... The ZMP does take a long time to load up, but knowing Microsoft, this will probably be fixed in an update. The interface design is based on the actual Zune player, which can seem a bit cheesy, but overall, it is pretty neat. Mixed with the official Windows XP Zune theme that is availible on ... Read review
Advantages: Easy to use, great headphones, Fantastic build quality and screen Disadvantages: Only a 30gb hard drive, slightly buggy PC software.
...the Zune can be Upgraded. Microsoft are very reliable when it comes to updating software, and this really does pack a punch to the Zune meadia player.
One last little point about synchronising with the Zune, is that you cannot use Windows Media Player with the Zune. I personally cannot see a problem with this, as the Zune media player is virtually the same piece of software in many ways.
The Zune marketplace is amazing, and ... ...see how good it really is. For something so new, it has a very wide range of music. Virtually every artist I searched for was located by the ZMP, and is in a perfect sound quality - every one is 190KBps, and not a drop below. Some new albums did require you to purchase the songs, which is a bit annoying if you have a Zune pass subscription. On the subject of the Zune Pass, I believe it is a great way to collect music. You can download as much music ... more
Before I say anything, there is a very two sided argument about ipod's versus Zune. Many, if not all reviews on the web are biased towards one side, and I will *try* to keep my review as open to both arguments as possible.
Now, first things first, the price. I had to ship mine over from America to the UK. The price including postage and packaging was roughly £150. Only £125 was for the player itself. Then VAT and other ridiculous taxes were added when it reached the UK, making the total price of the player £200, which is only £10 more expensive than an ipod.
The packaging of the Zune is very high quality. It is a sort of odd plastic/cardboard in brown, which looks very sleek and stylish. Presentation is good, with "welcome to the Social" written on the inside sleeve as you slide it open. Under that flap is where the Zune is displayed. My Zune is in a Dark Grey/Black colour, with a light blue halo round the edge, which does look very neat and tidy. The screen looks Massive when compared to an ipod, and is about 7/10ths the size of the whole player, and has a hard, think layer of plastic covering it. For the past 2 months that I have had mine, the screen is not even remotely scratched yet, but finger prints are easily smudged over it. The rest of Zune is made of a very hard rubbery plastic, and it has a soft touch to it. While the Zune is about twice as thick as an ipod, but it almost makes up for this by being made of the very think plastic. You would not expect to damage this easy.
When first turning on the Zune, the main interface loads, showing the Zune logo, and a loading bar at the bottom. It takes 10seconds to load up. Once in the main menu, you can finally see the screen sharpness. It is incredibly detailed, far better than anything I have seen. The colours are very vibrant, and it is very bright (yet it can be adjusted in three settings - low, medium and high).
Connecting the Zune first time round can be a pain. The installation is slow, because of update searching, and took what felt like 10minutes to complete. Upgrading the Zune interface took little time, even though the checking for update screen took an age. Once connected, the PC and Zune work seamlessly - with your PC recharging the Zune as it synchronizes.
On that note, the battery life of the Zune is good. I have not fully tested this, because my Zune is recharging a lot of the time, but I have to say that in the 2 months I have owned it, I have only got one message stating low battery. A little note I should also make, is turning it off. In the manual, the way to turn the Zune off is by pressing and holding the play/pause button. This leaves it in a Hibernation state - It will turn on instantly, but it is constantly using up energy, even when hibernating.However, if you press "Down" on the scroller, and the "Back" button it will turn it off. This will mean that it has to load up the Zune interface again, but uses no energy. So depending on how you are using the Zune, you should turn it off accordingly.
The Zune Media player (I will call it ZMP) is rather good, but has quite a few problems. The ZMP does take a long time to load up, but knowing Microsoft, this will probably be fixed in an update. The interface design is based on the actual Zune player, which can seem a bit cheesy, but overall, it is pretty neat. Mixed with the official Windows XP Zune theme that is availible on the zune.net website, your PC can look nice and stylish. Adding Music with the ZMP is as easy as with the similar WMP11, and settings can be customised for your library quite simply. The overall presentation and layout of your music collection is fantastic, with album covers making album identification far easier and better looking. Some albums do not get an automatic album cover, meaning there is no picture. Updating this yourself is a pain, and pasting it into the player can take some time. Videos and Pictures are new to ZMP from WMP11, and while this is helpful, it does not seem to collect new information of recently added media - e.g., if you get a new picture on your pc, it will not display it in your pictures section of the player. You have to add it yourself. Even though the ZMP is the worst part of the whole Zune "experience", I should mention that everything related to the Zune can be Upgraded. Microsoft are very reliable when it comes to updating software, and this really does pack a punch to the Zune meadia player. One last little point about synchronising with the Zune, is that you cannot use Windows Media Player with the Zune. I personally cannot see a problem with this, as the Zune media player is virtually the same piece of software in many ways.
