, but they have added an entire new way to browse your music. The quickplay view (as opposed to the collection view) has the bio and pictures of whatever artist you’re listening to displayed attractively, with an ever-changing array of albums behind it. Nice for parties or HTPCs, or just as a break from the busy collection view with all its type.
(click to embiggen)
The Marketplace is as it was, for the most part, and until they get more content in the movies and HDTV sections it’s hard to pass judgment. The iTunes store is better-integrated with iTunes than the Marketplace is with Zune, in my opinion, and honestly looking for music on the device was faster and more pleasant than the desktop client.
The new “Smart DJ” playlist is exactly what it sounds like, basically a Genius clone. Difference here is you start it by just feeding it a track, which it analyzes for genre data, related artists and so on. I’ve never liked these things, but the Smart DJ has one up on Genius in that if you have a Zune Pass it’ll bring in a ton of tracks from the store to augment your own collection. Then of course, you can choose to keep them. If you don’t have a pass, it’ll display the tracks it’s selected but skip them, though you’ll have the option to buy them.
It’s sad as hell that there isn’t an OS X client, but maybe Microsoft figures that Mac users still aren’t a big market, since Apple herds them so effectively into the iTunes ecosystem. Still, I know plenty of people (and commenters) whose only objection to the Zune is the lack of a client for their favored OS. Keep requesting it, and hopefully the port fairy will leave a native client under your pillow.
The Radio
Works fine. HD radio stations are easy to navigate and favorite, and they sound great. You can pause and resume, buy tracks directly if the information is in the broadcast, or just… listen to the radio.
The TV interface
It’s been shown here and there, but here’s a rundown I baked just for you:
I like it a lot. It’s a pain that you have to use a dock all the time, though. I was looking forward to just carrying a cable and being able to blast out an HDMI signal from the device itself. Maybe they’ll come up with something that addresses this. To be honest, though it works great, I’d hold off on buying the dock for a bit to see if something more portable comes out.
In the meantime, the video looks fantastic; no sign of stutter or lag. I had some issues getting some videos to play, and the formats the device supports are pretty limited — no more so than other players, but it’s still annoying.
The Conclusion
It’s nearly impossible to recommend something without any reservations, but I think I can get by with only one: if you don’t want to buy Apple, buy Zune. The iPod touch still stands as the one device to rule them all, but it’s saddled with an increasingly punishing Apple architecture, something which the Zune is refreshingly free from. At the $220 point, the 16GB Zune HD undercuts Apple significantly, and at $290 is competitive. The Zune Pass sweetens the deal; subscription music still sounds weird to me, but like Pringles, once you start, you can’t stop.
It’s a beautiful, intuitive, fun-to-use PMP, and while it will soon have some extra capabilities in the form of nice apps and games (hopefully without ads, for the love of god), the Zune’s primary purpose is and has always been delivering (and expanding) your collection with style and gusto.
Seriously, people — this is a fantastic media player. Don’t take my word for it, though. Go to your local electronics store and see for yourself how good the screen is, how intuitive the interface is, and how right it feels in your pocket — you may not want to put it back when you’re done.
The bottom line is that the Zune HD is just as good as everyone wanted it to be, and way better than some people would have liked it to be.
All comparable services, software, and performance aside, the Zune HD *is not* sexier than the iPod Touch. That’s nonsense.
I swear to god, go pick one up and see.
Do your research son. You’re in for a lack of Apps and headaches outside if you go with this thing, thats for sure.http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/14/from_oled_to_tegra_five_myths_of_the_zune_hd.html
Dude, it’s way past too much of this shit. You spammed that story like five times earlier, I’m killing it.
Your comments will be held for moderation from now on.
Devin, thanks for dealing with the spammer. It was getting old.
Dude that AppleInsider post is BS. It’s clear that they are bias.
Was that a link to the article where Dilger said the Tegra was less powerful than the Cortex A8 on the grounds of a Quake 3 test where the Tegra was running with a slower frame rate?
Slower because it was running it at WVGA resolution (800 x480) with AA and AF on whereas the Pandora was running it at about a quarter of that with no AA and AF?
And people fell for that?
@Mark (erm… the other one): I don’t think it’s so much that they fell for it as much as the people who agree with it just want so much for it to be true.
Anyone want to buy me one? Pretty please :)
But how will I do that if no place even has it on display, beyond Fry’s plastic display case containing one?
Absolutely agree. Why would I need to pick one up to determine this, by the way? I can look at two of anything and determine which one is sexier looking.
How come no one reviewing the Zune will actually try to use it in the sunlight? I use my iPhone in the sunlight all the time, it works fine. Could it be brighter, sure, but it’s bright enough to be completely usable. Is the Zune?
Also, I laughed at this comment: “it’s saddled with an increasingly punishing Apple architecture.”
Punishing architecture? How so? What does this statement even mean?
Several people have. If you turn up the brightness, you can see if perfectly well.
Dude, you don’t think it’s possible to improve upon Apple products (unless it’s by Apple itself), I get it. You want to nitpick to make this device look like crap compared to the iPhone/iPod Touch, I get it.
