Microsoft Zune - sounds like a good product

[cantdrv55]

Does anyone have one?

I just wrote a short blurb about it for business class and I'm impressed. The multimedia player and the website called, Zune Marketplace, are probably the iPod/iTunes biggest rivals. However, Zune only has anywhere from 3 - 11% marketshare compared with the iPod's 70% so Apple need not worry so.

What's cool about the player is its wireless capability and the FM tuner. With the wireless, it can sync/connect to your computer and begin downloading music from the website instantly. You can even connect with other Zunes nearby for what Microsoft calls, "Social Networking". However, there are so few Zubes around, it would just be a social network of one. Also, the FM tuner is cool.

Microsoft says most people discover music by listening to the radio. When you hear a song and like it, you sometimes make a mental note that you'd want to buy it sometime. But, when that song finishes and the next song starts, most likely you've already forgotten about the previous song, the one you liked. On the Zune, when you hear the song, you can click a button and the player will tag that song. The next time you get near your computer and the player connects wirelessly, it'll also send a command to the website to begin downloading the song that you liked. This supposedly happens automatically. So, for music discovery, Zune's have no equal. All other functions and features of the iPod, the Zune possesses.

The music download only works though if you have a Zune Pass which is $15/mo for unlimited downloads. Unfortunately, you don't own all that music so you can't burn it on CD. You only get ownership rights to 10 songs a month with the Zune Pass. I think it's still a good deal for someone who listens to a lot of music. The biggest downside is once you stop paying the monthly payment, the songs that you do not own will vanish from your player.

There's a great feature for conservatives. Zune can download shows from Fox so you can carry Hannity around with you everywhere you go.

[spuggy]

Uhhh, you know Microsoft already disbanded the product group and are dropping it after the next hardware iteration, right? Survey results like this http://www.theregister.co.uk/2009/04/10/teens_zune_ipod/ had a lot to do with it.

Me, I buy CD's and then rip them to my MP3 system of choice. They all belong to me.

[exitwound]

You DO realize that the Zune is being replaced with the ZuneHD right?

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/31/microsofts-zune-hd-shipping-on-september-5th/



I have a first generation Zune (30GB) and it's been fantastic (minus the leap year bug that wasn't Microsoft's fault). Battery life is about 14 hours audio, 4 hours video, but that's been drastically improved in later editions.

The marketplace has been a mixed bag for me. I've purchased one album from there (only available digitally, no CDs were printed) and it was corrupt. But it wasn't a Marketplace issue as much as the original rip was all messed up. Tech support contacted me BY PHONE over the next two weeks to sort it out. They were extremely helpful and gave me a free album download of my choice as a good will gesture. That album downloaded perfectly.

The other album I purchased was laced with DRM unfortunately. All WMAs that come from the Marketplace are DRMed but ALL MP3s are not. Both are of exceptionally high compression (320kbps mp3s and 192 wmas I think) and are well and good for casual listening.

I've been incredibly pleased with my Zune. It comes with an FM Radio (unlike the iPod) which I've used on many many occasions. All older generation Zunes get the firmware updates that newer Zunes do (including new features) so that your old Zune is exactly the same as the new Zunes. How that will relay to the ZuneHD I don't know.

The Zune Software will soon seamlessly mesh with your xbox360, utilizing one library of video and audio files, sharing between them. It doesn't mix with the Windows Media Player library though, so changes to one won't update the other (if you use WMP).

I paid $99 for a refurbished one and it's been great!

[cantdrv55]

I'm pretty sure the Zune in its current form is not being obsoleted. The Zune HD is a new iteration. Plus, as you said you can find refurb Zunes so the current functionality will remain.

[exitwound]

Btw, the HD in ZuneHD refers to the HD Radio, not video. It's still very much a standard resolution OLED. Can the iPod receive HD Radio? I don't believe so.

[nostatic]

OMG, you mean I can hear radio commercials in HD?!?!?

Sign me UP!

[island911]

Originally Posted by nostatic

OMG, If Apple doesn't have the feature it must be stoopid!

fixed it for ya.

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by island911

I hate Apple and anyone who says anything good about them - they must be brain dead zombies because everyone knows their products are all hype and over priced style-over-substance

back atcha

[exitwound]

Have you ever listened to HD Radio? It's the difference between color and black & white from standard radio.

