08/27/08
Text: Nik Mercer
Traditionally, the Microsoft Zune has been scoffed at ever since it popped onto the MP3 marketplace in late 2006. The tech giant seemingly couldn't "hip up" its brand, and the fact that Apple had stolen the MP3 player industry with the iPod made charging onto the scene seem both presumptuous and incredibly lofty.
But this is a capitalist society, and competition is key to improvement and progression. In this reviewer's mind, Microsoft had to release it's own MP3 player, lest we be stuck with a shoddily-constructed iPod ten years down the line because it's all that's available!
We'll grant that the original 30/80 GB Zunes were a little hefty and a tad bit clunky (not to mention strangely reminiscent of the iPod)... however, the new 4/8 GB release is incredibly slim, sexy, and easy to use. Functionally, it gets the job done in a simple way with an expertly-designed touch pad and two buttons (Apple may have capitalized off of simplicity first, but that's no reason to put down others who live by the "less is more" mantra). It has wi-fi capabilities, so you can remotely connect to your computer and synchronize your device—not to mention scrobble your listens a la Last.fm—and comes with some great software that keeps your tunes in an especially tidy order.
The social aspect of the Zune seems a little nascent at this point, though. It's unclear how the Zune can assist music listeners in interacting with friends (maybe this reviewer's just a little jaded with anything remotely Web 2.0 in nature, though), and additionally, it doesn't seem to really have much purpose to begin with. With well over two million units sold, it's surprising that this writer has been unable to find someone else to sonically socialize with!
One of the biggest issues with the new Zune is that it has no equalizer. For music geeks—or for anyone with some understanding of what bass, mid, and treble means—this is a major no-no; you can't expect everyone to be happy with default EQ settings.
That being said, the thing's really cute, comes in three colors, can play video (although you have to get all those files from the Zune Marketplace), has a fantastic radio built in, and will run you only about $150. And really, who wants to be another Steve Jobs minion clad with ubiquitous white ear buds, anyway?
