Well I'm pretty sure we've all heard this from one place or another, but I think we can all agree. Close but no cigar! The Zune MP3 player has dropped, and I'm pretty certain some of you even own one, but will it have an impact on other MP3 players?It was an amp'd topic by supporters, but according to MercuryNews.com "the company's much-hyped entree into the MP3 player market appeared to have little affect on industry leader Apple." .
But let's forget about it's anticipated arrival by consumers, and creators alike, and let's dig into it. Without even unwrapping it, you can see that some creativity went into creating the box. Almost like an iPod, you slip the main case off, and there lies you're ultimate sharing jukebox.
Yes, it's here and now we can rip it apart, open it, and see what it contains. Let's see, a thirty gig hard drive, which is the maximum for the Zune, can be used to store all of your movies, music, and photos.
If you're exceeding that memory, you're going to have to wait until the more roomy one arrives. The UI, that wonderful, colorful, bright display you'll be looking at is quite friendly. Looking at it, you will want to quickly think to spin the black wheel directly under the screen, but no you don't. Don't even think about it, this is no iPod, and that there is no click wheel. It's actually a d-pad, yeah like your Sega Genesis controller. Everything else is pretty much what's basic for what is expected of MP3 players these days, but wait... Is that...? A Wi-Fi chip? Actually it is, and guess what, it will allow you to basically socialize with Zune users around you. But don't get too hype, because songs can only be shared once, and you better believe that they'll be protected. No, not with security crazy, your Zune will only play protected music from the Zune Market. So don't think you'll be dragging your Napster files to this one. So you'll be shopping from Zune, or doing some creative ripping, in which I hope one of the two works out best for you.
With the Movies, don't expect anymore freedom, it’s basically the same but movies can't be purchased from Zune yet. Zune will convert your MP4s and H264 movies to WMV, so that they can be played, but don't look for any other file formats to be supported by it. As for your beautiful photos from Cancun this summer, and those bright white ones from Colorado this winter, they will all have to be JPEGS and the Zune software won't be converting them either.
You can beam pictures to anyone with no limitations to other Zunesters around. Bump your tunes while you're watching slide shows, but you can assign specific songs to them. So I guess we can close this bad boy up, seal back the incision, and enjoy.
Don't forget, when you get tired of all that music that has been thumping all day, and you want to know what's going on the air, the FM-radio is at your fingertips and it’s very simple to use. So go out and pick one up, it's cheaper than an iPod, and is very friendly for beginners. You can share your music, although you'll be quick to turn the Wi-Fi off to conserve battery. The display is beautiful with any array of colors splattered on it's background, and you may want to keep that at a minimum also. The device is nice, and it's a great start to a new personal media generation.
So if you can't wait to see what the future holds, and you want your music now! Go check one out, see if it's right for you, and let me know what you think of it. Better believe I'll be here waiting to hear about your experience with the Zune.