[HardDrive]

Look, I about a pro-Microsoft at the they come (12+ years slinging and singing their products), but the Zune is a crapper.

I don't want to sign up for an ***** $15 dollar a month service. I don't give a crap about FM radio. I can get multiple apps for my iphone that stream fantastic radio selections. AOL of people has a free radio app that has hundreds of great stations, very few commercials, and (duh) the ability to tag songs so you can buy them later from whomever you want.

The Zune is done. Stick a fork in it.

[nostatic]

I'll take black and white without commercials for $200, Alex.

I'll take lower fidelity with better selection and no commercials (ie XM/Sirius). I wish it had higher fidelity but given the choice it is an easy call to me. ymmv

[jyl]

What is the difference btwn radio and HD radio? Can you tell, with typical earbuds?

[exitwound]

Originally Posted by HardDrive

Look, I about a pro-Microsoft at the they come (12+ years slinging and singing their products), but the Zune is a crapper.

So what products by Microsoft have you thought were superb?

[Oracle]

Originally Posted by exitwound

So what products by Microsoft have you thought were superb?

I think SQLServer on that category (and I'm an Oracle DBA).
Exchange is bad but still the best email tool on the market (Enterprise class)

[JavaBrewer]

iWould be much more of an iPod user if I could avoid the iTunes app. Once the two iPods in house croak (the non-V nano is close) I'm moving the household back to PC & Linux.

[HardDrive]

Originally Posted by exitwound

So what products by Microsoft have you thought were superb?

I like Active Directory, I think Exchange is a great product, I thought the entire Server 2003 family (2000 as well) was a nice platform. I'm not a dev, but I'm amazed at what you can do with .net.

I think Sharepoint has the potential to be an amazing product, but having suffered through the first couple versions, I'm scarred for life.

Oh yes, and Clippy. Gotta love Clippy

[spuggy]

Originally Posted by Oracle

I think SQLServer on that category (and I'm an Oracle DBA).

As a recovering Sybase DBA and developer, SQLServer is, uh, well, it's just Sybase (they bought a code snapshot in the 90's) with some naff GUI junk stapled on top for the 'Doze weenies and some vendor "extensions" for SQL and user authentication that you can easily avoid, don't add much value and are fairly easily ripped out again in favor of vendor-independence...

Heck, 10 years on and all the Sybase API's and interfaces still work, including the open source ODBC drivers.

Exchange is bad but still the best email tool on the market (Enterprise class)

You can't be serious? IMO, Exchange is very, very, poor as an MTA or MDA, and the only mail CLIENT I've ever seen that I hated more was Bloated Goats (Lotus Notes). Which is hardly a recommendation.

Jeez, even quoting of original messages in replies in Exchange clients has been horribly brain-dead broken since day one...

It is, however, unmatched for calendaring, global address book, messaging and the stuff that it actually does well (and which was innovative when it was first developed). Which is why it's used.

[slakjaw]

I picked up an ipod shuffle a while back. i like it

[herr_oberst]

Oh yes, and Clippy. Gotta love Clippy
[/QUOTE]

Mac users don't get Clippy, they get an old Mac Classic with legs. (animated!)

[Jims5543]

I hate i-pods I gave them many chances and give up on them.

My 16 y/o son gave up on them a couple of years ago and got a Zune instead after selling his i-pod to his cousin and using some of his money he saved. He told me he wished he never had a i-pod, the Zune is 100X better.

My wife is sick of her i-pod too and is switching over to a zune after using the sons at the gym one time.


Personally, I love my Stiletto2 from Surius. When outside I can listen to satellite radio, I dock it into my RX7 or FJ and have it piped through my radio in them.

If indoors I can hook up to a wireless network and listen online. I am streaming right now at work with my desktop speakers hooked up to it.

When I am in the gym I can hook up to an open network and listen there too. If I have no network to hook up to I have over 100 hours of music from my favorite stations stored in its memory. I also have a little heart button on it, if I like a song I am listening to I hit the heart and it gets saved to my memory. I have a nice library of "workout music" on there now.

I love the randomness of the Stiletto2, I can only listen to the same songs so much, I have tons of stations on there and use almost all of them. I have 9 favorites and that is enough not to hear the same thing over and over.

Yes there is a monthly fee that I am happy to pay for this. Its worth every penny.