Microsoft Zune White (30 GB) MP3 Player

I own a 5th generation iPod and bought a black Zune last week. Why? Primarily because I am a gadget-freak and I like the idea of a bigger screen & WiFi sharing of songs.
The Zune comes in a very nice package and with clear installation instructions. I didn't run into any problems on Windows XP SP2 so I cannot comment on some of the problems other people have encountered.

After using it for a week this is how the Zune stacks up against the iPod:

iPod has the advantage in:
-Size: Zune is slightly longer and thicker than the iPod but it's not that noticable. Slight advantage for iPod.
-Software: Zune software is nice and works but iPod's software is more straightforward and easier to use. Yes, even my iPod software occasionally crashes but overall I like it better.
-Applications & Games: no games and apps on Zune yet, some nice apps on the iPod but the games on iPod are pathetic. That's what my Nintendo DS is for.
-Many more accessories! It took me a while to find a nice case for the Zune but I assume this will get better over time. Still iPod rules the accessory market.
-External USB Device: I can use my iPod as a giant "memory stick", the Zune has this function disabled - although there is way to enable that (do a Google search).

Zune and iPod are even:
-Battery Life: Zune (WiFi turned off) and iPod are about the same, 13 1/2 to 14 hours with screen off.
-Interface: I liked Zune's menu structure much better than iPod's but I miss the iPod's great click-wheel. Also interface responds quicker on the Zune.
-Sound Quality: listening to music with my Sony headphones I could not hear any difference in sound quality.
-Headphones: the included headphones with the iPod and the Zune are equally crappy. The first accessory you buy should be new headphones.

Zune has the advantage in:
-Screen: ZUNE WINS by a huge margin, screen is bigger and brighter, absolutely stunning!
-Materials: iPod's sensitive chrome shell always bugged me and the screen on my iPod is horribly scratched despite a protective case, Zune's black/blue shell looks very nice and it seems to be impervious to finger prints, Zune's screen seems much more scratch resistent too.
-Video: Forget the iPod! I converted some DVDs to WM9 and watched them on my Zune, it's a delight! The screen, the landscape mode, the brightness - wonderful. On a high quality setting I was able to fit around 60h of video onto the Zune.
-Pictures: again thanks to the screen the Zune beats the iPod. Finally I can show off some baby pictures without people squinting.
-WiFi: yeah, I like it. Granted the 3-day/3-play limitation is annoying but I have received a few cool songs so far. Problem is: there aren't too many Zune owners yet.
-Radio: HUGE advantage for the Zune. I am at the gym, watching TV and tuning in to the sounds on my Zune. Why Apple hasn't included this yet in the iPod is beyond me.
-Song purchase: I love the option of "all you can eat" for $15/month. Granted most of my music is ripped from CDs but $15/month for all the music I want is pretty compelling.

OVERALL VERDICT: I love my iPod, I LOVE MY ZUNE EVEN MORE. If Microsoft can write some applications & games and improve the Zune PC software they'll have a perfect consumer device.
To be fair: if you already have an iPod and have no need for radio & better video capabilities then there is no need to upgrade to a Zune. If you want better video, like the idea of radio and WiFi then go for the Zune!

My Friend has a Zune and I love it. Yeah, it may be slightly larger than the iPod BUT the screen is much larger and looks clearer. From what I know there are three colors to choose from, black, white, and brown. This this is great and its only been out for a few days now! Already people are talking about it. Plus, when my friend bought his it came with some pre-loaded content so he didn't have to wait for hours before using it. A W E S O M E ! ! ! I'm bidding on one right now!

This is an awesome MP3 media player. It has built in wifi that allows you to share songs and pictures with friends. The sound is spectacular, however as with most earbuds that come with mp3 players, audiophiles will more than likely want to upgrade to a wireless headset.

