Zune 80 GB Digital Media Player (Black)
by Zune
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List Price: Our Price: $135.00 You Save: $114.00 (46%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Category: Network Media Player See more product details |
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Customers in the UK,
Buy this product at amazon.co.uk
for British Pounds
Digital Cameras Photo Reviews of Zune 80 GB Digital Media Player (Black)
Customer Review: No sacrifice in performance & great value
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had my Zune 80 for about a week now and am extremely happy with my choice. This is my 4th MP3 player (ipod's, creative labs, and now Zune) and by far the best choice.
I think there will be a lot of iPod users that switch to this device. The only thing comparable seems to be the Creative Zen, but for the same price it's less than 50% the storage capacity.
Pro's
Great quality sound. Factory ear buds are very good quality. I have bought my own for normal use, but keep these around and they sound much better than competitors headphones.
Display. Very large, vibrant display with glass window. I watched a movie on this and the bigger size (in contrast to the iPod) is very nice.
80 GB is enormous. A ripped DVD is about 700-800 MB, so you could have dozens of full-length movies and thousands of songs. Perfect for long trips.
Value. The comparable sized iPod is hundreds more, and doesn't have the resolution. $250 for 80 GB is unbelievable.
Compatibility. The device supports MP3, WMV, AAC (iPod format, unprotected), MPEG 4 and other formats. It has podcast support, which is a must.
Good battery life. I've run mine at the office over several days (4-5 hours a day) before recharging. Took it on a 3 day trip with flights and no recharging. I suspect I'd have to charge if I was gone a week, but I'm happy with the battery.
Con's
No built in equalizer. Sound is good, but I like to adjust levels of bass and mid.
Does not offer support for other DRM subscription music services (like Yahoo Music). Why Microsoft chose not to support their own DRM format escapes me. They do offer the all-you-can-eat [...]. I do not consider lack of support for the protected AAC format a negative, as iPod's equally don't support WMV. I choose to have my music in MP3 format whenever possible so I'm not tethered to a specific technology. Plus Amazon now offers MP3's for $0.89 each!
Accessories. It would be nice to see Microsoft bundle in a car charger or a case with the package.
I've been recommending the Zune 80 to my friends. Very good device.
Customer Review: Zune Review
Summary: 5 Stars
I was looking for a dedicated media player as my phone was not up to the task. It worked but well enough but its hard to be a jack of all trades and since I was approaching my storage limit 8gb it was time to find a better solution.
The 2 main players in this market are the Zune and the Pod (classic) and I have had a chance to play with more than one Ipod I have found them to be a nice device but I have never seen anyone with a Zune so it made the choice a little harder.
From all my searching the reviews and comparisons ect both models do the same thing in essentially the same way. One is better at this and the other is better at that and so on. The accessories all cost about the same but the Pod has a better support in that area by far. Stuff for the Zune is available but usually has to be ordered online. Sometimes it is deeply discounted which is very nice (plus to the Zune. This was not much of a deciding factor to me as I order almost everything online.
What it came down to in the end was the software. I downloaded the latest and greatest versions of each Itunes and Zune and played with them. I liked the MS Zune software better. I just liked the overall feel of it.
The Zune has had a long battery life and since I installed a cradle in my car with a charger its never an issue. The headphones are comfortable and I usually have an issue with ear buds but these are nice even for longer use. I normally have an over the ear set or I use Bose quiet comfort headphones in the house and the sound quality is spectacular.
My Car radio has an AUX input so I rarely use the FM transmitter with the cradle but the Zune has a great signal and its been very clear when I have used it.
I like the feel of the Zune over the Ipod and I like the look. (it lives is a a H/D Rubberized Speck Case so I never see it)
I haven't use the Zune store yet and still have a free 14 day pass to check it out with but thats another review.
Overall, its a great product and I would definitely recommend it and more importantly I would buy another.
