Zune 8 GB Digital Media Player Green 2nd

I love my Zune!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have a little 2 gb mp3 player that I use for running but wanted something with a larger capacity for my everyday listening. I set out without any real concrete ideas of what I wanted, other than not wanting an iPod. I looked around in local stores, read reviews here at Amazon, looked some more, and finally settled on the Zune.

I’ve been using mine for about 2 weeks now and have been very happy with it. I’ve read lots of complaints about the Zune software but it’s really not that bad. It takes a little bit of getting used to, but what doesn’t? Just play around with it a bit and it gets easier. It recognizes any previously-loaded music – like music in Windows Media Player – and has it available to add to the Zune…no need to re-burn all those CD’s. And it’s easy to drag and drop individual songs or whole albums to the Zune.

The Zune Marketplace is easy as well. I actually really like the Marketplace because I’ve been able to find some songs that I’ve been looking for for a LONG time. You do have to buy points in order to buy songs, but it can be done online in no time. And since points cards are available in stores, I now have another gifting option for people when they say “what are you wanting for your birthday/Christmas/whatever?”

One other feature I really like is the FM radio function. My little 2 gb player has an FM tuner on it and I really like having that option.

There are lots of other features I’m not currently using – sharing with friends on their Zunes, wireless access, buying songs off the radio (only because the stations around here don’t use the necessary technology), using it for pictures and podcasts, Zune Pass, etc. I may never use some of these features, but they’re there if I so choose.

Overall, I’m very happy with my Zune and would recommend it.

Better Than and Ipod
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had an Ipod for a couple of years now and I have had so many problems with it. For example the files not loading up right, and we had to reformat it several times. I haven’t had my Zune that long yet but it is miles above the Ipod. First it is very user friendly all the playlist options and the touch pad is very nice. I use it mostly for the gym and having the arm strap is great. It is easy to go through songs and turn the volume up and down just by sliding your finger along the pad. The upload for songs is much faster as well. Not to mention all the different file types you can put on it. It is a great product and I wouldn’t go back to my Ipod for anything.

Zune 16gb price??
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
Why is the Zune 16gb on Amazon $200 MORE than the Zune store is selling it for?

Zune 4 GB Video MP3 Player
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Gave it as a gift and they love it. I bought a refurbished zune from radio shack and it took over 4 months to find all the software bugs. It is easy to use. The FM radio function comes in handy as well. Like it better than the ipod.

The one to get
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My two daughters both owned Sandisk sansas and now ipod Nanos. I like the idea of having the radio like the Sansa did, but wanted something with better software than either the Sansa or the ipod had. So, I got the 4 GB Zune. I love it! I found that 4GB isn’t really enough if this is your only mp3 player. I ended up running out of space and not wanting to take songs off to so I could add new ones. After owning this one for 2 years, I bought the new 120 GB model a few months ago. The software is super easy to use and the reliability has been great. I’ve carried this around in my pocket a lot and the screen is still in great shape. It may be just what I’m used to, but I also find the controls on the Zune much easier to operate than the ipod Nano. I still use this one for running or when I just need something smaller and use the 120 mainly in the house or in the car. I highly recommend the Zune, but if you can spend a little extra I would get the 8 or the 16 GB. I bought my dad a 16 GB this year and he loves it.

There are MUCH BETTER Players!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
The thing that annoyed me about this product was the lack of an EQ which leads to a flat, non dynamic sound – acceptable enough but could have impoved the sound so much more – especially at this asking price! I have come from the highly regarded Meizu M6 and Creative products that offered an EQ and the sound was *vastly* superior and in Meizu’s case, much cheaper!

The software is the deal breaker here. In true legendary Windows fashion, it’s clumsy. Buggy!! Slow! Huge. Resource hog. Unintuitive (learning curve)!! There is no way to drop files in from Windows Explorer (like the Meizu). You are anchored to this clunky software which is surprisingly huge when downloaded from the internet. The one thing it does well is automatically download pictures from the internet to make your songs pretty on the player and software….hurrah :=/ . If you come from Apple Ipods, you’re used to these anchors so you’re probably broken in and won’t complain as much as someone coming from open environment mp3 players.

The other thing that’s annoying is its lack of Divx support. Most all media files on the net are Divx…..another huge deal killer. I’m not wasting times to convert videos to a format Zune finds acceptable.

Other things: playlist is rather useless. Radio is competent. Volume is too LOW!! I have great hearing but the amount of juice it gives thru several high sensitivity headphones I own is unforgivable! Mind boggling.