What is it you’re afraid of, really? Because that’s what it boils down to, fear of something of quality coming along that competes with your device of choice. As if it would invalidate your choice. It doesn’t. Relax. Live and let live.
“punishing architecture”
Dude, have you used iTunes?
Apparently Devin’s computer can’t handle iTunes….poor thing.
I’m so sick of this Apple Better than thou shit… seriously… just be glad that things are getting better! If the zune is this good, then apple will have to come out with something even better! This can only be a good thing… I’m so sick of this bullshit.
“Punishing” was probably a bit too much. But Apple is a control freak, and it’s starting to show in their business and software decisions.
+1 and iTunes has progressively become more and more bloated IMO.
“Apple is a control freak”
But Microsoft isn’t?
No, really, all of these console quality games are just “punishing” the hell out of me.
Yes, “it’s a great gaming device”. One that I’d rather use for anything other than gaming because the controls suck. Fortunately for them, although they market it for gaming, it does so much more.
Yah i so agree the zune is quite a chunky device, i think people are just used to seeing the sleekness of the iphone/ipod touch. Doesn’t the back kinda look like the 1st Gen. iphone? the black on the bottom and the zune symbol where the apple should be!
Impressive!!!!! I am buying one, now!! Out goes my plain jane iDope…
I beg to differ. Use one for a few days, the Zune HD is addicting. Seriously.
Oh, and note to all that are concerned with apps availability; Zune HD was released 9/15/09. Zune HD extensions for XNA Game Studio was released many days later, and today, using the games and apps being shown on this site as an example, we have over 25 games and apps bouncing around the dev community. Let’s just encourage Microsoft to provide a model for developers to get these games and apps in the Marketplace. http://zhdapps.com/
Zune has been my device sin 30gb version, and I loved it. Now I’m waiting for my new ZuneHD, but the software is fantastic!
I was really impressed since Zune software v2.0.
Zune rocks!
I’m so glad you guys didn’t put MG or some other writer with a hard-on for Apple to write this up.
One of the better reviews.
MG is a nutcase…
intro says “was an unpopular company.” really? microsoft is unpopular? since when?
just because you dont like them doesnt mean the entire world doesnt know who they are
Survey says….!
U r supposed 2 b a reporter. which survey?
I was waiting for people to chime in. Family Feud style. I wouldn’t call Microsoft a popular company.
I think “Reporter?” missed the Family Feud reference.
lol. it is an unpopular company if you are a silicon valley tech reporter.
I think you misunderstand his use of “popular”. Popular can mean “well-known”, as you assume, but it can also mean “generally disliked”, and I’m pretty sure that’s the meaning he intended to convey.
most iphone/apple pods users are women , you can have a full functioning great Zune , but little appeal to the most important economic crowd right now
Where did you find that statistic? I know just as many male users and female, in fact males most likely top the charts.
I think a more believable statement would be that a woman is more likely to choose an iPod/iPhone over a Zune, because the iPod/iPhone looks sexier.
i think a more believable statement would be that woman is more llikely to choose an iPod/iPhone over a Zune HD, because the iPod/iPhone looks pretty like a Chihuahuas. it looks nice with their pink purse and matching heels.
I think you’re both being ridiculous with those claims. Yes, some women like things because they are pretty, but not all. Most of the women I know with iPhones and Apple products like them for the same reasons that I do; the OS within them is amazing, and yes the hardware looks nice too.
I am a proud owner of the last generation of the Zune device. However, since I purchased an iPhone, I don’t use the Zune anymore because it doesn’t make since to drag both devises with me all the time and the iPhone wins mainly because its more then just a music player.
BUT! If I had the option of having an iPod or a Zune HD, I would pick the Zune with no reservations. I am not a Windows lover nor a Mac lover, just middle of the road. I use both Apple machines and Windows machines about 50/50 throughout my day as a graphic designer.
I am really digging the Zune HD and wish I could convince myself that there is a reason to buy it, but like I said, my iPhone fills my needs and then some. I just really like the interface. Best PMP in my opinion.
Milton – osnspodcast.com
I suffer a similar fate. I need my iPhone for my work and I can’t bring myself to drag around yet another device. If I could chose would instantly pick up a ZuneHD over the iTouch when looking for a media player. People seem to over look that just because a device does more than one things doesn’t mean it does something specifically well. Both the iPod App and iTunes have caused me nothing but heartache both with how frustrating the software is but because they leave out even the simplest of natural computer behaviors.
So its hard to say if I will be able to justify the cost in the end even with the new Zune Originals.
Please Microsoft just add a standard dialer and cellular antenna. No Windows, just a dialer and contact program and I would dump my iPhone.
Like you, I own an iPhone and a Zune. I too had that question. Does it make sense to have both an iPhone and a Zune? My reason for using both? Two words: Zune Pass. I couldn’t get myself to drop the ‘Pass.
Unlimited music whenever I want it, and I get to keep 10 tracks a month? It was a no-brainer decision for me.
