Portable Media Player Reviews

News.com reports on the launch of the Zune portable media player from Microsoft Corp. 'The device, which the company anticipates will be ready in time for the holidays, will come in three colors and be capable, via its built-in Wi-Fi, of sharing full-length songs with other nearby Zune devices, the software giant said. As had been revealed through regulatory filings, it includes a 30GB hard drive as well as a 3-inch screen. The Zune will come in black, brown and white, but the company has declined to reveal any pricing information.

Gizmodo posts the first full review of Microsoft's portable media player. 'The outside is made out of a rubberized plastic, which goes through an interesting process where they paint the inside a different color than the case—this gives the Zune a two-toned look which both looks and feels great. The corners (meticulously selected down from hundreds of minutely different corners) look like they glow, which is called the "doubleshot effect". This comes from the inside radius being different from the outside radius.'

A review of the Zune (30GB, white) media player has been posted over at CNET. 'Earlier this year, the idea of a Microsoft-branded MP3 player was foreign to most consumers. After all, what could the software giant do to the iPod dynasty that Windows Media hardware partners such as Creative, iRiver, and Samsung had been unable to do? Well, we all knew that after Microsoft's September 14 announcement, the Zune would be a different kind of portable media player, one that integrates wireless technology for Zune-to-Zune sharing of files, and one that works within an iTunes-like closed Zune Marketplace ecosystem.

PC Authority.have posted a review of Microsoft's Zune Digital Media Player (Black). 'The Zune display uses an odd aspect ratio of 3:4 during normal operation, which is taller than an iPod display, but looks like a regular screen when you turn it on its side to view video files. Its peculiar tall dimensions make for better viewing of a long list of tracks, though. The circular interface plus pad doesn’t have any mystical touch-sensitive features – it’s merely a showy covering on a simple four-way switch.

A review of Microsoft's Zune wireless music player has been posted over at Reg Hardware. 'Turn on the Zune and the first thing that strikes you is the 3in screen that dominates the front of the unit. While it works well in portrait mode for navigating your music collection, where it really shines is video - turn it to landscape mode and you can view widescreen content on a relatively large scale for a portable player. Unfortunately, you'll have to transcode any video content into WMV format first as that's the only type of video the Zune will play natively.

A review of the new Zune 80GB hard-drive-based MP3 player has been posted over at PC Magazine. 'The Zune 80GB comes in black (only), and it's lost the transparent plastic look of its predecessor. The player's design is simple and graceful, measuring 2.4 by 4.3 by 0.5 inches—similar to an iPod classic but a bit longer. The front panel, dominated by a big 3.2-inch display, carries a black matte finish. The rear panel, which can be etched with Zune artwork, is a metallic matte. (The art selection is pretty cool, including psychedelic patterns, skull tattoos, gothic Victorian doodles, and more, and these designs can be combined with the text you choose.) The front panel controls, left to right, are a back button, a touch-sensitive control pad, and a play/pause button, and the top panel has a lock switch and a headphone jack. The proprietary connection on the bottom panel remains the same as on the original Zune, so it will work with previously released Zune docks.'

Ars Technica have published a detailed review of the new Microsoft Zune Player digital media player. 'Tastes may vary, but I found the Zune's looks superb—at least as good as recent iPods, which some say have looked a bit bloated since receiving the wider screens. The player itself comes in white, black, and brown. We've been testing the black and brown models in the lab and are happy to report that the black looks sharp and sexy. As for brown? It looks... less sexy, but still quite nice. Dismiss from your mind any playground jokes involving fecal matter. Brown may not be the new black, but it does look attractive, like a suede shoe encased in green plastic.'

CNET Asia have published their review of the Microsoft Zune (80GB) multimedia player. ‘The 80GB Zune cuts a much slimmer figure than its bricklike older brother. Measuring 108.2mm high by 61.1mm wide by 12.9mm deep, Microsoft shaved some considerable bulk off the Zune's thickness, while nearly tripling its capacity. Beyond its more pocket-worthy form, the two major improvements to the Zune's hardware design are its screen and its navigation pad. With a diagonal measurement of 3.2 inches, the 80GB Zune's luxuriously large LCD screen leaves the 2.5-inch screen of the iPod Classic in the dust. The screen size may seem like a marginal improvement from the first-generation Zune's 3-inch screen, but the 80GB Zune's use of an optical glass screen shield (instead of plastic) further distinguishes it from its older sibling, as well as the competition. The Zune's new glass screen not only affords the device a sophisticated feel, but it also provides a more scratch-resistant surface with less optical distortion than the ubiquitous plastic variety.’

