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A Hands-On Zune Review
Posted by
Zonk
on Fri Oct 20, 2006 06:22 PM
from the zunetastic dept.
from the zunetastic dept.
jayintune writes "2old2play.com got the chance to sit down with Microsoft's new media player, the Zune, to give some comments and insight into the players User Interface, Video Playback, Music Sharing, as well as software and setup." From the article: "I had expected the player to be fairly heavy, but after holding the Zune in my hand it was clear that I was wrong. It is not as light as the latest video iPod, but compared to my fourth-generation iPod, the Zune was lighter. The top of the Zune had a clear glass layer while the exterior had a tactile feel to it, nothing like the hard metal and plastic of the iPod devices. The 'skin' of the Zune was a 'rubberized' material that had a smooth seductive feel to it. I found myself unable to stop stroking the device, so much that the demo assistant asked me to put it down."
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NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Interesting)
Um... Yeah. looks a news headlines, again. OK... maybe the author just having a little fun with the reader.
Clicking on the "community" button allowed me to see the other two Zunes nearby. I decided to send them my community member a song. Browsed to my music folder, found to a song and, instead of selecting to play it, I chose to send it. Prompted with a list of Zune's nearby, I chose one and sent it. Watching the other Zune, the user was prompted to download and accepted the request. It took less than 20 seconds to send the whole song which included album art.
Sounds lengthy, but if you're trying to chat up a hot prospect 20 seconds is plenty of time to break the ice.
Upon a successful transfer, the music is wrapped with a digital rights management (DRM) layer which will give the user a three day or three-listen license. I don't know about many of our readers, but I can listen to a song over and over again. Three plays... please!
DRM(!) huhhhhh HUUHHHHH huhhhhh HUUHHHHH Welcome to the dark side I wonder if there's something which allows you to add it to a wishlist to buy later if you decide you like it.
Yes, it is a first-generation product but I really like the direction Microsoft is taking with the Zune.
Clearly the reviewer is happy with DRM. Only one model, Hmm.. So when's the Zune Femto coming out?
Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Interesting)
Gee? What other ploys can Microsoft try?
Unfortunately, the mental bandwidth already belongs to iPod, it will be hard to dislodge them in favor of Zune.
http://www.realmeme.com/roller/page/realmeme?entr
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Insightful)
Microsoft's traditional marketing isn't working well. Gee? What other ploys can Microsoft try?
Unfortunately, the mental bandwidth already belongs to iPod, it will be hard to dislodge them in favor of Zune.
They've got a big hurdle they'll have to clear, because anyone who already has an iPod and has purchased a considerable number of songs will not switch, because they'd have to buy the same songs again. No thanks. Zune will have to appeal to first time buyers and a lot of them will be asking the same question, "is it as good as an iPod?"
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Insightful)
Don't forget that the entertainment industry is BUILT on selling people the same crap over and over again... this might just work. "Oh but it sounds so much better on my Zune..."
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Interesting)
I don't understand your logic. How did anyone that buy PlaysForSure music get "FUCKED by Microsoft?" That would imply that those that bought PFS music would be better off in some way if Micrososft didn't come out with Zune, at all. But that's not the case.
PlaysForSure still exists, and those that bought PFS music can still buy many PFS players. They won't buy Zunes, but how does that mean that they were "FUCKED by Microsoft"? They can buy still buy PFS players, just as they could before Zune. Only if PFS was being terminated, would they be "FUCKED".
Also, most PFS users use the subscription model; the nice thing about that model is that you're free to switch services at any time without any loss in investment whatsoever.
As for MS badmouthing Apple's lock-in model, then choosing it for themselves, they're admitting that Apple's model is more successful. Apple fanboys should be happy at being vindicated (but MS is still offering subscription as well as purchases, so they didn't copy Apple's model entirely.)
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:4, Informative)
>won't buy Zunes, but how does that mean that they were "FUCKED by Microsoft"? They can buy still
>buy PFS players, just as they could before Zune.
Yes you can still buy PFS player... BUT FOR HOW LONG?? Analysts are predicting that Zune won't take iPod market share but it will take the share of non-iPod players. So MS is aiming to sink the PFS community with a new entrant.