Of course the Zune Pass isn’t for everyone and so if it doesn’t do much for you, it makes absolutely no sense to have both.
Oh, I still use the zune software. Zune pass FTW! I’ve been in the habit of removing DRM so I am free to put my music on my iPhone.
Does that make me a bad person?
Nah, that’s what I’d do if I was forced to drop my Zune. You’re paying the monthly fee, why can’t you play music on your device of choice? Oh, because they’re trying to get the Zune market share to be more than 2%.
I still find my Zune to be a superior music player than my iPhone. The software is better for navigating your music and getting to what you want faster.
I have both, and I don’t have a Zune Pass. But I have an 8GB iPhone, and I can’t stand only being able to carry around such a small portion of my collection. Plus, in my car I want separate devices for my music and my phone.
Excellent point and days of pure music player are gone………..
It is all about converging devices. My phone, my music player and my style.
I love the new Zune HD!
I just wish it had a phone built in so I could dump my Touch Pro which looks like a fat brick next to my Zune 32 HD :)
Hey, who knows, maybe someday there will be a Skype app for the Zune.
No mention of the battery life. That is my selling point!
I knew I forgot something, thanks for reminding me. Added it to the end of the hardware section – battery life appears to be as good as they say, within a reasonable amount of error.
this is a damn sexy device. will be interesting once msft uses a similar os/hardware for a phone.
nice review.
great
does it have a mic? would be interesting to see skype on it
No mic. I think they wanted to avoid conflicting with WinMo.
I can see the iphone screen clearly in sunlight even with the brightness quite low. How does this compare. I’ve read that the OLED is poor in sunlight.
I’d think most folks would be more worried about buying Microsoft vs. Apple.
Seems strange to that it has it’s own software. Does iTunes come with mac and not require you have an iPod to work? Will I end up with two media players on my windows box.
I doubt this will ever be much more that 3rd in the overall race.
>Seems strange to that it has it’s own software. Does iTunes come with mac and not require you have an iPod to work? Will I end up with two media players on my windows box.
What? The Zune client is a media player like any other. You can transfer your media right over. And the OLED screen is good enough in sunlight – but how come nobody is noting that it’s BETTER in regular light?
People’s tendency to focus on the negative, I guess. However, it is a valid concern, as competing devices perform acceptably under sunlight.
Although I’d never need to watch a movie on this thing in direct sunlight, I would want to make sure I could accomplish basic navigation and that the screen is readable.
Just as a reference point, could you take a picture or video of the Zune HD next to an iPod Touch in direct sunlight, just so we can see how big of a deal this whole thing is? It’s kind of hard to judge screen brightness/contrast in photos unless it’s compared to a screen most people are already familiar with.
I mean, I expect the Ipod Touch to be brighter, but if the difference is only marginal then I will rest assured that my normal human eyeballs will not be harmed if they’re forced to view the Zune HD outside.
the zune hd is awesome Im glad I bought one, I think it’s sexier than the ipod touch
Attention everyone! Jesus has spoken.
While the UI is actually quite impressive I decided to stop reading when I found out the browser is based on IE6. Way to move things forward Microsoft.
I really though I read that wrong. Christ.
hahahahahahahahahahahaha
But it’s a heavily modified version of IEm6, while based on the original coding, it’s been greatly optimized and primed for touchscreen interface.
Yeah as soon as I saw its browser was based on IE6 there’s no way I would ever buy it. Such a joke.
Its the mobile version of IE6 not the desktop version.
He said right in his review that “it does break on more creatively-coded sites”. If you’ve ever done web development of any kind you know what that actually means.
And to say “well it’s the mobile version of IE6, not the desktop” is like picking the lesser of two evils. Why would you want either?
Did you really stop reading? If so, you might’ve missed the part in which he says it ACTUALLY WORKS. Not even willing to give it the benefit of the doubt, eh?
He claims it’s “reasonably fast” but I think that’s being overly kind.
Engadget as a video showing the iPod vs Zune browsing experience. Let’s just say that the Zune was much slower than the iPod when it came to rendering page.
Browsing is definitely broken on ZuneHD.
By that I could say this really is a PMP, and it should not be compared with ipod touch which is a “great gaming device”.
Is web browsing on your PMP really that important to you? I don’t know why the browser is such a big deal to people. I figured most people used their phones for mobile web browsing. Even if it didn’t have a browser, I honestly don’t think it’d matter much to me.
The browser is slow as hell too. It seems the Tegra processor is great at eye candy but not so good at general purpose processing. The calculator app, for instance, takes almost ten seconds to load.
i dont want to buy if there is no mic and browser is based on Stupid & ridiculous IE 6
Haha this post made me chuckle a bit in its stupidity. It doesn’t matter what it’s based on. What matters is what it actually is. It’s stupid to just assume that it doesn’t work right because it’s based on IE6.
Anyway I’m really hoping for a Java app and a way to install Opera Mobile, which kicks Microsoft ass.
The mic thing seems dumb. I wouldn’t really use it for anything and I already own a phone. I don’t really see any benefit in having one.
