New Zune Review

Microsoft Corp. said late Monday (May 5, 2008) they will sell TV shows, including series from NBC on the Zune Marketplace. This move should catapult Zune that much closer to what Apple Inc.’s iTunes offers for the iPod.

You can expect software updates that add the new features to the Zune devices and PC software used to buy and manage digital content.

As you remember, Microsoft went into downloadable video sales for Zunes last October when they released their second-generation players and software, however the content was limited to music videos.

To put a feather in the cap of Microsoft, they are able to carry NBC shows including “The Office” and “Heroes.” NBC Universal has said it pulled its shows from iTunes over Apple’s unwillingness to set different prices for TV shows.

It’s great to see Zune make another move to catch Apple Corp. and their iPod, but Microsoft has a long way to go. Since the first Zune went on sale in November 2006, the software maker has sold “just north of 2 million” of the devices, Reindorp said. Apple sold 10.6 million iPods in the first three months of 2008 alone.

Features Zune has over the iPod

• Zune Pass subscription service that gives users access to every song in the catalog for $14.99 per month. You get millions of songs for that low flat price.
• Zunes can synchronize wirelessly with PCs, something iPods and Macs cannot do.
• Zune users have the ability to synchronize several Zunes wirelessly and simultaneiously with the same computer. Another lets users sitting at their PCs choose new content to send to a Zune next time it’s in range. Before, a Zune’s user had to connect the device to a PC — wirelessly or with a cable — to tweak its contents.
• Zune also emphasizes the social aspect of music consumption. Zune Pass subscribers can easily send the contents of friends’ “Zune Cards,” or mini-profiles showing favorite tunes and recently played tracks, to their own Zunes.
• Gapless music playback and playlists that automatically update themselves based on criteria set by the Zune user.

Source: Associated Press, MSNBC

There is word on when we can expect the third generation Zune coming from a European newspaper GNT. Microsoft was quoted the third generation of the Zune MP3 player should have a worldwide release during the holiday season of 2009. Pretty good news — especially for Europeans who’ve been patiently waiting for Zune’s to roll out much later than their American Zune fan counterparts.

Another cool thing that was mentioned in that same article is that Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace digital download service will eventually be integrated with the Windows Mobile platform. Although many still think there will be a Zune phone.

The red 80 GB Zune is now available via Zune.net, however you might have to personalize it in order to get yourself one. I poked around a few other websites and couldn’t come up with a red one except for a used on on eBay. So, if you are on the prowl for a limited edition red 80 GB Zune head on over to Zune.net.

1.  Store content on Zune but not on PC

The Zune has a feature called Guest syncing which can be used for this.  Guest syncing provides the most control over what you put on your device and has several limitations.  This feature is designed so that you can easily get DRM-free content from one Collection and move it to another.  Features that will be impacted with Guest sync:

• No automatic sync
• You may not be able to move DRM content
• No automatic syncing of Podcasts
• No wireless sync (part of automatic sync)

In the software, if you go to Settings –> Device, you will find an option to Forget this Zune.  That will remove the association between your device and the PC and the PC will no longer be its “Home” PC.  Once your device is forgotten, when you reconnect the Zune, you will be prompted to connect as Guest or make the PC its Home.  Connect as Guest.

After you connect, you will be able to move any non-DRM content from the Collection to the device.  This will have to be done by either flagging the content with Sync To Device or dragging it to the Zune icon.

Once you have all of the content copied over, you can delete the content from your Collection.  Verify that it did not delete from the Zune and you can then delete the content from your PC.

In my testing, the only real drawback I saw is that when you use the Zune software to browse the device, album art does not show up.  However, album art is indeed on the device.

2.  Drag and drop from explorer to Collection

There is a particular hotspot in the gui but I have successfully dragged and dropped music and video.  For music, launch the software and go to the Collection –> Music tab.  Select the files in Windows Explorer and drag them to the center pane where your album covers appear.  The mouse pointer should change to a + and you can drop.  A message appears at the bottom of the window stating X Media Items Found or Invalid Media.

You can do the same with movies but need to be on the Collection –> Movies tab.

3.  Copy by Playlist

The software is now designed to make sure when you sync a playlist, it puts all of the necessary tracks on the device.  Regardless of whether or not it is already on the device, create a playlist, add tracks, and Sync to device.  If a song is not on the Zune and it is needed for the list, it should get synched.

4.  Import playlist

You can import a playlist created by another application such as Windows Media Player.  The playlist directory is a sub-directory of your media download location.  To find this, go to Settings –> Software –> General.  Make note of the location you selected for downloaded media.  Browse to that location in Windows Explorer and you will find a Playlist subdirectory.

Create a playlist with a 3rd party application and save in m3u format.  Copy the playlist to your Playlist directory and the Zune software immediately sees it.  When I did this, I actually saved the list to that location and it created duplicates in the form of a .zpl, .wpl, and .m3u.  I deleted all but the .zpl.

You can easily and permanently delete lists by deleting them from this directory.  You can also quickly change the name of a list by opening the file in a text editor like Notepad and changing the name.  It is just a few lines down from the top and easy to recognize.

You can also drag a playlist file to the Playlist window.

5.  View your playcount

Playcount is now visible on Zune.net but you can also view this from within the software.  Go to the Collection –> Music tab and on the right, you can select Browse or List.  Select List.  Right click on a column heading and select Choose Columns.  Find Play Count and make sure it is checked.  You can now view your Play Count for each track as well as sort by that column.  This can give you a good idea of what you might want to rotate out, rotate in, or get rid of completely.

