When the new line of Zunes was announced, the addition of a flash-based model stole the show, but the new hard-drive-based Zune is a huge improvement on its 30GB predecessor with a better user interface, faster controls, and more features—including wireless syncing. For the same $250 price as the 80GB iPod classic, the new Zune 80GB offers a much larger screen, FM radio, wireless player-to-player sharing, Wi-Fi syncing with your PC, and a rear panel that can be customized with some cool artwork—for free. Simply put, Apple is no longer the leader in the realm of hard drive–based players. While the Zune 80GB and the iPod classic are both outstanding devices, the Zune has more features—and it’s more fun.
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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.
The Zune’s user interface is new and improved, and even owners of the original 30GB version can upgrade to the new version. The graphics are snazzy (seems as if Microsoft has called on hipster art school grads for help), and although the iPod classic is easy to use, its interface is not terribly exciting by comparison. The new touch-sensitive control pad can be pressed like a button to select options, or traced over vertically or horizontally for menu navigation. If you’re accustomed to a scroll wheel, the cross-navigation finger pattern (as opposed to circular motion) will take a bit of getting used to, but it works quite well. The touch pad also registers velocity. Trace your finger over it quickly and you’ll fly through a list—a very useful feature that’s reminiscent of scrolling through the menu of the iPod touch. Navigation is a breeze, and combined with the sexy visuals, leaves nothing to dislike about the interface.
Specifications
Storage Capacity (as Tested)
80 GB
Player Type
Hard Disk MP3 Player
Radio
Yes
Music Playback Formats
AAC, MP3, WMA
Photo formats
JPEG
Video Formats
MPEG4, WMV
Audio Battery Life
18.77 Hr
Dimensions
2.4 x 4.25 x 0.5 inches
Weight
4.5 oz
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Anti-Zuners will likely raise a legitimate gripe: that the screen may be much bigger than the iPod classic’s, but the resolution is the same. In fact, the 320-by-240-pixel resolution is the same as that on the original Zune display, and herein lies the player’s biggest problem. When you increase screen size but not its resolution, edges get jagged and the overall image is less sharp. This display is no match for the iPod touch’s awesome glass screen, but compared with its closest competitor, the iPod classic, it’s a draw. Sure, you get a sharper screen on the classic, but the Zune’s display is almost two times as big. It’s nice to not have to squint.
The video file support is decent: WMV, H.264, MPEG-4, and DVR-MS (Windows Media Center recorded content, which is converted when you sync the player). The footage I watched looked bright and colorful: The resolution was a bit less sharp than I’d hoped, but that’s not a deal breaker.
No discussion of Zune players is complete without a mention of the new Zune Marketplace. Microsoft’s answer to iTunes—proprietary music management software with an integrated store—was a big reason not to like the 30GB Zune. The selection was limited, and the interface was unpleasant to navigate. The newly designed Marketplace looks completely different. In fact, the software, full of links to artist bios, band photos, and complete discographies with album art, is quite attractive and makes iTunes seem like a big, boring spreadsheet. There are some other goodies, too, including new DRM-free MP3s, user profiles so that you can interact with other Zuners, and stats that show others what you’ve been listening to most recently and most often, to name a few. The software is not without its flaws, however. Memo to Microsoft: We don’t want music videos, we want movies and TV shows, as offered in the iTunes Store. Still, it’s clear early on that Microsoft put a lot of effort into the new software, and it’s paid off. Read our separate review of the Zune Marketplace.
The Zune Marketplace’s lack of video selection may be an issue, but as major networks like NBC are leaving iTunes, Apple’s got some content issues of its own. Try finding more than two decent horror flicks at the iTunes Store. I looked at every single selection over Halloween weekend and came away seriously disappointed. Though iTunes clearly has more content than the Zune Marketplace, both players will play “other” (read: BitTorrent) content with equal competence. The Zune can also play video recorded on a Windows Media Center system, so that’s one way to get The Office on your player.
