More "2-Cent Suggestions"

[Adam Krebs]

<p>So I sort of got on a roll with yesterday's device suggestions, and I thought I'd try my hand at picking out some of the small things that bug me in the Zune Software. These should be mostly small fixes, but ones I think would greatly increase my enjoyment with the software.</p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/zt/auto/1231479214.usr495.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p>Sync screen:</p><ul><li>Separate out things I've chosen to sync with things synced automatically through friends' ZCards, Picks, and Channels. </li><li>Progress bars. I like progress bars, and I miss them from Windows Media Player 11/Zune v1. They provide a granular view of everything syncing, with options for each track. The Zune 2.0 and 3.0 software feels very spartan in this regard. </li></ul><p>Find Album Info and Album Art</p><ul><li>Simply put, the code for "Find Album Info" should be re-written. It hangs on me 90% of the time, and has only worked a couple times. Even then, it typically doesn't work work on more than one album without restarting the software.</li><li>The browse for album art dialog always opens in My Pictures (or in Vista, Pictures). Most times when I'm downloading album art from the web, I save it to my desktop. The software should remember my last-used location.&nbsp;</li><li>Lastly, I wish there was an option to resize the album art. The new "Albums" view of the music field is cool, but really doesn't address the core issue of either hard to see thumbnails or oversized album art. Give us a slider control like in Windows and Windows Media Player. </li></ul><p>Now Playing screen:</p><ul><li>There needs to be an option (a la Windows Media Player and practically any other jukebox software) to interrupt the screen saver when playing a video. </li><li>Similarly, in most programs, hitting the space bar will pause the currently playing item. In Zune, it repeats the last action performed (e.g. advancing a track, turning on and off shuffle, etc.). This is especially a pain while watching a video, since you have to press the space bar once to bring up the controls, then again to pause it. Make space bar = pause on a high level.</li><li>I love the album art tiles screen, and so I wish there were more settings. If I could control the idle timeout before going to the tile screen, or disable a mouse interrupt (e.g. have to click the button to leave Now Playing), that would be awesome. </li></ul><p>Did I miss anything? Anything you'd like to see changed? Sound off in the comments!</p>

[ChiliDog]

Personally, I like the software in its current state. The album art-info function has vastly improved over previous version imo.

I would really like to be able to access tag info while on the device.

[Perry Reed]

The primary change I'd make to Zune is hardware, and probably impossible.

I'm an iPod user, and so is everyone in my family, but I've been tempted to switch more than once as iTunes chokes on my 10,000 song library. The problem is that all of my accessories are made for the iPod and won't work with the Zune. Primarily among them, a dock attached to my home entertainment unit that let's me crank up the iPod tunes on the big stereo, and another dock in the exercise room.

Microsoft should have used an Apple-compatible dock on the Zune so that the many iPod accessories would work. Even better had they also included firmware so that some of the more advanced accessories, like my recording gadget from Belkin, would work. Ideally, they'd put a mini-USB right next to the dock connector to make use of that standard as well.

Sadly, though, copying the iPod dock would probably get them in licensing hot water with Apple, even if they cleanly reverse-engineered it.

[rockbox1590]

Since the marketplace is a apart of the software, I'd really like to some changes there. It would be great if a person could browse through a list of artists in alphabetical order instead of having to look at randomly chosen pictures of the groups offered. Also, if an album is not available, don't waste time by listing it.

[ujnhunter]

I actually like that it lists albums not available for the simple fact that I know they exist somewhere and can look for them elsewhere, instead of not knowing they exist. You can view "available" albums only you know.

What I want, being a Zune Subscription person... who likes to download new releases on Tuesdays... I usually goto Rock, Albums, By Year... and scroll thru and see what I want... BUT once you hit the album and then GO BACK it scrolls you to the beginning again! I wish it was like a web browser and you go back where you left off.

[jdmichal]

Interesting. I used the "Get Album Info" function for a bunch of my ripped albums when I first started using the Zune software a few days ago. Worked fine for me. Maybe the servers were just being finicky?

Agree on individual progress bars for the Now Syncing frame (same as in Downloading), "Find Album Art" browsing, and album art resize.

One I would like to add: Give an option to rotate the picture before saving it as the background. Might be nice to be able to do this period, but especially nice before saving it to background.

[Phillip Dyson]

I would like to play podcasts in chronological order.

[jdmountford]

I am going to Echo a few wishes of others and add a couple of my own.

1. More Podcast control IE. Playback in Chronological order, Playback by subject, etc.
2. Disable Screesaver for Windows when Zune Software is running.
3. More information in the Sync Screen
4. When there are Multiple Zunes in one household using one Zune Pass I would like the software to differentiate reporting between Zunes, so that my wifes stats are seperate from mine or our daughter's. I know I could pay for a Zune pass for each of us, but that is so not happening at 23 dollars a piece after taxes. (We have four Zunes but one is not on the pass.)
5. Playlist control from the Zune!!!! This would be huge!!!! Make a new playlist, name it what you want. Ability to add or delete songs right from the Zune.
6. Ability to Wirelessly send an entire playlist between Zunes. And if the Zunes that receive the playlist are part of a Zune Pass the rights for all playlist songs available on Market Place should automatically get synced.
7. More Control over Meta Data!!!
8. Sync to Windows Mobile Devices!!!!!!!!!!

The couple other things are hardware specific.
1. Built in Blue Tooth so that I can use with Bluetooth Headsets or car stereos or car kits, etc. Also Bluetooth Sync as an additional wireless option.
2. I would love to see Microsoft drive companies to make more accessories, this is where the ipods win is with accesory options.

Other than these quibles we LOVE our Zunes!!!!

[Phillip Dyson]

I would like to see the Zune compatible with more open Wifi networks. The main ones in my area are Starbucks (ATT/Tmobile) and Panera.

With the browser confirmation limitation I can't use any of them.

[Phillip Dyson]

I wish there was an easier way to manage music from the subscription independant of what is in my personal library.

Right now I add subscrption stuff to playlists.