Testseek.com have collected 77 expert reviews of the Microsoft Zune and the average rating is 80%. Scroll down and see all reviews for Microsoft Zune.
January 2008
(80%)
77 Reviews
Average score from experts who have reviewed this product.
Users
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0 Reviews
Average score from owners of the product.
80010077
The editors liked
Awesome interface
Wireless sync
Zune Social site
Good podcast support
Slick software
Subscription music.
Great firmware interface
Touchpad not required for navigation
Beautiful 240x320 QVGA display
Good color selection for hardware
Wireless syncing
Great iPod alternative
Wireless browsing
FM tuner
Intuitive interface and controls
The WiFi allows users to easily access and share music in several different ways
Very large screen
Best nonclickwheel
Nontouch control scheme yet
Zune 2.5 adds muchneeded smart playlist
Video
Gapless audio support
Incanal earbuds included in the box.
Slick UI design
Intuitive “squircle” controls
Excellent build quality
Lightweight
Touch controls
Large legible type on menu
Great sound quality
Great quality earphones
FM Radio function
Wireless connectivity
Easy-to-use device and software
Large
Bright screen
Simple device synching
Easy to share and update music via Wi-Fi
Beautiful and large color screen
Wireless conne...
Sharing
And purchase
Excellent music discovery features
Attractive interface
Vivid screen
Improved user interface
Ability to buy & download music directly to Zune from Marketplace
120GB hard drive
FM Tuner w/ tagging
Simple controls and navigation
Wireless sync and song sharing
Comes with in-ear headphones
Built-in FM radio and podcast support
Excellent sound quality
Compact new design
Nice
Clean 1.8" LCD screen
Up to 24 hour battery life
Wireless syncing & song sharing
Friendly
Simple interface
Improved navigation with Zune pad
$199 USD price on par with iPod nano
Elegant user interface
Wireless-sync capability
Podcast support
Nice screen
Good audio quality
Easy-to-use software
The flash-based 4GB and 8GB Microsoft Zune MP3 players feature a 1.8-inch glass LCD
An easy-to-use interface
Exceptional navigation control
Audio and video podcast support
And FM radio. It also includes wireless syncing and sharing
Revamped Zune M...
The Microsoft Zune MP3 player has expanded the usefulness of its Wi-Fi and social music-discovery features
Added support for games and audiobooks
And maintained enviable features
Such as a glass-covered LCD
Friendly interface
Exceptional navigatio...
The 120GB Microsoft Zune MP3 player has expanded the usefulness of its Wi-Fi and social music-discovery features
Such as a 3.2-inch glass LCD
Exceptional na...
Better controls
Wireless autosync
Zune Marketplace greatly improved.
Podcast integration is very well done
Menu navigation is easier to read
Innovative Zune Pad controls
Great premium headphones
Tight integration with Zune Marketplace
Incredible 3.3-inch OLED display
Small
Sensitive capacitive touch screen
High-def 720p video output
Smooth Web navigation
Refined FM and HD radio tuner
The 80GB Microsoft Zune MP3 player features a 3.2-inch glass LCD
A user-friendly interface
A superlative FM radio with RBDS information
Wireless syncing and sharing
High-quality earph...
Wireless syncing
Intuitive controls and interface
The editors didn't like
Its not an iPod
No support for Mac users.
Software is terrible
Vendor lock-in with hardware & software
Proprietary dock connector
Not compatible with Windows Media DRM
Few accessories available
Bulkier than other flash players
New firmware not preinstalled
All the special features are directed at the music capacity
We wish there were more movie features.
Bigger than iPod
But screen isnt any sharper.
Looks like an iPod nano
Spotty software setup
Windows ONLY support
No WiFi web browsing
Small screen for video and pictures
No widescreen
Large
Bulky size
No included AC adapter
Available only in black
No over-the-air downloads
LCD screen isn’t as crisp as the Zune 8
Windowsonly support
Mediocre battery life
Dumb points-based payment system for à la carte downloads
Video content selection still lags behind iTunes
Wireless music downloads require Zune Pass subscription
Mediocre sound and no EQ
Lack of robust sources of legal (and popular) video content
Wireless sync can be tricky to set up
Song sharing suffers because of lack of widespread adoption
*
Medium-low quality headphones
Convoluted Zune Marketplace
PC only No Mac support
No EQ settings at all
No mic or recording ability
80GB Zune costs just $50 more
Tricky center button
Cant download songs over Wi-Fi
No Audible audio-book or WMA DRM9 support
Zune Marketplace lacks movie/TV downloads
The Zune 4 and Zune 8 players are PC-only devices that require their own software and still dont support older WMA-DRM9 music files
Nor does Zune Marketplace offer TV or movie downloads. The Zunes USB connection is proprietary
Theres no Wi-Fi musi...
