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Title: Zune Review
Date: Wednesday April 5, 2007 @ 9am
Author: Cas
Editors: Chienne & Jabez
Introduction
After launching on November 14, 2006 in the US, the much discussed Zune has finally landed in Australia. The first batch of Zunes arrived in the first week of March for the official Australian launch of the product. I was lucky enough to obtain one and was extremely happy when it arrived.
Price-wise the Zune goes head to head with the Creative Vision M 30GB and Apple iPod 30GB. Feature-wise, it will definitely give the competition a run for their money.
For this review, I will be comparing it side-by-side with the iPod 80GB to give you a general idea on the size/scale of the device.
Opening the Zune
What's in the box?
USB Cable for Synchronizing and charging the device
Headphones
A soft pouch
Zune - black, white or brown
Technical Specifications
11.2cm × 6.1cm × 1.4 cm
158.8 grams
802.11b/g WiFi
30 GB hard drive 1.8-inch hard drive
3-inch QVGA LCD, 320×240, 65k colour screen
CPU: Freescale i. MX31L processor; ARM Core, FPU (SCIMX31LVKM5 / 3L38W / CTAU0629)
RAM: 64 MBytes x32 Mobile SDR DRAM / 133 MHz / 90 mA (K4M51323PC-DG75)
Flash: 2 MBytes NOR flash, 3.3V, 1Mx16 Boot block (PH28F160C3TD)
TV-out
USB 2.0
Radio Data System enabled FM receiver
Audio
Windows Media® Audio Standard (.wma): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
MP3 (.mp3): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov): Up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate
Images
JPEG (.jpg): All resolutions (desktop software will automatically convert to 640x480 at sync time)
Video
Windows Media Video (.wmv): Main Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 1.5 Mbps peak video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio; Simple Profile, CBR, up to 736 Kbps video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio.
Battery and playback
Battery: Li-Ion battery 3.7 V / 800 mAh
Charge Time: 3 hours; 2 hours to 90%
With Wi-Fi turned on, up to 13 hours battery life when playing music.
With Wi-Fi turned off, up to 14 hours battery life when playing music, 4 hours playing video or viewing pictures.
Hardware
The casing itself is created from a rubberized plastic that likes to be known as the “doubleshot effect” - it truly does looks fantastic!
One of the best features would have to be the large 3” screen, it is great for watching music videos, TV shows and movies while you are travelling.
One of the Zune’s most appealing features would have to be the built-in Wi-Fi, with the ability to wirelessly share your music with other Zune owners. Sounds great on paper - In real life it sucks. If I was to transfer one of my songs to a friend’s Zune, they will only get to listen to it a total of three times or for three days (whichever comes first).
The radio works flawlessly. I had brilliant luck getting my favourite radio stations tuned in and saved via presets. The player features RDS, which gives it the ability to display station, artist, track and additional broadcast information. While this is not new technology, it is awesome for a portable player.
Interface
The Zune features a 5-button direction pad for controlling the basic functions of the device. Left and right is rewind/fast forward while the up and down buttons control volume. The centre button is for accepting your choice.
With six easy to access menu items, managing and configuring your device is extremely simple:
Music
Videos
Pictures
Radio
Community
Settings
Video and sound quality
To be honest, I'm rather pleased with the sound quality that the Zune was able to deliver via the standard headphones that where included with the product. The player features a good range of equalizer settings that will suit most people.
Video playback on the Zune is fantastic, With a 3” 320x240 screen it is a lot more enjoyable to watch a TV show or movie compared to the smaller screen featured on the 80GB iPod. A solid frame rate and great image provides for a good personal media experience.
Conclusion
Pros:
Great design
Clean and easy to use interface
3-inch QVGA LCD
Pre-loaded with lots of content
Cons:
While I find the Zune to be a great product it does have some significant issues that you will need to consider.
The Zune lacks the following functions (out of the box):
USB Mass Storage compatibility
AC adapter
Player will only operate with Windows - No Linux or Mac OS Support at this point in time.
Final Word
I will defiantly agree with other reviews from various sources that it is indeed not perfect. However, with the ever-continuing development of firmware updates and the recent attempts to have users speak directly with the Zune team to discuss features to be added and/or removed, bugs fixed, and so forth, things will definitely be shaping up for the Zune over the next few months.
It worked for the Xbox 360 - it can work for Zune. It simply needs time to grow.
The music player choice just got a lot harder. In the past, for many it was simply a case of iPod vs Creative's range....but Microsoft appear to be here to stay. Consumers are definitely in a good position.
Product Rating
4/5 Stars
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