Microsoft Zune 80GB User Reviews May 23rd, 2008 | by Mike Kobrin
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Average user rating from 5 users |
The review missed highlighting a major advantage of the Zune.
by Brian HalcYoN on May 28th, 2008 at 4:32 PM:
Disclosure: Zune 30 owner. But this more about the Zune software.
The Zune Pass adds something the iPod itunes sorely lacks. For a little over the price of an average CD, you have access to the entire catalog, save the artists that require you to buy by the album. I now have a music catalog of 7300 songs to call upon, well 7310 after I finish downloading the latest Mates of State.
Yes, I know I am renting the music, but I would spend at least $20 a month on music to buy an album or two. I am not into the pirate arghhh scene, so the Zune Pass has been an amazing resource to listen to new music and discover artists I missed. The download sessions sometimes last into the late hours as the related artist list keeps you hunting and sampling.
Wireless sync has been a huge bonus, as like the reviewer above, I just plug in the Zune to the dock on my home theater, hit the "Listen to Zune" activity on the logitech and resume listening. I can push playlists from up at the PC. The home dock also allows for the display to the be viewed on a television. Great for the guest that always wants to know what song is playing.
The Zune continues to improve. I am very happy with my Zune 30 and I look forward to the next gen.
It grew on me
by Barry on May 27th, 2008 at 10:52 AM:
I have owned a black Zune 80 for about 2 months now. I held off on purchasing one until I heard that Audible support would be included in a future update in 2008 (which as of this writing has not been rolled out). My intended usage of the device (other than as a portable media player) was to use it as media center, freeing my large collection of videos and music from my computer and getting it onto my family room TV. I know there are other options for this (i.e. Apple TV), but I saw the Zune as an inexpensive way to accomplish this (since it "doubles" as a PMP)(Wireless Sync was a big consideration here). I am also a big fan of "all you can eat" music subscription services, which the Ipod doesn't offer. Thus my reasoning for purchasing a Zune.
My experience with the Zune has gone through 3 phases:
Phase 1: Excitement
My initial impressions of the Zune were largely positive mostly based on the sheer "sexiness" of the device itself, which is very solid. The size of the screen is a big positive. I like the UI as well which is well organized. The menus are a bit too deep for me, but this is a more than acceptable tradeoff given how well organized and intuitive they are. The controls are easy to use and I could not conceive of why anyone would turn off the touch feature of the Zune pad which I like a lot. The device feels very solid in hand and the earbuds are excellent. Please note that I am not an audiophile and I would never pay more than $50 for a set of earphones. The player is very durable, after 2 months of use there is not one scratch on the screen, front, or back of the device (not even a small one).
Phase 2: Concern
After the "honeymoon" ended, I began to see the flaws in the Zune. Mind you, not the device itself, which is excellent. The Zune software although aesthetically attractive, was clunky. Editing my music tags using the software was a joke as they offered very few features to make tag editing easy or useful. I also found the software interface to be slow. At one point I had a crash in the software that "dis-associated" my Zune 80 from the software, causing me to have to re-input my preferences into the Zune software. I was also disapointed by the lack of video content available in the Zune Marketplace.
Phase 3: Near Euphoria
Luckily for me, only about a month after I bought the Zune, the 2.5 update was rolled out. This update pretty much solved all the problems that I had with the Zune software. Tag editing has been vastly improved. The software interface is faster and more stable. Video content was added to the marketplace (selection is still limited, but hopefully this will change over time). The social features were enhanced allowing me to use my Zune to discover new music to enjoy (kind of works like a scaled down last.fm). The new social features and the Zune Pass "all you can eat" monthly subscription combine into a killer feature. It also works VERY well as a "poor man's" media center. I just dock the zune next to my family room TV when I come home and it "just works". With the wireless sync, I am now able to easily bring my music and video content into other areas in the house in a fairly slick and easy manner. The Zune has also allowed me to take control of my MP3 collection. Aside from the subscription plan, I have a very large (13GB+)and poorly maintained (lots of bad tags and unwanted music mixed in with musical gems) MP3 collection. The Zune has actually become part of my MP3 maintenence process, helping me to remove unwanted songs and fix poorly tagged songs. So the quality of my MP3 collection has improved since I started using the Zune!
To sum it up, I am wildly pleased with my overall Zune 80 experience, though I still have some minor issues with the Zune: 1) it appears that the picture transitions have been broken by the latest update, 2)unable to view detailed song info from the player (i.e. Year, Genre (you can filter/view/play songs by genre, but I'm talking about viewing song info while the song is playing)), 3)I want compatibility with more video file formats (i.e. Xvid, DivX), 4)a few minor issues with the "Quicklist" playlist feature on the player.
I would definitely recommend the Zune to a friend. I believe that the Zune will become a very compelling gadget if Microsoft continues to improve this product.
NOTE: the claims by a previous reviewer has made about the Zune being discontinued by Microsoft are directly contradicted by recent events - the big 2.5 update, XNA support for game development on the Zune, the deal with Audible to bring audible support to the Zune, and the inclusion of the Zune in Microsoft developer conferences. I am going to go out on a limb and call his claim F.U.D. (Fear, Uncertainty, ans Doubt)
Wishing the marketplace was better
by Jill on May 25th, 2008 at 5:01 PM:
When I got my Zune I made a point of going out and getting a non-apple product. I looked at a Samsung player as well, but thought the Zune's marketplace would make things easier. I was disappointed that the marketplace had few titles to actually make shopping for new music fun. I was upset when it didn't sync with WMP and I wish it would automatically rotate the screen like the Apple's do. Again, I don't hate Apple, they have some cool designs, but in this case I wanted something different than everyone else. As far as the screen goes, it's nice, clear and plays movies well. It's easy to navigate the menus, and with some upgraded Shure headphones, the sound is really good.
Be Cautious
by James on May 24th, 2008 at 8:58 PM:
I have had my Zune for a few months now, and overall I like it despite a few quirks. Zune Music Manager doesn't sync with Windows Media Player. So if you rip a CD using one or the other, the CD might be classified as one genre by the Zune, and another by WMP. The two programs are constantly re-organizing my music which is a pain. Microsoft needs to have these two divisions work together.
For a little more money, I should have gone with the Apple iPod Classic 160GB as it is a better player. There are also rumors Microsoft will be canceling the Zune soon as it is not selling well, so becareful.
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broke in less than a year
by Cathy Hasty on Jun 30th, 2008 at 3:15 PM: