Hardware:

The player itself has a nice interface that is easy to navigate. The videos look pretty good, although not as sharp looking as on the iPod. For $99 bucks you can purchase a Home A/V Pack which includes a charger, remote control, docking station and AV cables that allow you to hook the Zune up to your TV for picture or video viewing. Like the iPod though, the picture quality looks terrible since you are limited to a 320x240 resolution and RCA cables for the connection.

The included ear buds feel very light and cheap. Audio quality is very flat with little bass. Throw these out and use your own cans. Another small gripe is the included carrying case which is too small to hold the Zune and the ear buds together; Microsoft clearly did not think things through. Battery life is average on the Zune. Microsoft says you should be able to get about 14 hours of life with the WiFi turned off, but we clocked in at about 10-12 hours of typical use (browsing songs, adjusting volume etc) before the battery died. This is several hours less than a comparable Apple iPod.

If you want to use the Zune as an external hard drive, you are out of luck. Nothing like having 30 gigs of space and nothing to put on it eh?

The Microsoft Zune and Apple iPod

Let’s Get Social:

So what exactly does the Zune do that’s Social? With its integrated WiFi, you can wirelessly share your music with other Zune owners. This is a very cool concept, but Microsoft again messed up this feature. For starters, if you decide to share your music with a friend, they will only be able to listen to it three times before Microsoft prompts them to purchase the music for continued use. So what if you want to share your own DRM unprotected music? Well, again you can only share it up to three times before it’s no longer playable.