Aside of all this, the unit is solidly built, scroll works fine, screen is pretty. I do see the animations from song to song kind of stutter, so I can foresee stall/crash issues in the future.

I’m returning this unit as I KNOW there are better players out there. I bought this on an experimental lark to see how Microsoft has been doing all these years with their MP3 players. Grade: D.

If you want a great sound player that’s still offered in market, start with the Cowon stuff. Cowon D2 for something small/big screen. Cowon S9 for something itouchish. For workouts, the highly lauded Sandisk Clip is exceptional sounding to audiophiles due to its Wolfsong chip and cheap! No software limits on these players – no brainer easy to use. All have radios. I foresee the upcoming Zune HD will carry similar handicaps as other Zune products so there is NO reason to wait for it.

As for me, I’m going Sandisk Clip for exercise, Cowon S9 for videos and to carry my larger music library. Case closed.

One of my best purchases
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
My daughter who owns an iPod is jealous! I love it. The Zune is a great little device, it holds a lot of content, and it has been really wonderful for audiobooks and video. Couple of the reasons I like it better than iPod: glass display doesn’t scratch, it’s very durable. FM radio is a built-in feature, you can even tag songs from the radio for purchase later. You can enable wireless sync to marketplace. Zune software looks at multiple folders for syncing (it doesn’t all have to be in the same folder like iTunes), and you can tell it what to sync and when. One small thing I am not crazy about (and this is just as much an Audible issue as a Zune issue) – sometimes I accidentally hit the FF pad on my Zune and end up jumping to the next chapter in my book. And then if I go back, I might repeat an hour of what I just listened to. If you do listen to audiobooks on your Zune, you’ll probably want to hit play and then lock it so you don’t accidentally hit the pad. Overall, a great purchase, and excellent value! You get a lot more features than iPod for the same $$.

great mp3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i bought this player for my 14 yr old daughters birthday. all her friends really like the look and sound.

Overall a great product
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I got the 8gb red zune for Christmas 5 months ago. I haven’t had any problems with it other than running out of memory because of my thousand some songs. The Zune Pass they offer is a steal. Practically unlimited downloads for 14.99/month with only a few artists not supported. I have yet to have any problems with my device, just the accessories. The headphones they give you are ok, but you can get better for ten bucks at wal-mart. My USB connector had one of the parts fall off so for me to be able to remove my Zune from the cord I have to use a pen or something small. But overall the Zune is a great product, comes with 5 games, limitless downloads for $15, and just a lot of great music.

Decent player, but the interfaces are disastrous!
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I got this as a present. It works ok as a music player, but the interfaces on the player and the software client are not very good.

In an effort to copy the iPod, they tried to make as few buttons as possible. There us a back button on the player itself and the touchpad itself. Sometimes they work, sometimes they don’t depending on what mode you are in. There is no easy way to just jump to what is playing. And there is only ONE way to access the volume, and that’s when you are viewing the actual song you are playing.

As far as the software, it needs a total overhaul. You can’t seem to view your collection and what’s on your player at the same time. Aside from right clicking, I still have no idea how to add music.

Another thing? What is the Zune? Is it the player, or the desktop software? Who the heck knows?

Overall, the Zune works once you get everything set up, but once this breaks I will be going back to the iPod.

Great Features
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
The Zune is perfect, i like all the features. only downside is that sometimes the buttons get stuck.

Fine Device…But
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I bought my Zune to replace a 2gb Nano which served me faithfully until it got lost. So thought would try a Zune since was about same form factor as Nano and I needed new cables anyway. I liked the screen and was happy with the fact I had an FM radio which is great for the gym. I found the touch function too sensitive so turned it off and also was happy to see I could disable the wi-fi since I did not use it. Battery life was pretty good too. It was a chore porting my music to the Zune from iTunes but I figured lets start getting rid of the DRM now. OK done, Zune software although different works good enough ( not very stylish but functional ).

SO Zune works for 9 months then stops. OK send for repair. Free under warranty

It takes quite a while to repair and finally they send me a new one.

This works for 2 months and stops again.

I called and found they only honor the original warranty which expired about 2 weeks ago and they want $70.00 to fix it. NOPE – I am going back to Apple or trying something else. Did by a Sansa, but it is not very stable.

Sad to say as much as I did like the ZUNE I need a product that is more reliable.

hmmmm same with my Xbox360, wonder if they made by same people?

Anyway maybe the next generation Zune will be better, but I do not think I will take the chance…unless they are giving them away.

