State of the Zune 2.0 Union, 9 Months In

[Jason Dunn]

<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1219962118.usr1.jpg" /></p><p>Zune fans, we're just a bit over 9 months into the life of the second-generation Zune, and I thought it was time to take stock of where we're at, and what things need to be fixed, and added, for the Zune to continue moving forward. Since launch, we've had a couple of minor firmware updates, and the big Spring 2.5 update, so if the pattern continues we should see something new from the Zune team this holiday season. Here are my own thoughts about the state of the Zune union. Things that I think need fixing, replacing, or adding.<MORE /></p><p><strong>Zune Hardware</strong></p><ul><li><strong>More Storage: </strong>The Zune 80 needs to grow in capacity (120 GB sounds good to me!) but it also needs a VGA (480 x 640) screen, if not a WVGA (480 x 320 or higher). We need a 16 GB flash Zune as well - music lovers might like the smaller player. Just because Apple hasn't gone there with the Nano yet doesn't mean the Zune can't. Beat Apple for once in the storage game!<br /></li><li><strong>More Video &amp; Audio Codecs:</strong> It's great that h.264 is supported, but there's a lot of content out there in Divx and Xvid formats. Add support for these formats directly on-device. Extend audio format support to include OGG and FLAC. If this is really a music-lovers device, support all the common formats that music lovers use, especially those crazy audiophiles. Apple is a format bigot when it comes to video, you have a real opportunity here <br /></li><li><strong>Better battery life:</strong> if Apple can get five to seven hours of video out of their iPod Classic, the Zune has to do at least that well. Oh, and up the audio playback time too - don't give people an excuse to buy an iPod because the Zune can't last as long.</li><li><strong>Enhance the on-device software:</strong> I still want a clock darn it! And I want to be able to read the ID3 comment field on my songs since I usually have artist bios and Amazon.com reviews in there. Let me dive deeper into my music. Add a "zoom to fit" function for video playback so I can use all my screen and watch video in the right aspect ratio. I keep hearing about demand for audio books as well - I don't listen to audio books, but there seem to be a good number of people that do, so let's bring them into the fold.</li></ul><p><strong>Zune Desktop Software</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Performance:</strong> I personally find the Zune software pretty snappy, but I have pretty good hardware. I see a lot of complaints from people who find the software sluggish, slow to load, etc. Work on making it lean and mean - and it's not like there's a high bar here; iTunes performs like a water buffalo after a shot of tequila laced with Rohypnol. Why does the Zune software chew up 80%+ of my dual core CPU when it does a start-up scan? Keep the aggressive folder monitoring, but don't chew up too many CPU cycles doing it.<br /></li><li><strong>Fix the Install Bugs:</strong> I'm going to go berserk and do something crazy like buy an iPod if I keep seeing comments from people (especially on YouTube) who can't get the Zune software installed. Make it robust, make it fast, make it simple. It's brutal that if I download the latest version from the Zune.net Web site I have to stare at it "checking for updates" for 90 seconds. I know the installer has gotten better from v1, but keep at it - if the person can't get the software installed, they're probably not going to keep the Zune. And, really, something like <a href="http://remove-it.org/tools/unzoone" target="_blank">Unzoone</a> shouldn't even have to exist. An uninstall should really be an uninstall, and if need be, create an official Zune install clean up program.<br /></li><li><strong>Continue to Improve Sync Groups &amp; Autoplaylists:</strong> They got a lot better in the 2.5 update, but it's still ridiculous that if I create a sync group asking for my past 60 days of photos that it will give me all 18,000 of my photos because I had to re-install the software and every photo is considered "new". The Zune software should see the EXIF data on photos, and the file creation date on music and video files, when determining the date of a file.<br /></li><li><strong>Improve Video Transcoding:</strong> Video transcoding is, at best, an incomplete solution. The first problem is that people have content in all sorts of formats (MKV, Divx, Xvid, etc.) and the Zune software won't import these videos. This really confuses people - expand the format support so even if you can't support it in the device, you can transcode it. And improve the transcoding process! I can't count the number of times I'll think my Zune is done the sync and then it will start transcoding a video...then go to 50% complete, then back to 0%, then up to 80% - it's a mess. Thank goodness the Windows Media Encoder back-end is multi-core friendly though - good on 'ya for getting that part right.</li><li><strong>Finishing Touches:</strong> Let us create our own categories for videos. Let us edit the metadata on our videos so we get a nice browsing experience on the Zune.</li></ul><p><strong>Zune Marketplace</strong></p><ul><li><strong>Fulfill Your Destiny:</strong> Content purchased on the Xbox Live marketplace should be downloadable on my PC and play on my Zune, and content purchased on the Zune Marketplace should also download to and play on my Xbox 360. Microsoft is one company - act like it and complete the circle of content happiness that your users expect you to.</li><li><strong>Offer an MP3 Filter in the Marketplace:</strong> Make it easy for me to shop for MP3s only, and give me a way to tell the music publisher that <a href="http://www.zunethoughts.com/news/show/89945/the-zune-marketplace-and-mp3-demand.html" target="_blank">I was all ready to buy the song, but didn't because it's not in MP3 format</a>. Let us, the customers, help you break the chains of DRM that we know you don't want (well, except for the Zune Pass, we understand why there's DRM there).<br /> </li></ul><p>So what are your thoughts about where the Zune is as today? In your mind, what needs to be fixed to improve your Zune experience? Or, if you're not a Zune owner, what's been holding you back? I'd like to hear from <em>everyone </em>on this, even if it's just to re-iterate one of the points I made above. I want to get a feel for what people think is important.</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices, <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He likes the Zune, despite all the criticism levelled at it in this article.</em></p>

