'Tis the season for tunes, and I'm willing to bet that at least a few lucky readers got their hands on a shiny new Zune HD recently. Getting acquainted with this excellent MP3 player will be entertainment enough for some, but there are some possible frustrations that may need to be overcome, and there's more fun to be had beyond the initial features of the device. No matter what the case may be, we've got you covered with a slew of useful articles designed to help Zune HD owners. I've rounded up some of the key points below for easy reference.
- Phase out the iPod: Hey, it may not happen every day, but considering all the iPods sold in the past, there's a good chance that some of you are now migrating from Apple's player to the Zune HD. And that's not as simple as it sounds, thanks to the need to change your primary music management software. Luckily, CNET's resident Zune expert Donald Bell is here to help with his article on how to switch from an iPod to a Zune
- Pack it full of music: Really, the best way to fully enjoy the Zune HD is to get a Zune Pass for $15 per month. The music subscription will allow you to stream and download from the Zune Marketplace's catalog with abandon, creating as many custom playlists as you like and getting recommendations through the Zune Social. You can try it out for free for 14 days to see if you like it. (A credit card is required.)
- Replace those stock earbuds: The Zune is capable of providing top-notch audio quality, but you're not going to get it from the earbuds that are included in the package. Be sure to peruse CNET's best headphones list to find a new pair that's up for the task.
- Deck out your player: The iPod isn't the only MP3 player that has an array of third-party extras readily available for purchase. Several accessories makers have put out speakers, cases, and more for the Zune family. If you want to enhance to Zune HD, make sure you check out our roundup of accessories for the Zune.
- Load up some apps: Although the Zune HD has been a bit slow out of the gate when it comes to applications, there is a handful available that may be worth your while depending on what kind of user you are. Most recently, Twitter announced an app for the player, and there are a handful of games including checkers and bowling. For the entire list, check out Zune.net.
In this week's preholiday edition of the Digital City Podcast, we all get ready for our one long break of the year, accompanied by special guest smartphone guru (and new CNET East Coaster) Bonnie Cha.
Scott and Joe have seen James Cameron's "Avatar"; Bonnie and Julie haven't. We also discuss Intel's new Atom Netbooks, 3D Blu-ray on the PS3, holiday smartphones, and upcoming laptops and phones at CES 2010. Best of all, Scott gets a chance to show off his one and only Batjew T-shirt. Watch it on video or you'll miss it.
Plus, don't forget to enter a comment to win a 16GB Zune HD of your very own. Happy holidays!
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The Twitter app for the Zune HD is functional, elegant, and free.
(Credit: Donald Bell/CNET)I've spent only a few minutes with the app, but I feel declaring it as a welcome addition to the slowly growing roster of free apps for the Zune HD.
Will it blow your mind? Probably not. But as an officially sanctioned Twitter-branded app, users are given a very familiar, clean, and intuitive way to read and create tweets.
Power users will probably be a little bummed there isn't a landscape keyboard option or much at all in the way of settings. That said, this is only version 1.0, so don't count out the possibility of updates in the not-too-distant future.
Probably the coolest little surprise is a button that will automatically populate your tweet with the currently playing song's title and artist info. It's not quite as convenient as a Blip.fm link, but it gives you a quick way to announce your love of Afrika Bambaataa without mangling the spelling.
Another detail worth mentioning--there are no in-app ads. I guess since the Twitter app falls under the "utility" category of apps, Microsoft isn't bundling in the banner ads that plague their games. I imagine it'll be the same case for the forthcoming Facebook app, should it ever see the light of day.
To take a closer look at some of the features, check out the photo gallery.
Technically, there's no reason the Zune couldn't have a huge game library.
(Credit: Microsoft)While there's no shortage of handheld game systems on the market--the Nintendo DS and DSi are still selling well and the PSP continues to hang in there, while the App Store expands its catalog every minute--one of the seemingly no-brainer bets in the mobile gaming realm hasn't happened yet: the Zune.
We say "no brainer" for several reasons:
- Microsoft has a successful gaming platform in the Xbox 360, emphasizing online and downloadable gaming.
