One of the only downsides to owning a Zune HD instead of an iPod is the lack of speaker docks. There simply isn’t that many available and the ones for the previous Zune’s aren’t compatible. But Kicker knows what’s up and just released firmware to make its $249 ZK500 Zune HD friendly. But there is fine print involved and you can’t update the system yourself.
Here’s the thing: you have to ship the system to company to have the firmware installed. But if you bought the ZK500 after the Zune HD was released, you’re good. The company will pay the necessary shipping cost to have the update completed.
However if you bought it before, you’re going to have to pay $40 to have the firmware installed. Ridiculous? Yeah, it kind of is.
Either way though, the system will not output high-def from the Zune HD because of the older dock connector used. But I guess if you spent the cash on the new Zune HD, you may as well spend another $40 to make your older speaker dock compatible.
I wonder if people realize…
As with all MP3 players that accept a standard headphone jack, you can almost always simply connect your Zune HD, iPod Touch, iPod, Zune, Sansa, etc., to ANY stereo system, portable or otherwise.
If the stereo system, boombox, Bose Wave, etc., has ‘AUX IN’, you only need to invest $5.00 or $10.00 on a cable. For example, my Bose Wave (original) radio uses RCA jacks for the AUX connection. So I use a cable that has a headphone connector on one end (for the Zune HD), and RCA jacks on the other. This works perfectly. While it doesn’t look as pretty as a “purpose-built” boombox or speaker dock, it sounds perfect. Good luck.
It’s not about being able to play your music through a speaker. It’s about the little remote, the charging station, and having the ability to change a song while running on your treadmill(or just being a lazy bum on the couch).
Your same argument could be “Why not just get an 80s cassette tape walkman and rock out to a mix tape you recorded off the radio through a 10 dollar external speaker?”
I do believe RIM needs such items to compete with Apple. I think they should partner with some folks and start designing some phones that would be cross compatable with all accessories.
Does this firmware fix the HD reception? If it does than it would be worth it to me, else I do not think so.