-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-

-

-

-

So as I mentioned before, I received a Microsoft Zune, as part of a word of mouth program, with matchstick.ca in collaboration with chatthreads.com. Click HERE for the Zune website.

I have had it in my possession for a week now. And I personally think a week is more than enough time to play around with something to give it a decent review. Especially when it comes to electronics.

*I actually have yet to use the wireless aspect of the Zune, so I can’t comment on that yet…*

First off, lets talk about the physical device

Size (as stated on the website): 41.4 mm x 91.5 mm x 8.5 mm (w x h x d)
It’s nice and thin, not too heavy at 47 grams. It’s just slightly heavier than a package of Hersey’s Kissabes. The front plate is black, while the back is a matte silver, with a slight coarser touch. I find that the back part, is very sensitive to scuffs and scratching, which is a slight hassle. The front screen has proved to be very durable though, living up to its “scratch-resistant glass” name.

It has a touch pad, which at times, can be useful. Though for me, I find that because it is extremely sensitive, I have a hard time controlling it. So I turn it off. That is one of the reason why I disliked the LG Chocolate. But this isn’t as annoyingly sensitive like that.

I like that you can charge and listen to music at the same time. Perviously I used my Sony Ericsson w810i phone to listen to music on the go. But if I was low on battery, I would have to remove the head set, and stick in the charger to charge it. Meaning the time it took to charge, was the time I was without music.

I was lucky to receive the premium headphones with the kit from matchstick.ca. Otherwise I would have been really disappointed with sound quality.  The headphones are cool, because they have magnets on the ear piece, which decreases the annoyance of getting them all tangled up. My only fear would be that they would mess up something in my bag, if they were not connected to each other, (such as my credit cards, the device itself…). They headphone lines aren’t covered in the usual rubbery plastic. They are covered in a fabricy material, which means that they won’t freeze in extremely cold weather, and get all hard, (I sometimes get afraid that they might snap). But the drawback to this is that there is more friction now, so when it rubs against your clothes, you can hear the rubbing, when listening to music at lower settings.

The last thing I have to add to this section, would be the charging and uploading aspect to this device. I personally, (though I realize that this is not everyone,) like having my charger, and my uploading wire separate. Mircrosoft thought that it would be genius to combine the two. For some this might be a great thing, but once again my personal view is that it isn’t. Basically you have a part that connects to the wall socket. Then you have the line that you connect into your computer. Now to charge your Zune, through a wall socket, you would take the computer cord, connect it to your Zune, then connect the other part to the wall socket adapter, then stick it in the wall. The reason why I don’t like this set up, is mainly because I am a student. I like to minimize things as much as I can. The adapter is a little bulky, and the wire…well…I would rather just carry one or the other. Now for some thing is a plus, like I have now mentioned twice before. If you like the sounds of this, then this is totally for you.

I charged it fully, the day I received it. And it just died yesterday. For the amount that I use it, I think it lasted quite well. Of course, I used the 1 second backlighting, with the lowest brightness setting.

The user interface, handling of the device

So at first glance, it seemed very organized and easy to use. And in all truth, it can be. But only after fiddling around with it for awhile, so you know what everything actually does.

I know I was expecting a little too much when I hoped that the system would display non western written characters. They show up as jibberish on the listings, which means that I have to rename everything in order to find things correctly on my Zune. The weird part is that they actually show up properly on my computer, when I access them through the Zune software.

You can’t actually create new playlists directly from the Zune. You have to precreate them on the computer, with the software, then upload them onto your Zune. Personally I found that really disappointing, seeing as I like to change things up A LOT. They do have one “Quick List”, which allows you to add songs directly to it. Unfortunately if you want to delete something, you have to erase the entire thing. All or Nothing. (Unless there is a way, I just haven’t found it. If you could help me out…I would love it :) ) I do like how they separate music though, showing you album covers when they are present, and how they sort music by albums, titles, genres, albums artists. It makes things simpler at times.

The quality of videos is actually quite good. The screen may be just a tad smaller then my SEw810i, but it displays videos better.

Regarding the pictures, I found that the colours were slightly off. Only slightly though, and I noticed only cause I am a stickler for things like that. I liked that you could zoom into your pictures, allowing you see the finer details. Plus it’s nice that you can use your own personal pictures as backgrounds for your Zune, allowing you to customize the Zune to your liking.

One thing I have to add to this section, is that this device does not have an equalizer. Many years ago, this wouldn’t have fazed me at all. But in the recent year, I have developed a liking to use an equalizer on my music. So the fact that this does not have one, is a tad upsetting, and slightly mind boggling.

Computer Software/Program

Uploading music to the Zune is remarkably fast. Or so I found. Same with videos.

The actual usage of the program was a bit annoying, cause it includes so many different aspects. But once you get the hang of things, they can be quite useful.

One thing I am still trying to get the hang of, is not getting music removed from my Zune, when I delete if off my computer.

The program is separate into two sections, one that shows the things that are on your Zune at that very moment, and another that shows the folders that you have preselected to be included in the program, to represent the things that are available on your computer.

Overall, for a simple individual, this can be a great device. The way things are organized on the Zune, makes everything pretty accesible, and easily locatable. It is reliable (though I have seen some complaints about it’s weird battery life), and music quality is decent.

For the extreme techy individual though, I’m not too sure how this would agree with them.

I for one, am just a tad disappointed by the Microsoft. While waiting for my Zune, I was researching and read an article where it stated that the Zune was to be the Ipod Killer. Something I wouldn’t mind, seeing as I am not a fan of Ipods. But I have to say, personally I don’t think this is the Ipod Killer, or any killer really. It’s just another nice device on the market, increasing the choices for consumers looking for a player.

Still, it’s nice that I don’t have to constantly drain my battery life on my phone, and can now rely on my Zune to keep me happy with the music I have filled it up with. And yet, despite my slightly harsh review on the Zune, I am satisfied with it for the moment. I definitely think that Microsoft can step up more, in terms of improving themselves, and actually becoming the Ipod Killer…But til then…I’m satisfied.

I just wanted to add BioSciSweetie’s review on the Zune, seeing as she was another individual who received the Zune as part of the program.

If you have made it this far…

“the people you talk with can enter a Contest for a chance to win up to $500 in electronic gift certificates to Amazon.ca or have ChatThreads donate up to $5 to the charities we support.”

Just go to this LINK, enter in the conversation number 102 986 0160

And follow the instructions.