Customer Review: best mp3 player of the year
Summary: 5 Stars
I have owned and used a 5g ipod since it first came out and was happy with its performance and its ease of use. However, after 2 years, 30gbs was no long enough for my growing collection of music and videos. So i decided to upgrade to a new player. I first looked at the ipod classic which was 80gbs and was $50 cheaper than what i paid originally. While new improvements have been made to the simple interface of the ipod, sad to say that many of these improvements came at the cost of device performance and lags on the interface. in fact, the performance of the sample model in the apple store was so horrible, that i deduced that if you add my extensive collection of now 6500+ songs and 200+videos and alot of photos, the device would just be lagging all the time. i took a gamble at buying the zune at a circuit city on nov 13 and i'm thrilled to say that this is by far the best MP3 player, there was no regret in my decision. The interface was quick and snappy even with my extensive library, the zune pad is a wonder, giving me the ability to swipe and click depending on the situation. the navigation and arrangement of the menus make it easier to browse and play what i want to play since i dont have to go back one level every time i need to do get out of the menu i am in. the wireless sync is very useful since i usually forget to plug my zune into my computer and just charge it when i dont use it, so its a good thing that it syncs automatically so when new podcast episodes get into my computer, i simply take my zune from my house and there inside are my podcasts without worrying about syncing them. The screen is gorgeous and a step forward the ipod classic's screen. it's glass screen is scratch resistant which allows me to be less gentle to my zune and maintain its beauty. the premium earphones are extremely nice and comfortable too. the desktop software is stunning, in fact, it makes itunes look like some boring accounting program. overall, i am ecstatic about my experiences with the zune and it is definitly the best mp3 player i've ever used.Customer Review: Wow! Great picture and software quality, great sound & volume quality
Summary: 5 Stars
I've had 3 Creative MP3 players, and decided to try a Zune after my Creative Vision W firmware crashed after about 10 months of use. I went with the Zune because of the 80GB storage capacity (I teach dance & exercise classes and need my entire music collection at my fingertips). I was a bit wary of switching to a different brand of MP3 player, but Zune exceeded my expectations. I liked the software much better than Creative's, because it allows for more customizing. I also have a collection of audio books and it's easier to organize them on the Zune. I am very pleased with the picture quality. A couple of things to be aware of:
Comes with wonderful earbuds---a nice surprise. The other MP3's I've owned came with earbuds that I never used, because they weren't comfortable.
Zune player does not come with plug-in wall charger---a seperate purchase. I consider this a necessity and was surprised that it cost $29 at the local big-box store.
Zune player does not have a bookmarking feature (for people who listen to audio books a lot, this is nice to have.)
Zune player does not come with an installation CD. Purchaser must visit Zune's website to download software for the player. This can be a headache if you're having internet access problems. Once loaded, the software is easy to use, and it walks you through the setup procedure. Nice.
Zune player comes with a rudimentary instruction booklet. Since I've owned other MP3 players in the past, figuring out the Zune wasn't a problem. But it would have been nice to have a more complete instruction booklet or instructions on an installation CD with the software.
If you are interested in transferring home movies to the Zune, be aware that this may require DVD ripper software, since the Zune only accepts a couple of different video file formats. These can be purchased seperately from various online vendors.
Customer Review: I think I'm in love!
Summary: 5 Stars
I absolutely love the Zune. I ordered a ZuneOriginal from the official Zune website here: www.zuneoriginals.com. It was pricey, but totally worth every penny. I got the black, 80 GB, and after at least a month of using it, I still haven't gotten bored of it. And I love the customized engraving. I used to have an ipod nano; and while the size was very nice, it didn't keep me interested too long. It was too simple for me. If you like things simple, or you want something lightweight for working out or jogging, I highly suggest the ipod nano. The Zune is quite big in size so it might not be a good idea if you are using it for working out. Although, you could always get an arm belt for it. But if you are into more entertainment and interactivity, the Zune is the way to go. It has many great features - changing backgrounds, music, videos, radio, and the best thing of all - podcasts. There's even ways to put games on there! The high-quality sound and large LCD screen makes things even more alluring. This is a highly suggested mp3 player. :)
The only thing you have to be careful about the Zune is its delicate exterior. It's VERY easy to get scratches on it - especially the LCD screen. So if you are prone to keep your mp3 player in your pocket with some change and keys, I suggest you get a screen protector/silicon case protector to shield it from harm. I haven't gotten any major scratches from experience yet, but I've gotten a few very light hints of scratches on the engraving I got on the back of my Zune. And the LCD screen is very very sensitive to fingerprints. Another downside is that it's not a good idea to use your Zune while it is sunny outside, because you can barely see anything because of the LCD screen. So it might be a bit troublesome if you want to switch to another song but you are walking under some sun. But don't let these things bring you away from buying the Zune, I still highly recommend it!