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iPod touch First impressions of Zune HD

Hate to start witch hunting and everything, but it's bugging the hell out've me that through out the first two pages Cris (OP) and Jodiuh's replies are always within ten minutes of each other (Excluding the first post)


And Jodiuh, you don't act like a noob. Am I being paranoid? Maybe I just come from too many forums with too much drama...
 
Rusalka said:
Hate to start witch hunting and everything, but it's bugging the hell out've me that through out the first two pages Cris (OP) and Jodiuh's replies are always within ten minutes of each other (Excluding the first post)


And Jodiuh, you don't act like a noob. Am I being paranoid? Maybe I just come from too many forums with too much drama...
Click to expand...

I'm not sure what you mean by your statement. What is it supposed to mean?
 
This has been bugging me ever since I saw the first pics of this thing when Microsoft unveiled it months ago. Does the word 'Marketplace' on the home screen scroll across or anything so you can read the whole word? Or is the 'e' on the end permanently cut off? It just seems so lazy and unprofessional that it literally hits the edge of the screen halfway through the letter.
 
Ivan P: As far as I can tell, the "Marketplace" is permanently like that. I haven't found anywhere to resize the font, and I haven't seen any sort of scroll animation out from it. That being said, I've never seen a problem with it really. I know people have talked about it several times since the first photos were released this summer, but it's just the styling they used on this device. If a person can't stand this type of styling where you can't see all the letters in a word, the Zune definitely isn't for them..it's a reoccurring theme in this device. For example, when you tap on a main menu item, such as "Music", "Videos", "Marketplace", etc, it "zooms" in under that word, and in large font across the top of the device, you see the bottom part of the first few letters of the menu you just entered. For example if you tapped "Music", once zoomed in, you see the bottom half of the letters "M U S" on the top half of the screen, and you tap that if you want to go back "up" to that level of menu structure (took me forever to figure that out!). I'll try to get pictures of this to better show what I'm talking about later. I actually like this styling/theme so far. It's all very very fluid and very modern looking.

Edit: I shot this really quick video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rSfanvBdWTQ of this "zoom into the word" menu transition effect to show you what I meant. This "not showing the whole word" thing is a theme on this device. Also in this video I tried showing the "Quickplay" quick launch part of the OS that you get to by swiping to the left. It's constantly shadowed in the background on the left side of the homescreen, and comes to the front when swiping to the left. It shows any running apps (like the radio, or if you have music playing), and allows you to "Pin" any media item to it for quickplay in the future. It also shows any recently added media at the bottom, under the "New" section. None of this bogs down the player at all, I might add. I've seen nothing but perfectly smooth transitions so far.
 
Nebrie said:
Oh please, fanboy. This entire thread, the moment anyone brings up an issue or has a question that doesn't praise the Zune to high heaven, you attack them and run around screaming and throwing down !!!!!!!!!!!! and combative statements. You are the very definition of an incredibly annoying 12 year old fanboy.

I merely asked if someone had a sunlight pic so I could see how it looks because I WAS interested in a Zune and wanted to be assured that this was not an issue. I did not attack you, I did not attack your precious Zune, and I did not bring up your arch-rival the iPod. The only person in this entire thread acting like a 12 year old fanboy is YOU. Everyone else has been very polite with their posts. Grow up or go back to 4chan. You aren't convincing anyone to buy a Zune by acting this way.
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Hello teapot? This is the kettle calling. You're black.

potkettle_small.jpg
 
I got to compare the iPod touch to the Zune isde by side last night in Best Buy. The sales person kept saying "Microsoft screwed up on their iPods by not making a small nano version." As if Microsoft makes iPods at all, nice. 🙄

The Zune is a nice piece of kit. The hardware, screen, and UI are very nice- tiny, tough, responsive. The screen is WAY better on the Zune.

The browser on the Zune works.... kinda. Anything based on IE6 will have all sorts of little (and big) problems with sites on the internet. I work on the web for a living, so I hate IE6 with a passion. The idea of carrying that horrendous browser with me fills me with rage.

But then I look at that screen, and wow.

The apps and stuff, well, there is no comparison to Apple.


If you want the best device for video and sound quality, it's the Zune. Audio/videophiles, this is your device.

If you want a true PDA, multi-function powerhouse that does things in addition to playing video and music, it's the Touch.

If you want it to work on a Mac, well, then there is only one choice. I'm going to end up getting a Nano for everyday use, and a Zune for my portfolio.
 
Looks nice and good to see competition because it will keep Apple on their toes,

but no App store.

No built-in email.

No built-in YouTube.

No built-in Stop Watch.

No built-in Contacts & Calendar afaik.

No built-in Notes.

No Copy/Paste.

No Bluetooth.

No speaker.

No external volume control.

No inline remote with earbuds.

And browser stinks. Arstechnica did a timed test and the Zune browser was 10x slower than the 3GS/New Touch's at loading a webpage.

That's just the surface. Obviously the Zune is behind the eightball. It's more like the Touch of 2 years ago.