- Microsoft, compared with Sony and Nintendo, is best able to take on Apple in terms of a media-management software store and the ability to build an equivalent music/games/movies catalog, and making that product PC compatible.
- The Zune HD now plays games.
The first point is obvious. The second is debatable, but we say this because Sony, while having a decent media library on PSN, just isn't historically great at building cross-platform software for syncing the PSP, and Microsoft's global software reach is simply stronger. The third is technically true--Microsoft launched a small collection of completely free-to-play, ad-supported games for its OLED-screened Zune HD last month, and one of them happens to be an adaptation of Project Gotham Racing.
It's an interesting prospect (and one we've wondered about before) because the Zune HD processor, an Nvidia Tegra, has both HD processing muscle and 3D graphics capability. We downloaded and played with all the Zune HD games currently available--all 12 of them--with some curiosity to see if the Zune could compete as a game device.
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New 3D games are available for Zune HD owners, and they're all free.
(Credit: Microsoft)Zune HD owners have something to smile about today. The latest firmware update, version 4.3, not only brings a handful of general fixes (including accurate playcounts), but also ushers the Zune HD into a proper 3D gaming device.
To celebrate the new capability, six new games have been added to the Zune Marketplace software, which users can download to their updated Zune HD at no cost. Games include PGR: Ferrari Edition, Lucky Lane Bowling, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, Piano, Checkers, and Audiosurf: Tilt. We're not exactly jumping out of our seat over Piano and Checkers, but the rest of the titles look genuinely fun--and did we mention they're free?.
Just like the existing games available for the Zune HD, the new titles also show a brief advertisement upon start-up.
A news release e-mailed to us from Microsoft also states "we will be delivering additional applications for Zune HD including Facebook and Twitter in the future."
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This week, Donald and Jasmine discuss the firmware fix to the Zune HD, which can now count itself a feature short of one-upping the iPod Touch, thanks to a new Gigaware remote that adds HD radio to the omnipresent king of MP3 players. We also get to spend a little one-on-one time with the slick-but-confusing Cowon E2 and the boring-but-shuffletastic Haier America Video MP3 Player. Plus, we direct you to a couple of how-tos you may find worth your while, and we address some listener questions about earphones, podcast management, and iPod speaker docks.
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The iPhone gets HD radio.
(Credit: RadioShack)Staying competitive in an iPod-ruled marketplace is a challenge, and not just because of the player's built-in virtues (or Apple's massive marketing budget). The reigning king of the MP3 players has an advantage simply because it resides at the top of the heap, and that advantage comes in the form of feature-adding third-party accessories. Case in point: the Gigaware In-Line Remote with HD Radio, an $80 add-on for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
That's right, kids...that would be the iPod addressing a major selling point and advantage of the Zune HD. Please don't act surprised. You knew this day was coming. And yes, the Gigaware remote does allow display of track information on the iPod screen as well as song tagging, which let's you find songs easily for later purchase.
So let's recap: 32GB Zune HD costs $289; 32GB iPod Touch with HD radio addition costs $379. Not exactly apples to apples, but which one do you find more attractive? Does HD radio even matter? Discuss.
While Microsoft didn't have anything new to announce at its first annual Open House in New York on Tuesday, it spent a lot of money turning the huge New York Armory into a showcase for its fall product line.
Robbie Bach, head of Microsoft's entertainment and devices division, delivered a 30-minute opening presentation highlighting everything from Windows 7 to Windows Phone to Xbox Live and Zune. But the Open House was really intended to be an open house, with a heavy emphasis on lifestyle applications for the company's various products.
There was also some rather funky stuff (read:weird) that included women dressed up in bird costumes. So check out the slideshow below--and Natali Del Conte's video report, above--to get the full flavor of the event. And as always, feel free to comment.
The CNET Prizefight you've been waiting for is here: Zune HD vs. iPod Touch. Just like the Thunderdome (minus Tina Turner and the post-apocalyptic wasteland), two portable media players will enter the ring, but only one may leave.
And for the first time, dear CNET readers, our Prizefight page has been redesigned to allow comments. That's right, now all your catty flames, insightful objections, or outright whining can be preserved forever, right on the Prizefight page. Another upshot of the page redesign: it looks soooo much better than the old version.
