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And so I'grand a few hours into the Zune Hard disk. It's my first foray into the Zune ecosystem, and so I have a fleck of a learning curve, and bear with me. But without giving away the farm, I'll say this: If this is the direction in which Windows Mobile is moving, we all have much to look forward to. In that location are going to be countless comparisons of the Zune Hard disk to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and we'll certainly add our share. But, for now, information technology all comes downwardly to this:

The Zune HD and iPhone/iPod Touch are different devices, with different purposes.

Anyhoo, that'south not really why nosotros're hither. We want to look at the Zune HD from the Windows Mobile perspective and see what bits and pieces we might meet in Windows Mobile 7 and beyond. Join us after the break for our initial hands-on and a very quick look at the new desktop software.

Zune desktop software

Along with the launch of the Zune Hard disk came Version 4.0 of the Zune software. Yous'll need to update to this earlier you do anything else. (Do and so here) I'd previously installed the Zune software and loaded all my music, and the upgrade was fairly quick and seamless.

More on this in a future post, but this is worth shouting from the rooftops: While I've long been a user of Windows Media Histrion, and I've never been a fan of the iTunes world, the Zune software is where it's at. It's compelling, graphically (by leaps and bounds more so than iTunes), pretty intuitive (responding to the back button on a mouse is a big plus), and tweaking settings is piece of cake. It's meant to be used as your desktop media histrion (I've at present fabricated it my default) and to sync media to the Zune Hd (which you also can practise over WiFi).

Quickplay (aka Genius)

Quickplay in the desktop software is a cool auto-playlist function, similar iTunes' Genius feature. It took a while to fully load, but it's the aforementioned bargain: Y'all give it five artists, and information technology'll build playlists based on those artists. I haven't used it plenty to fully evaluate it yet, merely it'south still a cool feature to have. Information technology even throws up some absurd art of the artists. It's niggling touches similar those that separate the Zune desktop software from the likes of WMP and iTunes. And they exercise and then without clunking upward the experience or causing things to slow downwards.

The apps

In that location currently are nine apps available for download, all developed for Microsoft: Calculator, Chess, Goo Splat (think Space Invaders, only inside a lung — aye, ewwwww), Hexic (a variation on all of those bubble-pop games), Shell Game ... of the Future (a shell game, with robots), Space Battle 2 (a bland vertical scrolling shoot-em-upward), Sudoku, Texas Hold 'Em, and a Weather app. All of these apps are bachelor for free and can be downloaded either with the desktop software or wirelessly onto the Zune Hard disk drive. Nothing at all to write dwelling house nigh here, just they'll keep y'all tickled in a pinch. Oh, all nine of the apps total about 104MB of space on the Zune HD.

Zune Market

The Zune Marketplace is easy to maneuver. In that location's a good selection of music and video (both TV and film), and they're easy to download, though it does take time to practice so. Simple right-clicks on any downloaded or previously added software brings upward a sub-menu and gives y'all easy access to syncing media.

The software is "optimized" for Windows seven, and information technology has some overnice features in conjunction with the Aero interface. Hover over the Zune icon on the taskbar when music or video is playing and yous have the ability to pause, fast-forward or reverse from the desktop. There's as well a overnice mini mode that still keeps the album art and graphical elements bachelor.

Out of the box

The Zune Hd comes with minimal packaging. Opening the box presents the device, and the device only. Pare back the next layer and we're greeted by a couple of brochures for Zune Pass, the music subscription service. You become fourteen days free along with the purchase of the Zune. Underneath that are the proprietary sync/charge USB cable (same as previous Zunes, btw), the usual mediocre earbuds and three pairs of covers — black, orangish and red. Also at the bottom of the box are a quick-showtime guide (Welcome to Zune HD) and the Zune Product Guide, which covers all the legal mumbo jumbo.

That's it. We volition repeat that you need to load the Zune software before plugging in the Zune Hard disk. From in that location, things got a niggling interesting.

Windows 7 RC immediately connected to the Zune, and you're informed that there'south an update available for the Zune HD itself. Information technology took most 15 minutes to wink the device and have it ready to go, and it was all washed through the Zune software. It's a little unnerving that the device was ready for a firmware update on 24-hour interval ane. We're assuming that's not a big bargain if you're a longtime reader of WMExperts. But it's not actually something we'd similar to run into the average consumer become through upon get-go plugging in their new Zune HD.

Oh, and by now you'd better already be used to the fingerprints.

The hardware

Wait, this thing is small. And so how does it feel? It'southward angular, simply not in a bad way. If y'all've e'er handled an HTC Touch Diamond or Bear on Diamond 2, you're in the ballpark. The Zune HD is nearly a full half-centimeter thinner than the Diamond two. It's not quite every bit tall as the iPod Impact, and it fits my hand better. Your mileage may vary.