Sound quality differences? Consumer Reports rates Ipods and Zunes and most other mp3 players as having excellent sound quality with high-fidelity headphones.
 
nice posts... great to see some unbiased reviews...

im a little interested in knowing how/why that one dude's pics of the iphone show it soooo white.. my iphone looks nothing like that it's black as can be? weird.


zune doesn't look too bad ... the screen is def nice I can't wait for apple to perfect that technology and put it in their devices... however, one thing that people fail to mention is a2dp... why is a top-end device like the zune hd lacking one of the coolest things about a music player? bluetooth? I guess not a lot of people use bluetooth or something? I use it everywhere with mine.. headphones... bluetooth stereo hub (dc800).. and even in the car with bluetooth head unit... i couldn't imagine having a music player without that capability. weird. can't go back to wires! omg!

and still, this being an apple site we are all sucked into itunes... how/why would u have 2 devices that require 2 separate libraries to sync... thats one of the strangest things... i really wish apple would remedy this by getting over themselves and allowing itunes to sync other devices and end this stupid war... oh well..
 
My Best Buy did not have any display units out last night. Going to go by again today to see if they got any out yet.
 
trip1ex said:
but no App store.

No built-in email.

No built-in YouTube.

No built-in Stop Watch.

No built-in Contacts & Calendar afaik.

No built-in Notes.

No Copy/Paste.

No Bluetooth.
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These I don't care about. I'm a different consumer, though. 😉

No speaker.
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You know, I hadn't even noticed because I had headphones, but this might be a deal breaker for me as a portfolio device. I work in sound, too, so having the option of a crappy built in speaker is a HUGE plus in my book.

No external volume control.
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That sucks. I didn't notice that, either.


And browser stinks. Arstechnica did a timed test and the Zune browser was 10x slower than the 3GS/New Touch's at loading a webpage.
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No arguments. Safari is way better on the iPhone/Touch. IE is satan in browser form. Only now it fits in your pocket. Does anyone want satan that close to their balls?


Sound quality differences? Consumer Reports rates Ipods and Zunes and most other mp3 players as having excellent sound quality with high-fidelity headphones.
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It's subjective to me, but the sound quality was much better on the Zune HD in my experience. Sound is notoriously subjective, because we all have differences and gaps in our hearing that we accrue over time (I'm missing some upper mids in my hearing, gah).
 
Not that anyone here cares since apparently asking someone to walk outside without shouting insults is an unreasonable burden, and that I seem to be the only person here who likes to go outside, Gizmodo just released their review which claims that the Zune is unusable in sunlight while the iPod is quite usable.
 
trip1ex said:
No built-in Nike+ IPod support.
Click to expand...

Somehow I don't think you'll see that on a Zune. 🙄 I picked mine up at Best Buy yesterday, I like it so far.


1. Sound quality is excellent as usual. Better than anything else I've used. They've brought the equalizer back again as well, but you shouldn't need it with a decent pair of headphones.

2. Interface is very nice. The transitions are very clean, and it generally pops around very quickly. The Zune interface has made a fairly good transition to a touch screen. The only thing I'm a bit annoyed about is that in some locations there isn't a back button. The only way to get out of them is to hit the menu button then again drill down to where you where. A software update should easily fix this.

3. Screen is gorgeous. I have a PSP 2000, Nintendo DS Lite, a T-Mobile G1, Zune 120, and an iPod Video 30 and it simply blows all of them out of the water. I have not seen anything better. Blacks are black. Whites are white. Excellent.

4. App Store is very sparse. There's only two apps and a few games right now, which is very sad. I think the iPhone/iPod Touch store launched with around 500 apps.

5. Like someone else said, apps all take exactly 10 seconds to launch. Its a rather odd issue. Hopefully something that can be also fixed via software update.

6. HD Radio is pretty awesome. I like being able to get "AM" stations now, and when music is playing it's much easier to get the track titles to buy over the market. Also I get a lot more stations now in the Chicago area.

7. Browser is so-so. It's not my favorite. I like browsing on my G1 much more. Pages take longer to load, but the keyboard is very nice to use, much better than the software keyboard on my G1. Still doesn't beat physical though.

Everyone who is picking on it for it's lack of apps should lay off at least for now. It's going to take a while for it to get everything you'd want just like the iPhone/iPod Touch. Besides, people are already making apps for the HD.

Also, I've got two pictures. Here's one I took awhile ago of my guinea pig Bella. Here's a new picture of that picture with the Zune HD, Zune 120 and T-Mobile G1 together to compare. Looks good?
 
Nebrie said:
Not that anyone here cares since apparently asking someone to walk outside without shouting insults is an unreasonable burden, and that I seem to be the only person here who likes to go outside, Gizmodo just released their review which claims that the Zune is unusable in sunlight while the iPod is quite usable.
Click to expand...

Here's the quote- nowhere do they use the word "unusable". The phrase they use is "However, it's not a perfect win for OLED".

Gizmodo said:
The Zune HD's screen is definitely sharper and with truer colors than the iPod Touch, when compared with the same video (a standard-def episode of Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations). The iPod Touch's pixels were clearly visible and the color seemed washed out and weak compared to the Zune HD.

