This season, Microsoft has released a new update to the Zune music and video player, combining the best of the older models with a sleek interface and new connectivity options to make the most of the Zune store. The 16GB model we test drove is a good balance of capacity versus price, but the new features really make it feel like your space in unlimited. The big addition to this new model is Wi-Fi capability in a compact size, so especially for people in cities where wireless is readily available just about anywhere, you can do just about everything on the device itself without involving a PC. Youll also be able to sync to your home PC cordlessly or stream music to an Xbox 360. It also includes an FM tuner, which might not seem like a big deal at first, but when you are feeling experimental, the Zune lets you tag songs you like and then points you to them on the store to buy in higher quality later. Anyone who remembers the days of having to tape songs with a boom-box and try to hit stop before the DJ came back on should welcome the change. If you take advantage of all its capabilities, the Zune is more like a hub instead of just a music player. If you just pick a song and hit play, basically every MP3 player out there is the same but the Zune adds in extra utility but keeps it all just as simple as the single-function players. Combined with the unlimited download options on the Zune store, the device is set up to encourage experimentation, allowing users to have unlimited full songs and albums for a flat fee (like a Netflix for music) instead of having to wade through short samples or just hope that an album isnt a waste of money. That other player youve got may seem like a bard habit to break, but it wont take long with the Zune to change your mind. Feeling like experimenting a little bit yourself? Check out a mini-mix of what were listening to: 1. T-Pain- Chopped N Skrewed ft. Ludacris 2. Akon- Beautiful 3. Beyonce- Diva 4. Lady GaGa- Poker Face 5. Ne-Yo- Closer 6. Kanye West- Robocop 7. Chester French- She Loves Everybody 8. TV On the Radio- Crying 9. Q-Tip- Life is Better ft. Norah Jones 10. John Legend- Its Over ft. Kanye West & Pharrell 11. Solange- I Decided Pt. II 12. Nikka Costa- Loving You
This season, Microsoft has
released a new update to the Zune music and video player, combining
the best of the older models with a sleek interface and new connectivity
options to make the most of the Zune store. The 16GB model we test drove
is a good balance of capacity versus price, but the new features really
make it feel like your space in unlimited.
The big addition to this new
model is Wi-Fi capability in a compact size, so especially for people
in cities where wireless is readily available just about anywhere, you
can do just about everything on the device itself without involving
a PC. Youll also be able to sync to your home PC cordlessly or stream
music to an Xbox 360. It also includes an FM tuner, which might not
seem like a big deal at first, but when you are feeling experimental,
the Zune lets you tag songs you like and then points you to them on
the store to buy in higher quality later. Anyone who remembers the days
of having to tape songs with a boom-box and try to hit stop before
the DJ came back on should welcome the change.
If you take advantage of all
its capabilities, the Zune is more like a hub instead of just a music
player. If you just pick a song and hit play, basically every MP3 player
out there is the same but the Zune adds in extra utility but keeps it
all just as simple as the single-function players. Combined with the
unlimited download options on the Zune store, the device is set up to
encourage experimentation, allowing users to have unlimited full songs
and albums for a flat fee (like a Netflix for music) instead of having
to wade through short samples or just hope that an album isnt a waste
of money.
That other player youve
got may seem like a bard habit to break, but it wont take long with
the Zune to change your mind. Feeling like experimenting a little bit
yourself? Check out a mini-mix of what were listening to:
1. T-Pain- Chopped N Skrewed
ft. Ludacris
2. Akon- Beautiful
3. Beyonce- Diva
4. Lady GaGa- Poker Face
5. Ne-Yo- Closer
6. Kanye West- Robocop
7. Chester French- She Loves
Everybody
8. TV On the Radio- Crying
9. Q-Tip- Life is Better ft.
Norah Jones
10. John Legend- Its Over
ft. Kanye West & Pharrell
11. Solange- I Decided Pt.
II
12. Nikka Costa- Loving You