Better than ipod, Sansa.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I constantly hear how great iPod is and Zune doesn’t come close. But none of those people mention the fact that iPod does not work with any subscription services. With Zune, you can listen to practically anything by paying only the $15 monthly fee, instead of paying a whopping $1 for one song.

Pros: Updates wirelessly, can play Zune’s radio channels, and software easily integrates your existing collection.

Cons: The touch-pad looks like something that will break. Fortunately, you can turn it off and click it like most players. Also, it only works with Zune and Audible, so if you use Rhapsody, you’re out of luck. Rhapsody’s radio channels are better than Zune’s.

Love it!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I had asked my 19 year old son what type of MP3 player he recommended and he said a Zune was what he has. It holds all the music I could possibly want, plus I have pictures and videos on it as well!! It’s easy to use and fits in my pocket when I am doing housework. I recommend it to anyone wanting an easy to use MP3 player.

Exceeded expectations
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’ve had an iPod for a few years now and was thinking of upgrading to the iPod touch. Then I heard Microsoft was coming out with a Zune HD and I decided to check it out. I was thrilled with the possibilities of the device but what convinced me was the favorable reviews of the Zune software. The I open the SJ Mercury News and check out the Fry’s electronics ad and find a 4 gig Zune on sale for (refurbished) for 59 dollars bundled with a car kit. Thought about it all day and decided I’d give it a go, even though I plan to buy the Zune HD next month. Great decision. I have been playing with the device every chance I get during the day. Love the quality of sound, love the interface, love the sleek looks, love the wireless syncing, love the Zune software. Can’t wait ’till I can get an HD, or better yet, until the Zune software becomes one with Windows Mobile. So much more advanced than an iPod Nano and I’m sure the HD will rock the socks off an iPod Touch. My ten year old daughter will probably take over the 4 gig Zune.

Threw it away!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
After about 4 months of usage I started having little problems with this device little related mainly to the hardware. Wouldn’t turn off. Wouldn’t turn on! Hold down 2 buttons then will turn on! Today I got a notice that the device software was updated. Loaded the new software. Now it won’t work at all. Threw it in the garbage.

Search on Zune before you buy, read all the WONT TURN ON articles
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I received my Zune today. It powered on, I put it on the computer, it turns off. It hasn’t turned back on since. If you just do a simple search you will find that the WONT TURN ON issue plagues the Zune and owners. Microsoft response is to let it sit for days until the battery drains fully then try again, my response is this thing is a P.O.S.

It is made in China. Feels cheap to the touch. Buttons feel like they will break. The screen resolution was fine, but the actual screen I think is some cheap plastic unlike the glass screen on ‘other’ players.

I would highly suggest you do not buy. I am tech geek and I love new toys, this will be going back.

Great!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I’m a big fan of the Zune. This one was for my wife and I have a 120 gb myself. It’s great! I had a i-pod once but it died on me one day and never came back on. I love that it is compatible with the x-box 360 playing both music and video. The software as simple enough and its easy to edit your music as long as you have the artist and title or at least the artist and album name and track number. and it will do the rest for you. Finding the album art and song names. I would recommend it to anyone and I do!

BUYER BEWARE!
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I bought the Zune after having my iPod stolen from the gym I go to (I liked the FM receiver option). Not only was this device quirkie…it was ridiculous. I had been a past iPod user and was used to the easy changing and re-arranging of music, playlists, etc. The Zune will NOT allow you to sign in and just re-arrange or whatever you want to do…it locks up, makes you completely delete and reload your music in the order you want it….who wants THAT??? I ended up (after two weeks of trying) returning it to the place I purchased it) and bought the iPod. Two months later $14.99 charges started showing up on my VISA for “joining” Zune-pass. I took advantage (although they took advantage of ME) of their two-week trial offer. I cancelled the membership via the internet…and when (two $14.99 charges later) were popping up on my VISA they said “you didn’t call our telephone representative, therefore your Zune-Pass was still extended for each month”. WHAT??? Cancel does not mean CANCEL??? Nowhere on their website did they indicate that I had to phyically call and talk to a representative to cancel my subscrption. So very ridiculous! I asked “where” I was talking to and he said South East Asia (for customer service). I asked them repeatedly to refund my money they charged me for and it was “not something they were able to do from THERE”. I pressed that they had very poor customer service standards and what they were doing monthly was stealing money from me via my VISA card with unauthorized charges…I’m here to tell you… he didn’t care at ALL. BUYER BEWARE!! I vowed to tell anyone and everyone of my poor experience all around. Don’t buy the piece of junk nor have to deal with the substandard Customer “non” support. I still have a headache >:-Z

overall a good product.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
overall this mp3 player is an awesome piece of equipment. My only gripe is with the software, not the player. While 15$ a month for unlimited downloads is awesome, being only able to sync them with a Zune is a little disappointing. another item is only able to sync marketplace music while being online.