However, it's not a perfect win for OLED: The Zune HD's screen is extremely reflective, making it difficult to read in sunlight, while the iPod Touch's LED was quite easy to read in the same conditions.

Part of this difference is due to technology and part of this is due to UI. The iPod touch uses black text on white for music and video browsing, while the Zune HD is reversed. The Zune HD's black background acts as a mirror, making it difficult to see anything but your own annoyed face.
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That reflective screen most likely helps produce the sharper colors and contrast, much like the reflective screens on the MacBook Pro. I'll take better picture over outside use, but that's just me.
 
zenoran said:
im a little interested in knowing how/why that one dude's pics of the iphone show it soooo white.. my iphone looks nothing like that it's black as can be? weird.
Click to expand...

I'm wondering the same thing. His iPhone/Touch screens look absolutely horrid. I have a 2G iPhone and a 3GS and I can't make my screens look like that even if I crank the brightness and stand in the sun. Either he has two defective screens or it's an artifact of the photograph. Note: I am not by any means suggesting cenetti faked his pictures. I just think that the pictures exaggerate the screen differences.

I've played with the new Zune and I will admit that the screen is superior, it's just not that much more superior. You have to see it in person.
 
Some idiots in this thread, I tell ya! 😉

Bashing a product without even holding, touching or seeing it in person.
And calling me a zune fanboy ? Well you got me I guess, as of yesterday.. I have become a zune fanboy...

I posted tons of pictures, as you've seen I have both iphone/touch ....
and I don't care if you believe this or not...

Zune is the best PMP I have ever used...period!
The UI, device itself... responsiveness, usability, visibility... sleekness...
all top of its class in my book....

As I said before, I have already got the iphone and touch...so I am not looking for a replacment. I am not asking .. "oh it doesn't have an email client"
Because I don't care. It's PMP and it's one hell of a one in that regard.

Oh and yes safari is the worst browser ever known. It's a joke... still trying to make it snappier...? I haven't accepted a safari software update on years...

and in 2007 ... 2G iphone safari was even worse than what it is today....
But that's not the topic here.

So, yes I am an Apple fanboy and a zune fanboy (as of yesterday) ....
ANd I put my money where my mouth is. I OWN all the products I talk about here.

So if you don't have the item in your hands, never had the pleasure to play with it... STOP THE BASHING.

You're not stating your opinions, you're bashing somehing you have no idea about. Only FOOL does that!

Edit and I juat read Gizmodo review " The Zune HD is the best touchscreen PMP on the market. enuff said!
 
santos79 said:
Without a decent internet browser, the Zune is not a rival to the iPod Touch. It seems the only thing the Zune HD has going for it is the OLED screen.
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Sort of. One can browse, the other can sing. I've spent 2 days w/ the Zune HD and killed the battery twice. The sound quality is my favorite trick of this new Zune. Unfortunately, it cannot browse and what Peter and Dafrety have to say's 100% right on target.

PeterQVenkman said:
If you want the best device for video and sound quality, it's the Zune. Audio/videophiles, this is your device.

If you want a true PDA, multi-function powerhouse that does things in addition to playing video and music, it's the Touch.
Click to expand...
Dafrety said:
1. Sound quality is excellent as usual. Better than anything else I've used. They've brought the equalizer back again as well, but you shouldn't need it with a decent pair of headphones.

7. Browser is so-so. It's not my favorite. I like browsing on my G1 much more. Pages take longer to load, but the keyboard is very nice to use, much better than the software keyboard on my G1. Still doesn't beat physical though.
Click to expand...

I cannot agree more. This is all anyone needs to know. I literally fell asleep w/ my Ety's in last night because the Zune's sonics just carried me away. It's the best PMP I've ever heard, far and away.

Rusalka said:
Hate to start witch hunting and everything, but it's bugging the hell out've me that through out the first two pages Cris (OP) and Jodiuh's replies are always within ten minutes of each other (Excluding the first post)


And Jodiuh, you don't act like a noob. Am I being paranoid? Maybe I just come from too many forums with too much drama...
Click to expand...
I'm a total shrill dude, 100% paid for by Apple. Now go buy a touch.

Google brought me here because chris was the only one to lash out against the browser amongst a horde and sea of people defending corporations. I don't understand why everyone has to be so gentle w/ products. **** the fanboys, I have no loyalties. I actually got **** for signing up and posting on a mac site from another Zune thread! You want a full low down on the Zune browser that you won't find in any "professional" review? Here ya go...

1. Too slow
2. Too small of a display/res
3. No "word wrap" (this means you'll be panning every 5-6 words on a lot of sites/forums)
4. Handles javascript terribly
5. Defaults to mobile sites
6. Tears up the battery
7. Gets excessively warm, almost hot after awhile
8. No tabs
9. Accelerometer won't work when QWERTY's up
10. _ buried in QWERTY
 
Man any of the people in this thread talk about features that the ipod touch didnt even have in its 1st gen. And the zune DOES have external volume controls.
 
gan6660 said:
THere in the upper left corner arent they?
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While pressing that button brings up the volume controls on the screen, it isn't a rocker. You can't just adjust the volume inside your pocket, you have to take it out and look at it.
 
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