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A Hands-On Zune Review
jayintune writes "2old2play.com got the chance to sit down with Microsoft's new media player, the Zune, to give some comments and insight into the players User Interface, Video Playback, Music Sharing, as well as software and setup." From the article: "I had expected the player to be fairly heavy, but after holding the Zune in my hand it was clear that I was wrong. It is not as light as the latest video iPod, but compared to my fourth-generation iPod, the Zune was lighter. The top of the Zune had a clear glass layer while the exterior had a tactile feel to it, nothing like the hard metal and plastic of the iPod devices. The 'skin' of the Zune was a 'rubberized' material that had a smooth seductive feel to it. I found myself unable to stop stroking the device, so much that the demo assistant asked me to put it down."
Um... Yeah. looks a news headlines, again. OK... maybe the author just having a little fun with the reader.
Clicking on the "community" button allowed me to see the other two Zunes nearby. I decided to send them my community member a song. Browsed to my music folder, found to a song and, instead of selecting to play it, I chose to send it. Prompted with a list of Zune's nearby, I chose one and sent it. Watching the other Zune, the user was prompted to download and accepted the request. It took less than 20 seconds to send the whole song which included album art.
Sounds lengthy, but if you're trying to chat up a hot prospect 20 seconds is plenty of time to break the ice.
Upon a successful transfer, the music is wrapped with a digital rights management (DRM) layer which will give the user a three day or three-listen license. I don't know about many of our readers, but I can listen to a song over and over again. Three plays... please!
DRM(!) huhhhhh HUUHHHHH huhhhhh HUUHHHHH Welcome to the dark side I wonder if there's something which allows you to add it to a wishlist to buy later if you decide you like it.
Yes, it is a first-generation product but I really like the direction Microsoft is taking with the Zune.
Clearly the reviewer is happy with DRM. Only one model, Hmm.. So when's the Zune Femto coming out?
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Let me go ahead and burn karma to get this out of the way:
... am I forgetting anything?
He's lying! He's a paid Microsoft shill! There's no way that it's as good as he says! It must be rigged! It's probably the new iPod and he thought it was a MS product! He's brainwashed by the DRM! It doesn't run Linux!
I haven't RTFA, but I'll be damned if I'm going to after that little choice excerpt--this stuff reads like B-rate pr0n narrative!
I left my wallet in El Sigundo!
Microsoft's traditional marketing isn't working well.
y =zune_meme_rerun
Gee? What other ploys can Microsoft try?
Unfortunately, the mental bandwidth already belongs to iPod, it will be hard to dislodge them in favor of Zune.
http://www.realmeme.com/roller/page/realmeme?entr
2 articles; hmm first ditch the Apple iPhone and than stroke the Zune .. something smells fishy here :-)
I think he was told to put it down because it was about to squirt.
What If Microsoft Made A Media Player And No One Cared?
# cat
Damn, my RAM is full of llamas.
The 'skin' of the Zune was a 'rubberized' material that had a smooth seductive feel to it.
Yeah, I remember reading somewhere that Microsoft contracted out to the RealDoll company for that part.
The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
I will be stroking my Wii on Nov 19th.
Too much information.
^_^
I'll wait until my Zune automatically recieves audio and video ads from stores I enter. Nothing like walking into a Walmart to have my Zune download an add on it's own which then starts to play through my headphones. I can't wait.
See my knickname? There's always one. Always.
Hee Hee The drinking bird does all the work!
I woke up this morning, went into the bathroom, and squirted a 'video' from my 'zune.' When I got to work, I squirted a 'song' from my 'zune' whilst in a crowded elevator. Those who received it said it "really stank."
What's the big deal with cover art and screen savers on music players and phones? Do people honestly watch a screen saver for more than 5 seconds before sticking the gizmo in their pocket? Do people actually look at (or care about) cover art? I've always just picked a playlist, hit "play" and put the device back in my pocket. Cover art I view on my PC, but not the music player.
Same goes for all the hype around the interface? I found the best interface is to create a few playlists on the PC -- which has a real screen and a keyboard -- and move them over. Then, all I really do is pick a playlist which maybe takes 5 seconds in almost any interface. The only other controls I use are volume and stop.
Do people actually spend that much time fucking around with a music player? Isn't is supposed to like, play music? Or is it a form of entertainment unto itself?
Learning HOW to think is more important than learning WHAT to think.
I had expected the player to be fairly heavy, but after holding the Zune in my hand it was clear that I was wrong.
I could sense it somehow, as if the pully-downey force that makes things fall and me very tired was not affecting the Zune as not much as I expected it not too.
It is not as light as the latest video iPod, but compared to my fourth-generation iPod, the Zune was lighter.
Ah ha, thought I. As I go back generations of media player, things get heavier. It was also a tad lighter than a 1952 Bendix steam powered black and white television console, thus adding weight (pun intended!!) to my theory. I plan to compare the Zune to a four ton heiroglyphic slab in Luxor, Egypt when I get the chance.
The top of the Zune had a clear glass layer while the exterior had a tactile feel to it,
Tactile. Definition: Perceptible to the sense of touch; tangible. So, yes, the Zune did in fact exist as far as my sensory apparatty and perceptualtudeness could determine.
The 'skin' of the Zune was a 'rubberized' material that had a smooth seductive feel to it. I found myself unable to stop stroking the device, so much that the demo assistant asked me to put it down."
He then called the police who took me downtown to a jail cell, and that's where I'm writing thie review now.
Here is a blurb from the frontpage of their website:
Yep, and they seem to be pretty good at it too