MP3 Players : Microsoft Zune

i got this as a gift and i think it's the coolest gift ever! it's so much fun to use and will make those bus rides to school and home much more enjoyable. i can't believe the picture quality...it's better than my tv at home! (i admit i do have an old tv). the fm tuner just adds to the overall enjoyment of the music. i just wish i could use it with napster, which is the program i used to get music. also, i wish could find more people with a zune so i could try that wireless feature. in due time i suppose. Hide Full Review

My Zune is so messed up. I have had so many problems with this product. First the Zune would cut on and off with out warning. Second the sound messed up I would have to wiggle the headphones in the little hole or hold it to the side to hear the lead vocals because I could only hear the instruments. Third it does not allow certain video files. You have to buy the video or the music from the zune marketplace which is so confusing. Hide Full Review

The Zune is a must buy when it comes to MP3/Video players. The iPod offers extras like games that the zune doesn't. High cost is expected but well worth the money. Not many accessories for it but if you have the time to look around you can easily find some(expected for new device). I have one and have used only 5.99 gbs of space for 735 songs, 255 pictures, and 88 videos. Battery depletes quite quick but Zune's web page offers troubleshooting for that certain problem and it helped fix it. Has a built in FM radio which comes in handy if im on the road and a game comes on that i dont want to miss. Different equalizers offer different settings. Can go wireless to send music/pictures to friends. Pictures organized by folders/date added. Videos organized by Music videos/Movies/All videos. Music organized by Song/Genre/Album/Artist/Playlist. I think the Zune is better than the overrated iPod by far but if not it offers great competition for Apple. Also has a message that says "Hello From Seattle" on the back(being my favorite city i found that awesome). So if you want my opinion then i think the zune would be great for all kinds of people and it overpowers the iPod unless u like games and small screens for videos. Thanks for lookin at this review.(typos i dont care about) Hide Full Review

In my short experience with the Zune (less than 24 hours before I traded it in for an iPod), I experienced much disappointment and frustration.

The software that I installed on my PC was constantly freezing up or crashing. Every few tries, I managed to get to the 'sync music' process, but sometimes it didn't sync at all. Everytime it did manage to sync, it would transfer 10 or fewer tracks, and then stop. Also, one aggravating flaw I experienced with the Zune software: Every time I opened the Zune program, it would scan my computer and build my media library, just adding a bit longer to all the waiting.

The entire process seemed so futile, and online tech support was not helpful at all. I found other forums with similar problems, but never any solutions.

Lastly, I used the Zune for about all of 30 minutes. I checked video quality and the screen was just beautiful! However, I was listening to music in my car, and the player just turned off.

That was the last straw, and I traded it in for an iPod. I'd love to get a Zune some day down the road when their bugs are worked out - all for that gorgeous screen. Hide Full Review

I got my Zune last month when my 2 1/2 year old ipod crapped out and Im pretty happy with it so far. The sound quality is just as good as the ipod and the display is superior, by far. Ipod users will probably be pretty frustrated with controls that look like the "click wheel" but function slightly different. The zune software is definately inferior to itunes and is typical of Microsoft. I had to manually find most of my album art from the net where itunes was far better at getting the album art. I also liked the interface of itunes alot better. The WiFi feature is cool in theory but in my opinion, is just a tease. I think that Microsoft should have went ahead and given it a full browser if they were gonna mess around with WiFi at all. Also, not enough people have a Zune for the neutered WiFi to be of any use. I live in Asheville, NC (pop - 70,000) and I have yet to find anyone to swap files with. Although, I suspect that more people will have one soon enough. The price tag is probably the most appealing aspect of the Zune. I paid $180 through ebay for mine which came with the AC charger, usb cable, and a leather case. The zune is a nice little device that will please most people. Hide Full Review