Zune 80 official battery test results
There's still no touching the iPod when it comes to battery life.
(Credit: CNET Networks)Our CNET Labs have just published the results of their Zune 80 audio-only battery drains and the numbers are somewhat disappointing. Microsoft rated the Zune 80 for 30 hours of audio playback with the Wi-Fi feature turned off. Lab testing revealed that the Zune 80 is realistically capable of 22 hours of audio playback with the Wi-Fi feature turned off, or 18.5 hours with the Wi-Fi feature enabled.
While 22 hours is certainly better than the 13 hours we got from the first-generation Zune, it's nowhere close to the 45 hours we were able to get from the competing 80GB iPod Classic.
What do you guys think? Is 22 hours enough? Does the fact that the Zune's screen is nearly twice as large as the iPod make up for the battery life being about half as good? Air your disgruntlement or ambivalence in the comments section below.
Donald Bell is CNET Reviews' senior editor for MP3 players and portable audio, and one half of the MP3 Insider blog and weekly podcast. He also likes getting his hands dirty with digital audio tools for musicians and DJs. 
-mark d.
The poster before brings up a good point about how long you can run it just watching videos, which could be a point for, say, a long plane ride where hooking up a power supply/charger would be impractical if not impossible. I'd have y'all go yet further, and figure out a reasonable mixed usage pattern, including listening to music, watching videos and using the wireless sync, and give us a more real-world battery life estimate.
I got myself a Philips MP3 player with 30+ hours of battery life and I'm very pleased with it.
Creative invented the iPod's interface and gets no recognition.
<quote>UP TO 30 hours of music playback; up to 5 hours of video playback</quote> (capitals are not part of the quote).
iPod will be the first device/car/whatever that gets better mpg than stated by the manufacturer. And that is by a wooping 50% margin.
Isn't that sweet? It sounds like CNET found a solution for the energy crisis.
As for the Zune. It isn't perfect either. But it offers a more than adequate escape from the monopolistic clot that is the iPod. It trumps the Classic in every aspect.
If you want near perfect, may I suggest the Creative Vision: M.
The real test would be what is the battery life in one year after using it every day.
it. I bought the iPod because it just freakin' works. iTunes is easy to use, and
makes using an iPod a joy.
Maybe the Zune is a decent MP3 player with a big screen (and half the battery
life of an iPod), but remember that there were MP3 players BEFORE the iPod
ever existed. iPods are ubiquitous because Apple designs things that work
like real people want them to work, not the way some Microsofties want them
to work in cooperation with their content partners who control the content,
the device and your a$$.
You want freedom? Buy and iPod. Oh, and about the quality of the sound
coming from iPods? Last year I read a review that I cannot find right now (of
course) that said that iPods, across the board, were among the best sounding
MP3 players on the market. And the best sounding MP3 player for
audiophiles? The Color iPod or the iPod Photo, also called the 4G iPod,
according to these sound engineers, has the best sound chip of all.
It's incredible that this tiny device can sound so incredible and actually
replace thousands of dollars of sound equipment that was the norm before
the iPod.
JoeL
I can't say as I've listened to either player, but to insist that even the best iPod outmatches a top-of-the-line audio system is folly in the extreme. The 'net is rife with stories from folks who can hear the difference and won't settle for less than vinyl LPs, let alone lossless codecs, for their listening pleasure! I think they're a little crocked myself, but making an absolute statement like yours about such a subjective experience is patently ridiculous.
Apple has had great players I own a 2g Ipod mini and still swear by it, but not even battery life should keep anyone from playing it smart and trying other players. I currently own a Creative Zen:M (Divx support is awesome!) and will definetly try the new 2g Zune.
Besides, who's ever away from an outlet for more than 20hrs??
This Zune is for real. While it won't become the most dominate player, it sure has impressed me and will take a good sized chunk out of the MP3 player market. I can't wait to see what the third generation Zune will look like.