[onlydarksets]

Good write-up, Jason! I'll add two thoughts:

Better battery life:if Apple can get five to seven hours of video out of their iPod Classic, the Zune has to do at least that well. Oh, and up the audio playback time too - don't give people an excuse to buy an iPod because the Zune can't last as long.

True, but the Apple has a 2.5" screen and the Zune has a 3.2" screen.


iPod: 2 in x 1 in = 3 sq in (5 hours for video (http://www.apple.com/ipodclassic/specs.html))
Zune: 2.6 in x 1.8 in = 4.7 sq in (4 hours for video (http://www.zune.net/en-us/products/zune80gb/specs.htm))


So, the Zune screen is 56% bigger than the Apple screen, but gets 80% of the battery life. That's not too bad in my book!

Second, for the Desktop Software, a grid view that allows easier editing of metadata is key, especially for videos.

[onlydarksets]

Also, shouldn't this be the "State of the Zunion (2.0)" thread? :D

[paschott]

I'll agree with the codec portion. DivX and xVid would be nice to have.

However, for the software, I'd like a little more control of my files. I pulled in a bunch of files that I'd grabbed from a podcast, but wanted them in the main library so I could put them in a playlist. For some odd reason, it detected several of these entries as being exactly the same. When I pulled in part 1 of 20, it would replace part 5 of 20. Pull back in part 5, part 1 goes away. Repeat, repeat, repeat, switch to WinAmp or any other player that doesn't try to be "smart".

Not sure where this fits, but I've popped in CDs, had them display correctly (except for a spelling error or two). I start ripping and find that it's not a completely different CD and I'm ripping the wrong artist, album, and track names. What's up with that? :mad:

On the whole, the 2.5 software is closer to where the 2.0 should have been, but there are still a lot of shortcomings. Just look at the official MS Zune forums for what people say about the software.

[mrozema]

Release Zune Marketplace in Canada!!!

9 months with the hardware and software, but no online service? C'mon.... :(

[SoundMix]

I agree with Jason's accessment of the state of the Zune. I've had my share of problems with installs. In addition I'd like to add the following:

Bookmarks. The Zune needs a bookmarking system for multiple files that remembers it's place whether or not the Zune is in "standby" or turned off.

It would be nice if files marked with the Genre of "AUDIOBOOK" were automatically provided with bookmarks when the Zune is placed in "standby" or turned off.

Audiobooks should have their own startup category or be merged with Podcasts... Podcasts/Audiobooks.