So head on over to the iPod Touch vs. Zune HD Prizefight and dump all your disappointment/elation into that newfangled comments box. You'll feel better, really.
The more time I spend with my Zune HD, the more I like it. Sound quality aside--and I know opinions differ dramatically here, but I'm stuck with my ears and my preferences--there are a bunch of features that make Apple's products seem like they've fallen behind the curve. Here are five things in particular that I miss when I use my iPhone or one of my iPods:
Zune Pass Apple has long maintained that people want to own rather than rent their music. I counter that a subscription-based music service, combined with a state-of-the-art player, is one of those features that you have to try before you realize how fantastic it is. It reminds me of the first time I beta-tested the Xbox Live gaming service back in 2002--I didn't understand how addictive online console gaming could be until I spent eight hours playing Moto GP without even looking at the clock.
Here are a couple of real-world examples from yesterday. First, a friend came over for brunch and we began talking about Gram Parsons, one of those towering influences whose music is sorely lacking in my collection. In the past, we might have talked for a minute, maybe gone online to hunt down some ancient YouTube videos, and then forgotten about it. But with the Zune Pass, we were able to walk over to the Zune HD (which I have plugged into a first-generation AV dock and connected to a Bose Wave player in my living room), connect to the Marketplace through my home Wi-Fi network, and sample a bunch of Gram Parsons songs while we ate.
A Zune Pass makes the Smart DJ function into a great music-discovery tool.
Later, I ripped the nervously funky Can LP "Ege Bamyasi" to my hard drive. Curious to discover some similar music, I used the Zune software's Smart DJ function, then listened as it drew music from the Marketplace that I don't know very well, like Kraftwerk, Brian Eno, Gong, and my favorite discovery, Faust. Trying the same thing with iTunes' Genius function suggested plenty of new music from the iTunes Store but to hear it, I'd have to buy each song as a download. (Note: you can't create a Smart DJ playlist on the Zune HD device itself, although I expect that feature to be added later. Instead, you have to use the Zune software, then save it as a playlist.)
These are the kinds of music-discovery features that make the Zune Pass a great deal at $14.99 a month. And on top of that, each month you get 10 MP3 downloads to keep.
Quickplay This feature lets you "pin" favorite songs, albums, playlists, or other types of content to the front menu of the Zune HD. It also has a "New" section that automatically displays the six items you've most recently added to your collection, a "History" section that displays the last six things you've played, and a spot to access any currently playing song that you've paused. I miss this instant gratification, particularly quick access to recently added music, on the iPod.
Background art Remember how cool it seemed when you could first look at album covers as you played songs on your MP3 player? The Zune HD makes this seem hopelessly obsolete--instead, it scrolls through album art and pictures of the artist as each song plays. No purchase is required--it works even with the LPs I ripped. It's similar to how the Zune software (and iTunes) can populate your music collection with album art from a database in the cloud, only more sophisticated. (You can see this feature in action starting around 2:00 into this video demo.)
Wireless sync This feature has been part of the Zune experience since 2007, and once you get used to it, you'll hate dragging your iPod to your computer every time you want to load new music. Microsoft seems to have improved the sync experience in the Zune HD and Zune 4.0 software--all you have to do is leave the Zune HD's wireless connection on, and it will periodically sync automatically with your PC, even if you don't have the Zune app open.
See what my friends are playing Zune's social-networking functions haven't been very useful because of the relatively small number of people who own a Zune. I'm hoping this changes with the Zune HD. Already, the Gram Parsons fan says he's going to buy one. Once we connect to one another, I'll be able to see his playlists as he runs through Gram Parsons, the Flying Burrito Brothers, and all their musical neighbors. With a Zune Pass, I'll even be able to play any song that he's played, immediately, on my device, as long as it's available in the Marketplace. Again, this is an absolutely amazing tool for music discovery.
Apple's still riding high with the iPod, particularly the Touch, but the Zune HD is clearly moving ahead in terms of innovation. Now if Microsoft can open the Marketplace to third-party apps and fix the browser, Apple might have reason to worry.