However if the zune 2.0 was out i forsure would have bought it...
- lol...............................
- by freeway8989 November 28, 2007 10:03 AM PST
- "I bought the iPod because it just freakin' works. iTunes is easy to use, and makes using an iPod a joy."
- Like this Reply to this comment
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- I wouldn't knock iTunes when considering...
- by make_or_break November 28, 2007 10:43 PM PST
- ...just how crappy the Zune 2.x client software is. I can't believe MSFT believes this garbage is worthy of release. iTunes is far BETTER and more versatile at managing content. Hell, Zune 1.3 was WAY better than this dumbed down trash that Redmond says is needed for the new Zunes. It's Microsoft Bob all over again, only this time for REALLY stupid people.
- Like this
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- Sony & Samsung?
- by b8375629 November 30, 2007 1:50 PM PST
- I agree with you about the locked-in content of iTunes, but if you think you're getting away scott free from content control by using a Sony or a Samsung, you are sadly mistaken.
- Like this
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Showing 1 of 2 pages (36 Comments)Well, they certainy work properly, but in a limited capacity. And iTunes is horrendous. Maybe if you purchase tracks from iTunes (what were you saying about content control? ;) ), but if you purchase your music elsewhere, iTunes does a **** poor job at managing your files. It chooses it's own method of organization. Trust me, as someone who's owned three iPods, I should know. Hundreds of software updates, and it STILL can't get my album art right without me doing it manually.
Plus, there are PLENTY of other players that work just as well as the iPod. In fact, the iPod ripped the interface off of the Zen.
"You want freedom? Buy and iPod. Oh, and about the quality of the sound coming from iPods? Last year I read a review that I cannot find right now (of course) that said that iPods, across the board, were among the best sounding MP3 players on the market. And the best sounding MP3 player for audiophiles? The Color iPod or the iPod Photo, also called the 4G iPod, according to these sound engineers, has the best sound chip of all."
I loled at this comment. The iPod locks you into iTunes. That's the exact opposite of freedom, buddy. iTunes lacks drag-and-drop, which is arguably the freest form of organization. And best-sounding my ass. I don't know where you read your articles (probably an iPod fansite), but NO audiophile would ever consider the iPod. The top audiophile companies are Cowon and Creative, followed by Sony and Samsung. I suggest reading CNet's list of audiophile players, non of which are iPods.
"It's incredible that this tiny device can sound so incredible and actually replace thousands of dollars of sound equipment that was the norm before the iPod."
The iPod scarecly replaces anything other than CD players. And I'm so surprised that you're hypnotized by Apple enough to believe that the iPod's sound "incredible."
My Zune 8 is a GREAT little player, and I'd buy an 80 in a heartbeat if only I could FIND one to buy. But the software is a load of pig dung. I have to manage both Zunes and iPods, and while I can't say I'm impressed with any of the latest iPods, at least their management software--iTunes--is still more than good enough to live with, even with all the bloat that Apple seems intent on saddling it with.
The Zune 2.x crapware on the other hand is dog slow; I can't do more than one task at a time (like building a playlist and synching the Zune 8) without the software binding up and getting all jerky. The utter lack of metadata handling beyond the most basic of functionality is a cruel joke; any power user will hate this program. Refreshes when parsing a big library is painfully slow; at least iTunes is decent in this regard. All the problems with album art getting fouled up...all the problems with tag data getting mixed up...all the problems with media folders not being read and song files being ignored...this is what you're defending?
I suggest you go over to zune.net and scan over the posts there stating how GREAT Zune 2.x is...you're going to find VERY FEW. It's rare that ANYONE over on the official Zune site board have come out and said this crapware is actually any good at all.
Sonys are crippled by their ATRAC format (they are the only one's using it) while the new Samsungs have Microsoft's "Trusted Platform Module" attached to it. It's an extortion fee Microsoft demands from peripheral manufacturers when they plug anything into a Windows OS. No more just dragging and dropping files of your own choosing.