Zune Pass Software Lacks Features for Discovering New Music….
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
In a nutshell, if Zune Pass offered the same features as Napster, I would still own my Zune (I returned it). The biggest feature that was missing for me was the “radio stations”, which are playlists that Napster put together – probably by professional DJ’s. If I knew exactly which artists/songs I wanted to download, Zune Pass would have worked just fine. Perhaps I missed something, but the “Social” feature that Zune Pass offers didn’t have a way to automatically put together a play list for me. Since I listen to music in a professional work environment, I just can’t dedicate the time to manually put together a playlists based on what other people like. If this feature could automatically put together a playlist however, that would be cool. Maybe this feature is available, but if so I missed it.

Specifically, with Napster if I want to listen to current Dance Pop, I simply choose the Dance Pop radio station (a DJ crafted playlist). With Zune Pass, the closest I could get was to find a playlist such as “Dance Pop hits 2004″, “Dance Pop hits 2005″ etc. I couldn’t find a “Dance Pop hits 2008″ or similar playlist, so the playlists seemed kind of outdated for what is a relatively new service.

From a hardware standpoint, if the Zune would work with Napster, I would still own it. Since I’m forced to decide between Zune Pass and Napster – I’ve chosen Napster.

It didn’t break my heart too much to return the Zune however, because I know there are other brands of similar MP3 players for roughly half the price, which will let me use Napster or Rhapsody.

The music subscription service is the most important feature to me. I suspect I may be in a minority however, because without fail, when I explain how the subscription service works, the universal response is, “Hey buddy, I can show you how to download music for free!”

In the past, neither the iPod nor the Zune were compatible with services like Napster or Rhapsody, and thus were of no interest to me.

While no stranger to P2P networks such as limewire, frostwire, bearshare etc., and more recently torrents, I’ve never been one to download music unless it was something that I already own on CD (I have a relatively decent collection of probably 800 CDs, although I’ve only purchased 2 CDs in almost 10 years). Thus, being able to discover and legally download new music is very attractive.

I believe that subscription services are the way of the future, and that the iPod will eventually have to succumb to that reality, or risk becoming irrelevant. The Zune is one step ahead of them right now, and if the Zune Pass was on par with Napster, I would be using one right now. I do hope that Microsoft can pull it together, as I find the iPod fanaticism to be quite annoying, and yet their current offering w/ the new iPod Touch is an attractive piece of hardware.

Very Disappointed
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
A friend of mine bought a V1 Zune and enjoyed its ease of use: simply plugging it into a computer, and dragging over songs to add to the player.

Unfortunately, the V2 Zunes use a “special” software package to sync up with your computer collection – ultimately an iPod-esque program that is as useless and annoying as it is stupid.

Not to mention, the Zune broke within 2 weeks of having it – the back light only comes on when it wants to, sometimes it’s prompted by shoving in the headphone jack/power cable in really tight.

I have a flash version, and while it charges up in about 45 min, it charges down in about 2hrs – simply unacceptable for a little flash player these days.

There’s literally nothing good to say about this – it’s annoying to use, crappy-cheap, and way to expensive for what it is. Go off and buy some cheapo MP3 player instead of this ripoff. Actually, I guess the FM radio is okay when it actually gets a signal-which never happens indoors, but whatever, I’ve gotten used to being BF’d by this MS junk-piece.

Also, I bought the car-charger/FM transmitter device – complete piece of junk – only buy if you need the car charger and live where radio towers don’t exist.

Zune trumps IPOD…. Sorry Apple
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Well I have a couple of Zunes(30GB,80GB), and I decided to buy one for my Mom as a present for Mother’s day. She had a look of trouble using her IPOD shuffle and just left it in her desk unused. It took me about 2 minutes to show her how to set up the Zune and download her CD collection and she was up and running. The interface is easy to use and understand. The CDs download fast and it is easy to find the CD information automatically. My Mom is very happy with her Zune. Now she always has it with her and is looking for new music to add to her collection. Overall I got a good price from Amazon and it was shipped fast and got here in plenty of time for Mother’s Day. Overall a great product and great experience at Amazon.

Overall good so far with a few downsides
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
Pros:

+ It’s very light and compact.

