ZuneHD

[[LaW]Maverick]

I ordered a Zune HD (go ahead and toss out your comments now SJ) so that I have it in time for my upcoming trip to India. I should get it Thursday or Friday and will post up a review here once I play with it a bit. However, most reviews of this thing are VERY positive--people only complain about the lack of apps for it. I don't really care, because I'm buying it as a MEDIA PLAYER, and that functionality is what matters to me. I don't need some app that only works in WiFi just to tell me where I should go eat. My phone does that if I want it to.

 

Here's a pretty in depth review if you're curious at all: http://www.gearlive.com/news/article/q309-zune-hd-review/

[stutters]

bummer someone doesn't make a phone that provides the same functionality so you could carry one device instead of two.

 

i also like how the article front and centers "Music discovery at its finest," but only goes into this detail:

"The discovery mechanisms are great, the social aspect is superb, and the device itself, is fantastic when it comes to the points I just made."

 

pretty convincing argument.

 

but hey, it looks cute. enjoy!

[Clueless]

bummer someone doesn't make a phone that provides the same functionality so you could carry one device instead of two.

 

i also like how the article front and centers "Music discovery at its finest," but only goes into this detail:

"The discovery mechanisms are great, the social aspect is superb, and the device itself, is fantastic when it comes to the points I just made."

 

pretty convincing argument.

 

but hey, it looks cute. enjoy!

That sounds like rain....hitting a parade...

[stutters]

fanboys can't get wet.

[Unclean]

bummer someone doesn't make a phone that provides the same functionality so you could carry one device instead of two.

 

...

 

pretty convincing argument.

 

but hey, it looks cute. enjoy!

And that convenience will only cost you up to an extra $50/month! What's an extra $600/yr these days anyway? Plus you'd be locked into a contract with one of the crappiest wireless providers. Sounds like a win-win to me. That ZuneHD was a poor choice, Mav. Very poor choice.

[stutters]

great points. the extra $15/month to make the zune the best music discovery device probably includes cell phone + data costs on that other device he's carrying.

[anonymo]

fanboys can't get wet.

 

Trust SJ, he knows.

[Unclean]

great points. the extra $15/month to make the zune the best music discovery device probably includes cell phone + data costs on that other device he's carrying.

Right! Don't let those MS conartists fool you into thinking that $14.99/mo is optional, you have to pay for it no matter what.

 

I'm trying to help spread the word here, help me out with the numbers. I'm going to use 2 crazy examples here (the first being a Verizon minimum phone plan, and the second being a minimum iphone plan). I didn't include taxes/service fees/provider reviews to keep things simple.

 

Verizon - $39.99/mo

Zune - free/mo

Yearly charge for phone + music device - $479.88

 

iPhone - $39.99/mo

iPhone mandatory data plan - $30/mo

Yearly charge for phone + music device - $839.88

 

Difference - $360/yr. So if you're in a 2 year contract with AT&T vs Verizon, that's only $720 extra. That's chump change for those of us that are cursed with small pockets capable of only holding 1 thing.

 

Unless I missed something...

[stutters]

you have a phone without data? send me your fax number so i can send over a pricing matrix for you.

 

let's say, for fun, that the verizon device you had was the blackberry tour with unlimited data. from verizon.com: "Monthly access starting at $79.99"

 

OH SNAP.

[Unclean]

All this talk about iphones is getting me hot. Wanna make out?

[stutters]

i've been waiting for you to ask for sooooooo long.

[[LaW]Maverick]

lol...I get it tomorrow.

 

For your info, my BB Storm does an awful lot--including music (supports subscription service too), video, etc. It also had video capability well before the iPhone 3GS came out.

 

Why do I ant a second device? Simple: I don't want to hose my phone battery because I use it as a PHONE.

 

I've had Zune pass since my first Zune, and the service is fantastic...and now it includes 10 DRM-free mp3's a month, which is just some icing on the cake.

 

Don't worry about SJ guys, he's just incapable of admitting that anyone can make a solid device without a partially eaten apple on it.

 

I will post up a review after the weekend I spend checking out my new Zune HD. Sorry to start a fan-boy-battle...really didn't mean to.

[stutters]

LIAR. you meant to.

