Tech review: Zune gets tuneup:
Article by | Dallas Morning News
Video by | CNET
I'm a recovering Zune hater. Having had a chance to test Microsoft's latest 16-gigabyte flash memory Zune – the one that's a direct competitor to Apple's new iPod Nano line – I am impressed.
So, no more Zune jokes, or digs at Microsoft's belated entry into the world of digital music players or making fun of that weirdo who tattooed the Zune logo on his shoulder in a disturbing bid at Internet fame.
Well, OK, that guy deserves everything he gets. But Microsoft gets some major kudos. First impressions of the new Zune are excellent.
(Video By | CNET)
The slender, shiny device is housed in a sleek, minimalist, sturdy cardboard box/sleeve.
It slides out like a drawer and – ta-da! – there's your Zune.
Very Apple-esque.
The player is long and thin, with a touch- and click-sensitive scroll wheel, and just two buttons on the face.
The standard-size headphone jack is on the bottom edge.
I would have preferred it on the top edge, but the placement Microsoft chose does let you stash the player in your pants pocket upside down so that you can easily reach in and use the controls without looking, since the orientation is the same as it would be if you were holding the unit in your hand.
The small screen is bright and sharp, and you can start listening to music as soon as you power up the unit just by turning on the FM radio and scrolling through local stations.
The iPod, notably, does not have a radio.
What's more, when you're listening to a song on the radio through your Zune, you can click on the wheel to buy the song and download it the next time you connect your Zune to your computer.
That's a cool trick. At least, when it works.
I was listening to the Ghostbusters theme song by Ray Parker Jr. on the radio, clicked and added it to my cart, and got the confirmation message on my Zune's screen that I could buy and download the song from the Zune music store when I connected to my PC.
But when I connected, the Zune software said the song was unavailable, even though I was able to find the album and song when doing a standalone search through the Zune store.
You can also access the Zune store through a Wi-Fi connection on the Zune itself.
Again, though, it's a bit hit and miss.
Songs will often appear available after you do a search, but when you click to buy, the song is not available.
I had that happen when searching for Black Sabbath's "Iron Man."
The same thing happened when searching for the song through the Zune store on my PC, so this is not an issue with the Zune device itself.
I don't know why Microsoft lists music that you can't listen to or buy, but it's annoying.
What does work great, though, is the new Mixview feature in the latest version of the Zune software.
Click on an album and select Mixview, and a collection of related and similar albums will pop up in a sort of interactive map around the original record.
It's a cool way to find songs you might enjoy but have never heard of (I found the original version of "I'm a Man of Constant Sorrow" when Mixviewing my O Brother Where Art Thou soundtrack) and is much more visually appealing than Apple's similar but text-heavy Genius tool in iTunes.
The Zune has some rough edges, but it's a serious contender now against Apple's offerings.
Price: $199
Pros: Sounds good, looks good (although the piano finish is a smudge-magnet), and Mixview is a genuine triumph.
Cons: Buying songs, either from the radio or through the store, is not foolproof. Creating playlists is a bit cumbersome. As with all non-iPod players, the Zune cannot play copy-protected music purchased from iTunes.
Bottom line: Microsoft still doesn't have its own version of the iPod touch – much less the iPhone – but the flash and hard drive-based Zunes match up well against Apple's similar iPods.
