Player Zune Review

Player Zune

To compete with the dominating and seemingly unstoppable force that is the Apple iPod, Microsoft released the player zune. These devices were widely touted as the iPod killer meaning it would inevitably lead to Apple’s downfall in the market. While that has not happened, that does not mean the player zune does not have some features we might want to consider.

The player zune comes in a large number of sizes. We can find 4 GB models and huge 120 GB models, plus a lot of choices in between. Unfortunately, most of the models only come in black. There is a blue version of the 8 GB model and a special Gears of War 2, a popular video game for the Xbox 360 console version of the 120 GB model, however.

Like most of the MP3 players on the market, the player Zune offers pretty much the same features. It does offer an FM tuner which is something we will not find on the Apple iPods so this could give the Microsoft model a bit of an advantage.

An even more impressive feature is the wireless synching ability. With this, our player zune can transfer music between itself and our computer without having to be connected by wires. That can make the process much easier.

Depending on the size of the player zune we select, we can get a fairly good size screen. The 4 GB version has a 1.8 inch LCD screen which is comparable to that we will  find on the iPod Nano. With the 120 GB player zune, we are getting a 3.2 inch LCD screen. That is larger than the 2.5 inch LCD screen on the 120 GB iPod classic.

On the downside, the player zune is not compatible with Mac and does not support music or video files that you purchase through iTunes which is the most popular store for entertainment-related downloads. Another drawback is that the player zune comes equipped with pre-loaded content.

While many of the players come already equipped with games, such as solitaire, the Microsoft device goes further and includes actual songs and videos, too. Most music fans are not going to want this pre-loaded content and will find getting rid of it a bigger hassle in the long run.

In terms of price, the player zune is a little more expensive. The 120GB version is about $10 higher than the same size iPod classic. The price different between the 8GB Zune and the 8GB iPod nano can be as much as $50 through some vendors.