I’ve been fairly critical of Microsoft’s Zune since it was released, so I decided that I should get a Zune and give it a try.  Over the past two weeks I’ve been playing with it giving my plenty of time to sum up all of the features.

User Interface (UI)

Say what you like about Microsoft and user unfriendly of their applications and features, but they almost always get digital media UIs right.  From the first version of Media Center to the first Zune, the UI has always been amazing.  Anyone can pick up a Zune and figure out how to use it within a matter of seconds.

This UI is somewhat customizable, easy to navigate, and includes small little visual effects just like Media Center.  I have nothing to complain about around the UI of the Zune.

Navigation

Overall the navigation around the UI is very simple, but it includes one huge downfall.  Unless I’ve missed something, the only way to get back to the now playing section is to manually keep going back and back until you get back to where you started (Thanks to Jaxim in the comments, you hold down Back in order to get to the Main Menu, then Back again to get to Now Playing).  Assuming you are building a playlist and you have gone into and out of a dozen artists/albums menus this is crazy.  I have found no easy way to return to now playing.  The Zune badly needs a Green Button on it.  If I missed something here and another Zune users knows what to do please let me know.

Other navigation downfalls include the autorotation to landscape when in picture/video mode.  The first video I fired up had a portrait/vertical view and thus changing the landscape of the Zune was needed to figure out how to change the volume.  The Zune Pad rotates with the Zune in picture/video mode, so volume up and down is actually side-to-side in portrait/vertical.  More consistent navigation and volume changing would be nice in future releases.

Zune Pad

Charlie said that I’d love once I got to use it, and he is partly right.  I love the concept of touch much like Apple has been doing in various ways on the iPods, that said the Zune Pad takes some getting used to and well over two weeks after I still can’t say I’ve mastered it at all.  For long distance scrolling the Zune Pad is perfect, however for selecting a track that is just below the current selection it is nearly impossible to do.  You’re supposed to touch the Zune Pad to stop the scrolling, easier said than done when you are trying to select a single item.  In this case I found myself leaving the touch features behind and using the sides of the Zune Pad to do all the work (D-pad).

Wireless

No doubt one of the selling points and major features of the Zune is supposed to be integrated wireless.  However in my practice, it feels much more like a gimmick then a useful feature.  With the exception of being slow, it works great (technically) whenI could find a reason to use it.

If you have something like a Zune 80 that plenty of hard drive space it is easy to use the "Sync all my music" option, then you can have it sync new content added on the PC wirelessly.  However, on a smaller Zune 4GB/8GB (or even 30GB) this really isn't an option that I'm aware of.  In this case you still have to build a playlist of some sort on the PC before you can remotely or locally initiate the wireless sync, thus it becomes kind of pointless.  If I’m already sitting at the PC I might as well plug-in the Zune via USB and sync it in 1/10 the time.

If the Zune supported syncing from a Media Center and Media Center Extenders (10-foot with remote), my feelings would be completely different.  I’d love to be able to create or select a playlist from one of my Extenders and then remotely sync it wirelessly with the Zune.

I did get a small amount of use out of the wireless by RDP’ing into my desktop, creating a playlist, and then syncing wirelessly in my home.  I can’t imagine that’s the scenario Microsoft is going for, but it is the only time I found it useful.

I didn’t test Zune to Zune sync as I don’t know or was unable to find anyone that actually has a Zune locally.

Zune Software

The Zune Software is of course independent from Windows Media Player which presents problems for Media Center users.  Media Center is locked to Windows Media Player, so the addition of a Zune that doesn’t sync with Windows Media Player leads to multiple applications managing your music.  No matter how good or bad the Zune Software is, I can’t get over it.  Either give me a way to sync the Zune using Windows Media Player/Media Center or give the Zune Software the hooks to work with Media Center as its backend player.

Now that I’m off that I can say the Zune Software isn’t half bad.  Navigation though the UI is relatively simple and performance with my music library is a bit better then with Windows Media Player.

Again there are a few things I dislike when making the needed comparison to Windows Media Player.  There is no taskbar controls for the Zune Software so attempting to use it as your main music playback and management software leads to it being open on the desktop all the time.

