My Zune 4GB Review

Recently I got the new Zune, a flash based 4GB Zune- Black. It came in a neat box. The un-boxing experience was a pleasure. It came with the Headphones, Zune Sync cable, 3 pairs of earpiece covers, quick start booklet, product guide
and of course, the Zune, all packed neatly in the neat box.

After removing it from the box, first thing you have to do is connect your PC to net and install the Zune Software from zune.net, without which Zune will be ‘locked’. So this was done in a jiffy and I connected my Zune to the PC and started syncing. If a firmware upgrade is needed, it’s also done easily. After syncing is done, you can enjoy the preloaded contents of Zune, as Zune comes with few songs, pictures, videos preloaded.

The Zune looks simple, with a Zune pad and 2 small buttons for ‘back’ and ‘play/pause’. The screen is a scratch proof glass screen. And the size of 4GB/8GB Zune is very small, almost credit card size. But when you start using it, you find it to be the most easy and convenient to use its controls. With its unique Zune pad, which you just have to either brush your fingers/thumb or can be clicked 4-way or at the center. Zune pad also registers velocity, just brush your finger quickly and you can fly through the list and just tap it to stop the scroll. You will find the Zune pad controls to be very natural. The zunepad is complimented by two buttons.

With its matte finish the front gives a solid look while its back is metallic matte finish. At the top it has the Hold switch and space for lanyard loop. And at the bottom it has the connector port and headphone jack. Some may not like providing the Headphone jack at bottom. (But I think, that will be convenient when you will be keeping your Zune in your Upper Shirt Pocket.) I also would have liked a cover for the connector port, like they are provided in some digital cameras. The included headphones sounds very good and they snap together magnetically.

Now, coming to its performance. As in the beginning, I had said it looks simple but once you start using it, it’s the most comfortable to use. The sound quality is great. And the video is sharp and crisp. It looks even better than watching on bigger screens. The video is played in landscape mode. And it has a built in FM tuner. Now it comes with a wireless sync. That’s great! It has an option for podcasting. The backgrounds can be changed as per your taste and the picture of your liking. And it has some more options as Zune Social, which is not available in this region. As you all know the Zune is available only for US market at present, I hope soon it will be made available worldwide. Except those services like Zune social, marketplace which are not available here, I am enjoying it with its good sound quality and sharp, crisp videos, I will give it a five star rating.

The Zune's user interface is simple, easy to navigate and fast to respond.

The new Zune software installed on your PC is easy, and you can be familiar with it as you start using it.

I had no problem with its set up, syncing or transferring my songs and videos to Zune. In fact I have converted many movies to Zune format and been enjoying it on Zune. It’s one of the best experience to watch your favorite movies on Zune. One has to see it to believe. I have also set up 10 FM local stations as presets and enjoying the radio also.

I will write a step-by-step guide on how to convert your movies to Zune compatible format for free in my next post.