Hands-on with the Zune HD (Part 1)

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And then I'one thousand a few hours into the Zune HD. It's my outset foray into the Zune ecosystem, and then I have a bit of a learning curve, and bear with me. But without giving abroad the farm, I'll say this: If this is the direction in which Windows Mobile is moving, we all take much to look forward to. In that location are going to be endless comparisons of the Zune Hd to the iPhone and iPod Bear on, and we'll certainly add our share. Just, for now, it all comes down to this:

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

Anyhoo, that's not really why we're here. We want to look at the Zune HD from the Windows Mobile perspective and see what $.25 and pieces we might come across 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 Hd came Version four.0 of the Zune software. Yous'll need to update to this before y'all 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 Player, and I've never been a fan of the iTunes world, the Zune software is where information technology'due south at. It'southward compelling, graphically (by leaps and premises more so than iTunes), pretty intuitive (responding to the dorsum button on a mouse is a big plus), and tweaking settings is easy. It's meant to be used as your desktop media player (I've now made it my default) and to sync media to the Zune HD (which you also tin practise over WiFi).

Quickplay (aka Genius)

Quickplay in the desktop software is a cool car-playlist part, like iTunes' Genius feature. It took a while to fully load, but it'south the aforementioned deal: You give it 5 artists, and it'll build playlists based on those artists. I oasis't used it enough to fully evaluate information technology even so, just information technology'due south notwithstanding a cool feature to have. It fifty-fifty throws up some cool art of the artists. It'south little touches like those that separate the Zune desktop software from the likes of WMP and iTunes. And they practice and so without clunking upwards the experience or causing things to tiresome downward.

The apps

thumb_tall_Zune%20apps.PNG There currently are ix apps available for download, all adult for Microsoft: Reckoner, Chess, Goo Splat (think Space Invaders, only within a lung — yeah, ewwwww), Hexic (a variation on all of those chimera-popular games), Crush Game ... of the Future (a vanquish game, with robots), Space Battle 2 (a bland vertical scrolling shoot-em-upwardly), Sudoku, Texas Hold 'Em, and a Weather app. All of these apps are bachelor for free and can exist downloaded either with the desktop software or wirelessly onto the Zune Hd. Naught at all to write home about here, but they'll keep you tickled in a pinch. Oh, all ix of the apps full most 104MB of space on the Zune HD.

Zune Market

thumb_250_Zune%20marketplace.PNG The Zune Market is easy to maneuver. There's a proficient selection of music and video (both TV and film), and they're like shooting fish in a barrel to download, though information technology does take time to practise then. Simple right-clicks on whatever downloaded or previously added software brings upward a sub-menu and gives yous easy access to syncing media.

The software is "optimized" for Windows 7, and it has some nice features in conjunction with the Aero interface. Hover over the Zune icon on the taskbar when music or video is playing and y'all accept the power to interruption, fast-forward or reverse from the desktop. At that place'south also a nice mini mode that all the same keeps the album art and graphical elements available.

Out of the box

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The Zune HD comes with minimal packaging. Opening the box presents the device, and the device only. Peel back the side by side layer and we're greeted by a couple of brochures for Zune Pass, the music subscription service. You lot get xiv days complimentary 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 3 pairs of covers — blackness, orangish and red. Also at the lesser of the box are a quick-get-go 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 Hd. From there, things got a little interesting.

thumb_250_Zune%20update.PNG Windows 7 RC immediately connected to the Zune, and you're informed that there's an update available for the Zune HD itself. It took about 15 minutes to flash the device and take it set up to go, and information technology was all done through the Zune software. It'due south a trivial unnerving that the device was ready for a firmware update on Day 1. We're assuming that'southward not a large deal if you lot're a longtime reader of WMExperts. But it's not actually something we'd like to run across the boilerplate consumer become through upon first plugging in their new Zune HD.

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

The hardware

Wait, this thing is small. So how does it feel? Information technology'southward athwart, just non in a bad way. If yous've ever handled an HTC Touch Diamond or Touch Diamond ii, you lot're in the ballpark. The Zune HD is most a full half-centimeter thinner than the Diamond 2. It'southward not quite equally tall as the iPod Affect, and it fits my paw improve. Your mileage may vary.

