It's Here! The Zune HD Launch Day Has Arrived

[Craig]

Zune HD’s UI: the full tour

[CoffeeShark]

the thing they forgot was the coating the iPods have, it's a fingerprinting mofo

good video, though

[Craig]

Gizmodo's Review: Zune HD Review: The PMP, Evolved - Zune hd review - Gizmodo

[DennyCrane]

<still waiting on full Coffee review before I pull the cord>

[VincentVega]

Just tell him it's better than the Omnia, already.

[DennyCrane]

One's a phone, the other's a media player, doofus.

Edit: Enjoy your phone



and your media player

[CoffeeShark]

sorry, i haven't had much time with it. The following is not a review, just some observations. I might bust out a review later, but there are plenty of videos around showing you everything I can show you, anyway, though with fewer boobs.

It's simply a great media device. It's not an iPod or iPhone - it's not a PDA. Don't expect it to be, don't cry about applications or the limitations of wifi. Don't get it unless you want just a great media player that happens to have a good wifi browser.

Since I've had my googlephone, I've installed a lot of apps, and used very few, and even those, sparingly. This isn't true of everyone, esp mobile warriors, so apply your circumstances accordingly. But I'm more into music and podcasts and tv shows than mobile games and apps. (and all my talk shows are now on FM)

What I wanted was a fantastic music player, with radio, podcasts, movies and TV episodes. The Zune HD, along with the Zune Pass and Smart DJ streaming, provides all this. The 4.0 software upgrade simply destroys. Microsoft finally figured out the hardware AND software, and as this is an extremely rare thing, you may want to take advantage.

Of course, this means you have to take on 2 devices instead of one - your phone and the Zune. Since I have been carrying both for years, it's no big deal for me - the phone stays in my pocket, and I use the Zune. Since my phone doesn't have huge storage, I just put all my media on the Zune. You may or may not want two similar-sized devices on your person. I see the disadvantage, I just don't care.

Now, is it worth $220/280, a price similar to the always-compared iPod Touch? This all depends on a couple things -the App Store, and the Zune Pass. Music lovers should probably go for the Zune - the HD radio with tagging, the Zune Pass, the better sound (as reviewed by most), and the Zune software features. Someone who wants a single always-connected smart device should go iPhone, and someone who wants a sometimes-connected smart device should go iPod.

Anyway, questions welcome, if you want to see a quick video of some feature or more in-depth, ask away.

(no, you can't use the Zune as a portable hard drive, nor can you install apps on it like another browser. It's all coming, but don't buy it with those kinds of expectations.)

[DennyCrane]

What's holding me off at the moment is the lack of flash. YouTube is no big deal at all... but Hulu is.

Tell me about the Zune pass. What exactly do you get for your $X/mo? Is it just music or are the TV shows or what?

[CoffeeShark]

No, just unlimited music. Videos and movies and TV shows are extra, though you can get free TV shows here and there (mostly pilots and sneak previews). You can keep 10 songs per month free (no rollover). Obviously you can add all your own DRM-free MP3s to your Zune software/player.

[CoffeeShark]

Flash is an issue for sure. Hell, my googlephone doesn't have native flash, it launches a youtube app if you click on a youtube video.

it doesn't matter much to me, most mobile sites don't have flash pieces, I don't watch youtube. I guess I might watch Hulu if I could, but I won't miss it.