Comments on: Anything But iPod Reviews the Zune 80

By: Ray J Gentry IV

Ray J Gentry IV — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 20:15:12 +0000

I think that the crux of the issues for the Zune is that any of the features people or reviewers have complained about can be fixed through new firmware updates. And compared to Ipods, we’ve seen that firmware can do a lot. I enjoy the new firmware immensely. But DivX (or other codec support), software eq, etc, can all be added.

While other MP3 players give options for software/download support, the Zune doesn’t do anything in terms of restriction that Apple does with the Ipod. While people were concerned about the ipod/itunes "monopoly" at first, there are relatively few complaining about it now.

Regardless, I think Microsoft has hit a triple with the new Zunes (a homer being an Ipod killer) and is possibly a few firmware updates from a real homerun.

By: Ricardo Dawkins

Ricardo Dawkins — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 19:22:05 +0000

Nice review from ABI

By: Heatwave316

Heatwave316 — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 14:46:51 +0000

Excellent, and well balanced review. I especially liked the 2 sided argument about the EQ or lack there of. To me, its not a huge deal that the Zune doesn’t have it. I do enjoy doing alittle tweaking, but most of the time I just use the default settings.

By: sinizter

sinizter — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 00:35:48 +0000

This is probably the best review I’ve read so far. Fair, honest, and I couldn’t agree more with the last paragraph. Having to convert videos to a certain format for playback just blows.

That aside, I still really, REALLY want a Zune.

By: typoink

typoink — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 22:07:40 +0000

@ kaseyart and rikostan:
There’s a handful of features the Zunes dont have. Notably, they can’t currently do gapless playback (where one track merges seamlessly with the next) and the new Zunes have no equalizer settings. The current software also doesn’t allow any automatic playlists.

There’s also a handful of little features that other players have, like a clock/stopwatch, the ability to edit playlists or queues on the device, and the ability to play games, but these are a little more esoteric.

That said, I’m still planning on replacing my Zune 30 with an 80 one of these days. While it may not be as feature-rich as some, the core music experience on the Zune is excellent. The interface is, IMO, the best on the market, and I love the way it puts your album art front and center.

By: kaseyart

kaseyart — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 18:54:16 +0000

@ rikostan: I know what you mean. I have never owned an iPod. Only MP3 player I have ever used was a friends Phillips 512mb MP3 player. I would love to see a side-by-side of what the iPod and Zune each offer and tell what the features do.

By: Austin

Austin — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 15:09:12 +0000

microsoft was a bit shaky when they released the original zune but now they have almost perfected it and apple tried to beat them and released the horrible ipod classic

By: rikostan

rikostan — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 13:37:16 +0000

You know… I keep hearing about how the Zune is missing a lot of features other players have, but nobody ever really says what those features are. I have never owned an Ipod, so I don’t know what I am missing other than OGG and FLAC support.

By: kaseyart

kaseyart — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 07:30:17 +0000

Good read, these are the reviews I like.

By: rock4christ

rock4christ — Sun, 02 Dec 2007 06:53:13 +0000

objective and fairly honest. i like it. although the Zune cant be "turned on with any button" unless its in sleep mode instead of full off. someone tell this guy about back+down.