Battery life isnt great
The glossy plastic front is more prone to scratches and smudges
And using many of the new features without a Zune Pass music subscription can be disappointing.
High-quality earbuds are no longer included
Still tied to Zune Marketplace
Wireless sharing still mostly useless
Red Zune 4GB/8GB is a fingerprint magnet
Zune 80GB has a large display
But only QVGA resolution
Severely limited Wi-Fi functionality
Zune Marketplace software can be a little buggy
Feels one generation behind
No open App Store
Initial stuttering on video output
No tabbed browsing
Weak Wi-fi reception
The Zune is a PC-only device that requires its own software and still does not support older WMA-DRM9 music files
Zune Marketplace does not offer TV or movie downloads
Slick UI design, Intuitive “squircle” controls, Excellent build quality, Lightweight, Touch controls, Large legible type on menu, Beautiful and large color screen, Great sound quality, Great quality earphones, FM Radio function, Wireless conne...
LCD screen isn’t as crisp as the Zune 8, Spotty software setup, Windowsonly support, No WiFi web browsing, No widescreen
So is the Zune for you? Well, actually, the question really comes down to: Are you good enough for the Zune? First of all, the device runs on Windows XP and Vista PCs only. Mac users will just have to stick with the iPod. The new Zune 80 is a refreshin...
Abstract: Microsoft has obviously seen the unprecedented success of Apples iPod (this type of product is abbreviated as PMP for Portable Music Player, or DAP, for Digital Audio Player) and entered the market with the Zune 30 GB MP3 player last year. It had a l...
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Published: 2008-01-18, Author: Michael , review by: maximumpc.com
Abstract: Introduction Zune 80 is one of Microsoft’s second generation portable video and audio players; also referred to as “Zune 2.” I have been really excited about Zune 2 because of the numerous articles online that praised it, pointing out t...
Slick UI design, Intuitive “squircle” controls, Excellent build quality, Lightweight, Touch controls, Large legible type on menu, Great sound quality, Great quality earphones, FM Radio function, Wireless connectivity
Looks like an iPod nano, Spotty software setup, Windows ONLY support, No WiFi web browsing, Small screen for video and pictures, No widescreen
I have to admit, I really like the new smaller Zune. For once, Microsoft has delivered a product that’s as easy to use as it is good looking. And while it may be a bastardized ripoff of the iPod nano design, the Zune offers a much better user inte...
The flash-based 4GB and 8GB Microsoft Zune MP3 players feature a 1.8-inch glass LCD, an easy-to-use interface, exceptional navigation control, audio and video podcast support, and FM radio. It also includes wireless syncing and sharing, revamped Zune M...
The Zune 4 and Zune 8 players are PC-only devices that require their own software and still dont support older WMA-DRM9 music files, nor does Zune Marketplace offer TV or movie downloads. The Zunes USB connection is proprietary, theres no Wi-Fi musi...
The 4GB and 8GB capacity Zunes (Zune 4 and Zune 8) offer a bite-size version of their full-size, 80GB sibling. While the full-size Zune is a better value, the solid-state flash memory used in the 4GB and 8GB versions make them better suited for physica...
The first Zune was something rushed to the market and it showed. The first generation Zune lacked anything outstanding; it really did not offer anything above what the competition was doing. The second time around I am seeing something a bit more im...
Awesome interface; wireless sync; Zune Social site; good podcast support; slick software; subscription music.
Its not an iPod; no support for Mac users.
What digital music player do you get someone who doesnt want an iPod? Or someone who is tired of the iPod, or maybe looking for an all-you-can-eat subscription service? Nobody needs to "recommend" an iPod as a gift, but were going to throw this out t...
Abstract: The first-generation Zune media player that Microsoft Corp. released last year was a me-too product with a few nice touches. So the question with the new, second-generation Zune is whether Microsoft is ready to surpass its competition, most notably Ap...
