Zune Review

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   Now I know alot of you are gonna just comment and say ZOMG TEH iPOD IS TEH AWESOME!!11!!!1!! but just listen. I read the reviews about the zune and expected a few problems but I really havent come across any. 

Software - Installing was very easy, I didnt have multiple crashes or even one. Everything installed in a few minutes and was pretty simple. I had no problem syncing it to my 360 and e-mail. Everything went fine, not one problem. I should also mention I downloaded the program from the internet, I didnt use the install disc.

The Radio - Great quality, picks up stations better than my stereo does. Its really easy to use too, you can make presets and the interface is pretty nice. Like the ipod it keeps playing when your browsing the settings menu or whatever.

Music - Great sound quality, you can change a few things in settings to customize your experience or whatever. I love how it shows the album cover in the background and the time elapsed bar is better looking than the ipods. It displays the artist info like the ipod but instead of fading and scrolling it just lists it at the bottom of the screen. After about a minute the screen turns off to save power, you can however change the backlight time.

Video - Im pretty impressed with how nice the screen is. I hear it isnt as good as the ipod but I cant tell what the difference is. The videos play very quickly and the controls are pretty easy. Since it plays on its side the Zune switches the volume controls accordingly, no need to worry about figuring out how it works while just listening to audio. It came with a few videos that from what I hear cant be deleted but take up very little space. I dont know why they added the 11 minute video of nature but ok Microsoft.

Pictures - I havent upoaded any pictures of my own yet but the preset ones are very nice. It really shows how good the screen is. Pictures are easily accessed like music and video. They can be played in a slideshow or seperatley. Not much to really say about pictures, I mean theyre only pics. You get the idea.

Zune Marketplace - Ok, while it is pretty good I will have to say this is where apple beats Microsoft. Not because it temporarily lacks video but just because it takes a little more getting use to than itunes. Im not saying its bad, in fact its actually pretty good. It recognizes and syncs songs, videos and pics instantly. Its pretty easy to navigate and doesnt look to bad either. I like the 14 day free trial idea too, unlimited downloads that expire in 14 days. Everything takes a bit of getting use to but then again so did itunes. 

Accessories - I got my basic stuff here, pouch, usb adapter, headphones, etc but what I dont have is wall charger. Now I called Microsoft and asked them about this since, at least I thought, I saw on their site that it comes with one. Apparently not but its not a major loss. I can always get a discount at my work. Headphones are pretty good, I never liked the ear bud idea but they still look nice. 

So from what Ive seen this is definetley a worth while MP3 player. I dont miss my ipod at all. I havent tryed the whole wifi thing yet or uploading videos but from what I can tell its not hard at all. Ipod has its advantages in some areas but the Zune is definetley a worthy opponent. I say if you dont mind the size (hardly a complaint) or the fact that its made by Microsoft you should definetley get one. I guess I might as well score it out of 10... um, how about an 8.5/10.