New Microsoft Zune Players

Monday, November 12, 2007 06:00 AM PST
Source: PCWorld

It took them a while, but the folks at Microsoft have finally built a pretty good portable media player. With wireless syncing, a new touch-pad control to rival Apple's Click Wheel, and some interesting new features built into the Zune player software, this latest generation of Zunes should finally provide some real competition.

We've reviewed both the $250 80GB Zune and the $200 8GB flash-based Zune that released today. Both offer very good sound quality and a nice set of features beyond standard audio and video playback, though the 80GB player is probably a better fit among its competition. But it's the Zune software--and the changes to the Zune Marketplace and online environment that come with it--that may eventually have the biggest impact on the Zune's success.

The Zune Social

Yes, they're still going with that name. No, there still does not appear to be any ice cream. There is, however, some interesting stuff going on with the Zune Social. Microsoft has taken a page from its Xbox Live service for this next iteration of the Social.

Plug in a Zune player with the new software installed, and you'll have a chance to create a Zune Tag. This part of the service wasn't available for testing during our evaluation of the new players, but it should be online today. Zune Tags, much like the gamer tags in Xbox Live, collect information about what music you're playing and share it with friends.

Click through a Zune Tag online, and you'll find a list of that person's favorite songs. Click on any artist or album that appears, and you'll see which Zune Social members have it as a favorite. Then you can start to discover new music by clicking through to other songs that person likes. If you have a Zune Pass subscription, you should be able to download files to your Zune right there.

Eventually, the Zune Social could become something a little like Last.fm, with apps that let you embed Zune Tag info on Web, Facebook, or MySpace pages, all likely future additions. ...