Source: Tom's Guide US | Keywords: ZuneHD, Microsoft, Touch | Themes: Audio/Video Players
1. Introduction
Yes, we actually like most things about the Zune HD. Find out how it stacks up against Apple's iPod Touch. The specs don't tell the whole story.
The Zune’s slow march towards portable media player supremacy just got some real traction. The Zune HD may finally give Apple cause for worry-- the device will redraw the battlefield for personal media players. Apple's iPod Touch, however, remains very competitive.
- Zune HD 32GB Platinum...
To those who've gone Apple, does the Zune HD sport enough goodies to make the Apple faithful flock to the dark side? We tested the Zune HD and the new Zune software to find out.
Take a quick look at the specs of both the Zune HD and the latest iPod Touch:
| Specification | Zune HD | iPod Touch 3G |
|---|---|---|
| Size | 4"x2.1"x.4" | 4.3"x2.4"x.33" |
| Weight | 2.6 oz. | 4.05 oz. |
| Screen Size | 3.3" | 3.5" |
| Screen Type | OLED (Active, Color) | LCD (Active, Color, Backlit) |
| Touch Screen | Capacitive | Capacitive |
| Resolution | 480x272 | 480x320 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 Widescreen | 3:2 |
| Storage | 16/32 GB | 32/64 GB |
| Audio Codec Support | MP3, AAC, WMA | AAC MP3 WAV |
| Video Codec Support | h.264/AVC, MPEG-4, WMV | h.264/AVC, MPEG-4, Quicktime |
| Picture Format Support | HD Photo, JPEG | BMP, GIF, JPEG, PNG, TIFF |
| WiFi | 802.11 b, g | 802.11 b, g |
| Wireless Sync | Yes | No |
| Bluetooth | None | 2.1 + EDR |
| Radio Tuner | HD Radio, FM | None |
| Video Output | HDMI, RCA | None |
| Price | $219.99/289.99 | $299/399 |
| Speakers | None | Mono |
Based on the specs, these seem like two very similar devices. But, it’s what’s on the inside that counts, and the inside of the Zune HD is very nice and shiny and gives the iPod Touch a run for the money. A 3.3” OLED display produces brilliant picture quality and colors and is much more enjoyable for watching video than the Touch, even with its smaller size. It’s also wide-screen, albeit at a strange 480x272 resolution, which means HD content won’t be letterboxed.
The main difference between the two devices is the hardware. Running on the new Zune is Nvidia’s Tegra, a chipset with imbedded CPU, GPU, and memory. With it, all graphic-intensive applications work faster than we’ve seen on competing devices. Even the iPhone 3GS feels slow in comparison. The speed of simply turning pictures back and forth between portrait and landscape is remarkable. Instantaneous shifting of pictures and applications, as well as instant touch applications such as pinching to zoom in and out give the Zune HD unmatched speed.
Beyond the bright and rich screen and top-notch processing power, the Zune HD represents a different take on the personal media player. For once, it is Microsoft that wants us to think differently. (Yes, that was Apple’s slogan a few years back). How is Microsoft actually accomplishing this? By giving users a new way to organize media and a never-ending catalog of media to sort through. We’ll take a look at how the company made this possible, but first, let’s see how the Zune HD design stands up to Apple’s best.
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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).