Or simply pay $14.99 a month for the Zune Pass subscription. But instead of an easy cash-payment system, you must buy Zune points, at a rate of 80 points per $1. Many of the songs are 79 cents, a 20 percent discount from iTunes. The online store was something Microsoft had to do to compete with the iTunes store. And you can’t add data files using Zune’s software. It doesn’t pop up as a letter drive, so you can’t drop data files into it. Oddly, Zune can’t be used as a data storage device, like the iPod. To add music to the Zune, you must drag it to the column with the Zune icon (mine happened to be brown and I was using a brown Zune – did it know that?) and hit “Start Sync” at the bottom of the column. It scanned “My Music” and related media folders to stock the Zune library on my computer. Worse, when I plugged the Zune into my computer, Windows Media Player didn’t even recognize it.īut the new Zune software was just as easy – or hard – to use as iTunes. Microsoft built new software from scratch instead of relying on the free Windows player. Its online store had the iTunes Store sensibility, although noticeably missing is a podcast area and video store, which has got to be on the way, right? What else could that big screen be for? It comes with a software music player/organizer that had a very iTunes-y feel. But I ask why stop with Zunes? Why not let me wirelessly transfer my songs from PC to Zune?īeyond hardware, the Zune was much more like the iPod than I imagined. This could be useful if more people buy a Zune. The shared song can be listened to three times in three days. Search for nearby Zunes and hit ‘Send’ (I didn’t test this though because I only had one Zune). Zune has built-in Wi-Fi, which can only be used to share songs with other Zunes. The first letter of each song flashes as it moves down the alphabet so you know when you’ve reached Weezer. Hold the bottom edge of the round button and titles zip by in seconds. Two buttons straddling the wheel go to the previous menu or pause/play.įor people with massive music libraries, Zune’s scrolling is easier on the fingers than spinning the iPod wheel. But it does control direction, volume and scrolling.
The round button doesn’t spin like we’re used to with an iPod. And Microsoft preloads the Zune with several songs and videos. Audio is adequate with the included headphones – no better or worse than my iPod.
The 3-inch rectangle screen can be held sideways for widescreen shows. The exterior doesn’t scratch easily, like iPods. The lowdown: Straight up, the Zune is a decent music player with a big, beautiful screen. Purpose: The Microsoft Zune plays music, videos and photos.
0 kommentar(er)