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Insightful)
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Interesting)
So, what happens if you try to share an MP3 file? Does that get DRMed also? That would suck.
Seems to me like they might sell some of these if they allowed purchasing the song that someone shared with you, right from the device, and then letting you copy it back to your PC.
I find that compatibility thing funny. MS has spent soooo much time, effort, money, and compromise on backward compatibility in Windows over the years. Perhaps they just had enough of that.
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:4, Interesting)
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Interesting)
If you've spent a couple of hundred bucks on iTunes Music Store Tracks like me (all backed up as non-DRM AIFF, thank you) then you have to consider that those tracks will not play on the Sune without reripping - and reripping means you get big files that sound at least as good as the original iTMS store files, or you get Windows DRM o' The Week files that sound a trifle bit crappier.
May I add that this article sounds to have been written by a total flaming fanboy? Holy cripes, I haven't seen so much fawning since Bambi.
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Re:Zune Meme Analysis (Score:5, Informative)
There are already YouTube downloader-converters and standalone .flv converters for the iPod.
Windows users can already paste a url into iTube, and it will download YouTube's .flv files, convert them to .mp4 format, and add them to iTunes [benjaminstrahs.com], which will then sync those movies to your iPod.
Mac users can already paste a url into PodTube, and it will download YouTube's .flv files, convert them to .mp4 format, and add them to iTunes [djodjodesign.free.fr], which will then sync those movies to your iPod.
SUPER is another Windows program that converts .flv files to .mp4 for iPod. [erightsoft.com]
iSquint is another Mac program that converts .flv files to .mp4 for iPod. [isquint.org]
Every one of the programs I mentioned are freeware.
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Insightful)
When I meet a girl in a bar, unless it was the starting subject, talk about music is usually scraping near the bottom of the conversation barrel.
Even if music is an important subject, what are the odds that said girl will have dumped her $300 Ipod for a Zune and will be able to recieve your music?
Where do you meet people who want to trade music anyway!?
Maybe I'm just weird, but when I go somewhere to meet girls, I dont even bring my mp3 player.
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Insightful)
Maybe I'm just weird, but when I go somewhere to meet girls, I dont even bring my mp3 player.
What is the most common vehicle for marketing? Even if it's far removed from reality... Come one, you know what it is.
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Funny)
They get you drunk, take all your mp3s, and you wake up in an alley the next morning with a scar over where your kidney used to be.
Did I mention your mp3s are gone?
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Funny)
Still have my kidney though.
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:4, Insightful)
I meet girls in coffeehouses, although I don't call them girls. I call them musicians. Music is almost always at the top of the barrel as a conversation subject.
Where do you meet people who want to trade music anyway!?
See above. I'm not a music spectator. I'm a participant. Trading music is something musicians do, although this is often done through actual social interaction and not just "socially." It's sometimes called the aural tradition.
Even if music is an important subject, what are the odds that said girl will have dumped her $300 Ipod for a Zune and will be able to recieve your music?
Not a chance in fucking hell. Guess I'll just have to get her email address, huh?
KFG
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Funny)
And the other 1/3rd are the drummers?
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Insightful)
High school.
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Interesting)
I live on Capitol Hill in Seattle, and I can just see retarted hipster indie-rocker wannabe's walking around trying so upload their "band's" single on to any/everyone's Zune.
It'll be the next venue for that annoying asshat who hangs around the bar w/ cheap PBR pushing cheaply made cd's onto passersby.
If for no other reason, this should dissuade you from picking one up.
Just my $0.02
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Re:NDA? Goose? (Score:5, Funny)
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Standard Slashdot response (Score:5, Funny)
He's lying! He's a paid Microsoft shill! There's no way that it's as good as he says! It must be rigged! It's probably the new iPod and he thought it was a MS product! He's brainwashed by the DRM! It doesn't run Linux!
Re:Standard Slashdot response (Score:5, Funny)
>
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The guy above me forgot to ask about .ogg support. BURN HIM!
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Re:Standard Slashdot response (Score:5, Insightful)
The bullcrap about strocking the surface and melting reservations is so idiotic anybody with half a brain can see this jackass all he wants is brownie points with some effing provider for whatever his her bussiness is about.