Placing files in the Podcast folder is a poor excuse for implementing bookmarks for all genre's.

How about some EQ? Lot's of headsets need a little tweaking. Earbuds, IMHO, need even more tweaking.

Provide a selectable feature that "normalizes" files sent to the Zune.

[inteller]

UNICODE SUPPORT!:mad:

[zerocle]

Please give us a way to save quick playlists as well! and a way to remove individual songs from playlists, not clearing the entire playlist then re-adding.

[FiredCylinder]

Maybe not as important as some of the other things requested here, but I'd really like to be able to download content from the Marketplace directly to my Zune using it's built-in WiFi. I'd also think that being able to look at other people's Zunecards on the device would be useful too.

[gjw]

Not being able to turn off auto-sync is the #1 software complaint and needs to be addessed.
Go to any forum and you will see post after post of people asking why the stuff on their Zunes gets deleted when they delete them from their PC.
I know about the guest option but new users don't (and shouldn't have to).
This must be addressed!

And 3rd party hardware support is a must!
I can go to my local gas station and buy iPod accessories but I can go into every brick and mortar electronics store in town and find maybe one Zune dock.

[inteller]

I concur with the accessories issue. Even if MS has to make the accessories themselves. I would rather then just switch to a mini USB port and document the USB interface so we can dump the proprietary connectors.

[yomero]

Instead of "Album Art", just like the ipod touch, we need a zune supporting "Artist Art". I already have problems remembering all of the singers, and I don't want to have to learn every Album from my favorite singers. Besides, I don't buy full albums, I buy a song from this band, a song from that guy, etc. An "official" photo for every artist should be good. I would like to browse "Artist names" but also "Artist Arts" as well.
:cool:

[Ricardo Dawkins]

Good post, jason dunn. Excellent points!

[Rocco Augusto]

I wish the Zune had support for widgets or sidebar gadgets. It wouldn't be useful to have a web browser on the device due to having no fast way to input URLs, but specialized gadgets like weather feed, rss feeds, clock, etc. These would all be incredibly useful in a situation where you were out and about and didn't have a computer near you.

[rockbox1590]

What about wireless synching with your Zune Social account? With so many places having free wi-fi, it would be a great way to keep your accoiunt up to date when you don't have your computer or laptop handy.

[Macguy59]

To date the Zune team hasn't made a compelling enough device for me to make the switch. Especially when you factor in the 'Touch and app store.

[onlydarksets]

I wish the Zune had support for widgets or sidebar gadgets. It wouldn't be useful to have a web browser on the device due to having no fast way to input URLs, but specialized gadgets like weather feed, rss feeds, clock, etc. These would all be incredibly useful in a situation where you were out and about and didn't have a computer near you.
That would be pretty cool. I played around with the Apple Remote application, which gives full browsing and control of iTunes. Something similar for the Zune (i.e., use your Zune to control playback on your computer) would be really compelling, IMO.

[USArcher]

To gain more acclaim and marketshare I think Zune needs the following:

Device Hardware:
- Flash device needs a larger display
- Better battery life across all models
- Up display resolution on higher end/large screen models
- Wireless headphone capability across all models

but I think this year should be all about zune software/marketplace/firmware enhancements...

1. Additional content meta data that you can take with you on your devices: liner notes/backstory, lyrics, etc.
2. Ability to use Zune Software with Windows Mobile.
3. Remote Zune-to-Zune or Zune-to-PC Sharing. Right now, beaming shared content requires local proximity. I'd like to see Zune to connect directly to the Zune service and basically deliver the content to the intended person when they connect either via their PC or Zune.
4. Integration with Windows Home Server. I'd like to see a Zune WHS add-in that keeps track of Podcast subscriptions and downloads those automatically, support streaming Zune protected and can be selected to manage device syncing.
5. Integration with Media Center. I want to see Zune devices add some utility in a Media Center setup either as remote control for Media Center or a lite-version of Media Extender (when docked).
6. Audiobooks sold/sync'd via Zune MarketPlace/Software

[Kacey Green]

Support for Honda's USB audio system. Don't let iPod and flash drives be the only way to listen to your tunes, if you are on the Zune Pass you can't enjoy it the way the Apple customers can with just one cable.

