Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: ZuneHD, Microsoft, Touch | Themes: Audio/Video Players
2. A Smaller, Simpler PMP
If the Zune HD’s design says anything, it says “compact." The iPod Touch is meant to fit in the hand comfortably and show off a large screen, and in comparison, the Zune feels small, light, and small-screened. However, holding the Zune and using it feels just right. The ridged sides are easy to grasp and much more comfortable than the Touch’s rounded sides. A larger screen would have been better, but considering how good the screen is, we’ll still take it over the Touch’s screen any day.
The Zune has three buttons: a power/sleep button on top, a home button below the screen, and a volume and music control button on the left side. Forgoing the standard volume controls (two volume buttons, for louder and quieter) feels like a mistake, since the new layout forces you to touch the screen often, which causes unsightly smudging. It also means that changing the volume requires users to look at the screen, but at the same time it’s now easier to play, pause, and switch tracks. But, including this volume control was excuse to remove the volume rocker altogether. We see no problem with including a volume rocker either around the current volume button, using a 3 button system, or putting a volume rocker on the opposite side of the device. Being forced to look at the screen while adjusting volume is a nuisance.
That top power button does not stick out (like the Touch’s), and is still easy to press. This makes it excellent for keeping it in your pocket because nothing will catch the button. The home button sticks out slightly, but is rounded off and is much more comfortable to press than the Touch, iPhone 3GS, or previous models are. A satisfying click for every press gives users confidence, instead of Apple’s quiet, depressed button. The area underneath the home button, which is just a plastic covering, is useless except for a thumb rest. That is, until a video is played and suddenly it’s the area where users are meant to hold onto the player. This is very convenient and comfortable and reduces the need for extra screen smearing.
Smearing, however, is a bit of a problem. Like earlier Touch and iPhone models (before the 3GS’ oleophobic oil-resistant screen), the Zune HD attracts fingerprints easily. The screen is bright enough to make sure you’ll never see smears when watching videos, but the standard black background of the operating system means smears are visible the rest of the time, so it does tend to look dirty on the front.
A metal plate is screwed into the back as a battery cover, though it is replaceable with soon to be released customizable backplates. Our device came with a simple Zune logo laser-etched into the back panel, though right now online buyers can pick between 20 different designs and, for the 32 GB model, four colors. The 16 GB model now only comes in Onyx black.
With its flat bottom, the Zune HD can actually stand on its own. The bottom houses the 3.5 mm audio jack and proprietary connector input. Like previous Zunes, this one includes the fun-loving “hello from seattle” logo.
One major hardware oversight on the Zune HD: Not including speakers, which are the simplest way to share music. It is perhaps the single greatest crutch the device has, a mistake Apple learned from with the first generation Touch. We’d contest that speakers are so important that users would be willing to pay an extra $10-15 for a decent built-in set.
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Good article! Brought some of the lesser known features out and reviewed them thoroughly!
Excellent article! Wow, I wanted one before, but thought it might be best to wait and see if the price comes down. Now I'm thinking, where's my wallet?
Ouch. That's kind of a big thing to leave out.
Just a little info: the "Easter Egg" you found (Hello From Seattle) was also on the back of the original Zune.
More on topic, can't wait to purchase one of these! Great review!
"hello from seattle" has been on every single Zune since it's creation. Dont assume you're 'that' special.
Quick Question:
Do I NEED the dock to plug the zune HD to my hdtv or is it optional?
Slow Question:
Can I browse regular webpages with it?
Quick Question
1) Yes, you do. It's 80$ from what I've heard.
2) Yes, but you have to click on the non-mobile button after the page loads (shouldn't take more than a second) and then it will load the full version. It's like the PSP browser.
Quick Question
You can use the old dock that sells for $20 but it won't play HD.
1) Yes, you do. It's 80$ from what I've heard. 2) Yes, but you have to click on the non-mobile button after the page loads (shouldn't take more than a second) and then it will load the full version. It's like the PSP browser.
You can use the old dock that sells for $20 but it won't play HD.
Thanks for the quick (and slow xD) answers.
The dock thing is kinda a bummer though.
amazon has the HD dock for $62 as of RIGHT now
480x320 resolution of the iPhone has an aspect ratio of....4:3?
... 320 / 160 = 2...
... 480 / 160 = 3...
...Am I doing my maths right?
Any word on last.fm scrobbling?
@manjyomethunder
It's possible the iPhone doesn't have square pixels, either that or they've made a mistake with the figures.
Wow...
$80 for the dock, damn.
Just sounds like a really portable video player to me. It would make it easier to play my downloaded films on my TV. All I need is a Zune HD, Zune HD HDMI dock, and a HDMI cable... not sounding all to great any more ($$$)...
i don't live in America so i cant get it, otherwise i would have pre-ordered it. with the dock. imagine using the dock controller to play actual 3d games on tv, taking tegra and arm 11 to the limits.
argh why the hell dont they sell this thing in the UK.. id buy one in a flash if they did
You didn't go into my favorite feature, wireless sync. I love leaving my zune in my car in the garage, and finding new podcasts every morning when I drive to work.
Something neat, when tied to a comp via USB it will run through the PCs network (I was pulling up web-pages with wifi off and did a double take yesterday). Makes web-pages a bit faster but doesn't do much else. Suppose its an easy way to download if ones wifi is odd, but you have the zune software already to do this... so... redundant?
A few notes. First, thanks for all the comments, it was very helpful for the update.
manjyomethunder, your math is correct. The Touch has a 3:2 screen ratio. I'd love to say it was a typo, but it was just wrong information. I myself checked the numbers before, but saw what I thought was concrete info about it being 4:3. Obviously, a poor source we won't be using anymore.
fartblossom, we didn't go into wireless sync too much (did more in the update) because it's not a new feature. I like it very much, but I don't like how it only works on one network. In my house, we've got 3 wi-fi networks on the same router, so unless I'm in the vicinity of my home office, I can't sync wirelessly.
One thing we're not sure about, and waiting for more feedback on, is whether the Zune HD supports ad-hoc networking. Our tests show that it does not, but it could be a problem with our device, since realistically it should be identical to making your laptop into a wi-fi hotspot.
What do you guys think of it so far?
Great article, but I disagree on two fronts. First I think apps work fine - the poker is quite enjoyable to play. Second and more important, is it seems that you are familiar with typing on the iphone. I just recently started testing an iphone app and haven't used the keyboard before and had had horrible time typing on it. keypresses are noted on initial touch where with the zune they are enacted upon release and you have some room to adjust prior to selecting the key. I thought I was going to have problems with the zune given my iphone experience and it works phenomenal for me. Actually, really like it and had to double check my first URL was i typed into it was 100% correct. (and this was in before i realized i could type in landscape mode).