Pros & Cons
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- Gorgeous multi-touch OLED screen.
- Intuitive user interface with sharp, good-looking graphics.
- Strong Web browser.
- Wireless music purchasing, downloading, and syncing.
- HD radio.
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- Limited audio codec support.
- HD files are displayed in standard-def on the player—an optional dock is needed to view HD files on an HDTV or a PC.
- Very slim pickings in the App section of the Zune Marketplace.
After years of trying, has Microsoft finally beat Apple at its own game that started with the iPod? Well, not quite. But the fantastic Zune HD, priced at $219.99 (16GB) and $289.99 (32GB), certainly gives the
Design: Slim, Light, and Clean
A very good-looking gadget, the 16GB Zune HD is Onyx Black and the 32GB version is Platinum Silver. The larger-capacity player is available in exclusive colors including red, blue, and a yellowish-green at ZuneOriginals.net. When you compare it side-by-side with the iPod touch, what's most striking about the 2.6-ounce, 4.0-by-2.1-by-0.4-inch (HWD) Zune HD is its smaller, lighter frame. (The 4.1-ounce touch measures 4.3 by 2.4 by 0.3 inches.) The Zune's 3.3-inch multi-touch-capable OLED screen is noticeably smaller than the touch's 3.5-inch LCD, and the 480-by-272 resolution is slightly lower than the iPod's 480 by 320. Still, the screen is bright and sharp—due in part to Microsoft's decision to use OLED and keep it smaller.
As for responsiveness, the touch and Zune HD seem nearly identical in sensitivity—an area where many touch-screen PMPs like the
User Interface and File Support: A Mixed Bag
One thing Microsoft never seems to get right: Making the software updates for your computer and player simple. Yes, I was working with the Zune 4.0 software on its first day of integration, but the number of hoops I had to jump through to get up and running was in no way akin to a one-click iTunes update. When the process, which is long but not confusing, is finished, however, the software is pretty excellent.
The Zune user interface just gets better with each iteration. The main menu has an interesting visual section featuring three categories: Pins, History, and New. To set a "pin" (a bookmark), just press and hold on a picture, a song, or a movie, and it will always show up in this section. History shows you the most recent song, movie, picture, and radio station you've heard or viewed, while New is comprised of your most recent purchases and syncs. Since each media item is represented by an icon, you're only one click away from immediately enjoying anything you see, and it's a handy way to remind yourself where you left off, or what you've recently loaded on to your Zune. Overall, the player's menu system has a very classy, slick look, and getting around is a breeze.
Codec support for the Zune HD is strong in some areas and weaker in others. For audio, the device can play only MP3, WMA (including Lossless), and AAC (unprotected only) files. Ouch. Fans of OGG, FLAC, or even plain old AIFF and WAV will be disappointed. Video support, however, includes HD and SD versions of WMV, MPEG-4, and H.264. The Zune HD can handle 720p HD files, but on the player, they'll play back in standard definition. HD playback is only achieved on an HDTV or a PC, using the aforementioned optional dock's HDMI connection. Regardless, the ability to store HD files and play them back in SD or in HD, depending upon your output screen is a definite strength. For photos, you can only view JPEGs. The Zune HD is 802.11b/g compatible.
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Audio, Video, the Web, and Beyond
The audio experience on the Zune HD is a lot like with an iPod in that it's not terribly customizable. You get EQ presets, but there's no user-adjustable EQ like on the excellent-sounding, touch-screen
Video looks stunning on the Zune's 3.3-inch OLED screen. Using the HD dock, Zune-Marketplace-purchased video, when viewed on an HDTV via HDMI also looked pretty excellent in my tests. A handy feature: If you watch a video using the dock and stop before it's finished, it will pick up from where you left off if you choose to finish watching on the player. One minor gripe: Microsoft calling this player the Zune HD. The title is a bit misleading since you can only see files in HD if you watch them on your PC or a TV using the HD dock, which costs you more. Unless, of course, if the HD is for the HD radio, which seems like a stretch.
The FM radio in the Zune HD is a strong point that puts Apple's recent FM addition to the
By including an excellent mobile browsing experience, Microsoft has truly taken the Zune HD to the next level. In terms of ease-of-use and fluidity, the Zune's browser, which is a specialized version of Internet Explorer Mobile (Microsoft would't confirm or deny whether it's Windows Mobile 7), is almost as good as the iPod touch's. Neither player supports Flash, but most Web sites look fantastic. And the Zune HD uses the familiar pinch-and-expand motions that iPod touch and iPhone users know well. Entering URLs in Apple's Safari browser is a little easier, and occasionally the Zune HD defaults to the mobile version of a site, while the iPod touch calls up the standard version. In terms of loading pages, both players are quite speedy. All in all, no other player from Archos, Sony, or Samsung comes close to providing the Web experience you get with the Zune HD.
The Zune Marketplace makes it easy to browse for music on the player or on your PC, but the Apps section is well, practically non-existent, offering only a smattering of games (Space Battle 2, Sudoku, for example), a weather app, and a calculator—seven (!) apps total. Hardly a match for the iPod touch's tens of thousands. For the full scoop, check out our
Seamless wireless file syncing with your computer is a long-standing Zune feature that iPods still lack. And the Zune Social functionality, which let you send song suggestions and messages to other Zune owners would be cool if all your friends—or even a few—owned Zunes. But in a world in which you'll be considered unique for choosing a Zune over an iPod, this feature is more quaint than useful.
Microsoft rates the Zune HD's battery life at 33 hours for audio and 8.5 hours for video (with Wi-Fi disabled)—higher on both accounts than Apple's iPod touch battery ratings. Our in-lab tests are underway, and results will be posted here shortly.
To Zune or Not To Zune?
For years, it seemed like the Zune was a generation or so behind the best and brightest iPods, but this time around, Microsoft has shown Apple that it, too, can make an attractive, easy-to-use player with innovative features. If Microsoft is able to give birth to an App Store that can somehow rival Apple's, then the race could get interesting. As it stands, the lack of useful apps on the Zune is the primary difference between the two players. The inclusion of HD radio and quasi-HD video support, while definite strengths, are not enough to overshadow the iPod touch's sheer versatility. Still, the Zune HD is, without a doubt, the second-best portable media player you can buy, and if you want a touch-screen player and to live outside the iTunes ecosystem, it's your top choice. With the Zune HD's slick build, excellent user interface, intuitive Web browser, and wireless syncing abilities, Apple has never seen Microsoft this close in its rearview mirror. One can only wonder if next year they'll be driving side-by-side.
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