+ The interface is easy to use.

+ The Zune software for the computer is easier to use than Media Player and the playlists it generates are just the playlists (so you don’t end up adding the same song to the MP3 player more than once.)

+ I like that it has options to use the touch pad (which is very sensitive) or make it so you have to actually click.

Cons:

- The device never fully shuts OFF (just goes into a standby mode) so even when you’re not using it, the battery is wearing down. Having the screen on (playing games or watching a video for example) also wears the battery down very quickly.

- Since there is no seperate volume control you can not turn the music up or down if you are in a different menu or playing a game (you need to go back to the now-playing screen).

- It has a proprietary USB cord meaning you need the Zune cord – if you lose it, you can’t just buy a standard USB cord. And you need the specific Zune AC charger – you can’t use a different charger for a similar device. Not a huge deal as long but that always irritates me.

- You can not delete files directly from the Zune player itself – you need to use the software. Again, this isn’t a huge deal, but it’s a feature that would be nice.

- As far as I can tell, you can not remove or replace the battery so when it finally stops taking a charge – it’s done.

I’ve only had it about a month so more pros or cons may develop, but so far this is my list.

I Hate This Thing
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Now, my idea of a great product is one that you pull out of the box, plug in and use. Not so with the Zune. I had a Meizu, but they don’t take well to being submerged. I needed an MP3 player quick, so ponied up for a Zune. I’m on vacation. At Yellowstone. I bought the Zune in nearby Jackson Hole and returned to the campground hoping I could click and drag some music into the Zune using Windows explorer like I can the Meizu. No. Does it come with the software I need? No. Can I download the software from a campground? No. Is it charged out of the box? No. Does it come half full of sample music, photos and videos? No. Will the store in Jackson Hole take back a Zune after I threw the original packaging into a bear-proof dumpster? No. Is the Zune just the right size for drop-kicking? Yes. Is the Meizu a far superior product? YES! YES! YES! YES! YES! I’m ordering another one just as soon as I finish this review. It’ll be waiting for me at home when I return. The Zune is garbage.

Not so good
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I got the Zune in red last year for my birthday. I was very excited about getting the Zune. On my birthday when I got it, it worked completely fine. I dowloaded all my music on it. I loved it only for one day. The next day I was listening to it walked a way for a second and when i came back it was off. I thought it might be the battery but had charged it last night. So i tried to charge it again and it didn’t even respond when i pligged it into my computer. I was very disapointed cuz i had been waiting so long for the Zune and it had to end like this. I could never return it and get a new one cuz my dad lost the receipt so now i’m stuck with a broken Zune forever. I really wouldn’t recommend this to anyone because of my experience, but if you want try for yourself. But with my birthday coming again in just a few weeks i am asking for the Apple Ipod Touch, which i would definitely recommend to anyone.

Probably great, if it worked
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I like to give anything the benefit of the doubt, but I went through 2 of these in about 3 months. The first I received for Christmas. I was very excited to have the technological capabilities on par with the ipod but with an FM tuner, as I sometimes like to listen to my morning talk radio show while jogging. The first one I had did not have a functioning backlight, so you could not read the screen unless you held it at just the perfect angle. My second one seemed to work great for about 2 months, then one day just stopped working altoghether with no real explanation. So, I instead got an ipod nano. It is of sturdier construction and just seemed to be better made. It is a bummer that there is not a product out there that has both the functioning of an ipod with the FM tuner that the Zune included. In theory it’s a great product, but just doesn’t have the quality the Apple product provides.

Zune 8 GB MP3
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I was looking for something to replace a Dell DJ Explorer MP3, which they no longer make, to my disappointment. I spent a lot of time researching my options and finally decided on the Zune. I’m still not sure I made the right decision. I’ll never know because I can’t afford to buy another one and refuse to spend anymore time agonizing over it.

What I like (and unfortunately, a lot of this is in comparison to my Dell, so those people who have never had a Dell, this won’t be very helpful):

- screen is much easier to read and in color.

- fairly good price for an 8 GB and 8 GB is A LOT of room for music!!…. I don’t use it for video

- you get to choose from a small range of colors.. I think red, black, grey.. don’t remember… it’s been awhile. (if that matters to you). I didn’t really want a pink or lime green one. Sorry for you pink lovers. I’m just not one of them.

- it’s very small, light and thin. Much different (in a good way) than my old Dell.

