05-12-2008, 10:59 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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The Zune 2.5 Spring Update: It's The Little Things
"With the new Videos section, auto-playlists, metadata improvements and a more social Social, there’s a lot of big changes to love about the 2.5 spring update. But what I appreciate just as much from the Zune team is the little interface and usability touches that make the experience of using the Zune software that much more enjoyable. The great thing about them is that they’re never realize publicized or explained, you have to explore and find them on your own (or read blogs like this one). When the 2.0 software was released, I was amazed when I found the “Now Playing” screen when I clicked the little equalizer-looking icon by the play controls. This release doesn’t have as many surprises as last time, but there’s still a few gems to be found. Here’s just a few I’ve come across so far."
Jonathan Flowers from Got Zune has put together a great article that delves into some of the lesser-known improvements in the Zune 2.5 software. I was given a reviewer's guide prior to the update being released, and I swear that only a small fraction of what's in the update was in the reviewer's guide - there are just so many little improvements. The software isn't perfect, but it's a big step forward in almost every way - the Zune team did a good job on it.
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05-13-2008, 01:31 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Dec 2007
Posts: 10
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Little Things indeed. I am grateful for the little things the Zune team introduced in this release, like the wireless icon now shows the signal strength, but some things I'm just at a loss at. Like for example how poor, limited, (and buggy) the Autoplaylist feature is as compared to Windows Media's. You would think if they were going to do a feature such as this, they would do it mostly correct the first time. The Zune software still has problems reading metadata in a new or existing database, which has been a major annoyance for me personally. The Zune is still what I would consider an infant when compared to other major media devices and their capabilities. The Zune team really needs to kick things up a gear, no offence to any Zune fans, but the Zune is really sad, especially when you consider where it’s coming from and how long it’s been out. The Zune team needs to wake up.
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05-13-2008, 04:35 PM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by LegendDJ
Like for example how poor, limited, (and buggy) the Autoplaylist feature is as compared to Windows Media's.
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I think it's better in a lot of ways - it's certainly easier, you don't have to understand boolean logic to use it - but I'm at a loss as to why they insist on relying on the "added to database" angle for adding media. It's a complete disaster for anyone that first installs the software, or has to reset the database.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LegendDJ
The Zune software still has problems reading metadata in a new or existing database, which has been a major annoyance for me personally.
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I was having trouble with some of my metadata prior to the 2.5 release, and after the 2.5 release...I still had trouble. But after I reset my database and let it re-build from scratch, 100% perfection from what I can see so far. So in my book, they did a good job.
Quote:
Originally Posted by LegendDJ
The Zune team really needs to kick things up a gear, no offence to any Zune fans, but the Zune is really sad, especially when you consider where it’s coming from and how long it’s been out.
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Really sad? How so? I think the v1 product was pretty weak, but v2 with this 2.5 update is really strong. I'd recommend the Zune to anyone now, without hesitation, which I wouldn't do before.
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05-15-2008, 05:26 AM
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Pupil
Join Date: Feb 2007
Posts: 23
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason Dunn
Really sad? How so? I think the v1 product was pretty weak, but v2 with this 2.5 update is really strong. I'd recommend the Zune to anyone now, without hesitation, which I wouldn't do before.
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AGREED! I just bought the Zune80 on Monday and i have completely fallen back in love with the Zune. The squircle is awesome and the screen that i always thought was great on the 30 has become awe-inspiring on the 80. (First time i saw the Zune video play while connecting to the ZMP i nearly had to change pants)
In the grand scheme of things the zune is the ultimate device...one that is open to a community for features to be created that are requested via XNA
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05-18-2008, 01:11 PM
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Neophyte
Join Date: Dec 2006
Posts: 4
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FINALLY GAPLESS PLAYBACK!!!!!!!!
I CANNOT describe how terribly ecstatic I am right now 
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05-19-2008, 09:38 PM
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Mystic
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 1,520
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ManMythLegend
In the grand scheme of things the zune is the ultimate device...one that is open to a community for features to be created that are requested via XNA
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Is XNA only for game development? Or might we see other apps spring up. Like an ebook reader? That would be perfect.
__________________
Phone: Nexus one Backup Phone: AT&T Samsung Jack; Future Phone: I'm Watching WP7; Media Player: Platinum Zune HD 32GB; Home Server: HP MediaSmart Server LX195 Console: XBox 360, PS3, Wii |
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05-21-2008, 01:54 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Phillip Dyson
Is XNA only for game development? Or might we see other apps spring up. Like an ebook reader? That would be perfect.
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Well, someone made a clock...so who knows? It might be tricky to get data onto the device without some serious hacks though...
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