All we care is weather the so called round button interface is simply enough to operate like you know what or is a stupid army-knife click-o-rama choke-full of features 4-way navigation pad where you have to memorize wich direction does what.
That's all.
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Re:Standard Slashdot response (Score:5, Informative)
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Re:Standard Slashdot response (Score:4, Funny)
I think so. Someone put an iPod inside a condom and completely fooled the reviewer, who could not help stroking it.
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Re:Standard Slashdot response (Score:5, Funny)
'iPod', huh? Is that what you kids are calling it these days?
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Re:Standard Slashdot response (Score:5, Funny)
Give it a few days
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Stroke It (Score:4, Insightful)
Anyone who makes a statement like that in a review has obviously made their mind up about the device (they WILL love it) before they even saw it. Though I may be wrong, I cant read the article at work to see if he panned it or not.
I say this because I know that I will be stroking my Wii on Nov 19th. Dont try to hide your feelings from your readers if you are reviewing something, some people actually take reviews seriously.
Re:Stroke It (Score:5, Funny)
Too much information.
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Re:Stroke It (Score:5, Funny)
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Credibility? (Score:5, Funny)
I haven't RTFA, but I'll be damned if I'm going to after that little choice excerpt--this stuff reads like B-rate pr0n narrative!
Re:Credibility? (Score:5, Funny)
What the hell, man?!? I mean, I love my portable music as much as the next guy, but i sure as hell am never going to make it THAT physical...
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smells fishy (Score:5, Interesting)
sheesh (Score:5, Funny)
What if (Score:5, Funny)
OEMs... (Score:5, Funny)
Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that Microsoft contracted out to the RealDoll company for that part.
Zune sounds like a curse word in Hebrew (Score:3, Interesting)
wait (Score:5, Insightful)
Bad Article (Score:5, Funny)
[i]I decided to send them my community member a song. Browsed to my music folder, found to a song and, instead of selecting to play it, I chose to send it.[/i]
That was to a worst two a sentences I ever look, I choose to read.
It has to be MORE brainless than an iPod (Score:4, Insightful)
Help me out here... (Score:5, Insightful)
Same goes for all the hype around the interface? I found the best interface is to create a few playlists on the PC -- which has a real screen and a keyboard -- and move them over. Then, all I really do is pick a playlist which maybe takes 5 seconds in almost any interface. The only other controls I use are volume and stop.
Do people actually spend that much time fucking around with a music player? Isn't is supposed to like, play music? Or is it a form of entertainment unto itself?
Yeah, yeah... (Score:5, Funny)
I had expected the player to be fairly heavy, but after holding the Zune in my hand it was clear that I was wrong.
I could sense it somehow, as if the pully-downey force that makes things fall and me very tired was not affecting the Zune as not much as I expected it not too.
It is not as light as the latest video iPod, but compared to my fourth-generation iPod, the Zune was lighter.
Ah ha, thought I. As I go back generations of media player, things get heavier. It was also a tad lighter than a 1952 Bendix steam powered black and white television console, thus adding weight (pun intended!!) to my theory. I plan to compare the Zune to a four ton heiroglyphic slab in Luxor, Egypt when I get the chance.
The top of the Zune had a clear glass layer while the exterior had a tactile feel to it,
Tactile. Definition: Perceptible to the sense of touch; tangible. So, yes, the Zune did in fact exist as far as my sensory apparatty and perceptualtudeness could determine.
The 'skin' of the Zune was a 'rubberized' material that had a smooth seductive feel to it. I found myself unable to stop stroking the device, so much that the demo assistant asked me to put it down."
He then called the police who took me downtown to a jail cell, and that's where I'm writing thie review now.
It's all about marketing (Score:5, Informative)
Here is a blurb from the frontpage of their website:
Yep, and they seem to be pretty good at it too
That annoying guy in the subway (Score:5, Insightful)
What's the matter with people, can't we just go to work without some stranger harassing us in the bus?
iPod or no, walkman or not, I've never seen anyone in the bus or the subway start a conversation with a stranger who wasn't politely trying to end the conversation as fast as possible.
Besidses, some of us can listen to music AND think at the same time. Heck, I can even chew gum and walk on top of that!
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Re:That annoying guy in the subway (Score:5, Funny)
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Re:That annoying guy in the subway (Score:4, Insightful)
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