6.  Shuffle…then shuffle more…

This was an update sometime back but may still be a little known feature.  If a shuffled playlist isn’t shuffled enough, you can continue to shuffle it.  Without leaving the screen, toggle Shuffle on and off several times.  It will shuffle the already shuffled list.

7.  Zoom for that closeup

It is a bit limited but when viewing a picture on the Zune, hit the center button.  You will get an option to Zoom In.  When selected, you can use the wheel to pan and scan around the picture.  A small icon appears in the bottom right that will show you where in the image your focus lies.

8.  Use quicklist to repeat a single song

Unfortunately, there is no built in featue to simply select a song for repeat.  However, you can add the song to your Quick List and set the Quick List to repeat.

9.  RDS and the FM Radio

One of the much touted features of the radio is pulling in RDS (Radio Data System) information.  Depending on what the station chooses to broadcast, you can get a wide range of information on the display of your Zune.  Call letters are fairly common but I have seen others report one station actually broadcasts DJ information.  Here is an article that outlines what is available through RDS.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Data_System

Keep in mind that the headphone cord works as an FM antenna.  Also, even if the station sounds clear, you might not always get a strong enough signal to get the RDS info.  Of course, not all stations broadcast RDS but it is still a pretty cool feature.  With luck, in the future Zune users could get the same kind of info on the Zune display as many see with satellite radio.

10.  Find location of file

Although we no longer have an actual menu item to Find Location, some may still find the need.  Find Location was an option that appeared when right clicking on a file in the old software.  It would automatically launch a Windows Explorer window that went straight to that location.  You can still do so even though you aren’t prompted.

Right-click on a file and select Properites.  The path to that file appears in red in the Location area.  If you click on the path, it will launch an Explorer Window.  This is handy for jumping straight to a directory that contains a file or finding the directory if you are not quite sure how you organized it on the disk.

Source: Zune.net forums 

It’s funny how the second generation Zunes have came out just a few months ago and people are already talking about third gen Zunes. Possibly to put a little birdie in the ear of Microsoft of what they would like to see. Or maybe because they can’t wait for the new generation Zunes to come out or quite possibly because they just needed a good story. You be the judge.

Here’s a Zune Phone concept photo I found that evidentally came from ZuneScene.com:

Like I said… Is this just hype? A need for a good story? Or just simply wishful thinking? Third-generation Zunes might not look anything like the one pictured here, but it is kind of fun speculating.

Great news for Canadian music lovers! Yesterday, at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Microsoft Corp. announced that Zune will be available in Canada in Spring 2008. Highly anticipated by the Canadian market, music lovers will be able to experience a richer, more connected entertainment experience with Zune. The Canadian offering in 2008 will first include Zune players, Zune software and the Zune Social, an online music community, before launching the Zune Marketplace online store later this year.

“We are excited to offer Canadians an alternative music experience with Zune,” said Craig Tullett, Group Manager, Zune Canada. “With wireless capabilities and a unique social experience, Canadians can continue to discover and share music in new ways.”

Robbie Bach, president of the Microsoft’s entertainment and devices division, showcased new features for the Zune mp3 player, which he said “has become the clear alternative to the iPod.”

He introduced Zune Social, a new platform now in beta version that “tracks everything you’re doing , whether you’re on your Zune or PC,” by keeping tabs on users’ favorite songs and bands.

Great news for Zune fans — The new Zunes (Zune 2) are making some headway on the almighty iPod! Although Zune still trails Apple substantially in the MP3 market share, Microsoft is making some strides. Notably, topping the list of Amazon.com’s top-selling MP3 players late last month.

Microsoft has emphasized it is in the MP3 market for the long haul and their deep discounts and increasingly favorable reviews of its Zune 2.0 line is helping them climb up the charts. Microsoft’s 30GB, $134 Zune digital media player was ranked the No. 1 best-seller on Amazon’s list of top-selling MP3 players in the electronics category, topping the iPod Nano for the first time ever on the list.

Still there is much more work to do since Zune is in fourth place and holding only a 2.3 percent market share for units sold compared to Apple who owns 72.2 percent of the market. This is according to NPD Group.

It is fantastic hearing good reviews of the new Zunes and I will share one with you from The New York Times. Reviewer David Pogue called the Zune “a pleasure to use” and said it “fixes a long list of things that made the original Zune such a pathetic wannabe. Best of all, the new Zune is starting to develop its own identity.”

I have a feeling there will be lots more great reviews for Zune and for some of us, it’s about time.

Here is the announcement from GOODS’ Nov. 30th GOODS & Zune party invitation celebrating the release of the GOODS x Zune special edition device. Special guest performances were by Swizz Beats and Bun-B. This event is at the Warroom and it was free.

Sorry I was a little late on this announcement but for Zune fans, I thought this would be cool to check out at least. Rumor has it the GOODS/Microsoft Zune is a limited quantity gold colored special edition.

Here is an image of the GOODS/Microsoft gold Zune 2:

Another note about the GOODS Gold Zunes is that Microsoft commissioned Goods to make 20 gold Zunes. 10 are 80GB models, 10 are 8GB flash models. They look nice, and they are obviously made with gold. No word on price, and I am sure the line is short for a gold Zune, but its still probably longer than 20 people, so it will be interesting to hear what price was actually paid for each of these limited edition models.