Microsoft Zune Reviewer's Comments
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Marketed as the “iPod Killer,” the original Zune was anything but. However, the second generation Zune does stand a small chance competing with the industry leader, iPod. However, we still feel that Microsoft still has some ways to go.
Visually the Zune is our favorite MP3 player. It is a super slim and ultra sleek portable utilizing minimalist style with a large 3.2 inch screen and simple touch pad. The Zune’s feature set, though substantial, lacks some common features you’d expect to see on a MP3 player including a equalizer, clock, calendar or sleep timer.
We found the Zune’s largest pitfall is it’s lack of music, video and picture format support. This considerably limits the player’s compatibility with software and services not designed specifically for Zune.
Features:
The Microsoft Zune includes almost all the features you’d expect to see in a modern MP3 player; music, video and photo support, FM radio, podcast support and A/V output and it’s flagship feature Wi-Fi. However, Microsoft has decided to leave out several features common to many portables currently on the market including an equalizer, line-in recording, a clock, alarm or sleep timer.
The one thing separating Zune from the rest of the pack is it’s Wi-Fi capabilities. Using Wi-Fi you can transfer songs to your friend’s Zune wirelessly. From there they can listen to your suggested song up to three times for free. When they’ve listened to it three times, the song expires and disappears from their portable.
We would really like Microsoft to step up its game and stop trying to be iPod and perhaps start listening to the iPod complaints and includ the features that everyone wants to see in the perfect portable.
Although Zune is not in our top three this year, we are confident that they will be moving up the ranks in years to come.Music Formats:
There are two sides of the music format coin, portables that will play almost any format under the sun enabling users a choice when downloading media and portables that lock their players and only allow users to download legally from one source… their own. Sadly, like iPod, the Microsoft Zune is the latter. Even though Microsoft invented the Plays for Sure DRM protected WMA format commonly used by popular music download services like Napster and Yahoo! Music, Microsoft decided the Zune would not work with these services and created it’s own music store the Zune Marketplace. Music bought legally in WMA format from any other source will not work on your Zune.
However, like all music portables, the Zune will play standard MP3 format.Picture Formats:
The Zune can display standard JPG images; however, it can not display any other common image formats like BMP, GIF or TIFF. Again, in the future, we’d like to see the Zune have better compatibility.
Video Formats:
Microsoft’s Zune will play MP4 videos, which is standard on most portable video devices, but it will also unprotected WMV files and some MOV (QuickTime). Unfortunately, our biggest complaint, again, with this device is it’s compatibility with other services, we’d expect that it would not play videos downloaded from iTunes, but the Zune is also incompatible with Amazon UnBox and Cinemanow. And, the Zune Marketplace doesn’t offer videos to download.
Sadly, Zune leaves you on your own when trying to get video to your player.Physical Features:
This is where the Zune shines. The old Zune was clunky and clumsy, but the second generation device is smooth, slick and stylish. With touch pad navigation, a large 3.2 inch screen and thin, light-weight design the Zune’s design gives iPod, and other MP3 players, a run for their money. Although, it only comes in black.
With a rated 30 hours of battery for audio and four for video, the Zune doesn’t have the best battery, but it is a close second. However, using the Wi-Fi feature will shorten its life significantly.Help/Support:
Microsoft provides the appropriate help including user guides, a knowledge base online and a community always willing to help out, but we were surprised that they didn’t provide an email contact.
However, making up for that missing feature is free firmware updates, even updates for those with older modelsSummary:
So the Zune is still lagging in the MP3 race. However, it is well on it’s way to becoming a heavy hitter against iPod and others if only Microsoft would start listening to the cries of the public and making the file formats more compatible and less restrictive.
©2008 TopTenREVIEWS, Inc.