[Rocco Augusto]

I would also like to add that I wish future devices would not be so sturdy and manufactured so wonderfully. no matter how many times i try to break my first generation Zune so my girlfriend will let me buy a generation 2 Zune, it just won't break! I've dropped it a million times and nothing. Still working like a champ.

Come on Microsoft! Get with the program. Everyone knows you have to put together subpar hardware so when the new models come out my old one breaks, ala iPod, and then I have to buy another. Supply and demand! We'll never be the top selling portable multimedia player if the Zune keeps tacking a licking and keeps on ticking. Geez! ;) :rolleyes: :p :D

[Jason Dunn]

Oh yeah, and the Zune software seems to have trouble rendering h.264 thumbnails. I ripped a music video DVD I own, all to the same h.264 file type, and it only correctly shows a thumbnail and plays back a few of them - yet VLC plays back all of them so I know they're not corrupted.

The h.264 support needs to be shored up a bit. And video thumbnails don't appear fast enough - are they being re-rendered from scratch every time? That would seem to be a bit silly if they are...but it sure looks that way. Why aren't the thumbnail images cached?

[Jason Dunn]

Another thought: it's virtually impossible to see what the Zune software is *doing* a lot of the time. For instance, I just fired it up, without my Zune connected, and the ZuneEnc process was chewing up 99% of my CPU for a bit there, then it stopped for a few minutes, then it started again...yet there's zero indication in the Zune software that anything is happening. If it's transcoding something, it should tell me what it's transcoding, and give me the option to stop it if I wanted to.

I also wish the Zune indicated the parametres around what it's synching - I connected my Zune yesterday and saw a bunch of new songs added automatically, but it didn't tell me why. Were they part of a sync group? Were they part of my friend's Zune card songs?

And why does a certain WMV file I have keep trying to be synched to my Zune, with no way for me to stop it from happening?

The Zune software is just a bit too mysterious sometimes...

[Jason Dunn]

So, the Zune screen is 56% bigger than the Apple screen, but gets 80% of the battery life. That's not too bad in my book!

That's an interesting way of looking at it - although since I can't reach for an 80 GB Zune with a 2.5" screen, it's not like I have a choice. :) I just want to see better battery life out of the Zune, all around.

[Jason Dunn]

Release Zune Marketplace in Canada!!! 9 months with the hardware and software, but no online service? C'mon.... :(

Tru dat. I forgot about marketplace support in Canada, but you're right, it's pretty crazy that we still don't have it... :confused:

[Jason Dunn]

UNICODE SUPPORT!:mad:

Is this for Asian-language characters? Or basically any language beyond the Latin alphabet? I've never fully understood this request, but that's because I live in an English-only world in terms of content...

[Jason Dunn]

Maybe not as important as some of the other things requested here, but I'd really like to be able to download content from the Marketplace directly to my Zune using it's built-in WiFi. I'd also think that being able to look at other people's Zunecards on the device would be useful too.

Great suggestions! The Zune team definitely needs to continue to evolve the WiFi experience. It's more useful now than it was in the 1.0 version, but they have a long way to go - and wireless access to the Zune marketplace is the next logical step. And what about if you have a Zune Pass - you should be able to download and stream content wherever you are. The Zune is too laptop/desktop dependent for content...

[Jason Dunn]

Not being able to turn off auto-sync is the #1 software complaint and needs to be addessed.

So you want to be able to dock your Zune and not have the Zune software fire up? What for - to charge? I want to understand this request.

Go to any forum and you will see post after post of people asking why the stuff on their Zunes gets deleted when they delete them from their PC.

Yeah, I've definitely brought that to the Zune team's attention - myself, the idea of having content only on the Zune and not on my PC seems insane given how cheap hard drive prices are, but I've seen this complaint over and over, so it's definitely something they need to address.

And 3rd party hardware support is a must! I can go to my local gas station and buy iPod accessories but I can go into every brick and mortar electronics store in town and find maybe one Zune dock.

Well, they definitely have 3rd party hardware support, but you're asking for more accessories - a wider selection? Definitely lots they can do to encourage more hardware options for the Zune...