Anything But iPod have published their review of the Microsoft Zune 80 digital multimedia player. 'The Zune 80 comes packed with just the basics: a proprietary USB transfer cable, premium earbuds, and the Zune 80 unit. The notable included accessory is the premium earbuds which, sold by themselves, go for $40. Are they worth that by themselves? Maybe, but I would recommend saving another $60-100 for a really nice set of IEMs- your ears will thank you and you will hear things in your music you never knew were there. But back to the included Zune premium phones; they are a more-than-welcome included accessory, sounding many times better than typical stock earbuds.'

Bona Fide Reviews have published their review of the Zune 2 80GB digital media player. 'Overall, Zune 80 is a good media player. With most of the features of the iPod and a few additional ones, it is an excellent alternative to the iPod. The premium headphones that come with the Zune are great, but, unfortunately, they are also a slight weak point. Instead of a normal plastic cable, these headphones use a soft fabric cable, which gives it a unique look and feel. This same fabric, I believe, is also the culprit that conducts the static charge that annoys so many people, especially in the winter.

Newegg has the Microsoft Zune 3.2" Black 80GB MP4 Player on offer for $233.99 plus free shipping
Features:
• 80 GB digital media player stores up to 20,000 songs, 25,000 pictures or 250 hours of video
• Wireless Zune-to-Zune sharing so you can swap tracks and other media
• Big, bright, 3.2-inch LCD color screen
• Compatible with Zune Marketplace for media downloads and subscription services
• Automatically imports your existing music, pictures, and videos form iTunes and Windows Media Player in a variety of formats

A review of the Zune Car Pack FM transmitter has been posted over at CNET. 'The Zune Car Pack ($79) is Microsoft's in-car FM transmitter made especially for its line of Zune MP3 players (including the first generation Zune). The Car Pack shares the same aesthetic as Microsoft's second-generation Zune players, offering design-conscious Zune users an elegant in-car listening solution.

DAP Review have published a comprehensive review of the Zune 80 multimedia player. 'The Zune has excellent build quality, one of the best of the MP3 players in the industries. The device feels solid in your hand, and the case is put together so well that there are no creeks or movement as you use it. You can hardly feel the seem between the upper black part of the case and the brushed metal of the backside, and there isn't a single screw on the case. The design certainly follows the iPod school of thought.

The Gadgeteer have published a review of the Zune 8GB digital media player. ‘The Zune truly is a full-fledged competitor to the iPod. For the average user who isn't particularly tech savvy, the iPod provides an all-in-one solution: hardware, software, and proprietary DRM. A user can be up and running right out of the box, buying music, ripping music, and dumping it onto their new player with minimal effort and fuss. There are plenty of other DAPs on the market, but until the Zune, they were all the same - MTP and MSC support, and Windows Media DRM compatibility.

Futurelooks.com have published their review of the Microsoft Zune 80GB multimedia player. 'The Zune 4GB and Zune 8GB are similar in size and shape as the second-generation iPod nano. For the purposes of this review, we took a closer look at the Zune 80GB. Although it has a footprint that is similar to the first Zune, it does feel a little lighter in my hands and it seems to a smidge thinner as well. All three models are equipped with the Zune Pad for navigation, which is a considerable step in the right direction compared to the clunky plastic five-way navigator of the first Zune. With the noted exception of the integrated Wi-Fi connectivity (and all the associated functionality), this feature set is pretty much in line with the iPod Classic 80GB. Where the Zune wins, in this regard, is the fact that it has a much larger display, making video watching a richly rewarding experience.'

Digital Trends have published their review of the Microsoft Zune 80GB digital media player. '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.'

OhGizmo have publsihed a review of the Zune digital player. 'The Zune’s packaging has a brown vs. pink & orange color scheme that probably doesn’t sound too appealing on paper, but actually looks quite good. Opening the Zune involves sliding off an outer box which reveals the player inside wrapped in a piece of protective plastic. Underneath the player you’ll find smaller boxes that contain the bundled headphones and the USB adapter cable. It kind of sucks that it doesn’t include a power adapter for plugging into a wall socket (it’s available as an accessory) but since you can charge with USB it’s not a big issue. And not including a power adapter seems to be the trend these days anyways, and I don’t see it changing anytime soon.'

The Fresh Page have publsihed a review of the Microsoft Zune 8GB portable media player. 'Probably one of the coolest features of the Zune is the wireless syncing to your playlist on your computer. It connects via 802.11b/g and can sync your playlist wirelessly (not as fast as USB2, but pretty cool feature if you are in another part of your house and want to update your Zune before you leave). (We’ll have to admit, this feature was a little tricky to find out how to use, but all you have to do after setting it up is to go to Settings -> Wireless ->Sync now).'