Mobile Tech Reviews

The original Zune was released last year October to mixed reviews. And while it did manage to establish itself as the number 2 mp3 player on the market it was nowhere near the likes of iPod in terms of popularity although it did outshine it in features…just not design. The second generation Zune hopes to change that. And nothing better explains this than the impressive list of features that have been added but most notably the whole redesign of the product and software itself.

The new Zune’s come in three different versions: 80GB HDD version. 4 GB Flash memory versions and an 8GB version priced at $250 $150 and $200 respectfully. The original 30GB Zune is still available and can be bought for $200. No word when Microsoft plans to cancel the ugly duckling though.

The new Zune dubbed the “Zune 80” sells for $250 USD and as the name suggests comes with an impressive 80GB HDD (no word on a 160GB version to rival iPod’s 160GB Classic though). As in all cases with mp3 devices not all the space is available for use so expect anywhere from 1-3 GB of memory chipped off for system OS and formatting details.

USER INTERFACE:

The user interface of the device has been completely overhauled, and some new features have been added like the long expected Zune casts (Zune’s answer to the popular podcast world). The user interface is a lot more friendly than its predecessor and offers the some of the features we came to like in the original one like customizing the background while adding a couple that were well needed such as bigger and brighter fonts. Another thing to note is that the new interface takes full control of Microsoft’s new Zune Pad (formerly D Pad which they bought for a couple thousands). More on that later.

NEW NAVIGATION CONTROLS:

The new D pad dubbed Zune Pad is a worthy upgrade. The original click wheel while very functional and easy to use did not support such things as scowling though thousands of songs. The new Zune Pad has changed that. The pad is touch sensitive and can be navigated by either sliding the fingers up down, left or right as well as clicking it to scroll though items individually. The play, pause and back buttons are still there but have been raised for easier access.

SIZE:

Probably the most surprising of the features of the Zune is its size. Whereas last year’s version was big and bulky (part of the reason which led to its bad press reviews) the new Zune 80 is on par with the iPod being a fraction of an inch taller (you are getting a bigger screen though) and a fraction of an inch thicker (to accommodate for the radio and Wi-Fi features the iPod Classic lacks). It’s weight has also been greatly reduced so no need to sow on pockets that the original Zune broke.

SOFTWARE UPGRADE:

While I really liked the old software I have to say it lacked the hipness of Apple’s iTunes. The new software upgrade changes all that. It’s right on par with iTunes and even outshines it in design. Although it does not carry such features as Cover Flow which made iTunes famous it does make up for that with a lot of cool animations and other features that make navigating its menus a breeze. Of course these animations and effects can be turned off for those still using Stone Age computers.

WI-FI:

The feature I like the best about the new Zune is its ability to wirelessly sync audio, video and podcasts from the computer to the device via a home network. When I come in from a day’s work instead of getting on my computer to manually download new content such as podcasts and such all I have to do is dock my Zune and it automatically searches for new content on my computer. The syncing is slower when done wirelessly instead of the USB 2.0 blazing speeds but it is better as you can leave it overnight to download all the files.

WHAT’S MISSING?

The only things that are missing from the Zune are TV Shows, Movies and support for Play for Sure. Many have said that the Zune 80 lacks wireless web browsing, but remember its not an iPhone or iTouch competitor. Its direct competitor carries none of these features. Hopefully these issues will be addressed next year. And who knows…..and iPhone/iTouch rival maybe?

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