[Jason Dunn]

I would rather then just switch to a mini USB port and document the USB interface so we can dump the proprietary connectors.

Nah, the won't do that - a crucial part of any MP3 players revenue stream is the revenue for accessories and licensing of connector. So the Zune team won't change ports, especially not at this stage in the game - they'd alienate all their partners. It might have been interesting to see them launch the Zune originally with a miniUSB port though - it might have helped them get further in the market...

[Jason Dunn]

Instead of "Album Art", just like the ipod touch, we need a zune supporting "Artist Art".

That's a neat idea - there's ID3 support for additional embedded images beyond album art, so they could use one of the other tags for artist image. I think it would be a huge value-add to the Zune software if it were to do this automatically.

I forgot to add that I really want to see lyrics support as well - I'd love to be able to read the lyrics for songs directly on the device.

[Adam Krebs]

It also really needs a "view all" feature when looking at an artist on the device. This is the number two complaint I hear from iPod users (behind Mac support).

I'd also like to see a better syncing screen a la Zune1.0 or WMP11 that will show which files are syncing, what their progress is, and allow me to cancel individual files if I want. Right now the software as a whole feels a little cheap to me, and parts of it feel thrown together and not as nicely integrated as they could be.

Also, I've been having some issues with the buttons and hold switch on my 80 to the point that the play/pause and back buttons are recessed and clicking down on the Zune Pad gets it stuck. The hold switch has ceased to work even though I feel the switch "catch"...and I baby my device.

Wow me in October/November, Zune team.

[Stinger]

Still not available in Europe... :(

[timbevil]

My 80g Zune is 31 days old (two days younger and it would refunded to Circuit City). I loaded about 1,000 songs from the subscription service, downloading them using my ATT DSL connection. The songs played beautifully. A week ago changed ISPs, erased the content on my Zune, and re-downloaded my subscription songs using Comcast as my ISP. Now--ALL-- my songs skip. Read in some forums it might be problems with DRM not converting songs fast enough to keep up with the download speed, who knows. Zune is sending me a repair package but from what I read, the problem will likely repeat on any Zune device until an update is released. Something about the Toshiba harddrives.

[onlydarksets]

Got a link? I've never heard of that, nor does it make any sense (unless I am misunderstanding you). DRM is applied at the source, and it doesn't have anything to do with download speeds. Also, you aren't streaming anything when listening to music on your Zune.

[Jason Dunn]

Still not available in Europe... :(

Good point. It's bizarre that they're moving SO slowly...we're, what, 2.5 years in and the Zune is still only in two countries, and only selling music via the marketplace in one country? That's not doing much for the cause. :(

[inteller]

Is this for Asian-language characters? Or basically any language beyond the Latin alphabet? I've never fully understood this request, but that's because I live in an English-only world in terms of content...

any language beyond the western european character set. Cantonese is the 3rd most spoken language IN THE UNITED STATES. Mandarin is the most spoken language IN THE WORLD. Cantonese speakers do not translate their music titles into ****ty english translations. MS is missing out an entire DOMESTIC market.

The topic of unicode support shouldn't even be discussed....it should be A GIVEN. There are 4 yo players out there from Creative Labs that do UNICODE. Microsoft themselves preach UNICODE in software development.

[onlydarksets]

any language beyond the western european character set. Cantonese is the 3rd most spoken language IN THE UNITED STATES. Mandarin is the most spoken language IN THE WORLD. Cantonese speakers do not translate their music titles into ****ty english translations. MS is missing out an entire DOMESTIC market.
Wow - I learned something unexpected here today!

[Jason Dunn]

I loaded about 1,000 songs from the subscription service, downloading them using my ATT DSL connection. The songs played beautifully. A week ago changed ISPs, erased the content on my Zune, and re-downloaded my subscription songs using Comcast as my ISP.

This isn't applicable to the problem at hand, but I'm just curious: why did you re-download all that music? Zune Pass music is in no way linked to your ISP or when/how you downloaded the tracks.