Everything is much better, period. Sold my 60G Ipod Video just to get one. You get everything the Ipod and then some. The functionality, looks, and capabilities are way beyond what Ipod can do. This has a built in radio and a very good one at that. Share music wirelessly, sure you can only listen to it 3 times for each day for up to 3 days but I am sure there will be a way around that VERY soon. The screen is beautiful and HUGE. The clarity as gorgeous and you can actually watch videos without squinting. The other huge factor for me was that darn scroll pad, I HATED IT. It aggravated me trying to go up one or down one on the Ipod. Try a Zune out first hand and you'll switch.

OK, NCRESS, see, if you dont have an XboX, of course microsoft points are meaningless to you, but if you do have an XboX you know exactly what the points are for, i think using microsoft points is a great idea, ALso you can get a subscription to the zune store. one monthly payment and dowload all the songs you want...

I use to own and Ipod like everyone else but after I saw the Zune I decided I should try it out and see if it really was an "Ipod killer".

Right away when I took it out of the packaging I was blown away. The thing was so nicely packaged and it was sharp looking to. I plugged in the ear phones (which by the way rock) and when to the 30 Seconds to Mars Song and cranked it...simplay amazing!

The video quality was breath taking and the sound was, well...music to my ears! I fell in love with it immediately and now find myself using it everwhere I go. I ripped my own movies right onto the Zune so I have about 20 full length movies and 2000 songs and the Zune still has 17GB to go!

If anyone out there is thinking about getting a Zune go for it only if you run windowas vista or windows xp because it WILL NOT run on any other operating system.

BUT THATS OK BECAUSE I HAVE VISTA AND IT BLOWS MY MIND AWAY HOW MUCH BETTER IT IS THAN THE IPOD!

Thanks for reading...

Microsoft set out to kill the Ipod, and I think they just might.
The Zune has the most amazing screen of any player on the market, with the resolution of 320X240, but its not the 2.4 inches of the Ipod, it has a screen of 3 inches.
So far i have found that the 30gb capacity of the Zune is plenty for my needs, already i have several episodes of the show, Entourage on the player.
Speaking of adding movies, and shows, unless the files are WMV files, you do need to get a converter program, there are many free converters or you can purchase one for 20 dollars.
The Radio of the Zune is impeccable, it is clearer than any radio i have ever listened to and so easy to tune to different channels.
I have found that the only thing the Ipod has over the Zune, is the scroll option, the zune has click buttons, not touch sensitive scrolling like the Ipod, this is only a slight fall back, and some people don't mind at all.
So where do you want to buy the Zune?
I have found the best place to purchase the Zune is at FYE, I used my backstage pass, and got 10% off, for a price of $230 dollars, if you go on your birthday you get 20% off!
On a scale of 1-10 in terms of excellence, the Zune is definitely a 9.3, the only thing this player lacks is the scroll wheel of the Ipod.

I love my zune. This version of the zune is very durable I been using it for the past 3 years and battery is good and music quality is top notch. Although it might not be as slick as the Ipod, it makes it up on its durability and its price. Its priced at almost half of an new Ipod.

With 30GB, you can store up all the music you want and plus some.... Highly recommended.

Although one draw back on the unit is that when the zune is connected to an Aux jack the sound quality is distorted and the sound's volume is dramatically reduced. But same can be said of the Ipod.

I had a ipod nano that was stolen. I had been considering replacing it, but never got around to it. I bought my wife an mp3 player with a radio in it and liked it because the gym I work out in has little fm transmitters for the t.v.'s and tuning in a radio allows you to listen to the t.v. program. I wanted one that has video capabilities too so my girls could watch movies without having to haul around a dvd player. The only one I could find with all of these features was a zune either 30 or 80 gig. 80 gigs are really expensive and to be honest I don't think I'll ever fill my 30 any way. When I got it it was exactly what I wanted. It has great sound, holds all of my current music library and tunes in the t.v.'s at the gym. I'm sure someday I'll even get around to figuring out how to put a movie on it. It is a little large, but I knew that going in and when the battery gets low it will go to sleep to conserve if you haven't done anything with it in a while. That can get annoying, but I just charge it fully and it works well. I would definitely recommend this to other people looking for these features.