In addition I feel that Microsoft tried too hard with parts of the UI.  This eye for design leads to text and scroll bars being too small.  A perfect example is the text is the Settings menu which is actually an 8 point font!  I’m all for streamlining the UI, but there was so much unused space that there is no need for a font that small to be used.

Recorded TV Sync

As I’ve talked about in the past, the Zune Software doesn’t support syncing of ATSC content (or rather, content with AC3 audio).  Because of this oversight, you either have to use SD recordings or use a separate program to content the HD content (DVRMSToolbox, MCEBuddy).

I successfully had the Zune Software transcode and sync SD recordings without any issues.  On my Core 2 Duo E6750 it took just under 20 minutes to convert a 30 minute show.  If you are going to do a lot of video conversation and syncing, a fast processor is your friend.

The quality of recorded TV on the Zune itself was fantastic expect for a bit of motion blur.  The screen on the 4GB/8GB Zune is very small, so if video is your primary use then you should skip the 4GB/8GB Zune and go with the 80.

Addition: All CableCARD content (including SD and HD) is protected and thus can't be put on a Zune or any other portable device.

Social

I’m not really into the social aspect of the Zune, I’m getting tired of every product and company thinking it needs a social network behind it.  I’ve used a few social music services in the past for random listening on the go (Last.fm, Imeem, etc) but I’m not really interested in spending time with the social aspect of the Zune.

ZunePass/Marketplace

I also didn’t test the Zune Marketplace, but I wanted to correct something I had said in the comments of another post.  Thanks to everyone at The Green Button, I now know that ZunePass music can play in Windows Media Player (and thus Media Center), but the experience is broken due to the need to have the Zune Software get the license for tracks before Windows Media Player can play them.  Since this process happens monthly and on a per song basis, there is no way to logically integrate ZunePass and Media Center at this time.

Update: Some are saying that ZunePass works as above, others are saying it works without any license issues at all.  Again, I didn't test it just reporting what I have seen from others.  For anyone who uses ZunePass with Media Center/Media Player, please comment and let everyone know what your experience has been,

v3 Wishlist

As many others have noted the addition of other Microsoft technologies into the Zune would give it a larger advantage over other players.  An SDK would be my first suggestion, let developers add new functionality and value.

On top of that, Zune really needs to integrate things like Windows Sideshow.  This seems like it could be done in a small amount of time and would add amazing value to the Zune.  A built-in Media Center Extender type function would also be nice, but battery life would be an issue.

Of course, better integration with Media Center and other Microsoft products is on the top of my list.  No reason for two music libraries in two applications, no reason for not being able to sync with Media Center wirelessly.

Overall/Conclusion

I still stick to my comments that the Zune is still not an iPod competitor, but I have to admit awareness is growing, albeit slowly.  I was in a Best Buy in West Texas a few weeks ago and two teenage girls were around the iPod/Zune display.  One of them said “Hey, that’s a Zune.”  The other said “What the f#&k is a Zune?”  That’s kind of my impression of any product against the iPod, the marketing has already imprinted the iPod name in everyone’s head.

Zune v2 is what Zune v1 should have been, but the features that are supposed to make the Zune standout have not really impressed me.  Wireless in its current state is still nearly useless, the Zune Pad doesn’t match the Click Wheel or iPod touch, I don’t see the Social as a big selling point, and from a Media Center user’s perspective I’m tired of broken functionality and a lack of integration between products.

The Zune is a fine portable media player, but it is far from the revolution Microsoft needs in order to take away from Apple’s iPod.

If Microsoft would add some additional functionality and integration with their existing products I’d have no problems recommending it to others.  As it stands now there isn’t much to set it apart from an iPod, other than a name that doesn’t automatically sell.  If you are interested in subscription music, the Zune is a must have.  If you want high storage for video playback, the Zune 80 is for you.  If you’re buying for music and occasional video playback I’d probably get an iPod because it truly has better navigation with the Click Wheel then the Zune does with its Zune Pad.

The last thing I’d consider is the possibility of Microsoft continuing to release firmware upgrades (ex. v3 firmware) that add new useful features to existing players.  This is something that Apple doesn’t really do with the iPod line, but it isn’t something Microsoft has committed to either (and new features often need new hardware to start with).  Addition: v1 Zunes were upgraded for free with the v2 firmware, but Microsoft has not said if this trend will continue.

I’d give the Zune a 7.5/10.