The Music Den

The Zune is Microsoft's first attempt at their own digital audio and video player. Previously Microsoft was supporting 'Plays for Sure' which was intended to be a multi-vendor offering where compatible players could purchase music from any Plays for Sure compatible Zune. However, Microsoft have decided not to support their previous Plays for Sure scheme and therefore the Zune is not compatible with any Plays for Sure content.

The Zune is a new product and it will be interesting in how it improves with future versions. It is currently only available in the US and it is currently planned for availability in the UK and the rest of Europe by late 2007 or early 2008. This is a long wait for a product and perhaps they will bring the release forward, but one things for certain - they won't be in the UK by Christmas. This review Zune was purchased from the US however, it looks like its warranty is not valid in the UK at the moment.

Setting Up

The Zune packaging includes all you need to get started including a CD. Unfortunately the CD will only run on Windows XP meaning if you run Windows 2000 you can't interface with the Zune. Also the Zune software currently does not support Windows Vista which is Microsoft's next generation operating system. However, that will be fixed before Vista is available to the public. As expected, there's no support for the Mac, however what is surprising is that Apple support more versions of Windows with their iPod than Microsoft does with their Zune.

The install process makes you want to cringe with slogans such as "Welcome to the Social" and "Free your inner DJ" splashed all around the install process. You're asked to give your player a "Zune Tag" which will identify it to other Zune players, you also need to create a Windows Live account if you don't have one (formerly known as a .NET Passport) and then register yourself with the Zune Marketplace. This registration process really does need simplified. You also have the option to set up streaming to an Xbox 360, unable to test this but it does sound like a useful feature.

Using

Importing your CD's and MP3 collection is as simple as it is with iTunes but the software did unexpectedly hang a few times during the import process. If you have already imported your CD collection in to iTunes previously then it will automatically import your music from there. However, it will not import music purchased from the iTunes music store.

A big omission that I couldn't find with the Zune software is smart playlist support, with a large playlist I find smart playlist support invaluable. Smart playlists are dynamic playlists created by a set of rules and are a popular feature of the iPod/iTunes combo. The Zune software also does not support automatic updating of podcasts, but will support this with the addition of some third party podcasting software.

The interface of the Zune was surprising responsive and easy to use, although it looks like there's a scrollwheel on the front of the Zune it's actually a tactile control with four buttons hidden under the wheel. Although I do prefer the scrollwheel from the iPod, I had no problems at all adjusting to the Zune way of doing things.

The screen on the Zune is larger than the iPod although it is the same resolution. This makes it better for watching videos (you need to rotate it 90 degrees into 'landscape mode' to watch these) than the iPod. However, batterly life is severely reduced when watching videos, I averaged 6 hours in video mode compared to 11 in audio mode, this is slightly less than advertised but the battery life depends on your usage pattern.

When the Zune is connected to your PC it can automatically sync your music library, however, occaisionally the machine would hang for a minute when the Zune was plugged in and sometimes it would not detect the Zune at all. Although the software was mostly decent it was very rough around the edges and it was obvious that this was a product rushed out before Christmas. By the time it is launched in the UK hopefully these bugs will be ironed out.

The Wi-Fi functionality has so far proved of no use, mainly because there's no one currently to share content with but also because of the fact that any shared music is good only for a maximum of 3 days or 3 plays and then will automatically be deleted. The Wi-Fi feature has so much potential but Microsoft decided to cripple it to the point of being almost useless.

Shopping

Adding content to the Zune is simple, you can add content from CD's or your own MP3's. The Zune has its own integrated music store called the Zune marketplace. Just like the Zune itself, the Zune Marketplace is not available in the UK. In the US songs are purchased by use of 'Microsoft Points' bought in increments of $5. This means even if you just want a 99c song you need to buy $5 of points first, there needs to be an option to pay with regular currency, the current system is too complex. There's also a subscription option at $14.99/month, this is basically a music rental scheme where you can download as much as you want but as soon as you end your subscription you lose all your music.

Quality

The Zune is a decent initial offering but needs to go a long way before it feels as refined as the iPod. In particular the Zune software is a big let down and feels like a very rushed product. The display looks good, but the rest of the device looks cheap. The device is noticably heavier than the current generation of iPod but it does feel sturdy.

As the UK launch date is a long way off then the iPod is the obvious choice, if you need a bigger video screen than the iPod offers then shop around for alternative players.

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