Having had a major crisis when my trusty Ipod Nano 2g suddenly died, taking about 2000 songs with it, I came back to eBay for a replacement. After a little research, I was curious about Microsoft's Zune 30g, an MP3 player with features like video, FM radio and great storage, something I hadn't gotten with the Ipod. I live in Florida, near the beach,and the idea of a radio in my MP3 was a cool idea, as we are always having hurricanes and storms and having a portable radio is a GOOD thing when the electricity goes out! So I looked at several eBay Zune items, with various capacities. I also looked online at retail and wholesale shops.
After watching several auctions and median prices, I bid on a 30g Zune, which holds 7500 songs, figuring even I couldn't fill it up THAT fast. I got a good price on a still -packaged but refurbished model and bought the Square Trade warranty, figuring if anything went wrong, I was covered.

I am very pleased with the Zune.. the software is simple to negotiate and it actually EASIER for me to d/l songs and pix than my Ipod was. It is a simpler process and ripping from existing home CDs is a snap. With the Ipod, there are to SEVERAL ways to get data on it and it seems that I would do it a different way every time I tried to put music on it. With the Zune, it is straight-forward and the same process every time.
I am also very pleased with the picture quality; I recently went to Vegas and San Diego and d/l almost 1000 pix, which didn't really make a DENT in my storage. The screen resolution is really amazing and as a freelance photog/writer, I am very happy with the colors and screen size, which is about 2"x3".
I already had a great earphone set, which was good b/c the set that comes with it is ok, but kind of tinny. I also need the kind of earphones that clip over the outside of my ear as my ears are very small inside and can't accomodate the inside type.
One drawback of the Zune is the weight; it is MUCH bigger than my Ipod, (but granted, it holds 1000% more storage) but I am adapting to the bigger size and have purchased a case with belt clip and also one with an armband for walking. Both,incidentally, on eBay,of COURSE, from ACC Station, an eBay seller I use for ALL my accessories for my cameras, like batteries, chargers, cell phone stuff and MP3 players accessories, etc. Check them out for great deals! And NO, I dont work for them!
So far, I am very happy with my Zune; it's easy to use , holds a TON of storage and I hope to get many good hours of usage from it. Microsoft did do ONE odd thing, though; if you want to buy songs from the Zune Marketplace, you have to buy points that are then applied to the purchase. I'm still trying to figure out if it's cheaper or costlier than buying from Itunes, as the points don't directly correspond to the money amount spent.. will let you know on THAT one...
I hope this review is helpful if you are looking at MP3 player options. Email me at Dabargoddess@msn.com if you have any questiions.
Thanks!
Leigh

Straight out of the box, I plugged it in and it FROZE UP on me. I had to wait till the battery drained and try again. I played with it for a bit before returning it and I couldn't get it to perform a hard reset. It needs a physical reset button, not just an electronic one.

Love it!!!! Cant beat the radio, and sharing with firends. Too much fun. 30 gb is more than i will ever use. A little big but has radio cant go wrong.
Will never get IPOD agian.

Hey here is my review.
If you want a Zune Amazon.com has the best deals
149.99 new white
free dock 30$ value
Free shipping!
just got mine for 149.99 Brand New Shipped to me free.
so weigh your options carefully!

I purchased my Zune after the screen on my iPod died a gruesome death after just a year. I chose the zune because it was about the same price as a 30 GB iPod and played video and because after owning an iPod I was ready for a change. Don't get me wrong, I am not bashing iPods, I loved my iPod.... until I got a Zune.

The Zune is asthetically pleasing and the quality of the product all around is astounding to me. The music is more or less flawless, the videos look like they are HiDef, and with a screen that size it doesn't hurt your eyes to watch it! The interface is a little clunky in comparison to iPod's "Click Wheel" but it is nothing to scoff at. The software is a breeze, very easy to use and install. The battery life is great, I have only had my Zune's battery die on me once, and I had been using it A LOT! Added bonus of having a Zune is that it syncs up with your XBOX 360 and you can charge it while accessing all your media right on your TV!