Now--ALL-- my songs skip. Read in some forums it might be problems with DRM not converting songs fast enough to keep up with the download speed, who knows. Zune is sending me a repair package but from what I read, the problem will likely repeat on any Zune device until an update is released. Something about the Toshiba harddrives.

That's pretty interesting - I haven't heard about songs skipping since way back in the Zune 30 days. Not a peep. It seems really odd that it would crop up after all this time. Did Zune tech support walk you through hard resetting your Zune, going back to the original firmware, and re-flashing it?

[Jason Dunn]

Cantonese is the 3rd most spoken language IN THE UNITED STATES. Mandarin is the most spoken language IN THE WORLD.

Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. I've emailed two members about this specific issue using your text as a quote. I'll try to move the needle a bit on your behalf. :)

[netwiz]

If the Zune had these two features I would buy one now. If the future Zune never has these features, I will never buy one. To me and, I've read, to others, these are must-have, not nice-to-have.

1) Bookmarks

2) EQ

[wetworker]

Software:
Need more video formats, I just hate having to convert videos to play on my zune and make video that is paid for on xbox marketplace available on the zune marketplace.
Why is the install looking for an update if it’s the first time it’s been installed on a user’s machine, have a streamlined install then give the user the option to install updates later.
Hardware:
Make the 4-8 and maybe 16 gig zunes have a bigger screen
Give us the option to delete from the devise itself , that means pictures, podcast ,albums , videos anything
This one is just for the peeps who love to be different plus it would be cool, have different colour choices of the U.I .
I’m happy with 80 gigs but I’m sure others would love a 160 gig zune.
Update the look of the devise and jump into the touch arena, the sooner MS jumps in the better.

[Jason Dunn]

If the Zune had these two features I would buy one now...EQ

I used to be exactly like you, thinking that an MP3 player need an EQ, and a custom one at that, or it sucked. Much to my surprise, the second-generation Zune sounds really good with every type of music I throw at it. So I personally don't think I need an EQ any longer. Have you tried the Zune, and determined its default EQ setting to me unsatisfactory?

[SoundMix]

I used to be exactly like you, thinking that an MP3 player need an EQ, and a custom one at that, or it sucked. Much to my surprise, the second-generation Zune sounds really good with every type of music I throw at it. So I personally don't think I need an EQ any longer. Have you tried the Zune, and determined its default EQ setting to me unsatisfactory?

I agree that the Zune has a nuetral sound quality about it. However sound itself is a subjective quality. Not all ears/all headphones are created equal. Ear plug phone frequency response is largely affected by the various ear canal size and shapes we folks have. Some people have hearing problems that can be allowed for with EQ. Some headhones are a little bright or bassy and need toning down etc. Also, many older recordings benefit from EQ. The problem with adding EQ is that it may affect battery time, so it would be nice if one could disable it. The lack of simple EQ is one of Zune's biggest failings (along with bookmarks).

Paul

[Jason Dunn]

Some headhones are a little bright or bassy and need toning down etc.

Thanks for explaining your point of view Paul, I appreciate it. What we've been told is that the current generation Zune hardware can't have an EQ because it's somehow incompatible with the DSP they're using. I don't know exactly how or why, but that's what we've been told. I'll continue to ask for an EQ though!

[inteller]

Perfect, that's exactly what I needed to know. I've emailed two members about this specific issue using your text as a quote. I'll try to move the needle a bit on your behalf. :)


when you hear back, please post the excuse here.

[netwiz]

I used to be exactly like you, thinking that an MP3 player need an EQ, and a custom one at that, or it sucked. Much to my surprise, the second-generation Zune sounds really good with every type of music I throw at it. So I personally don't think I need an EQ any longer. Have you tried the Zune, and determined its default EQ setting to me unsatisfactory?

No I haven't. However, I sometimes like to listen to music with different EQ settings, depending on the type of music. You might also have a bass-heavy, or bass-light pair of earphones. Some of the music or voice I listen to hasn't been recorded well. It's not the player itself you need to compensate for, but the tastes of the listener, the output device, and the source.

[inteller]

sad thing is I think they ordered the custom wolfson DSP and specifically dropped the EQ. THe fully blown Wolfson DSP in the Zune30 is a work of art.