The specs

• Size: 4.0 inches tall, ii.1 inches wide, 0.4 inches thick.
• Weight: 2.half dozen ounces.
• Screen: 3.3-inch diagonal capacitive OLED touchscreen with a sixteen:9 (retrieve motion picture) aspect ratio.
• Resolution: 480 pixels by 272 pixels.
• NVidia Tegra processor @650MHz.
• Internal memory: 32GB (argent - $289.99); 16GB (black - $219.99).
• iii.5mm headphone jack.
• FM radio (HD radio).
• WiFi: 802.11b/g
• Video output via dock.
• Bombardment: 660mAh. Reportedly up to 33 hours of continuous audio playback, or 8.5 hours of video playback.

The buttons

Buttons are sparse. There's a ability button on the height bezel, a "home" button on the bottom of the front confront, and a control push on the left bezel. It'south not the rocker you're used to. Rather, it pops upwardly on-screen controls, including intermission/play, forward, reverse, book up/down, rail number, artist and song title.

Briefly clicking the home button takes you to the textual home screen nosotros know from Windows Mobile 6.five, or to a quickplay menu to the left (really left and to the rear, in a bit of visual 3D trickery.) The quickplay features what'southward now playing, "pins" (you lot can "pin" items to the menu), a history of recently accessed items, and new items. Flicking vertically scrolls through the options. You lot can pic horizontally betwixt the two, but it can be a bit tricky.

My but gripe about the buttons' placement is that I sometimes hit the power push with my alphabetize finger if I'k going for the control button my thumb. Merely that may well be a fail on my part, and non one of design.

On the bottom bezel of the Zune Hd are the three.5mm headphone jack and the dock connector.

The innards

Build quality feels solid and top-notch. Co-ordinate to iFixit, which already has ripped open up a Zune HD, the device apparently is OEM'd by Foxconn, which as we all know is a longtime manufacturer for Apple (and plenty of other smartphones, too).

The battery is a mere 660mAh. (The latest iPod Touch has a 789mAh battery.) That said, the Tegra processor and OLED screen are supposed to provide better battery life. Nosotros're going to get a few skillful charges under our belt before laying claim to whatsoever battery-usage numbers, only it's safe to say that the Zune Hard disk drive volition have a different usage pattern than a smartphone or iPod Touch, whereas it won't exist manhandled nearly every bit much. At least, that'll be the instance until more apps are released.

About that screen

This one volition be up for debate for some fourth dimension. The OLED screen is iii.3 inches diagonal — definitely a decent size — and capacitive to kicking. It's plenty responsive, and right upwardly there with the iPhone. Actually, it's not quite as responsive, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. Information technology just feels less twitchy. On the other hand, I occasionally have to swipe twice to trigger an action. That may be my unfamiliarity with the device, or information technology may be the screen. Also early to tell. Multi-touch works the aforementioned as we're used to.

As for the OLED screen — that's Organic Light Emitting Diode — it's pretty much gorgeous. Merely it'due south non perfect. Even at the Zune Hard disk drive'south highest display setting (in that location are 3), whites aren't quite as white as on the iPod Touch, and reds appear a fiddling too red. Whether that's something inherent to the screen itself or a setting in the firmware ... I don't know. Call back that the iPhone/iPod Touch display has subtly changed its hue a couple of times.

Also of business with OLED screens is visibility outdoors, specially in sunlight. I conducted a couple of brief, unscientific tests. I went outside and stood in the sunlight. (And surprisingly didn't flare-up into flame.) At the medium setting, the Zune HD's screen was all just done out; I could still slightly make out the iPod Impact's screen. Cranked the Zune HD's display to the "high" setting and they were virtually equal in the sunlight.

But here's the thing: I'm not going to be using whatsoever device in direct sunlight. Existence as how I'grand bipedal and have opposing thumbs, I'm going to motility any screen out and so that I can see it better. OLED, regular LED, resistive, capacitive, whatever. If I tin't come across properly, I'grand going to movement. For me, it'southward a non-issue. The iPhone and iPod Touch volition win the outdoor usability contest. Only, again, we're talking ii usage scenarios here. You're but not going to be using the Zune HD in the same manner.

What's missing/Wrapping up Part i

You didn't think that was it, did you? We're just scratching the surface. The bottom line here is this is a solid, solid portable media histrion. Merely we wouldn't want Microsoft to merely slap a phone radio into the Zune Hard disk and telephone call it a smartphone. In that location'south no GPS built in. There'southward no Bluetooth. There's no speaker. For me, those are three bargain-breakers when it comes to a telephone. Really, I'd argue that a speaker and Bluetooth are pretty important to any PMP these days. Simply when you're trying to keep size/toll downward, trade-offs have to be made.

Coming up in Office 2, we'll tackle the software on the Zune Hard disk, including what Microsoft got very, very right ... and what leaves us wanting.

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Source: https://www.windowscentral.com/hands-zune-hd-part-1

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