by Don Burnett
Zune 2.x Features..
This is the music collection screen.. To sync an album to your Zune you just right click on the file or Album Art and select "sync to Zune" from the pop-up menu. The screens are all resizable and refills with more content as it's available..
In the Zune world Podcasts aren't "secondary citizens" and it supports both video and audio podcasts..
Besides the beautiful smooth scrolling and organic UI, the Music store is full of exciting current artists not lacking in content..
The WiFi Sharing peer-to-peer capabilities of the Zune are very cool. I can also stream (over WiFi) play songs that are on my Zune's hard drive on my X-box 360.
How would I compare this ? If I were to compare this to an IPod Classic, the User Experience and WiFi capabilities totally rock. The video and audio and over all workmanship and size (it's less than half the thickness of the original Zune Players from last year) is great and very functional (not a brick).
How does it compare to my IPod Touch?? The iPod Touch attempts to be a PDA more than the Zune which simply focuses on being a kick ass media player and it scores big time on doing so. The WiFi and media sharing concepts and ability to integrate with programs I have recorded from my Windows Media Center. Apple seems to leave me resigned to programs I buy off of iTunes. Of course there are third party programs and extras that will do this for the iPod but it's at extra cost. File conversion of video is automatic and looks beautiful on the Zune (not so using iTunes (for video).
When I use the iPod Touch I always feel like I am being "charged" for something. "Nickel and Diming" me doesn't really cause me invest my loyalty in a company. The recent January software upgrade I bought to bring the iPod Touch up to application "parity" that was "ONLY $20" was pretty lame. These applications are more like desktop widgets with limited function. I'd expect more for a machine that's supposed to have OS X as a mobile operating system. I haven't found anything I could do with them really that I couldn't do from the safari web browser already there. My old Apple Newton was more functional as PDA than the iPod Touch is, Apple needs to work on this.
A few blog entries ago I was very critical of Windows Mobile's user experience and I said I didn't think the Media Center interface could be done well in a 3" display or less. That maybe true with the Windows Mobile prototype I saw last year in a YouTube video, but with the Zune 80's screen size and UI it does it admirably.
So which media player will I use more the iPod Touch or the Zune 80. Well I already love the Zune, and it's natural organically easy to use system. The iPod Touch (as I said) tries to be a PDA. The Web Browser in the iPod Touch is a feature that is not present in the Zune. Like the X-Box 360, it's Internet enabled but not "web enabled". If I was more looking for a mail client, web browser, and portable YouTube terminal and PDA I'd choose the iPod Touch. If you want content that you just have to buy or rent, then maybe iTunes is your way to go.
Below, Apple's iTunes and it's busy display.. The sync seems harder on iTunes, on the Zune software it's one right click to sync a file..
Why I'd choose to buy a Zune..
If I was looking for just a kick-ass media player with a huge hard drive and great wireless media connectivity with my other Microsoft connected devices, the Zune is the way to go, especially if I want to download videos I recorded myself on Windows Media Center or work with mp3s, wma's, or wmv's I previously recorded at home on my own software or have if you have bought a big collection of mp3s from some other player system.. Sometimes people are looking for a pure personal entertainment device and not be tethered to email or work stuff on the web. The Zune is perfect for those people, especially if you have a big CD collection already. The WiFi syncing with devices to your PC is also flawless and quick.
The Zune has really functionally caught up to the iPod as a media player. It's music store has much in the way of "branded" music (you wouldn't be disappointed), and has a lot of new music genres not found or available on iTunes. It's really cutting edge stuff and after I took a listen to it I was surprised and incredibly impressed. It really brought me back to the edgy days when the "Seattle Sound" ruled the airwaves, but it's also new content and cutting edge too, not the typical record company "GENERATED" buzz. The Seattle scene always has known great music, and this is really carried over into the Zune's store.. The FM tuner is nice too, probably never a feature to be seen on an iPod product as anything but an add on too.
It may not ever get the press the iPod does, but the Zune is a great option and very open to file formats and the syncing is much less of a hassle. I really like the Zune Generation 2 and it's software. The Zune is a less expensive better alternative for many people, still feeling homey and keeps me in control. I feel more like it's a media player and less of a "BUY ME NOW" music service terminal.. The Zune succeeds at being social and organically seems to work and feel better as a music/video/podcast player and they really studied how people use devices the round touch circle makes it really easy to adjust volume without looking at the screen too.
Game, Set, Match!..
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