Zune HD

The Zune HD

This device is a little hard for me to swallow, mostly because it's very good and it's not Apple, it's actually quite the opposite. I've got to say, I tried it the other day at a store near here, and I'm extremely impressed. Its features are varied and very good. The HD output is something no other device of its type has. The crisp video quality you get is awesome, and the HD radio is something you can't get anywhere else. Only thing it's missing is... an app store. I haven't been able to use its internet or any other of its functionalities except for it's HD radio (very good by the way), it's music player (easy to organize), and watched some videos on there too (good video quality). It's easy to understand and learning to use it is very simple. It basically works like an iPod Touch, except all Microsoft-y. One thing I don't like about it is its Zune Software. It really isn't very good. Also, the Zune Marketplace is kinda like the first time you wonder into a huge Wal-Mart that you are not familiar with, you get kinda lost. Its definitely not iTunes, and I wish I could sync up any MP3 device with my iTunes, since iTunes is much more easy to comprehend and faster to use. One thing the Zune Marketplace has that iTunes Store doesn't have, and it should, is the monthly fee of 14.99 for unlimited downloads. Kudos to Microsoft, although I think they might not be making as much money as they thought they would. Anyway, back to the device itself. All in all it's a pretty stable device. This one is a winner for Microsoft. Its pretty fast and its graphics are really good. Something I like too is its price. Starting at only $219.99 for the 16GB model, and $289.97 for the 32GB model, its a device a lot of people can afford, although Apple just released the "new" iPod Touch with a price start-point at $199 for the 8GB model, then jumps to 32GB at $299 and 64GB at $399, Apple made the iPod Touches more powerful and less pricey. There's a lot of competition out there, and I don't think the Zune HD is gonna cut it. Lets just give it some time and have a little patience huh? ^_^ Ohh... almost forgot, the Zune also has as a competition the new iPod Nano with video camera. Something just introduced into the world of MP3's, and something Microsoft doesn't have yet on the Zune. Maybe they'll throw in a camera as well? This heathy competition is good for us all! ^_^