You can stop wondering what exactly is powering the new Zune HD. On the official Zune Insider podcast, host Matt Akers confirmed the rumors: yep, it's rocking a Tegra. No surprise, that announcement came with a heap of praise for NVIDIA's chip, so much so it's almost painful to listen. "So sick, so much better battery life, graphics acceleration. This thing is like a mini laptop in your hand, right, it's so awesome." We'll have to see about that for ourselves (in September, maybe?), but we are indeed encouraged by the news. Hear it for yourself just below.
I just hope they come through on everything that is being talked about, it wouldnt be the first time Microsoft let us down, dont get me wrong this looks amazing I just hope it can live up to the hype its going to recieve.
Not trying to start a war, but why does it have to be like iTunes? I actually greatly prefer Zune's software (though I'll admit it's a little bloated). I actually don't use iTunes at all- I've switched my wife's iPod over to using MediaMonkey which I greatly prefer over both of them for its simplicity.
I wasn't implying that it HAS to be like iTunes. I was asking if it WAS like iTunes at all. I've never owned a Zune therefore I've never seen the software. I was just curious being as iTunes is all I use to manage my iPod's/iPhones. I actually used a different program on one of my iPod's until Apple caught on that flowed a little better then iTunes and you could remove songs/videos.
Sorry to bring up an extremely old post, I've been away from the board for awhile
RR: What are the sizes of The Zune HD?
TK: 16GB and 32GB, Microsoft is considering adding a 64GB Zune later on in the model year
RR: When is Microsoft planning to ship the Zune HD?
TK: Early September
RR: How much is Zune HD projected to cost?
TK: The prices are not set in stone yet, but the 16GB will be somewhere in the range of $249 -$280
RR: You know what I am most excited about, Tegra, how do you feel about it?
TK: I think it's a great idea ... because Tegra brings to the table a lot of new stuff and I think it was a really smart idea on Microsoft's part to do this with the next-generation Zune.
RR: How has the Zune software changed?
TK: The Zune software has evolved to meet the needs of the Zune HD. it is also going to become much more a "center of entertainment" for the whole household. Microsoft also plans to have Zune interact with a variety of other Microsoft services.
I've had every Zune released so far (30GB, 80GB and now the 120GB one), and I must admit I'm a huge fan. My only gripe is the lack of EQ on the last two generations, but that is somewhat negligible. I can't wait to get my hands on this HD beauty.
I'll admit right off the bat that I've been a pretty big fan of the Zune ever since I bought my first one back in 2007. I've also had some disappointments, which I haven't been shy about sharing--and last year's half-hearted Zune hardware refresh had me losing faith that Microsoft would be able to steer this one out of the ditch.
Well, having just geeked-out with a pair of Zune HDs for about an hour, I am tentatively reaffirming my faith in Microsoft. This thing was worth the wait, folks. Mind you, it's not going to crush the iPod Touch--a product that for all intents and purposes is more mobile computer than media player--but it's safe to say that the Zune finally has the power to make good on the promise of delivering one of the richest music experiences on a portable device.
How are they going to do it? Let's start with hardware. The Zune HD feels expensive, solid, and sexy. The metal enclosure is a little more angular than the curvy chrome of the iPod Touch, but feels just as nice and has the advantage of laying flat instead of teetering around. The body is just a little thicker than the iPod Touch, and not nearly as wide (as seen in this photo).
The front includes a 3.3-inch capacitive OLED touch screen display covered with glass, and a single home button beneath it that behaves just like a normal button and doesn't replicate any of the Zune Pad functionality of previous models. The top edge includes a power button that also triggers the lock screen, the left edge has an iPhone-like volume rocker, and the bottom carries the headphone jack and Zune dock. For all you sound nerds out there, the Zune HD's DAC is the same Wolfson one used on previous models--which is good news in my book.
While we're talking output specs, here's something else to note. The Zune HD supports 720p video content, which you'll be able to purchase directly though the Zune Marketplace software. Video content purchased (or rented) through your Xbox can also be downloaded and transferred to your Zune by checking for them in your Zune Marketplace purchase history. The only hitch to this arrangement is that the Zune's screen doesn't natively support 720p playback, so content does get scaled down to 480x272. Videos still look outstanding, though, and if they told me it was native 720p I would have believed them. You can get 720p natively out of the Zune HD, but you'll need to dock it into the optional HDMI Zune dock and run it to your TV.
Another fun little fact for Zune fans is that the Zune HD has ushered in the return of EQ. I guess now that the thing is running on an NVIDIA Tegra chip, they've got a little extra battery life to burn with an EQ DSP. It's nothing fancy--just a handful of presets (rock, acoustic, hip-hop, etc.) with no user setting--but I'm happy to see it come back.
Some other cool stuff happening on the music front: recently added tracks are now grouped together a little more prominently using a more visual music sub-menu (shown here), along with a new feature called pins, where frequently accessed content can be bookmarked.
The music playback screen has also been given a lot of work. Without the benefit of a navigation pad or playback buttons, users will need to tap the middle of the screen once to access a large four-direction onscreen cross for play, skip, reverse, volume. Controls for favorites, shuffle and repeat are found conveniently near the bottom of the screen, instead of buried in sub-menus.
The Zune's coolest music trick, though, is that it automatically pulls in a gallery of band photos, biographical info, and similar artist recommendations for any currently playing song--regardless of whether the track is from Zune Marketplace or your friend's hard drive or torrents. It's feels a little more like digging through Last.fm now, instead of just a straight-up music directory. If the Zune's connected up to Wi-Fi, listings of related artists will link though to the mobile version of Zune Marketplace, where tracks can be streamed and purchased directly.