The display looks excellent when showing album art in Now Playing mode, and the audio performance is equally impressive. The included earbuds look cooler (the earpieces snap together magnetically) and sound better than your average bundled ‘buds. They blow away Apple’s earbuds, but they suffer from one significant issue: cable microphonics. That’s the low-end rumble that occurs when the cable brushes against your shirt or you touch it. It’s quite audible over the music, and unless you plan on sitting completely still while using your Zune, you’ll want to upgrade to a better pair. This is disappointing, considering that the earbuds do offer quality low-end sound and a secure fit. There’s no EQ control on the Zune, which might be a problem for some, but a good pair of headphones can cure it quickly. The Zune supports unprotected AAC, MP3, WMA (though not PlaysForSure—only unprotected and Zune Marketplace files), and WMA Lossless.
Microsoft has stepped up the Zune’s wireless capabilities. Zune devices can still recognize other nearby players and send songs wirelessly (yes, all Zunes, new and old, will play nice together). But now the restrictions are slightly less stringent: Received songs had a three-day or three-play limit—now it’s just three plays with no day limit at all. Better still, if you like a song you receive, you can send it along to another Zune user (who happens to be nearby) and the same three-listens rule applies, and so on. Sending a file—be it a song, video, or photo group—is easy: All files have the word “send” underneath their title. Selecting Send automatically launches a search for nearby Zunes, and sending is a one-click process. Received files are deposited in your “Social” inbox. Is this feature useful? Only if you happen to have Zune friends around. Sometimes players have trouble recognizing each other, but generally, sending songs is easy and fun, and if you have no fellow Zuners to share with, no harm no foul.
The best wireless improvement, however, is with Wi-Fi. After introducing your Zune to your PC’s wireless network, the player is able to sync with your computer’s library wirelessly whenever it’s within range. When you walk in the door, just press Sync Now under the wireless menu and new music, videos, or podcasts on your PC will be added to your player. This feature is awesome. The player can also sync wirelessly whenever it is connected to a charging dock.
Here’s the big hitch: Currently, the wireless sync feature isn’t completely functional. For now, if you wire your router to your laptop via Ethernet, the Zune will sync to your laptop’s library wirelessly. Disappointing? Um, yes. Why would you want to wire your laptop to your wireless router? Well, in the words of Microsoft: “it’s a workaround” and the “fix will be available in the next firmware update.” So by the time most consumers get their Zunes home and unboxed, the problem should be solved. If the firmware upgrade doesn’t fix this problem, we’ll need to revisit the Zune’s rating and Editors’ Choice status, but for now, I’m giving Microsoft the benefit of the doubt since I’ve seen this feature demonstrated by the company and have also successfully loaded the player wirelessly using the “workaround.”
Photos look sharp on the screen and are easy to load on the player: Just drag and drop (or sync) them with the Zune software. JPEGs are the only file types invited to the Social, but that’s typically the case with portable media players these days. Slide shows are easy to organize, and entire photo albums can be sent between Zunes easily.
The FM radio is a simple yet well-implemented feature. It’s easy to scroll through the dial and find stations, and simply pressing the touch pad makes a station a preset. Station call letters and descriptions appear within a moment of getting a good signal. There is no FM recording, however, nor is there line-in or voice recording. Some people might miss these features, though I often wonder who actually uses them. I’d rather have an FM tuner that displays information and is easy to navigate than a less-friendly interface that can record.
The Zune’s rated battery life is 30 hours for audio (with wireless turned off) and 4 hours for video. We clocked 18 hours and 46 minutes for audio. Video testing is still in progress.
While the iPod touch easily prevails as our favorite flash-based player (and the best player overall), there were no obvious champs in the hard disk–based portable media player space—until now. The iPod classic is a fine device, but its updates from the previous-generation iPod are mainly cosmetic. Of course, if you want double the capacity, it’s the player to get. But if 80GB is enough space, the Zune is simply more fun to use than the iPod, with more engaging software, better graphics, a larger screen, and wireless capabilities. Both devices—as well as their associated software—have some pesky shortcomings, but in a shrinking field of contenders, the Zune has finally realized its potential. The player’s extra features and overall fun-factor make it a better value than the iPod classic—and worthy of our Editors’ Choice award, provided Microsoft delivers on its firmware upgrade promise to facilitate fully wireless syncing.
Microsoft offers a 1-year Express Warranty as well as an extended two-year warranty for the Zune. Details available at www.zune.net. For product support, visit https://www.zune.net/en-US/support.