Some quibbles over this article:
1. The iPod Touch is *not* the competitor to the Zune. Nor is any other portable-media player. The *real* competitor is the iPhone, and to a lesser extent other smartphones. The days of the stand-alone media player is rapidly coming to an end.
2. Integration of the Zune with third-party media management software (most notably MediaMonkey) is non-existent.
3. No mention of support for lossless codecs such as FLAC.
4. No support for native-mode gapless playback.
What? eCurm – how is the Zune not a feature-for-feature competitor to the iPod Touch? And what does any phone have to do with a dedicated PMP?
I’d be delighted to hear that explanation.
My original point was that, with everyone already carrying around smartphones that could also double as fairly competent media players, was there still any sort of market for stand-alone devices?
I suspect that the answer is slowly becoming “no, not really.”
Well, what you say certainly has some truth to it – but how about this: would you rather own an iPhone and an iPod Touch, or an iPhone and a Zune HD? Honestly, I’d go with the latter. The right tool for the right job.
In my experience this is what hapened: the iphone is all I need. BUT I had a blackberry before and with one of those, I also had an ipod. So pretty much if you have an iphone you need nothing else, if you carry any other kind of smartphone you need a standalone pmp.
Mostly this has to do with interface and ease of managing the library. If blackberry worked with iTunes (or something just as good) and added an easy to use interface to playing the music, or Zune added phone functionality we’d have real competitive products on our hands.
As it stands right now: the iphone is the only true all-in-one. However RIM, MS, HTC etc are hot on their heels and it will only take one leap in innovation from any of those companies to seriously compete. And they’ve all proven they’re capable of it.
In fact, apple doesn’t really innovate that much either. the iphone / ipod touch did innovate multi touch on a consumer device… but I never use it. Everything else in the device already existed on the market and apple just applied the blue-ocean strategy and put the pieces together in a very attractive shell with excellent integration into its existing product lineup. And they did it before anyone else.
Also, it doesn’t have to be apple to be sexy. Think Razr, and now this Zune, and some of those netbooks, and the newer kindles…
The only reason I buy apple now is because the hardware just works across the whole platform. No messing around with settings. Time Machines + Laptop + iphone + Apple TV.
Software still leaves a lot to be desired though.
PS: where’s my crunchpad?
There is one huge advantage of a dedicated PMP over a phone – no monthly bill. I get a “dumbphone” from my employer so I really only need a PMP.
Actually I’m not big fan of Apple.Becuase i dont use mac.But I’ve used both iPod Touch and ZHD.I think iPhone OS is more stonger and stable than ZHD software.And I dont want to compare ZHD and iPod Touch,becuase iPod Touch havent been drastically upgraded so we are comparing ZHD with old iPod Touch with faster processor.
I think we can compare this both nex year,with new upgrades.
The Zune HD, as well as all other Zunes have gapless playback. Play your live albums and there won’t be any break in the audio…
I stand corrected about gapless playback. My understanding was that, other than the late lamented Rio Karma (and a handful of quasi-successors such as the Trekstor Vibez), there wasn’t any other PMP out there that could do gapless without resorting to pre-processing tricks (such as later generation iPods).
WMA Lossless is supported (and easy to convert to from flac) and the device does do gapless playback
As for third-party stuff, the player was just put out 3 days ago and even microsoft’s official client didn’t support it until then. MediaMonkey, Foobar, and Winamp will probably support it in a little while.
The fact that you need to be running Windows to operate a Zune also puts it at a major disadvantage to the iPod Touch, which for all its Apple-yness can be managed from Windows.
Because then no one could use and iPod because hardly anyone owns a MAC.
It’s only a disadvantage if you have a Mac. Then it’s a deal breaker. But lets be honest, the odds of someone who owns a Mac buying a Zune aren’t very good. Why would you build a Mac client for a device that no one with a Mac is going to buy?
True,,they know whoever use mac,simply fall in love with Apple and dont buy Microsoft cheap player and go with more advanced iPod Touch
I find it interesting how quickly Apple fanboys forget their own history.
Yes, Zune doesn’t support Mac. And hopefully that’ll change.
But the iPod was released in 2001. Windows support? 2004. Apple waited THREE YEARS before supporting Windows.
If a company that had < 5% desktop marketshare could wait 3 years, why is MS suddenly so heavily criticized for thinking that most people use windows and developing software for a bit OS (Linux, OSX, other) might not be worth the expense for a product still struggling to turn a profit?
Sheesh.
Because secretly the mac fanbois want one…
This is the sexiest device I’ve played with in a long time! I love it.
@Daniel Parker
I have an iPhone and it does have a decent screen in the sun, but how often do you stand outside, directly in the sun and use it? I took my Zune HD outside and it looked fine. Not on par with the iPhone, but not anywhere near I can’t see whats going on. BTW, there is not pixelation on the Zune. When pitted directly against my iPhone playing the same video out of my collection, the iPhone lost BIG. The Zune just has video on lock. They did right in that department.
Just wait until developers get to write C# instead of the horrid–I’m not kidding, it bites–objective c.