 

ps, the "don't want to waste my battery" thing is a joke, or a zuneification. the ipod doesn't drain the battery. admittedly, heavy 3g usage does, but i can play my mp3s for hours on end w/

[akaM2]

im switching back to the iphone

 

 

pz

[[LaW]Maverick]

LIAR. you meant to.

 

ps, the "don't want to waste my battery" thing is a joke, or a zuneification. the ipod doesn't drain the battery. admittedly, heavy 3g usage does, but i can play my mp3s for hours on end w/ < 5% battery life.

 

One problem with that: 22 hour plane ride. I know for a fact that not even the iPod touch tends to last that long (my brother has one), and the iPhone uses more juice because it acquires a cellular signal. Now, you may get something close to that if you turn your cellular radio off, but I'll need my phone to have lots of juice when I land in case my ride isn't there. Just listening to music, my phone would last most of the plane ride, but it'd also be mostly drained when I land.

 

Besides, I LIKE having a separate device for media. If I didn't, I'd just grab a 32gb microSD card for my BB Storm and call it a day.

[EbilDustBunny]

*starts piling up sand bags* I love my Zune! I won't get a Zune HD until a. Better apps. b. Something bigger then 32gb.

 

Hey SJ! look a kitten ---->

[TheGeek]

Solution to all problems.

 

Oh, and this will work too.

 

One thing obviously makes these the winners. The option to get it unlocked. That or making it open by yourself.

 

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10116531-1.html

[stutters]

the only thing the g1 has going for it is that snazzy website. most of the developers at work have them...and hate it. the os is great, but the hardware isn't. nobody here has the mytouch, but the next line of android phones *might* actually push the android market forward. the g1 did more damage than good.

 

oh, and you can unlock the iphone, too.

[TheGeek]

the only thing the g1 has going for it is that snazzy website. most of the developers at work have them...and hate it. the os is great, but the hardware isn't. nobody here has the mytouch, but the next line of android phones *might* actually push the android market forward. the g1 did more damage than good.

 

oh, and you can unlock the iphone, too.

 

I would agree that the hardware is lacking quite a bit. The mytouch has the same hardware but without the crappy slide.

[[LaW]Maverick]

Umm...I have a Blackberry with unlimited Data and it's only and extra $26 (I get a work discount...usually $30). You only pay $70 if you are dumb enough to pay Verizon for their tethering and what not.

 

That being said, the Zune HD is pretty dern Amazing so far. I've had two people tell me they might switch out their nanos for one. No, it's not a phone, but like I said, that's the way I want it.

 

It's small and light (lighter than the iPod touch, which is the usual comparison), but it doesn't feel cheap thanks to the mostly metal construction of the casing. The screen quality is the best I've ever seen on a hand-held device of comparable size--sorry SJ, this screen is more crisp than even the mighty iPhone/Touch, and I'm not the only person to think that way.

 

The sound quality is fantastic, and the one-touch-shuffle-all-music button is a great add-on. With the Zune pass, this thing is great--WiFi sync is also awesome...and I could go on and on about the features I love, but I'll move on to my few complaints.

 

I wish there were a 64 GB one like the new touch. It means I just have to keep an eye on how many videos I keep on my device. The saving grace here is that the Zune software on my PC is really easy to use and I can keep videos in my collection while quickly switching around which ones I sync and which ones I don't.

 

The accelerometer is lightning fast at rotating the screen...faster than anything I've used. However, when viewing pictures, there isn't really a way to rotate them aside from flipping the device over. This is a minor complaint, and I still have some playing around to do here...mostly it's because I have tons of widescreen wallpapers for my computer that I might want to use on my Zune.

 

The side button should be a volume rocker. Instead, it brings up volume/skip/play/pause controls on the screen (which work well), but it means you have to look at the player to adjust the volume. That being said, you can also tap the screen, and the controls pop up. It's fast and responsive, but a rocker would be nice.

 

That does it...tons of likes with three "I wish it did this slightly different" thoughts. All-in-all, I'm very impressed. I am most likely going to get the HD output dock (it'll put 720p on your TV via HDMI) some time after I get back from India, so I'll let you know how that works then.

[stutters]

u want get zune? or wot?