Speaking of Wi-Fi, the Zune's new Web browser smokes. Not since first using the iPhone have I been this impressed with a mobile web browser. There's no branding on the browser, but I was told it was cooked up by Microsoft's Internet Explorer team (makes sense). Page load was snappy, and pinching and reorienting pages work just like the iPhone and iPod Touch. You also get a fast on-screen keyboard with a nice little magnifier effect with each keystroke. The only bad news on the browser is that there's no support for Flash audio and video content. So Pandora and YouTube are out, but I was able to get onto Facebook and Twitter.
I didn't have time to go too deep with features such as video, Social, HD radio, photos and Marketplace, unfortunately. I also couldn't shake a price out of the Zune reps, although I was reassured by the incredulous looks I got when I told them how much Sony is charging for the X-Series. I also couldn't nail them on battery life, but it's safe to say this is going to be a big step forward for Zune users accustomed to daily charging breaks.
Another big unknown is the extent of the updates the Zune team have made to the Zune software. My sense is that the updates are fairly significant, but only time will tell.
For another hands-on take with the Zune HD, check out Matt Rosof's Digital Noise blog. Also, stay tuned for a formal, full-blown CNET review once the product hits stores this Fall.
It's thin, light, and gorgeous, with super-slick menus and eye-popping video capabilities to boot. Take a gander at our exclusive interface snapshots and hands-on impressions. Also: FCC filings reveal 16GB and 32GB versions of the Zune HD.
Microsoft reps were kind enough to give me about an hour of quality time with the new, touchscreen Zune in a Manhattan conference room Monday, and so far, so good. Set for the release in the fall—no pricing details quite yet—the Zune HD may finally inject some much-needed excitement into Microsoft's troubled Zune line, thanks to some killer features that even the mighty iPod Touch can't match yet.
First of all, let's just say that the Zune HD makes for the sexiest Zune yet. A little taller and wider than the flash Zunes yet stiff wafer thin (official measurements have yet to be released), the new Zune feels way light to the touch—between three and four ounces, if I had to guess—yet solid enough not to feel chintzy. Indeed, the Zune HD feels as good to hold as the original iPod Nano did; you just don't want to let it go.
The 480 by 272 OLED screen is an eye-opener, as well, boasting vivid colors and deep, dark black levels. Zune users of old will be familiar with the HD's handy "twist" interface, which lets you flick up and down between main menu options, then side-to-side for submenus.
Microsoft reps cautioned that the Zune HD's menus are still being tweaked, but they looked impressively polished to me; the interface reacted almost instantly to my taps, with menus that subtly fade, zoom in and out, and slide over and away in a pleasing but not overbearing manner.
The Zune HD version of the "twist" UI also has a few new tricks up its sleeves. Starting from the top, right behind the main menu (just flick to access), is a cool innovation; a thumbnailed column of your oft-used Zune content, starting with favorites (or "Pins"), followed by your most-recent "History" items (including songs, videos, and even Web pages), and finally your "New" tunes, videos, and podcasts. Love it.
Another new touch is the Music interface, which (as first described by Donald Bell at CNET) automatically pulls in artist bios, pictures, and "related" music from the Zune Marketplace.
Select a given song, album, or artist, and the artist's picture fades smoothly into the background, then tap for biographical info or to look up related albums or artists—and if you're connected via Wi-Fi, you can start downloading relevant music immediately.
Videos on the 720p-capable Zune HD also looked startlingly good. I didn't get to watch any movies or trailers (HD movie rentals from the Zune Marketplace are in the cards, although I didn't get any more details during Monday's meeting), but a brief 720p demo video showing a massive optical telescope sure hit the spot, even when downscaled for the Zune HD's 480 by 272 display. When connected to an optional A/V dock, the Zune will be able to output video to an HDMI-enabled HDTV at full 720p resolution—a trick I'm looking forward to seeing for myself.
I also gave the Zune HD's much-vaunted Web browser a brief spin, and I liked what I saw. Based on the Windows Mobile version of Internet Explorer (not my favorite mobile browser, mind you), the Zune's full-screen browser handled full HTML pages—including the tricky Yahoo! Tech home page—with ease, and you can zoom in and out of Web pages using two-finger multitouch gestures, such as "pinching."
You can also enter URLs or Wi-Fi hotspot WEP and WPA security keys (a first for the Zune, by the way) with the Zune HD's virtual, on-screen keypad. Touch a key, and the letter and its immediate neighbors pop up, with the middle letter bulging up and out; slide your finger left or right, and the "bulge" follows along, selecting different letters as it goes.
In theory, the bulging effect is supposed to help you pinpoint the correct key; in practice, though, I found the curvy pop-up letters tricky and distracting. That said, it's not clear if the keypad interface I saw today will survive in the final, shipping Zune HD.
Back on the music side, I liked the Zune HD's easy-to-use touch playback controls (you can pretty much just tap the left or right side of the screen to skip tracks, for example), but in terms of physical controls, there's only a volume rocker (besides the single "back" button below the touchscreen), and the Zune HD's headset won't ship with an in-line remote. In other words, if you're out and about with the Zune HD in your pocket, you'll have to take it out and unlock the screen to pause your music or skip tracks. Bummer.
Microsoft reps wouldn't discuss storage options or pricing during our meeting Monday, but CNET just found these FCC filings for the Zune HD that reveal both 16GB and 32GB versions—not bad, but the lack of a larger, 64GB model will be problematic when it comes to HD movies and TV shows. (Feature-length HD movies, for examples, generally range between 4 and 6GB.)
Overall, though, the Zune HD is looking mighty promising. Stay tuned for a full review—plus full pricing and availability details, I'd hope—in the coming weeks.
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