Recently in Zune Category

The Gadgeteer have published a review of the Zune HD Platinum digital media player. 'The Zune HD has an accelerometer that automatically senses when you change positions. However, the orientation of information on the screen doesn't always change. The touch screen is very responsive, and it's a fingerprint magnet, just as you'd expect. The number and placement of the buttons is very similar to those on the iPod touch. There is a power button on the middle of the top, a home button on the front under the screen, and a headphone plug and charging/sync cable connector on the bottom. The left side has a rocker button with a strange function. Pressing the rocker pops up virtual controls on the screen. The virtual control has volume up/down, play, and fast forward/reverse controls.'

A review of the Microsoft Zune HD (32GB) digital player has been posted over at Dev Hardware. 'The Zune HD is a music lover's dream. This is particularly true if you want to go "beyond the music" and learn background information on artists, or delve deeper into more of their songs or past albums. Rather than simply playing a song and showing album art, the software on the Zune HD offers users much more. For example, if you choose an artist, such as Jay-Z, to listen to, you will be taken to a screen that lists all of his album history, as well as sections detailing his biography, and photos. You will even be given suggestions on related artists you might enjoy, since you're interested in Jay-Z. You can think of this setup as something similar to the one offered on Amazon.com when you shop for music.'

Anything But iPod have published their review of the Zune HD video MP3 player. 'The majority of the Zune HD's housing is made of plastic, with the exception of the back which is made from a brushed aluminum. The screen is Gorilla Glass produced by Corning and seems to be what many of the manufactures are using. It has appeared on other players such as the Cowon S9. When holding the Zune HD it is very obvious that a great deal of time and resources were spent on the design and build. Its assembly is very impressive; there is no give or creaking at all. The lines where one material meets another are precise and buttons have the perfect amount of travel and tactile click. Simply put, the Zune HD is a premium piece of hardware.'

A review of the Zune HD digital player has been posted over at Ubergizmo.com. 'The Zune HD *is* sexy, slim and solidly built. It is actually smaller than it looks on the product photos and many people are surprised when they see it for the first time (which is good for a music player). It is also very light (2.6oz, versus 4.23oz for the iPod touch). The other day I was looking for it, after forgetting that it was in fact in my pants pocket... However, once you get over the first physical contact, the new user interface and experience is really what matters. So, is the Zune HD hot or not?'

TweakTown have published their review of the Microsoft Zune HD and AV Dock personal media player. 'The Zune HD player is quite a nice looking piece of hardware and one that certainly catches the eye. Its sleek form has an industrial yet sexy look that gets attention. The model we tested was the Zune HD Black 16GB. The black color brings to mind images of exotic sports cars, especially with the glass covering the touch screen. The front of the player is where we find the new OLED screen. This 3.3-inch organic display is unfortunately surrounded by a bezel and not full edge to edge. While this does not take away from the picture quality, we feel that a full edge to edge screen would have really set the Zune HD even more apart in look that it already is.'

Pocket-lint have published their review of the Microsoft Zune HD digital media player. 'Power it up and you'll quickly find that it's made by Microsoft. Why do we say that? Well because before you go anywhere you have to sync it with your PC. Once synced, you've then got to update it with the latest firmware version and that's after you've downloaded the Zune software to get the thing working in the first place. It's not the end of the world, but you expect gadgets these days to just work, not to have to be updated from day one. Mac users with the urge to sign up, take heed: the Zune software isn't Mac compatible and therefore you'll either have to find a friend to install the software or invest in virtualisation software to run on your Mac. If you don't it's a charming looking paperweight. Microsoft has teased with the promise of Mac software, but don't hold your breath.'

Pocketables have published their review of the Microsoft Zune HD touchscreen player. 'The display on the Zune HD is what sets it apart from most traditional PMPs on the market. While the 3.3-inch OLED screen may be a bit smaller due to a fairly large dark frame, it makes up for lack of size with its awesome color and clarity. The resolution of 480 x 272 is merely sufficient, however, and maybe a bit low these days. Overall, though, the screen is beautiful. The capacitive touchscreen is responsive and provides eye-popping colors, which tend to be better indoors due to the less-reflective nature of OLED screens.'

PC World have published their review of the new Microsoft Zune HD (32GB Platinum) media player. 'Physically, the Zune HD represents a complete makeover--one that's flashy and sexy. Measuring 4.0 by 2.0 by 0.3 inches, it falls somewhere between last year's hard-drive and flash-based models in size. It weighs a featherlight 2.6 ounces, or 1.5 ounces less than the iPod Touch. A gorgeous, 3.3-inch, multitouch OLED display dominates the device's face, and a single, slim physical home button resides below that. The power button sits on the top edge of the device, while the volume rocker occupies the left spine. Unfortunately, the rocker is almost completely flush with the metal casing, so it is difficult to press.'

A review of the new Microsoft Zune HD portable media player has been posted over at PC Magazine. '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.'