I have a mac-mini which I really like and of course a vista box, too. However, I dread when I have to write code on my mini for the iphone.
Regardless of the Zune v ipod/iphone debate, MS absolutely destroys Apple when it comes to dev technology and env. It’s not even a contest. Developing for the iphone is like going back ten years in time.
Waiting for and dreaming of WinMo 7 development; I’m assuming the Zune HD is kinda the sneak peek.
Oh.. thanks for clearing that up. That must be why Apple’s App Store only rakes in $2.5 billion a year…
Get real…Developers will follow the money…no matter how much they “dread” writing objective-c.
You are totally right. I’m a living example of that. Objective-C is goddamn horrible, but that’s where the money is.
Though Sham Singh is on to something. If the market shifts towards writing C# or C++ (or even Java if Android development really takes off) instead of Objective-C, oh what a migration of developers there will be.
Obviously, Poopy, you’re not a developer. Any day of the week I would accept a little less money for an easier programing language.
In the time it takes me to code objective c I could have written 2 C# programs and that could mean more profits, but it definitely means more productivity which means more money in my pocket.
Mark, the market has already proven you wrong a billion times over. Tens of thousands of applications have been sold over a billion times at Apple’s app store.
Your 2 C# programs will get you some lint in your pocket…that’s about it.
Uh, not sure if you have been following news in the dev world, but practically one one, except a select few, which of course includes Apple, are making much money in writing apps for the touch platform.
If users are only executing 90% of the apps available on your plateform only once, which recent studies are now showing, then not much money is going to be made–except for Apple that is.
In any case, I was merely inferring that it’s much more desirable and fun to write code in C# than obj-c; which, of course, also means it will be a lot easier to write bad apps in C#; well, because it’s easier to write apps in C#.
Cheers.
Here’s a review of the new Zune software I found interesting: http://bit.ly/Z6lWY
I agree that the hardware itself is really superb. I was in Best Buy, so picture those lighting conditions, and I really thought it looked dim. Everything else was terrific, though.
It’s worth noting that the devices are by default set to “medium” brightness to save battery. I doubt best buy changes this. The “bright” setting is much brighter, naturally.
Yeah Zune, Can’t wait to get my HD.
Great write up, thanks Devin. I’m pretty curious to try one out.
And to “Hmm” above, please refer to the above article. It should address your selling point.
really nice review – thanks -
How scratch resistant is the screen Devin?
Very nice review Devin. I am impressed with what they have done with the product.
Thanks for writing an excellent review, Devin. The comments however show why people hate App-holes. The time these Jobs-jizzers spend on the web trying to talibanize everyone into their personal hell is amazing. If you love your iP**p so much, go marry it and stop fouling comments with your bigoted crap – you people are the reason God invented cancer and maybe your iFlops’ overheating batteries will help you along with this fate. Also, Walt Mossberg sucks a** no matter how much he tries to make his “beard” look like a Nebraskan landing strip.
My only question is, is is accessible via explorer? There are times when it is the simplest way to move files around. The 2nd gen Zune I have is the only mp3 player I’ve ever used that wouldn’t let me do anything via explorer. Even the hacks on the net required starting the Zune software, minimizing it, and then you could use explorer. Just let me move my files however I want to…
I’m sold. I love my iTouch but this looks better. Simpler and with features at the ready that I want. As long as I can download games, and there are lots of them. If there was Flash on it, to get the full web and for games, this would eventually win out over the iTouch.
I will stick with my zune 120GB. These versions now while good and have wonderful features, are too small for my collection. I have only 10gb remaining on my current device. Both the zune and apple have their advantages and disadvantages. The unlimited music rental is the greatest thing that ever happened to me and apple does not offer that. I pray there will be a 120gb HD someday.
I love my iPod touch (and won’t be switching, as I own a Mac), but I’m happy to see the Zune HD is a good product.
Competition is good, and makes sure *everyone* keeps innovating.
Of course, Microsoft needs to kill Winmo and focus on a UI like this one for their smart phones. That’s when we’d see something REALLY interesting in the market.
I have an 80gb zune that is filled to the max. I am waiting for a 120gb HD or higher also. I would love a 250gb HD and would buy one today.
I still don’t get it… Compared to the iPod Touch the screen is smaller, the browser ain’t as good, battery life is ok but only because there no battery-hungry Apps to play with, typing is more difficult but that doesn’t matter apparently because, why would you use the Zune for anything like taking notes or writing emails, the screen is generally better unless in sunlight, the “touchscreen” is not as good, the casing is smear resistant but not the screen, and if you are lucky, in a few month there may be more apps which force you to watch adverts, which you will of course put up with, simply because it allows you to escape the “punishing Apple architecture”.
So it is in effect solely a device for people who hate Apple, why the extensive review?
Favourite quote: “Text is readable at most reasonable zoom levels” Wraps the review up neatly :)
This is a review of the Zune HD… not a Touch Vs Zune comparison. Devin said that it isn’t an ipod touch killer. And while you pointed out every negative aspect you didn’t point out the benefits such as NO ITUNES!! anyway, hopefully both products (zune and apple) will get better and better.