The Zune marketplace is amazing, and the 14 day free Zune pass trial makes sure you see how good it really is. For something so new, it has a very wide range of music. Virtually every artist I searched for was located by the ZMP, and is in a perfect sound quality - every one is 190KBps, and not a drop below. Some new albums did require you to purchase the songs, which is a bit annoying if you have a Zune pass subscription. On the subject of the Zune Pass, I believe it is a great way to collect music. You can download as much music as you can handle, and can play it as often as you like (Until your Pass runs out, that is.
Once you have built up a collection of music you wish to add to your Zune, you will need to synchronize to it. If you do not specify a bit-rate that your Zune will use, it puts the media straight on. This takes a normal length of time - about an hour to fill it up. However, if you do run out of space on the mere 30 GB hard drive, you will need to convert songs to a lower bit rate. Conversion can take some time, but is reduced by the ZMP converting 2 songs at a time. If converting the maximum amount of songs possible on your Zune, it can take a full day to convert everything.
So the Zune is finally filled up with music. Playing songs is easy. Scrolling with the button controls is far less strenuous than an ipod of Zen - you simply click and hold. No rubbing the Zune's "hot spots" with your finger, this is as simple as it can get. When scrolling through many songs it will accelerate throughout the search, which is a great way to save time, and big letters are shown on the screen indicating your current alphabetic position. Once you have found the artist you want to listen to, you click the middle button, and the interface will move to the artist's albums. A little album-cover is displayed next to the album name, which is helpful for identification. Once you begin playing, the album cover is blown-up to almost the whole screen, with basic information shown at the bottom (Artist, Name of the song, and play time).
The standard Zune earphones are some of the best I have heard. Compared to some sennheisers, they have more power, but slightly less quality on the higher frequencies. The cheap foam cover supplied with the earphones can fall off in your pocket, but they do help keep them in place when being listened to. There are also tiny magnets on the outside of the earphone body, and this means that the cable will not be knotted when left in your pocket, and will only be twisted. One last thing, if you accidently pull the headphones out of the Zune while playing, it will stop the song in its tracks. Very very cool....
Video Playback is also surprisingly good. I have not noticed any skipping on videos, and the quality is fantastic. One thing that did strike me as simply incredible is High Definition playback. I downloaded a trailer of an HD video onto my pc, with a resolution of 1920 x 1080. On my PC (which is relatively fast), it will almost not play. There is, what seems, a frame rate of 2 frames per second. On the Zune, when NO conversion is used, video playback is perfect. No skipping whatsoever, but the quality is breath-taking.
The Radio is a little extra which makes the Zune that bit better than its competitors. It is as simple as it could get - a line with radio frequencies is displayed, and there is a big number above it saying what frequency you are on. Below the line, the information of the Radio station is displayed. You can either use the Zune to scan for stations, or manually scroll through the frequencies. If you save a frequency as a favorite, it will show a brighter line where the frequency is, and it can be scrolled to quickly when in scan mode, or alternatively, you can click the middle button and choose the station you desire in a list. As for the Quality of the radio, it is what you would expect, and I have not noticed any impurities with the playing.
Finally, the file sharing. I can't see this being used much, but when it is used, it is very swift. Song transfer takes less than 5 seconds! But unfortunately, the wireless does suck power from the battery, so I would not recommend leaving this on. As for transfer with an Xbox 360, it is as easy as you would expect. Treat it like a seperate hard-drive, and you will be fine. No problems there whatsoever.
In conclusion The Zune is a great piece of equipment. It doesn't have the same styling as the ipod, but for what it may lack in smooth looks, it more than makes up for in its functions and ease of use. The Zune Media player is extremely slow, but is packed with the goods (Media playing, downloading, sorting, editing...), and it is very versatile. If you are not sure about purchasing this, remember that everything can be upgraded, meaning that it will be like a new player every few months. Overall, one of the best, if not the best, MP3 players in the market
Advantages: iPod Ecosystem, New Interface, anodised case. Zune larger screen, Fm Radio Disadvantages: iPod smaller Screen, easily scratched case. Zune basic funionality, poor software
...Back on November 14th 2006 Microsoft brought out a brand of digital music players called ZUNE. The players came in 3 colours, Black, Pearl White and Rich Brown, had a 30gb HDD, 3" LCD Screen and offered the playback of music and videos, the ability to view pictures, FM radio and also on a limited bases share files wirelessly with the Xbox 360 and other Zune players. Cases are made from silicone rubber and feature what is known as a doubleshot effect. ... ...obnoxious and inaccurate, so hopefully Microsoft will continue to use clickable buttons in future Zune generations. The Wi-Fi is a feature Microsoft wanted to have on the Zune, but they never decided to develop any significant uses for it. However, it is a work in progress. Other wireless features will be added as new versions of firmware are released, but at present there is not too much to get excited about, After all Firmware updates can only ...
