Microsoft Zune 80GB Review
By Mike Kobrin
May 23rd, 2008
Summary
The 80GB Zune has undeniable cool factor, given its big screen and built-in WiFi. But rather than trumping the competition, it falls in that gray area between the somewhat ho-hum iPod Classic and the rip-roaring iPod Touch. We applaud Microsoft for trying to make the hardware and software as un-Microsoft (read: user-friendly) as possible, but even this second-gen model has some kinks that need working out. And although we love the wireless sync and recently upgraded song-sharing features, we hope future generations will include more practical WiFi features like a Web browser.
Full Review
Features and Design
The 80GB Zune is slightly taller and thicker than the 80GB iPod Classic, measuring 2.4 x 4.3 x .5 inches. But the glass LCD screen is significantly bigger, at 3.2 inches versus the iPod's 2.5 inches. The matte black front (also available in red) is complemented by a metallic champagne-colored back, and the 4.5-ounce device feels very comfortable in our hand.
Below the screen, the minimal controls consist of Back and Play/Pause buttons flanking a touch-sensitive, clickable pad. Aside from those, there's a standard 3.5-mm headphone jack and small hold switch on top and a proprietary dock connector on the bottom.
Extras
Responding to complaints about Apple's stock iPod earbuds, Microsoft smartly includes a pair of headphones that go into your ear canals. The Zune earbuds have some nice touches, including cloth-covered cabling and magnets that keep the earbuds together when not in use. You also get 3 sizes of extra silicone eartips. The only other accessory is a proprietary sync/charge USB cable.
Setup
Downloading the Zune software (41.5MB) requires setting up a Windows Live account, which asks for information like date of birth and email address, but you get access to the Social (wireless sharing) and the Zune Marketplace.
When we launched the software on our virtual Win XP system running on our Macbook Pro, a message told us our "video hardware isn't fully compatible with Zune software. This will keep you from enjoying video enhancement, which includes ornamental on-screen animation." (Typical Microsoft.) We didn't get this message on our homebrew Windows box with an ATI Radeon X1600 graphics card.
When we connected our Zune, the software immediately notified us that a firmware update was available. We're pleased to report the update was totally painless. We then were prompted to name the device and link it to our computer and Windows Live account.
From a design standpoint, we prefer iTunes because the layout directs your eyes to the main window, whereas the Zune software's layout is equally weighted in multiple areas. Ultimately it's a matter of personal preference, and both are easy to use.
Image Courtesy of Microsoft
Zune Marketplace
Although the Marketplace's has decent selection and editorial content, the Zune Points system ($5 for 400 points, 79 points = about 99 cents) will confound most people, at least at first. Talk about making things needlessly complicated.
Approximately one-third of the Marketplace's 3 million tracks are DRM-free, while the rest are protected with Zune DRM. Most songs are in WMA format and cost about 99 cents, though DRM-free MP3s like our fave John Coltrane tune, "Blue Train," are 220 points each, which translates to… umm… we'll get back to you when we figure out the math, but it's a lot for one song. The upside: you're getting an unlocked 320Kbps MP3, which is pretty hot.
The store recently added content from a few TV networks, but the selection is sad: So far, 38 shows with varying numbers of episodes available at 160 Zune points each, including an underwhelming three shows from lone non-cable network NBC. We're hoping this will grow, though the majors are quickly moving toward making content available for free.
The Marketplace also gives you access to a healthy collection of audio and video podcasts (yes, Microsoft actually calls them that). You can subscribe to them or download individually, and they're easy to browse.
The Microsoft Zune Marketplace
Interface
The Zune's controls and menus are simple enough for first time users to figure out within seconds. We love that you can disable the touch-pad's touch-sensitivity, and all of the menu text is large and easy to read. The horizontally aligned options for browsing media by genre, artist, song, and so on helped us zip around the device quickly. One thing that really turned us on: You can view compilation albums as individual artists or lumped together as "Various Artists" by changing a setting.
AV Quality
We tested the Zune's AV output using 320Kbps MP3 files from various musical genres, as well as TV shows and podcasts we got through the Marketplace. For the most part we used the included earbuds, but for deeper testing we used our high-end Shure SE530 headphones.
The Zune Premium Headphones are the best included earbuds we've heard except for Sony's EX series (included with Sony's excellent Noise Cancelling Walkman players), though they're easily trumped by most $80-and-up sets. They don't go very far into your ear canals, so they're comfortable but don't block very much noise.
Acoustic jazz tracks had decent balance between bass, mids, and highs, though we could hear more background hiss than with most other players including the current iPod crop. R&B and funk tracks from the likes of Stevie Wonder and James Brown sounded fine, but the bass lacked the impact it had with our 80GB 5th-gen iPod. The deep bass in electronica tunes from Aphex Twin and Bass Mekanik came through fine but lacked that huge subwoofer-in-the-trunk feel.
An episode of Chappelle's Show from the Marketplace was perfectly smooth with well-synced audio and good color on the 240 x 320 pixel screen. We did notice that the screen's pixels aren't as close together as those on the iPod Touch and iPhone, which was somewhat disappointing. Videos looked fine on our 40-inch Samsung HDTV via the Zune's TV output (headphone jack), with output resolution maxing out at 720 x 480 pixels.