What I don’t like:

- I don’t find the software that comes with the Zune very user friendly. I transferred all my music from my old mp3 player over to what I thought would be on my Zune only to find out it was only on the ’software’ part, not on the actual ‘player’ itself. So then I had to copy all the songs again and paste them to section of the ‘device’. It’s the same thing when you want to put photos on the player. It’s like you have to put things on the software twice. The written directions that come with the device are useless. They shouldn’t even waste paper sending them. The Dell software was so much simpler, only had to do things once, I knew where things were on my player, etc…. it was a sign of the times, I guess.

- The touchpad button is way too sensitive. I had to switch the settings so that I have to actually press the button for it to be activated otherwise it seemed anytime I was in the vicinity of that button, it would do something to my mp3 button and my music would stop. It was annoying more than anything.

- There is something wrong with the connection where my headphones plug in. I cannot plug my headphones in all the way or I can’t hear the music. It’s hard to explain but something with my mp3 player is not right. If I didn’t order it online, I would have taken it back. But the pain of sending it back through the mail, not knowing if it is a manufacturer problem and the next one I get may be worse is just more stress than I really need right now.

The thing is, I use my mp3 player for very ’simple’ things. I go to the gym, wash my car, lay out at the pool, etc. I just like to hear a lot of music on “random” while doing those things. This mp3 player is more than what I need for my simplistic lifestyle and has too many ‘extras’ I’ll probably never use. They seriously need to think about doing something different with that software….

The Zune
Rating:3 out of 5 stars
I had an IPod that I gave to my wife and bought the Zune basically because of the radio feature. It’s a fine product with one or two exceptions.

-The directions are terrible. I still am trying to figure out how to do some basic things.

-The screen picks up a lot of smudges from the fingers and it makes it look blurred.

Otherwise, the sound is good, the capacity is great and I’m enjoying parts of it. Some of its features are of no iterest to me, so it might be rated higher by someone more interested in them.

Better than the iPod
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the Zune because I was irritated with my iPod. The Zune has FM radio, something that I really wanted. It also has better sound quality than the iPod. The controls work much better than the iPod’s wheel, which was ineffective when put in a case during exercise.

The best part is the Zune pass. Just [...] bucks a month for all the songs you want. No more a buck a song. I don’t burn songs much, so this was ideal for me. I’ve already saved hundreds of dollars in comparison to the iPod.

Softwar problems are NOT resolved!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I’m sure the Zune is a great product although I wouldn’t know because I WAS NEVER ABLE TO USE THE ONE I PURCHASED!!! After hours of attempting to install the software, re-installing the software, installing patches, downloading updates, troubleshooting and following Microsoft technical difficulties suggestions I could NEVER get the software to recognize my Zune. I can’t think of a more worthless product that forces you to go through hours of work just to use it for the first time. This was pathetic. I returned it after 3 days. I was a long time I-pod user but was annoyed at Apple’s user/song restrictions so was very excited by the specs and functionality of the Zune – especially the FM radio and song identification features. But all the cool features mean nothing if you can’t get the product to work! I was more than happy to leave my Apple days behind me. But no explanation can possibly justify the hours I had to spend just getting the device up and running There is simply no excuse for this. As usual, Microsoft should be ashamed of the quality of their software. Unfortunately, I’m going back to Apple.

Awesomely awesome
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
i love my zune! i got for my birthday and it is awesome heres what i like about it

1. You dont have to pay for songs if you have a subscription only some

2. it’s easy to find what you want edited versions of albums are really easy to find unlike on itunes cuz on itunes i have to power search

3. zune has games!

the bads

1.some albums are not available

2. some artists are unavailable like AC/DC and The Beatles

I really like the zune the earphones rock but my cat chewed up the earphones and there $[...]

GET ONE

Ready to get my 3rd Zune… keeps breaking!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
Thank goodness I purchased the optional extended warranty package on my Zune player, because it keeps breaking on me! First problem that occurred was about a week into my 1st player. The backlight mysteriously stopped coming on, so I couldn’t see a thing in any sort of darkness. I deal with it about a month, then decided it was too annoying, and swapped it for a new one. My 2nd player was working fine, but then about 2 months later, while it was charging, all of a sudden the screen froze, saying “low battery”, and I could never get it off that screen again! Something locked up, apparently.

So, now, this is 2 broken Zune players in only a few months. Each time I’ve had to completely re-load my Zune, and since I use 2 different computers, it’s going to be a pain in the behind to re-load the music this 3rd time. It’s getting pretty aggravating. I’m ready to just exchange this broken one for a brand new Zune (Thank You Extended Warranty!) and sell it to somebody. I’m tired of an mp3 that breaks so easily.

