Zune is here to stay!

Click for the full in-depth review! While the Apple Ipod has enjoyed the lions’ share of the MP3 player market, Apple better watch their backs. Microsoft has introduced a new product 2nd generation Zune MP3 player that will give it a run for its money. Microsoft has made many improvements since the first generation and I will outline the improvements and tell you why with a few more tweaks this may be the Ipod killer, it was suppose to be!


Portability… 90/100
Well it could have possibly trimmed maybe a little fat off of it. But, don’t get me wrong here it’s not like the Zune is highly un-portable. As a matter of fact it is very portable and makes an excellent companion in the gym while you are working out, or out doors running. There are nice armbands available for purchase which allows the Zune to rest comfortably against your arm, or belt clips that allows it to rest comfortably against your hip.

Bottom line: The Zune really dosen’t weigh that much and dosen’t feel cheap. It is highly portable and can withstand some abuse, during the climax of your exercise routine, which makes the portability of the Zune a major asset to its owner! The Zune only weighs 4.5 oz, which means yes it is ideal for traveling.

battery life… 75/100
While the battery life isn’t terrible by any stretch of the imagination it’s also not the best thing abut the product. This Zune 80 is a lot better then the first generation Zune it will still only get you about 22 hours of battery life a day, and that’s with the Wi-Fi turned off. With the Wi-Fi turned on it will net you about 15 hours of battery life. But, like I said that’s a big improvement over the 13 hours of battery life the first generation zunes offered. It just isn’t better then the 80 GB Ipod.

Bottom line: Now if were just talking me I don’t have any problems with the roughly 25 hours or so of battery life. That is leaving it straight on for just about an entire day! Now how many people actually do that? Not many, my Zune lasts a lot longer then that, because I don’t leave mine running when it’s not in use. Plus, it’s not like your always going to have the Wi-Fi on anyway, and at least the Zune has that option unlike the Ipods. Battery life for the Zune should not be a problem for the regular consumer or workout enthusiast!

Number of songs/pictures/video hours… 100/100
We are talking about an 80GB hard drive on an MP3 player. There is more then enough room to fit all of your favorite songs on and then some. You may also store many different multimedia files on the hard drive as well. However, if we are just talking the number of your favorite songs you will be able to cram on this baby try about 20,000 of your favorite songs. I seriously doubt that even for the most hard-core music lover out there that they would not be satisfied with that number. For instance the 80GB zune hard drive can also handle 25,000 picture files and just about 250 hours of video! Now I shouldn’t hear anyone complaining about the size of the hard drive!

Interface/Screen… 100/100
Say good bye to the days of slow scrolling spent with the first generation Zune. The new touch pad is very responsive and lightening quick! You will be able to effortlessly scroll through you music, picture and video collection in no time flat. It really is a blast to use and a major upgrade from the first generation they shoved out the door. It’s a very nice transition between the screens and they load up very quickly. It really is a very intuitive control scheme that fits the zune with perfection!

The screen is also a very nice addition to the Zune. It is a very big screen coming in at about 3.2” and it is also a crystal-clear screen as well. The screen, which is usually one of the worst aspects of an MP3 player, happens to be a very good feature on the Zune. There isn’t a bigger or better screen on an MP3 player at the moment. This has them all beat in the quality department!

Features… 100/100
This is where the Zune really shines and blows out the Ipod in no time flat. This has a host of features that will be looked at and dissected in this section such as:

Wireless-Zune-to-Zune sharing
Cut the cord and borrow music from your friends with wireless exchanging! You can Share full-length tracks of your favorite songs, albums, pictures and even your favorite podcasts! They can be listened to in their entirety up to 3 times, before you have to make up your mind if you like them or not. If you do end up liking what you hear all you have to do is flag it as a favorite then next time your at a PC simply sync back up and purchase the song. This is an excellent feature and will broaden music libraries, because of this unique “free renting” of music!

Built In FM Radio
Are you tired of listening to your playlists all the time? I know sometimes we all do at one time or another. Well does the Zune have a solution for you! If you ever tire of listening to the same old set lists (although with 20,000 possible songs I don’t see that a problem), but even if you just want a change all you have to do is listen to the built in FM radio include in the Zune! With advanced tuning capabilities it will even allow you to see the names of most of the songs playing on the radio! This will allow them to be easily identified incase you like the song. You will then know what song you need to look for on the Zune Market place later that day!

Xbox 360 Compatible
You can access your Zune through your xbox 360 and customize the soundtracks to your favorite xbox 360 games! You may also stream Zune content straight to your xbox 360 using a wireless connection as well! So take control of your customizable xbox 360 game soundtracks today!

Record TV or movies for on the go
The Zune will import unprotected .wmv, MPEG4, H.264 files into your video library! This will allow you to view your favorite shows or movies while you are on the move! You can also record TV shows or movies using Windows Media Center in Windows Vista and import and sync them to your very own Zune device! Then all you have to do is load up your favorite movies and TV shows then hit the road!


Zune Market Place 90/100
While, the Zune market place isn’t quite as good as Apples Itunes yet, it does still pack a lot of punch! In a matter of time with a lot of support from Microsoft the Zune market place has the potential to be better then Itunes. So how does the Zune Market place work? Let’s break it down for the readers.

How to purchase content off Zune Market Place
You will simply select the content you would like to purchase and simply purchase the content. Now the currency you use to purchase content is called Microsoft Points. Yes, Microsoft Points or (MS points) are the same thing you use to purchase content off Xbox Live. The currency is a dual purpose currency and can be used for either account. You can usually purchase MS points in pre-determined points some of the more common purchases are:

500 MS points sell for $6.25
1000 MS points sell for $12.50
2000 MS points sell for $25.00
5000 MS points sell for $62.50

If you buy the MS points from a store or online those are pretty much the point allotments and how much they will cost. Singles cost about 79 MS points while albums start at about 880 MS points and vary in price depending on the album you select to purchase.

*See my review on MS points for more information on them*

Songs available
There are more then 3 Million+ songs that are available on the Zune Market place right now. That number will continue to grow. All of the top artists are here including Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Foo Fighters, Nickleback, Pink Floyd, The Rolling Stones, Bob Dylan, Guns N’ Roses. The Zune market place has all of the acts covered it doesn’t matter what kind of music you listen to it is all here. The song selection is not the problem here it is only one of the better aspects of the Zune Market Place service! Yes, there are also music videos available for download on this service.

features Zune Market place lacks
The main features that Zune market place lacks is simple. You cannot download TV shows or movies. Now don’t get me wrong I know this will be rectified in the future. There will be a new update to Zune market place that will allow downloadable movie and TV shows this I am sure of. Because, you can already download loads of Movies and TV shows on xbox live market place, so why not Zune Market place? Believe me it is coming, but hopefully sooner rather then later!

Overall
With the improvements they have made over the 1st generation Zune this is a no question. Right now I’d rather have the 80GB Zune then any other MP3 on the massive market. Everything from the screen size, massive hard drive, sound quality, and packed in earphones screams improvement. With more upcoming features in firmware updates and the Zune market place maturing and becoming a better place monthly it is finally time to trade in those Ipods! If you are looking to replace your current MP3 player or just simply purchase one for the first time you don’t need to look any further. The Microsoft Zune should be you 1st and last stop in finding a quality MP3 player that can get the job done in all aspects of the multimedia department. Buy the 80GB Zune and use Zune Market place and you will not be disappointed!