Criteria
Comments
Rating
- Sound quality No comments
- Video quality No comments
- Ease of use No comments
- Portability No comments
- Battery life No comments
- Media support No comments
- Capacity No comments
Detailed review
Hardware:
The second-gen hardware is mostly identical to the third-gen, with the most notable difference being an additional color and the exterior is smooth and glossy while the second-gen hardware was matte and ever-so-slightly textured. Luckily, Microsoft's Zune team has been continually revising the Zune firmware and software -- so for every major or minor update released, all Zune players get the same experience across the board. I also have an ancient Zune 30 that is about the size of 3 Zune 8's stacked on top of each other, and it has the same firmware as the Zune 8.
Interface:
The best part is that the speed of the interface and games is exactly the same even with the much more 'battery friendly' Zune 8 (or 4, or 16 for that matter). The navigation of the interface is a much more pleasant experience than on the iPod. Zune has a multi-tiered UI -- so from anywhere within your library, you're never more than 1 or 2 jumps from where you want to go.
Software:
The requisite Zune software has some drawbacks. If Microsoft ever had any intention of converting iPod / iTunes users, they forgot to make the Zune software compatible with Macs. From a developer's standpoint, I can understand. Zune software is based off of a platform that is the water in Apple's oil -- it just won't run on it. With that being said, the software is [finally] very good. The first version was extremely buggy, and to make matters worse, it was not much more than a nasty Windows Media Player skin (but had much less features, if you can believe it). It's finally come into it's own, with the Social, the expansive Zune Marketplace, and a formidable library of tunes and custom mixes by interesting people in the music community.
The Zune Pass may excite you if you're sick of being nickel & dimed to death with iTunes-style song purchases. Unlimited song downloads, with the ability to keep 10 songs per month, DRM-free, all for right around the tune of $15/month. The songs are yours until you cancel your subscription. Some will voice their distaste for this DRM-ridden library and having to pay $15 a month for the rest of your time with the music, but after you think of the price you're paying for a potentially enormous library, it's a tiny price to pay.
The second-gen hardware is mostly identical to the third-gen, with the most notable difference being an additional color and the exterior is smooth and glossy while the second-gen hardware was matte and ever-so-slightly textured. Luckily, Microsoft's Zune team has been continually revising the Zune firmware and software -- so for every major or minor update released, all Zune players get the same experience across the board. I also have an ancient Zune 30 that is about the size of 3 Zune 8's stacked on top of each other, and it has the same firmware as the Zune 8.
Interface:
The best part is that the speed of the interface and games is exactly the same even with the much more 'battery friendly' Zune 8 (or 4, or 16 for that matter). The navigation of the interface is a much more pleasant experience than on the iPod. Zune has a multi-tiered UI -- so from anywhere within your library, you're never more than 1 or 2 jumps from where you want to go.
Software:
The requisite Zune software has some drawbacks. If Microsoft ever had any intention of converting iPod / iTunes users, they forgot to make the Zune software compatible with Macs. From a developer's standpoint, I can understand. Zune software is based off of a platform that is the water in Apple's oil -- it just won't run on it. With that being said, the software is [finally] very good. The first version was extremely buggy, and to make matters worse, it was not much more than a nasty Windows Media Player skin (but had much less features, if you can believe it). It's finally come into it's own, with the Social, the expansive Zune Marketplace, and a formidable library of tunes and custom mixes by interesting people in the music community.
The Zune Pass may excite you if you're sick of being nickel & dimed to death with iTunes-style song purchases. Unlimited song downloads, with the ability to keep 10 songs per month, DRM-free, all for right around the tune of $15/month. The songs are yours until you cancel your subscription. Some will voice their distaste for this DRM-ridden library and having to pay $15 a month for the rest of your time with the music, but after you think of the price you're paying for a potentially enormous library, it's a tiny price to pay.
good review!
8 people find this review helpful