The battery life on this thing is PATHETIC. It claims 20 hours or something absurd in the instruction manual is the battery life; I’m honestly lucky if I get 6 hours playback on it. I’d think more like 4 hours would be a good guess. It’s worse than a discman for crying out loud! I had a discman I bought for $19.99 that used to give me a good 10 hours playback. Now a $129 MP3 player can’t give me half that!?

While I’m ranting, I also don’t like the Zune software. It loads TERRIBLY slow, and slows down your computer (I’m on a BRAND NEW, blazing fast laptop, FYI). The Zune pass IS a great deal, I’ll give credit where credit is due.

Lastly, every once in awhile, I’ll notice music randomly disappearing off my Zune player. An entire album, GONE, out of nowhere! It happens semi-frequently, with both Zune’s I’ve had. I go to look for a particular artist, and it’s mystically vanished!

I could go on and on a bit more, but I’ll leave it at that. I’d avoid the Zune player at ALL costs. It’s a hunk of junk, and I’d wait until they improve the software, and the craftsmanship of these players before getting involved. Go with the industry leader, the ipod.

Waste of Time
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I had a Zune 8 GB shipped to me express mail as I was going on vacation and needed a reliable MP3 player that did a variety of things. I was in for a surprise — I downloaded all their crappy software and still the unit would not charge even after hours of following their internet instructions (the unit comes with hardly any info. at all — just directs you to their website). I ended up having to go to the store and buy one (no, I did not get an Ipod either but a cheap brand that works good). Save your money and your frustration!!

Amazing customer service
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
There was an issue with the shipping and it kept getting bounced around weird states, but Kittywater was very helpful throughout the whole ordeal and the Zune works great. I would definitely purchase more items in the future.

Great at first, terrible later.
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
When we first got the zune, we had trouble with the software. Now we have a fairly old computer, but it ran Windows XP with the service pack and everything so we called Microsoft and we are able to make a few corrections with the settings and we were good to go. We had the Zune for a year and a half and we had to update our Norton. After that we could not get the computer to find the Zune. We tried everything. My husband has a iPod video and we never had a problem with it. NEVER! Not even after I updated our Norton. I now have an iPod touch and love it. If you are going to pay that much money for an MP3 player, just get an iPod.

What the ipod nano should have been
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I bought the Zune two weeks ago, after trying one out at the local best buy. As an Apple fanboy, I’m leery of anything Microsoft related. However, I’d read a lot of stuff on Headfi regarding the surprisingly good sound quality on the Zune.

Sound:

Rich, full, balanced. It beats my Meizu M6 (which kicks the snot out of the ipod) in the subtleties of the piano. Paired with my Audiotechnica ESW9’s, the Zune absolutely floored me.

Fit and Finish:

It’s like a slab of polished agate in the hand. The glass front picks up fingerprints, but resists scratches pretty well. The back is really hard to scratch or smudge due to the anodized, brushed metal finish.

The iPod nano…smudges and scratches really easily.

Battery Life:

Very good. I didn’t play it all night, and it has an auto-shutoff once the plug is pulled.

Interface:

Really intuitive, but also allows blind operation. The interface is elegant, simple, and just plain works (something I can’t say about my Meizu). Compared to the 4th gen iPod nano, it’s a tossup regarding which is better. They’re both in the same class, but I think the Zune is more flexible.

Compatibility:

It doesn’t handle Ogg, but it handles multiple video formats with ease (something my Meizu can’t, and iPod’s won’t).

Wifi, Radio, etc:

It has an excellent radio…which is sometimes indistinguishable from lower quality mp3’s here in SF. Wifi is pretty useless (Microsoft crippled it). I didn’t use recording.

Gripes:

The Zune is almost perfect. Unfortunately, Microsoft gimped the Zune. The Zune used to be able to log onto Last.fm with Zenses, but can’t with the latest firmware upgrade(I think someone’s working on a workaround). Also, the Zune software is really slow and hardware intensive (just like a bloated version of iTunes, but worse).

Conclusion:

I don’t like Microsoft, but I like the Zune.

I’ll be selling mine though, because I’ll be heading to Japan and I’d like to have the GPS capability of the iPod Touch (although SQ is only OK).

I love it!
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I love my Zune! The sound is wonderful, and it’s easy to maneuver around on the menu. The screen is bright and colorful. The only things that I don’t care for are that there’s no way to delete songs from the device without it being connected to the computer and the software seems to take over all the music already on my computer. I had to go in and reset Windows Media Player as my default player. Be sure to read all the conditions and that you understand them before downloading songs from their website. I find that Amazon.com is much less expensive than the Zune store, and mp3shake is even cheaper than that! I’d definitely recommend purchasing a Zune, so long as you’re forewarned.

