Microsoft Zune 8 Black (8 GB) Digital Media Player

My 1st zune I've ever owned but so far I am satisfied with my purchase. i've owned alot of mp3 players & this one is awesome in it's own right.

The Pros:

Sleek interface & menu
Great Audio Response, Quality & Output
Nice Size
Great Touchpad
Organized Tracklist
Zune Software is Awesome & Friendly (Better than iTunes)
Wireless Sync & Wireless Sharing (Pro if others in your area has a Zune)
Mini-Games
Customizable Background
Charges Battery Quick & Lasting Battery

The Cons:

Zune Will NOT Import iTunes (Not really a Con for me but for others it can be)
Could've been a tad bit bigger, like 2'2 - 2'5 instead of 1'8
No Equalizer (I was shock @ that)
Proprietary USB cord


Overall, it's a great mp3 player but Microsoft are smart. Discontinued these to make the Zune HD 16gb which learned from there mistakes to make a better mp3 player w/ better features. Go figure.

I hadn't heard of Zune until I saw an ad for a "Zune Pass" on another site. The Zune Pass was my main motivation for buying a Zune, and I've found that I really love both this pass and the Zune itself. Assuming many people considering the Zune are considering the Zune Pass, I'll describe my experiences with both. :)

Firstly, the Zune has it's own software called Zune, used to store, purchase, and manage music like iTunes does for the iPod. The software is free like iTunes, and has similar features, including music, video, and podcasting. You don't need a Zune to use the software or Zune Pass for your computer, but you cannot use a Zune MP3 player without the Zune software. I like the way the software organizes your "collection" and you have the ability to create playlists and different groups of media to sync with your Zune.

The main drawback of a Zune Pass is that you lose music downloaded with the pass if you end your subscription service, and there are select bands that you do have to purchase anyway. To help with this, you are allotted 10 free permanent song downloads a month, that you can keep forever. Considering it would cost you about $10 for 10 iTunes songs anyway, you're really only spending about $5 for the subscription part. And if you download more than 15 songs a month, I'd say it's definitely worth it. Oh, and you can put the music on 3 computers and 3 Zune players, but only one computer can be actively using the Zune Pass on the marketplace at a time.

As far as the variety of music available, I would rate that "very good". Zune keeps track of the top 100 iTunes songs, and all of them are available on the Zune Pass. I would say pretty much any pop song on the radio is available with the Zune Pass, and the majority of mainstream rock/alternative/country, too. The only band I've had to purchase songs for was the Red Hot Chili Peppers, and I will say that I was not able to find AC/DC or Dethclok available for download at all.

Now, the actual Zune MP3 player has really impressed me, as well. I have a 4GB one, and it far surpasses the 4GB iPod nano I also have. Not sure which generation of either device I have, but the nano is a couple years old. Some things I love about my Zune, that my iPod can't do, are the FM radio, being able to "tag" a song playing on the FM radio for download, and being able to download it from the Zune at any wireless hotspot. I also like the wireless sync-to-computer option that I didn't have with my iPod. The social aspect of Zune is also really fun, and it's cute to send songs to my boyfriend's Zune when we're in a Wi-Fi area.

The Zune is very light, same length and width as a nano, but a little TINY bit thicker. Very comparable size. I like the color and the three buttons (back, scroll/click wheel, and play/pause). Very easy to scroll, and I think everything, from selecting a menu item to adjusting the volume, is easier to control. If I just brush against my nano in the car the volume can change drastically, and I haven't had this problem with my Zune.

The Zune, like an iPod, charges via USB cable. If you have a USB converter thing though, like some phones (my LG Lotus) come with, then you could use that to charge it in the wall if you really wanted to.

Overall, this was a great purchase for me, and I'd definitely recommend both the Zune player and the Zune Pass to people that enjoy downloading and sharing a lot of music.

First of all, the Zune is a great looking MP3 player with it's large bright screen and it's sleek colour selection. The user interface is easy to use and also convenient. Battery life is long. The Zune uses a track pad and I must say, it's better than the ipod one. This track pad is easier in scrolling and more sensitive. The Zune also has a radio, very useful, but the radio per se, is only so so. Zune enables wireless networking to connect to a Microsoft computer and to find other Zune friends in your local area, a pretty spiffy feature abit useless to me. Despite these goods things, there are absolutely two things I HATE about the zune but is not exactly the Zune player's fault. 1. The zune does NOT support Asian languages, so if you have a lot of Asian titled songs, you might want to stay away. 2. The Zune software is an ABSOLUTE disaster to people who dont have licensed music. Microsoft has made it impossible to organized music on the Zune software unless your songs are licensed. Also, the headphones that come with the Zune is utter rubbish, you will want to invest in your own.