Our overall impression is that Microsoft skimped a bit on the headphone output and audio decoder. The Zune has enough sheer power to drive any consumer-grade headphones, but the clarity and detail just aren't there. We're surprised that Microsoft removed the equalizer features of the first-gen Zune, and we await its return. We also heard some hard drive whine at the beginnings of tracks.
The built-in FM tuner is reasonably strong and has good interface. We had no trouble picking up WNYC (93.9) anywhere in New York City, and we could even pick up stations from other nearby cities like WBGO (88.3) in Newark with only a little static. It supports a seemingly unlimited number of presets (we got to 55 before giving up) as well as RBDS station and song info, though there's no autoscan feature for automatically populating your presets.
Wireless
Wireless sync is arguably one of the Zune's hottest features, but getting the Zune to connect to our PC was a challenge. We'll spare you the gory details about trolling through the list of Windows services and manually enabling anything to do with Zune or sharing. Luckily, enough other users had similar problems, so we were able to find troubleshooting info online fairly quickly.
We naively tried to connect the device wirelessly to our MacBook Pro running Windows XP in VMWare's Fusion, but it was a total no-go, despite trying the same troubleshooting methods we used with our dedicated Windows box.
Setup issues aside, wireless sync is a great feature, though files transfer at a max of 54Mbps (802.11g speed), meaning you'll want to leave it running overnight if you're transferring a lot of content. We'd like to see 802.11n support in the next generation.
Wireless song sharing is another attractive feature. But if Microsoft claims to have sold over 2 million Zunes in 2 years according to many reports, we're wondering where they all are. In 2 weeks of testing in New York City, we found only two other Zunes in the roughly 30-foot range, and scanning for nearby devices tanked our battery life.
When you send songs to other Zunes, they play up to 3 times before expiring; Microsoft thankfully got rid of the 3-day time limit on song sharing. Unfortunately, you can only share songs bought at the Zune Marketplace or acquired via your ZunePass subscription ($14.99 a month), and not all tracks at the Marketplace are shareable. There are workarounds, but those are tedious and most likely illegal.
You can also connect with "Friends" via the Internet in the Zune software for song recommendations, which you can tag for purchase. Then when you sync the device the next time, you can pay for and download the songs from the Marketplace. We'd rather see this work wirelessly via hotspots.
Battery Life
The Zune's battery life is rated at 30 hours of audio and 4 hours of video with wireless off, which isn't quite up to its Apple competitors' but should be sufficient. Our testing showed that these numbers are close enough to accurate. The WiFi only appears to drain the battery significantly when it's actually scanning and syncing, but not when it's idle.
Conclusion
The Zune really is a sexy gadget, but its lack of widespread adoption and limited wireless features (compared with the iPod Touch) holds it back in a big way. Unlike many out there, we don't think Microsoft is trying to copy Apple's ideas -- the Zune definitely has its own thing going on -- but some of its differentiating features need to be better implemented. And Microsoft would have been much smarter to wait until after widespread adoption to roll out the Social.
We're looking forward to future generations of the Zune, and we hope the product line will survive relatively dismal sales figures to blossom into a platform instead of just a gadget. It's already partway there given the growing number of accessories for the dock connector, but the flexibility of the iPod Touch's software must be making the Zune jealous.
Pros:
• Simple controls and navigation
• Wireless sync and song sharing
• Comes with in-ear headphones
• Built-in FM radio and podcast support
Cons:
• Mediocre sound and no EQ
• Lack of robust sources of legal (and popular) video content
• Wireless sync can be tricky to set up
• Song sharing suffers because of lack of widespread adoption
Specs
Description: Zune 2nd Generation 80GB Media Player - Black
Manufacturer: Microsoft
Quick Glance
Weight: 4.5
Storage Capacity: 80 GB
System Compatibility: PC
System Connectivity: Proprietary,
USB
Storage Media Supported: Internal Hard Drive
Additional Features: FM Tuner,
Photo Viewer
Video Playback: Yes
Memory
Storage Media Supported: Internal Hard Drive
Total Included Memory: 80 GB
Audio Quality
Audio Codecs Supported: AAC,
MP3,
WMA,
WMA DRM
Features
Number of Station Presets: 30
Video Playback: Yes
Additional Features: FM Tuner,
Photo Viewer
Display Type: Color LCD
Interface
Audio Output Connectors: Audio - Headphone Out (1/8" Mini)
System Connectivity: Proprietary,
USB
Battery
Power Source: DC Input,
Lithium Ion Battery
Compatibility
Network Architecture Supported: Wireless Ethernet - 11 Mbps IEEE802.11b,
Wireless Ethernet - 54 Mbps IEEE802.11g
System Compatibility: PC
Package Contents
Batteries Included: Yes
Included Components: Headphones,
USB Cable
Dimensions
Weight: 4.5 oz
Depth: 0.5 in
Width: 2.4 in
Height: 4.3 in