The specs

Size: iv.0 inches tall, 2.one inches wide, 0.4 inches thick.
Weight: ii.6 ounces.
Screen: 3.iii-inch diagonal capacitive OLED touchscreen with a sixteen:9 (think movie) aspect ratio.
Resolution: 480 pixels past 272 pixels.
NVidia Tegra processor @650MHz.
Internal memory: 32GB (silver - $289.99); 16GB (black - $219.99).
3.5mm headphone jack.
FM radio (Hd radio).
WiFi: 802.11b/yard
Video output via dock.
Battery: 660mAh. Reportedly up to 33 hours of continuous audio playback, or viii.5 hours of video playback.

The buttons

Buttons are thin. There'due south a power push button on the top bezel, a "home" push button on the bottom of the forepart face, and a control push button on the left bezel. It'south non the rocker yous're used to. Rather, it pops upwards on-screen controls, including pause/play, frontward, reverse, volume up/downward, track number, creative person and vocal title.

Briefly clicking the home push takes you lot to the textual home screen we know from Windows Mobile 6.five, or to a quickplay menu to the left (really left and to the rear, in a chip of visual 3D trickery.) The quickplay features what'southward now playing, "pins" (you can "pivot" items to the menu), a history of recently accessed items, and new items. Flicking vertically scrolls through the options. Yous tin can motion picture horizontally between the two, simply it can be a fleck catchy.

My only gripe about the buttons' placement is that I sometimes hit the power push button with my index finger if I'thousand going for the control button my thumb. Only that may well be a fail on my office, and not one of design.

On the bottom bezel of the Zune Hard disk drive are the 3.5mm headphone jack and the dock connector.

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The innards

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

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 bombardment life. We're going to become a few good charges nether our belt earlier laying claim to whatsoever bombardment-usage numbers, but it's condom to say that the Zune Hard disk will have a different usage pattern than a smartphone or iPod Affect, whereas it won't be manhandled nearly as much. At least, that'll be the case until more apps are released.

About that screen

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This one will be upwardly for fence for some fourth dimension. The OLED screen is three.3 inches diagonal — definitely a decent size — and capacitive to kicking. Information technology's plenty responsive, and right upward there with the iPhone. Actually, it's not quite as responsive, and that'south not necessarily a bad affair. It just feels less twitchy. On the other hand, I occasionally have to swipe twice to trigger an activity. That may exist my unfamiliarity with the device, or it may be the screen. Besides early to tell. Multi-bear on works the aforementioned as we're used to.

As for the OLED screen — that's Organic Light Emitting Diode — it's pretty much gorgeous. Just it'south non perfect. Even at the Zune Hard disk's highest display setting (there are iii), whites aren't quite every bit white as on the iPod Impact, and reds announced a petty likewise 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 concern with OLED screens is visibility outdoors, particularly in sunlight. I conducted a couple of cursory, unscientific tests. I went outside and stood in the sunlight. (And surprisingly didn't burst into flame.) At the medium setting, the Zune Hd's screen was all simply washed out; I could withal slightly brand out the iPod Touch'southward screen. Cranked the Zune HD's brandish to the "loftier" setting and they were about equal in the sunlight.

But hither's the thing: I'm non going to exist using any device in straight sunlight. Being equally how I'm bipedal and have opposing thumbs, I'm going to move any screen out then that I can see it improve. OLED, regular LED, resistive, capacitive, whatsoever. If I can't run across properly, I'm going to move. For me, it's a non-issue. The iPhone and iPod Touch volition win the outdoor usability competition. Simply, again, nosotros're talking two usage scenarios here. Y'all're merely not going to be using the Zune Hard disk in the same way.

What'south missing/Wrapping upwardly Office i

You didn't think that was it, did yous? We're only scratching the surface. The bottom line here is this is a solid, solid portable media actor. Just nosotros wouldn't want Microsoft to merely slap a telephone radio into the Zune Hd and call it a smartphone. There'south no GPS built in. There's no Bluetooth. There's no speaker. For me, those are three deal-breakers when it comes to a phone. Actually, I'd debate that a speaker and Bluetooth are pretty important to any PMP these days. But when y'all're trying to keep size/toll down, merchandise-offs have to be made.

Coming up in Part 2, we'll tackle the software on the Zune Hd, including what Microsoft got very, very right ... and what leaves u.s. wanting.

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