In my previous post Photos: Microsoft Zune 80GB (Red), I stated that I will do an in-depth review on the Zune 80GB vs the Ipod classic but sadly I just realized that my friend was using the previous version of ipod classic. OK lets cut the crap and get down to business.


Looks


The Zune 80GB is available in 2 colors-Red and Black. Mine was the red one and I at first sight, its like you have just seen a red Ferrari Enzo. First thing I noticed was its huge3.2" LCD screen. Even without turning it on, I started to imagine how nice it would be like playing movies on it.

Buttons available on the whole Zune player was kept at minimal. On the top was the standard 3.5mm headphone jack which also acts as a TV output and the Hold button. On the front, there is the Back button, Play/pause button and a Zune pad touch-sensitive control. You can navigate through the menus using the touch scrolling or if you think its too hard to use, you can always opt to turn it off and use the conventional 4 way D-pad(cool huh?).

One thing worth mentioning is that the base of the Zune is Aluminum finish, thus it wont be prone to scratches. Yes, I admit that the chrome base for the ipods are nicer but without a screen protector below, would you think its still nice with all the scratches on it?No. Also, as a result, the Zune is lighter. The front face of the Zune is glossy and stylish, which also means its a fingerprint magnet.


Performance

Getting started
Before firing up the Zune player, you have to head over to Zune.com to download the latest Zune software(41.55MB). Then, I had to plug in the Zune using the provided USB cable and wait for it to get all the latest updates. Excluding the download time for the Zune software, it only took me around 5 minutes to get it started. How I miss ipod where you could use it straight out of the box.


Upon Startup

A menu with HUGE fonts will appear upon start up(Christmas is around the corner. Why not get one for your grandparents?). Navigating through the Zune was fairly easy. All you need is some getting-used-to with the touch sensitive Zunepad. In addition, The Zunepad uses smooth scrolling.

Music
Alone with the Zune player, There was a pair of In-Ear Headphones which Microsoft decided to call them Premium Headphones. How's the sound quality? Very good. The bass gave just enough punch for an average pop/jazz listener and the voice was very clear. Since its In-Ear Headphones, It cancel out all the noise around you. There were also 3 sets of silicon rubber earpiece of 3 sizes for you to choose. The Now Playing interface shows a full-sized Album Art and the song title as well as the name of the album. If there isnt any Album Art attached to your songs, it will display the customizable wallpaper.

Photos & Videos
The Photos are easy to navigate and are divided into folders using the Zune software. Any photos of .Jpeg format can be loaded into the Zune. To spice things up, you can set any photos as your wallpaper. However, for a perfect fit, make sure that the photos are at an aspect ratio of 4:3 and in portrait mode.

*A normal compact camera would be using a ratio of 3:2 IIRC so there would be some part of the photo cropped off.


Video playback was very very nice. With that 3.2" screen, I can throw my TV away!! (well that's a lil far-fetched but you get my point). One thing i noticed with the video playback is that, it sometimes hangs when I wanna switch to the next video. For that, I have to reset/restart the Zune. Apparently, its restart was little bi5t faster than the ipod. *wink* This hanging thingy also applies to the video podcasts. BUT, theres nothing to worry about, it might be just my unit and it doesn't happen that often too. Really. You can also load the Zune with 720x480 resolution videos for TV playback at dvd quality!!! cool huh?


Battery Life
The Zune website claimed that the battery life was:
Music: 30 Hours
Video: 4 Hours

I did the test and left the music playing for non-stop and it lasted:
Music: 27 Hours-Tested on 500+ .mp3 files at bitrates ranging from 128kbps to 360 kbps.
Video: 5 hours and still running(not finished)-Used WMV9, 320x420, 500kbps

<u>
<b>Added Features</b></u>
-Wi-fi Connection for wireless synchronization ONLY. Its much slower than direct USB cable though.
-FM radio!!!
-You can install games!!! Or some applications such as text readers, etc.


Verdict
In a bombshell, I am satisfied with the Zune.I belive this is one of the really tough contenders of the ipod. Apart from the minor flaws such as the hanging problem, the Zune is a good PMP.