BitLord 18.10.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Microsoft Red Zune 30GB
Advantages: Cheap, durable, high quality sound, large screen Disadvantages: A bit big, some people may not like the nav buttons
...the Zune with the official microsoft update, the software of the Zune is updated so it is exatley the same as the new one, along with the PC software. My decision After I broke my Creative Zen Vision: M I was faced with a choice of getting an iPod or a Zune. In the end I settled for a Zune and I'll tell you why. How it looks The looks of the Zune may not be its strong point, however I like its simple design. There are some interesting colours, I've ... ...you can buy tracks with microsoft points, or get an unlimited subscription to download as many tracks as you want for $15 per month with a Zune Pass (in the USA). Conclusion I would definatley reccomend purchasing a Zune. I paid £95 for mine new, from a seller on ebay - yes it was an official Microsoft Zune I bought. So if you are looking to spend around £100 you can get a lot for you money with this Zune. If you are willing to spend more perhaps ...
jackthewelshman 11.06.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Microsoft Red Zune 30GB
Advantages: sharing with friends, ease of use, price Disadvantages: wireless feature limited, size, available in the US only, horrible software (not any more)
...The Zune created by Microsoft and published in 2006 is now a year old and has some brothers the new zunes 4, 8 and 80 (numbers indicate GB - storage). The first zune originally came out in three colours white, black and brown (brown?? yes!! and this colour was the seller number one whether you believe or not) later two more colours joined the group - pink and red. And some special editions such as the halo3 edition. The zune is compared to other ... ...reputation and people thought that Microsoft floped. It still reached the company's objective of reaching (i think it was) a million sales until summer 07. If you now think: what the hell is a zune I have never heared about it. This might be due to the fact that they are only available in the USA and will shortly enter Canadas Market. The launch in europe is also still unforseen.
Since the launch in 2006 a lot has changed and the new products are ...
FirstToTry 15.12.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Microsoft Red Zune 30GB
Advantages: You may send music to you friends wirelessly & has a built in radio & long battery life Disadvantages: Syncing is very slow for movies, especially if it is not with the right format
...and is written by a Microsoft and Macintosh fanatic. The zune is a new era of digital media players that is now considered the basics of digital entertainment and music streaming. The Microsoft is a very interesting peace of art developed by Microsoft. First of all, I would like to say that Microsoft did a good or decent job developing this music player. The 30gb zune has many features, which also include a limited internet browsing option that only ... ...other players except that it has a long battery life, up to 24-hours. The cool feature about this product is the wireless syncing. With the correct configurations you can sync your zune wirelessly as long as you are logged into your zune software. The zune software works just like itunes, were people can meet others share their music and subscribe to podcasts. Of course you can buy albums and music. The cool thing about this software is if you have ...
rs_2_trader 16.12.2008
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Microsoft Red Zune 30GB
Advantages: Large colour screen, durable, great sounding tracks! Disadvantages: Slightly weighty, more features possible.
The Microsoft Zune. Zune. What a name!
I bought one of these recently because I wanted to find out what all the fuss was about. I can tell you, I was immediately gripped. After handing over (yes, again) my card getting home and putting the kettle on I was enthralled.
The Zune appears to have been loving placed into its little box. The USB cable and documentation have been carefully placed into the sub sections of the box ready for an interested ... ...library. I am guessing the Microsoft Zune believes that speed really is of the essence. The Zune is a real pleasure to use, too. It's impressively quick; tracks, word art and song information is displayed within milliseconds thanks to the nippy processor and graphics engine. Unlike my old unbranded Mp3 Player, music sounds much more vibrant and even more so when the built in equaliser is used. The radio is interesting too. It's not the ultra modern ...
Theavens2005 06.06.2007
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Microsoft Red Zune 30GB
Product Information for "Microsoft Red Zune 30GB" »
Product details
Audio System / Type
Portable Media Player, MP3 Player
Flash Memory / Installed Size
30720
Digital Storage Media
Hard drive
Built-In Radio
With Built-In-Radio, Built-In Radio
Manufacturer
Microsoft, Toshiba
Manufacturer's product description
Entertainment and sharing to go. That's the Zune 30 GB Digital Media Player. The Zune plays music and videos, displays images, and unlike the iPod, it even receives FM radio so you can stay on top of local news or sports. Designed around the principles of sharing, discovery, and community, Zune connects people and empowers them with the tools needed to share entertainment experiences.