Great review Devin.
Devlin seems to come to the same conclusion in so many words himself, and if you could actually be bothered to read his read his review you would have found that he explicitely compares the Zune to the iPod Touch.
I mention the negatives of the Zune as far as they are relative to my own requirements, and “no iTunes” is not a benefit for me, and the main deficiency, the smaller screen and resolution was mentioned in the review only in passing, hidden amongst the adoration of the “sleekness” of the device, so if I mention it it only helps counter balance the review.
Hope that helps.
it’s funny how you only focused on the negatives. You are like my friend, he recently got a 23′ monitor so i set his resolution to 1440×900. he saw it and hate it it simply because youtube videos looked smaller… he had a previous resoluion of 1360×740 i believe. so in fact he was so used to that lower quality that he hated higher resolution even though it was better. this is the same friend that when we compared zune hd vs itouch, his major argumenet was the OLED screen. i believe he called it shitty small screen and refused to see the difference in video quality. even though he is scared of admitting he is an apple fanboy, he did agree that the zune hd looks sxy’er…oh btw i wrote this on my zune hd with no problems.
Thanks for the coomment, please refer to my response above.
I don’t get your point. It’s a media player, why would you write emails on it?
If you want a device to write email or browse the web on get a smartphone that is always connected.
Personally I think the iPod touch is a dud. It’s not a game device like a PSP/DS, it’s not a PDA device like the iPhone since it is not always connected, and it is not the media player anymore now that Zune HD have taken that crown. iPod touch is the one left standing in the game of musical chairs.
If you truly think the Zune has ‘taken the crown’ then good luck to you, go forth and be merry :)
iPod touch isn’t a game device????? Are you insane?
A third of the 35,000 applications on Apple’s app store are games, which means Apple likely sold over 300 million multi-touch games in approximately 9 months.
Not a game device, my ass.
My point-for point response to belugalove’s first post.
The Zune screen is smaller, but better.
The browser isn’t as good, but for me, I just hate software I can’t customize. I’m guessing you can’t change anything on Safari or IE6 so I don’t care about the difference.
I love how you say “battery life is ok” instead of “battery life is better.”
Of course there are no power-hungry apps available yet. It’s been out for FOUR DAYS retard.
“Typing is more difficult” OK I’m guessing you haven’t tried it, but all interfaces take getting used to. I never really use touchscreens and whenever I use my friends dare I can’t type for shit.
“why would you use the zune for anything like taking notes or writing emails” OK you got me. I don’t know. I don’t need to write notes or emails, so… Whatever.
The screen is better, but I don’t see the big deal about he sunlight thing. When I’m outside, I’m probably exercising or it’s nighttime so I wouldn’t even need to take the zune out of my pocket under direct sunlight. It might apply to others, but I really don’t care, as long as I can see the screen.
“the ‘touchscreen’ is not as good”?? Why the quotes around “touchscreen”? You touch it to control it. I don’t see why you need quotes here. Also, I don’t know where you read that the touch screen isn’t as good on the zune, but it seems like it is very responsive and easy to use.
The smear – unresistant screen disappoints me too, but it’s not really that hard to quickly wipe it with your shirt, and I assume it would clean off rubbing against your pocket. Also, I’m pretty sure it’s more scratch resistant than the ipod touch, so it seems like a necessary trade-off.
Advertisements annoy me a lot. I use Firefox rather than Opera or Epiphany because it has adblock plus. I feel like this is a lost cause, though. I doubt Microsoft would ever actually respond to its users on that level. I’m hoping that if they put ads on the apps, however, that they will at least make them cost less.
I will put up with the ads on the apps because I won’t be using the zune for apps only, and the zune is superior to the ipod touch. The marketplace and price and speed and UI are the reasons I will put up with a few ads. Plus, I would NEVER buy an apple product unless it was my only possible choice. I hate that company a lot, as well as their iFag fanbase. Microsoft is marginally better because it is less of a control freak and seems to be focusing more on quality to gain favor, however, I want to make it clear that both companies suck because they are not open-sourced.
Why the extensive review? Are you serious? He’s showing people how good this thing really is. His UI walkthrough convinced me to buy it in spite of no future promise of java or good apps.
“Text is readable at most reasonable zoom levels” was your favorite quote? Don’t you think he’s just stating the obvious? It’s the same deal with the ipod touch. At unreasonably large or small zoom levels, I don’t think you can read the words on anything, in fact.
Response to second post by belugalove.
I suspect the screen size and resolution were only mentioned in passing because they don’t really matter THAT much. Everything fits nicely on it, and the UI isn’t too cluttered. It’s not a huge deal cuz it’s a minor difference and a small difference.
Third post
Agreed. The zune ought to take the crown, but all the retard commoners are in the way. The zune is superior, not in every way, but superior nonetheless. It ought to take the crown for a personal media player, but people need to recognize it as the better choice. Plus, everyone already has itouches so why buy a zune.
Thanks for your comment. Good work! :D
For the “screen is smaller” bit: You do realize it’s 16:9, right? Meaning that you won’t have those black bars on top and bottom of your videos when you play them? That likely brings the screen size to being roughly the same for video. Also, despite having “lower resolution”(actually not true, it’s just a 16:9 equivalent of the iPod Touch screen, which is a bizarre 3:2) it has a higher pixel density of 167ppi vs. the 163ppi on the iPod touch/iPhone. Then there’s the fact that there’s no gaps between pixels so everything looks less pixellated due to that as well.
Battery life is superior even just based on music and video performance, and it takes less time to charge, meaning it uses much less electricity. So even with apps it does/will still get better battery life.
The reviewer says(and I’d agree) that the keyboard is actually very good and should still be up to the task when users have to type emails and such. So you’re just making that part up.
All that aside from the fact that you just completely missed the part where the interface is outstanding to use, the HD radio is an excellent feature, it gives a very good equivalent to the iTunes LP, but for free with any music you already have, the superior docking capability, etc, etc, etc.
Mark, thanks for the comment, you obviously worked very hard on that, but I still don’t really understand what your point is….
Are you saying a smaller screen is better because it fits the ratio of your favourite movies? It’s 320×480 for iPod and 272×480 for the Zune, so the iPod Touch/iPhone displays the the same size movie, but yes you have to bear the black extra screen bits.
Tough eh? Until you start using the keyboard in horizontal mode and then you have either a smaller keyboard or no screen left to display your text.
Or games will be smaller to play on… that is quite a few less pixels to play with.
Basically I don’t understand why you are trying to tell us that a smaller screen is better…
As for a difference of 167 ppi to 163ppi leading to a noticable more pixellated image, I am not convinced either. Unless you hold the Zune right up to your nose to watch movies only.
The battery life sounds good, but I wanna see more real life studies. Of course battery life would benefit from a smaller screen, but I would not want a smaller screen. Also, it has been said that you need to increase the screen brightness above medium to get a reasonable bright image:
quote:
” I was in Best Buy, so picture those lighting conditions, and I really thought it looked dim”
reply
Devin Coldewey – September 18th, 2009 at 9:27 pm CDT
“It’s worth noting that the devices are by default set to “medium” brightness to save battery. I doubt best buy changes this. The “bright” setting is much brighter, naturally.”
The “bright” setting would consume more battery power of course. And you are using the Zune to watch movies mostly aren’t you? Maybe you only use it in darkened rooms?
As far as the keyboard is concerned you again have to convince me that a smaller, letterbox ratio screen can provide a better keyboard than the iPhone screen…
HD radio is unfortunately not based on the same standard here in Europe and I don’t listen to radio much anyway so I can’t see why that should bother me, how it would provide an equivalent to iTunes LP is not clear to me, really I think you wasted your time on me, I guess we have to agree to disagree on this…
nice review but I stopped reading on “being based on IE6″
Agreed… I can’t believe Techcrunch (a website devoted to “Web 2.0″) would gloss over the fact that Zune HD uses a web browser based on IE6 — which was originally released in 2001. The fact that Microsoft isn’t able to build a proper mobile browser that renders pages properly is beyond embarrassing.
I’ve been looking at this, for a little while to replace my PMP. But the lack of a comprehensive video Codec on the thing makes it hard for me to move from my old Creative Zen Vision: M.
Which is a shame, cus it looks like a damn sexy device.
In my opinion Apple devices are great, but no more great than the next product. Most people who buy Apple products are buying into a sub culture or group… that is fine too. Personally I don’t think MS intended to compete directly with the iTouch. If they had intended to then I think that there would have been more emphasis on the apps… MS wanted to deliver a multimedia device to those who find HD Radio, HD Video output, games (xbox integration), and rich audio an important part of the PMP experience. All in all; the Zune and the iTouch (iPods) are great devices designed to do some similar things, but not everything the same.
I just purchased a Zune HD 32 and let me just say that this thing is so awesome!!!! Replaced an older Nano… I am a believer that may not look back to Apple for a PMP unless MS stops making the Zune HD. The Zune Marketplace is so much better than iTunes (just my opinion)!!!! Zune pass is such a great way to discover new music!!!!
I do encourage those in the market for a PMP to consider the Zune, but shop them all!!! I am sure you will find that the Zune HD is one heck of a device for the money!!!
Let me note… MS is a great and well respected company that holds over 90% of the market share in the OS and technology sector… Being in that position, MS will be loved, hated, respected, and disrespected… either way; MS is the king of the hill according to 90% of the consumers who buy technology products… Apple is a fantastic company as well and will continue to be. I think that argument should end here.
“All comparable services, software, and performance aside, the Zune HD *is not* sexier than the iPod Touch. That’s nonsense.”
The iPhone/Touch design has become dated and pedestrian. It’s time for Apple to refresh the design or failing that at least lose the cheap looking chrome strip. The Zune HD is “sexier”.
I really appreciated the proper potato chip reference. After that poorly placed Ruffles reference from Nicholas, I was beginning to worry about you guys.
