A thought about the Zune

[Duddy]

Well, I just got back from Gamestop and bought the white one. My friend who works there did and it is sweet!

This thing is the best!

 

[torpid]

Originally posted by: Duddy
The Zune's OS is built using CE code. That means a firmware update can further extend the capabilities on the Zune.

-Streaming media from online or your PC

If you combined this with media center type stuff it would be nice. Not really that useful or interesting otherwise, to me anyway. Unless you mean, you're at work and you want to listen to music you have at home using the zune and a wireless internet connection. That would be pretty sweet... but would it be legal? They'd have to secure it based on the zune's serial # so you didn't let all your friends stream your music to their zune.

-Automatic album art downloads for your tracks

What do you mean by this? Does the zune software not automatically download tracks? Or do you mean art downloads for songs you got beamed to you?

Also, imagine hacked firmwares, where the 3x3 law is cracked and the Zune can play nearly every media format and being able to read RSS feeds on the Zune. Sounds perfect. Like a little Xbox Media Center.

I don't think you're going to see a lot of slight modifications to existing firmware. More likely you'll see stuff like rockbox. RSS and email would be nice, though. And full fledged MS Ink.

The big deal for me with these next-gen DAPs is video. That's mostly all I care about. If the Zune didn't have such a wicked awesome unscratchable casing and a nice 3" screen, I would have bought a Creative Zen.

Weird, I find that to be the least important feature. I have no desire to watch movies, tv shows, or even music videos on a 3" screen. I'd much prefer to have a device with no screen that nonetheless could record tv shows and act as a portable tivo or media center with minimal effort. So far the achilles heel of all these devices seems to be the strange video formats required.

I do think that a big thing that Microsoft should have done is add Bluetooth 2.0 to the Zune. They could have bundled a Zune with a pair of bluetooth headphones for $299. That would have won the hearts of iPod fans. Perhaps the next-gen Zune will get it.

I doubt they'd get a good pair in the bundle for that price. And I think most people are more excited by the low price of the zune than they would be by bluetooth headphones. Bluetooth support would be nice, but perhaps not that interesting for headphones. Are there even any bluetooth phones that remotely approach the sound quality of similarly priced wired phones? I somehow doubt it. But bluetooth support with standard headphones for the same price would be cool, so I could communicate with a bluetooth cell phone.

 

[SolMiester]

I suppose it also has DRM built in, so no thanks!

 

[senseamp]

Zune is a dead end. It's too late to compete with Ipod, and it misses the boat on the next big thing, which is phone/media integration.
It's also a boring generic design one expects from Microsoft, that is bulky and unappealing.

 

[bucwylde23]

if microsoft puts as much effort into the Zune as they have with the 360, you can bet I will own one in the not too distant future.

 

[bucwylde23]

Originally posted by: blurredvision
Purchased my Zune today, and in the short time I've messed around the Zune Marketplace, it's fantastic. Just showing what songs you already have in your library while browsing through the marketplace is the trump card over iTunes. Add to that integrated Billboard charts, and I'm happy with my purchase.

How responsive is the software? Itunes has always felt very "sluggish" for me.

 

[XZeroII]

I really want one, but it's just because it's something new and exciting so I am going to try to hold off as long as possible. I'm thinking that I'll wait until v2 because that's when Microsoft starts to shine.

 

[Duddy]

I'm using the Zune software right now, took 2 minutes to sync 1,300 songs and about a hundred pics.

The software is fast. Only quirk I have run into soo far is that when I select 'Find Info for All Albums', the pop-up that says it's downloading the info just hags.

 

[Duddy]

Never mind, I forgot to sign in. It works now.

 

[WolverineGator]

"Microsoft's music player has no future." By John C. Dvorak

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2059039,00.asp

 

[blurredvision]

Originally posted by: WolverineGator
"Microsoft's music player has no future." By John C. Dvorak

http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,1895,2059039,00.asp

Wow, what an idiot. I usually like reading what this guy has to say in my now defunct PCMag subscription, but this article is ridiculous. Sounds like he's nit-picking way too much, and basically claiming the Zune is already dead simply due to some legal wordage in a review kit and what he thinks is bad marketing. Last time I checked, he is neither a marketer nor a lawyer, just a columnist.

 

[thomsbrain]

buying one with the hope that someone else will hack it eventually isn't such a hot idea. especially since microsoft has been on to that since the Xbox days.

 

[Duddy]

Originally posted by: thomsbrain
buying one with the hope that someone else will hack it eventually isn't such a hot idea. especially since microsoft has been on to that since the Xbox days.

Yeah, and now I have a modded 200GB Xbox running Xbox Media Center. Your point?

 

[GrammatonJP]

Never had a mp3 player.. since i take the train now, it would be nice to watch some of the shows i missed while working late... the video and fm feature sold me.. just need to wait till after xmas

 

[iamskew]

I picked up a brown zune tonight with a leather case. It's very nice, much better than the poor reviews it has been getting. I haven't been able to figure out how to edit the track info on mp3s I picked up off of myspace from unsigned bands though, which it's annoying that they're all listed under unknown artist ... but I haven't put much effort into it yet. So preliminarily, before I can do more indepth experimenting with it, I think it's pretty great. It's my first mp3 player and I'm not disappointed yet. The software installation went with no problems. Sound quality seems fine. It's a little big, but I don't mind.

 

[Duddy]

I just loaded all three Matrix movies and V for Vendetta. Incredible!

To edit you song info, right click on the specific song and click 'Edit Track Info'

It will let you change the ID3 tag. And if it can't find the album art, you can add it yourself by dragging and dropping the album art into the default album art.

 

[iamskew]

I figured all that out now. The zune is FVCKING SWEET! I ripped Thank You For Smoking onto my zune and also got some google videos on there too. Put on my own album art for the ones that couldn't be found. I haven't experienced any bugs, and engadget's stupid complaint about album art being 200x200 is so wrong because the bottom 40 pixels are taken up by track info. Makes me wonder how biased they are.

 

[neutralizer]

I think that reviewers like to hate MS and that somehow it's cool to hate MS, so the Zune ends up getting bad reviews despite being awesome.

 

[abaez]

If someone could hack the file sharing so that it doesn't cripple the file when you send.. THAT would be a nice ipod killer feature. If you can imagine:

"Hey have you heard the new song by xxxx?"

"Nope"

"Let me send it over."

Of course, the zune will have to have some good penetration so you can actually find other zune users to share with, but man that would be sweet.

 

[Atheus]

Text

 

[Atheus]

Originally posted by: abaez
If someone could hack the file sharing so that it doesn't cripple the file when you send.. THAT would be a nice ipod killer feature.

I have heard talk of this. There's a bit on hackaday right now where someone gutted a zune for a high res pic of the board - the first step.

 

[ITJunkie]

Originally posted by: Atheus
Text

Bwaa haa haa :laugh:

 

[Duddy]

omg

 

[mithrandir2001]

Can't polish a turd!!!

 

[Duddy]

Yes you can: http://www.smart-ipod-ideas.com/pix/Scratchguard/Scatchguardprotector.gif