[SoundMix]

I pretty much replaced my old 2gb Cowan iAudio 5 with a Zune 80 when the Zune 80 first arrived. The first month I could not use the Zune because the software would not install. I spent hours on the phone trying to get this resolved. I found a work around, on my own, which finally got things going, which I shared with MS. Many others had the same problem. In my many years of computer use the Zune software is the only software I've ever used that refused to install.

My simple obsolete Cowan had bookmarks, FM, recording of voice and FM, EQ, OGG and a simple AAA battery that lasted 12 or more hours. It also had more gain/power and it's fidelity was/is superior to the Zune using the OGG codec. It played audiobooks (including DRM) and podcast fine and remembered it's position in the file when turned off. The firmware was updatedable and it did not need proprietary software to transfer files. It also allowed for selectable 5, 10, 30sec FF/RR or continious. I could go on...

That particular iAudio did not support video, album art, social, jpegs, marketplace...stuff that is nice but not real important to an audio guy. It does have a clunky interface. The new ones are much better and support video.

Now here's the rub....If a small S. Korean company can get it right over 4 years ago, why can't MS do better sooner.

All that said, I still like my Zune but I prefer the sound and audio features of my old iAudio.

It saddens me to hear that MS "chose" to dumb down the Zune. I thought they would do better. Unbelievable.

Paul

[Bobbyboy341]

Hi there...New Zune 80 owner here. I also have other DAP's such as the Vision:M, Sony NWZ-a728 and several Hi-MD/MD players. I am enjoying my Zune very much and would rank it first on ease of use and convenience and a very close second to MD sound quality wise.

I would echo the thoughts on more audio codecs...especially FLAC. I would also like to see the Zune to ba able to display the codec and bit rate like the others can. For example, it would be great to see "MP3 256k VBR" displayed somehow while listening to that... ;)

[grantpet]

i've personally taken more than 40 ppl to brick & mortars to help them decide which dap to buy....from chicago to kansas city to memphis, centering in st. louis and towns in between that aren't on most maps.

i know why you can't sell this product to the masses, much less the i-sheep you claim you want to sell to.

out of the countless (50+) salespersons i've quizzed for my friends (and their neighbor's) only 1 was able to tell me ANYTHING about the zune.

as long as every salesperson from walmart to the exclusive hi-fi equipment store can tell you anything and everything about an i-pod and nothing about your product you will never get out of the deep hole you've dug for yourself (most of which was made before you ever released zune).

when potential customers see confusion on the face of the one who is supposed to know, they feel they are left no choice.

few of the salesman made statements about your product that were completely untrue, even while holding thier own personal notes. to make matters worse, they hold your product like a cracked egg shell that could explode.

i may post later and tell you a few reasons you had better put the eq back and include the clock....points on which ppl in forums may not be considering and are costing you more customers than you can count.

btw, arguements about how this comparison or that comparison not being fair are moot, your product WILL be compared to every i-touch and archos 605 wifi no matter how unfair it is.

love the product, but still can't force myself to buy one. you are closer than every other unit on the market really, but you have alot of work to do if you really really want to woo these i-sheep.

[Sh0velman]

i know why you can't sell this product to the masses, much less the i-sheep you claim you want to sell to.

out of the countless (50+) salespersons i've quizzed for my friends (and their neighbor's) only 1 was able to tell me ANYTHING about the zune.

This.

Oh, and, Hi there =)

Zune30 owner for around a year and a half now :D

[Sh0velman]

Also,

This is what Microsoft needs to do.




Take this device: htc touch hd
(http://www.engadgetmobile.com/2008/09/10/htc-touch-hd-takes-480-x-800-pixels-fullscreen/)
Zune-i-fy the exterior.
Build an OS based upon WinMo or completely new that echos the spirit of the Zune and integrates with (a to be expanded to apps and more) Zune Marketplace.
License it exclusively for North America.
Profit!

I would drop large amounts of cash for one.


A true competitor for those punks down in California. ;)

[Jason Dunn]

This is what Microsoft needs to do...

I agree, that would be pretty damn sweet. :D