One thing the review forgot to mention about the ZunePass was in addition to being able to stream full songs on Zune.net, you also get to keep 10 of your choice each month(in mp3 format)…. I love this part…and now the Zune software actually lets you know that your credits are about to expire and you should pick your ten for the month(they don’t roll over)…
THANK GOD Google fast flip turned me on to this website. I was SO tired of the gadget lab “pod heads” at wired bashing anything MS without even giving it a chance. My bookmark for them is now replaced with you.
Devin, you didn’t go into my favorite feature, the wireless sync. It works great if you subscribe to a lot of daily podcasts. I don’t even have to take my zune out of the car, and it has fresh content every morning.
I’ll stick with my iPod Touch, I guess.
Problem with windows is microsoft will charge for new OS versions. Apple only charges touch users $9 on major updates and with iphone and android devices they’re free.
Apple *only* charges $9 for what amounts to a firmware update? That’s a plus? Seriously? Touch owners are the only PMP owners (that I’m aware of) that have to pay for software updates.
Riley, the original Zunes were supported with major free upgrades for years, incorporating serious new features.
Me Likey!
dude, you totally sound like Arrington!
I’m convinced by Microsoft’s Zune HD.But when it comes to Apple iPod the big majority in the tech market encompasses the widely spreaded iPod.I think Zune HD will also make a big difference.Every gadget has a different identity in one aspect.Let’s hope for the best.
I’m convinced by Microsoft’s Zune HD.But when it comes to Apple iPod the big majority in the tech market encompasses the widely spreaded iPod.I think Zune HD will also make a big difference.Every gadget has a different identity in one aspect.Let’s hope for the best.
If iTunes had a subscription-based model like Zune Pass, you’d all tweet about it everyday. Zune Pass is what is so great about Microsoft music. I could careless about hardware advances to the Zune. Zune Pass has changed my life just as much as my iPhone has.
But, it doesn’t work with Mac’s?? I love the Mac but want to move away from Apple products like their ipods..
I hate the way that even the Iphone is not compatible with ipod accessories which, as an example, means I can’t get get the HTC hero as my new phone and use the Iphone as my Ipod. It just doesn’t get recognised by my IPOD doc (that the phone does fit) so won’t play and sit nice on the Bose system..
So, if I keep the Iphone and get the Zune.. Still doesn’t work. Am I really that tied into Apple products
RANT OVER – But I DO have a few valid points here. CrunchGear article in the making..
so microsoft copies the ipod touch as good as it can, down to the exact same gestures for multitouch (where did that came from?) and you don’t even mention that? i don’t get it. everyone just seems so happy that the zune doesn’t suck anymore that they don’t seem to realize where this supposed excellence all comes from: microsoft just copied apple. as they always did and always will. they have no ideas of their own (besides hd radio which you can receive where excactly?)
“Copies the iPod Touch as good as it can” huh? Its there own design does it look like a “pod” to you? Didn’t think so and how else are you suppose to touch a touch screen? Care to explain?
“Microsoft just copied Apple”, the same BS that you fan-boys always wanna push into the minds of the general public to try to distract people from the basic fact that MS, while not always getting it right the first time, put out a device that is turning heads and is the best PMP player on the market. Its a PMP first and foremost, most people know it.
If you haven’t noticed, Apple seems to have lost the original intent for making the “iPod” brand in the first place: Portable, on the go music. The iPod Touch comes out, then the App store 7 months later and ever since then, it has become the flagship of the iPod Touch. People continuously come down on the Zune HD with “it looks like an iPod Touch” and “it doesn’t have an App Store”. Critizing looks doesnt mean a thing, it what it does that matters and as far as a PMP is concerned, it is Best in Show.
The iPod Touch has become a PDA and “gaming machine” as Steve put it and thats direction he wants to go in. Good luck trying to convince the hardcore gamers out there that playing games without tactile controls is some how “innovative”. It wont go that far. Apple has let music, the original intent, take a backseat to Apps and games, which dont get me wrong there are a lot of useful apps out there but the Zune is a PMP first, not a PDA.
To answer your question, HD radio stations will appear on radio stations that support them. There is no way to know which stations will have HD stations. Its just a look and see thing.
Hi, I’m curious about the Zune, I’ve got an iPod Touch and think it’s okay, the main reason I’ve still got it is that it integrates into my Car stereo. I suppose the real limitation and question for most consumers (and me) is ‘Can I move my iTunes library over to the Zune?’. Well can I? or do I have to convert all my music? And is there a quick painless way to do this?
From what i’ve read elsewhere, instead of embedding the tags into the music file itself, iTunes writes it to a file in the iTunes folder. When you move your songs, they end up under ‘Untitled Artist’. Whether there is an option to change this, I do no know as I dont use iTunes.
So, I’ve spent 20 minutes trying to type a comment.
Bah.
I’ll leave it at..
This is the most in-depth, non-biased to mac, and everything I want to be said in a review.. review.
Thank you.
Damn I really love the way they use coverart in the UI.