The only complaints I have are: A) You cannot use your Zune as a hard drive to throw around a large quantity of files from one computer to another. B) The screen get dirty fast and possibly scratched if you aren't careful. The latter isn't a big deal really, if you have a $250 piece of equipment in your pocket, unprotected then you deserve to get it damaged in my opinion. And the former isn't a big deal because... really who cares?! The ability to use your iPod as an external hard drive was handy but i rarely used it... and if you want to share your media files with your friends there are ways to do it with the Zune too, but a good magician never reveals his secrets.

I will take this opportunity to disspell some myths about the Zune, it is notgoing to break after an hour's use just because it is a Microsoft product, it does not look or operate just like an iPod, just because the Zune is the second big name, successful player doesn't mean it copied the iPod... not every portable CD playr copied the Discman!

So yeah, if you are looking to buy a mp3/mp4 player I would HIGHLY reccommend the Zune.

The zune is the worst audio player i have ever had, right away i had to update the firmware. The music store is a joke, you can't buy with real money you use Microsoft's monopoly money. The navigation system is not even close to that of the iPods, It doesn't matter that the iPod may cost more, i think its worth it. The Zune - a resounding snore.

Great Mp3 player has tons of space for songs and the video clarity is unbelievable. The radio tuner is really nice touch. The screen on it is the best part not only the quality of the picture but the size of the screen is huge. the zune program is great and the price for one month and unlimited songs is great. I would recommend this to any music lover and for the price it just can be beat.

seller said it was a refurbished unit. he lied!!LOL this thing is brand new!!! i would not have it was used. i recommend everyone get a zune from this seller

I think that this is a great product! I have had no problems with my Zune and it is great for running and using it in the car. I bought it b/c a friend reccomended it to me. I feel that I got a great price and a great product!

I bought this Zune for my wife because she loved mine. The 30GB is enough room for a life time of music. I also love the FM tuner and video capabilities. I would defenitly recommend a Zune for your mp3 player.

I bought a used Microsoft Zune 30GB from MobilePC which didn't work at first after shipping, but when they repair and send it back to me it's working fine. I love the feature contain on the Microsoft Zune 30GB. This company respond to your email as quickly as possible. Thank you!

zune is in excellent condition/ plays videos widescreen and a sweet 3.5mm headphone jack / i got the zunepass for 14.99 and enjoy it so far except for that you cant download all of an artist's albulms only a select of them / or you can only download half the album and are suppose to pay for the select other songs / which is not cool / and i refuse to that i'd rather go pay for the album to have a hard copy of if i'm going to spend money on it / but i will keep the survice for a few months, and might keep it if they keep droppin albums with all songs, like the new ice cube / the other downer to this plan is that you cannot see what songs are avalible to download on the zune pass plan untill you purchase one and are logged into the maketplace. and that all the songs you keep must be held on your computer or they'll be ereased off your zune, so make sure you have room on your pc, other than that i am enjoying my zune / the zune itself peroforms great, can hold a charge for many hours

I absaloutly love my zune! I have been trying to sell my Ipod since i got my zune. it is so much easier to work AND you dont have to buy 300 apple products to make it do what you want!

I own an old-school ipod mini. I must say that the Zune far exceeds the Ipod mini which I owned and also the ipods I have operated which my friends owned. I was no expecting much from this product, but I must say I am impressed with the display. Also, the zune marketplace is quickly catching up the the itunes download capability. Also, programs to transfer your dvds to your zune are readily available. I recommend a zune over an ipod any day. The sound is wonderful as well. One weird thing I noticed is that the volume doubled when I turned the noise cancelling features of my sony headphones on. All in all great product. Much greater user friendliness (which apple prides itself on) than the ipod. (I own several macintosh home computers, so this is in no way biased, I love the Apple OS, but Microsoft really got this one right) Forget apple for your MP3 player need, make Microsoft your choice. Another thing thing I noticed is that the Zune software seemed to need more RAM than the ITUNES software, so keep that in mind when determining what you and your computer can handle.