Who may like it:
People who want a slim and sexy looking mp3 player.
People who have music either ripped from a CD or downloaded from the internet.
People who want an alternative to the ipod.

Who may not like it:
People with unlicensed music (ie: underground albums, downloaded off youtube)
People who need to enable Asian unicodes for their song titles
People who don't want to be forced to use the Zune software.

Ok, so I hope that you will be patient with me. This is my very first review. I am a person that when I find something really cool, I have to tell everyone I know, and some strangers about it. This is one of those times! I absolutely love the Microsoft Zune. It is amazingly easy to use and even my children can operate all of the functions. I did have the first gen iPod, and it has NOTHING on the Zune, well besides a higher price tag and a smaller hard drive.
Like the iPod, the Zune offers video player and music player functionality. But, unlike the iPod, the Zune has an FM radio tuner, wireless sync, video and media streaming and even Zune-to-Zune sharing. My Zune even hooks up with my Xbox 360 wirelessly. There are so many features that are cool with this device, that I would be writing a novella if I went into everything. One of the best things is that it does have a decent battery life. I can watch many full length movies before it needs to charge. None of this 2-3 hour junk you get with the other video and mp3 players. The Zune plays many more video formats than I expected. The Zune software is nice and really keeps your collection organized, the only negative thing I could say about it is that being a Microsoft product, you would think that they would use drag and drop capabilities. Oh well, maybe in the future.
Microsoft is always there if you need help. You can call them or go to the Zune boards. There are expert users and Microsoft techs that will answer all of your questions, even the lame ones like, "Why won't it turn on?" (Ok, so I did not slide the lock switch to unlock, but hey I was a newbie)Also the zune marketplace it a really great place to get music and video. It is super easy to use and the prices are fantastic. I also love the high res screen. Movies and pictures look amazing on it.
So why did I buy a second Zune, if the first one was so reliable? I have two words for you ZUNE ENVY. My dad had ZUNE ENVY! With father's day coming up and all, I thought that my dad would finally stop hinting about how he wishes he had a zune for those long business plane trips. So now my siblings hate me, because their ties and polo shirts look LAME next to the SUPERCOOL Zune, that my dad has not put down since I gave it to him at the big Father's day dinner Last night!! I hope that this review helps you decide whether or not to buy a zune. I really say just go for it, you will not be sorry. Well, I would say to make sure you get one that is from a reputable seller, as with all electronics, it would suck if you bought one that was DOA.

The Zune is an awesome mp3 player with a bunch of great qualities! To get straight to the point, here are some general pros and cons:

****PROS****
- Great features such as music (obviously), video, radio, photos, podcasts, wireless syncing, transferring music wirelessly with friends, games and radio

- Very nice interface, sleek design, bright & colourful screen, good sound quality

- Not easily broken (*note: based on my experience. I have dropped my zune SO MANY TIMES and it barely has any scratches, and the screen has never cracked. However, obviously it's not indestructible, so don't chuck it across the room, mkay?)

- THE ZUNE MARKETPLACE where you can buy movies, music, TV shows and more

- Can stream Zune content with the Xbox 360, and can customize Xbox 360 game soundtracks with content on your Zune

- Nice lengthy battery life if you turn down the brightness and turn off wireless syncing

****CONS****

- The Zune SOFTWARE: eats up a lot of ram, you can't use any other program to transfer back and forth
- Not accessible through My Computer, only through the Zune software, therefore not able to double as storage device
- If you max out power usage (i.e. max bright screen, wireless on, play movies constantly), the battery drains super fast - but that's common of all electronic devices!

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Overall, the Zune is pretty great. Microsoft has discontinued making new Zune devices now due to low demand, so now's the time to get one! The Zune software is really the only major downside; the device itself is well worth the price. I would say, if you don't want an iPod, but still want a high quality mp3 player (as opposed to risking a "no name brand" mp3 player), the Zune is definitely the way to go. Get it before it's gone!