ZUNE MP3 PLAYER
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I LOVE MY ZUNE MP3. THE PRICE WAS SUPER WHICH WAS HALF OF A RETAIL STORES PRICE.

zune 8GB
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I received the zune earlier than indicated. It was easy to set up. I play the downloaded music in the car with a cable that is also compatible with

my Ipod touch.

Love the new Zune!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have tried Sansa Clips, Fuzes, Ipod classic, nanos and touches, and for ease of use and attractiveness (look) of the player, the Zune 4/8/16gb are the best in my opinion.

The only drawback is you have to use the Zune software to sync music to it, other than that it is perfect!

LOVE MY ZUNE
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love my zune…this is a great player. It is so easy to download the software and then transfer music to it. Zune also has a great marketplace to purchase music or videos. I have videos, podcasts and lots of music loaded on mine. Would definately recommend the zune over any other brand!

Zune 4 GB MP3 player
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I am more than pleased with my refurbished player. Ease of use, user-friendly software, display and sound quality, all excellent.

C’mon, give the Zune a try
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have been exposed to iPods and Zens, and a few other mp3 players, but I REALLY love my Zune. Plenty of space for all the music I am interested in listening to on an 8 GB Zune. The interface is great, I can listen to mp3s at 320 kbps (nearly “lossless”), and still fit a few videos on or a movie (the screen is a bit small for 16:9, but fine to watch HD). The software is much easier to navigate than iTunes, and I prefer to get my music via Amazon, anyway. I may upgrade to a 120 GB version sometime soon, so I can keep a small library of movies on for my commute.

Conveniently small, quick to set up and easy to change as you need. Believe me, I have an iPhone and I prefer to use this for music. And you can’t beat the quality for the current price.

Leave the herd and get yourself a Zune.

gotta be the best mp3 player ever!!!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
wow. I got this after my toshiba gigabeat finally died after about 2 years of regular use. I wanted it because it has fm radio, which the Toshiba did not have. I love it. It works great and the software is awesome too. The picture and video quality is excellent, and it sounds as good as the Toshiba without having to adjust any sound settings. I love that it has games too, although I dont play them a lot because they drain the battery. If you are looking for a new mp3 player, the Zune is definitely worth a try.

Zune 8MB MSRP is $139.99
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
The MSRP on the Zune website for the 8MB player is $139.99 regardless of color and you get a free inscription.

Nice when it’s not being fixed
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I’ve owned the Zune 8 for less than a year and I’m just about to send it off to the Zune people for a second round of repairs. First time the Zune died and wouldn’t turn on. This time around it keeps rebooting and the back button has stopped working. I’d chuck the thing in the garbage but I’ve invested a lot in Zune accessories like cables and a sync station. When it works, it’s a great player. Ideal for those who want to spend $200 on something that you have to send in for repairs twice a year.

Update: Well, the Zune is now out of warranty and has stopped working for the 4th time. I only just got the thing from the Zune hospital a month ago. iPod Touch here I come. Congrats Microsoft, you just turned your last fan into an Apple consumer. Sigh.

Efficient
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
My only disappointment is that I purchased the 8 GB instead of the 80GB. The Zune plays music as well as can be expected for a digital music player, and I like the design/interface of the product. The best aspect of the Zune, in my opinion, is that it connects to radio stations around the world.

Two improvements I might seek are a better shuffle and an alarm clock. I hate how when you shuffle, it rearranges the songs and then plays them in order. I’ve noticed, however, that this is how shuffle works in iTunes so I’m wondering if that’s just an aspect of modern technology. Equally, I tend to always need an alarm clock when I never have my cell phone or actual alarm clock. It might make the product more multi-functional.

One of the best mp3 player out in the market. With some flaw.
Rating:4 out of 5 stars
I received my Zune yesterday in the mail and I was really excited to open it and test it out. The packaging was nice and I really like their unique graphic designs, really different from the majority. The earphone has a nice magnetic design but I doubt it will be too much helpful in organizing the headphones. Everyone has said the good things about this mp3 player: nice interface (almost, as ill explain later), cool touchpad, small, lightweight, a change from the iPods. But mostly today I wanna explain some of the dissatisfaction that I have with this little device.

First, although the interface is nice, it sometimes make you go around in a loop when you are trying to select songs or viewing photographs. If you have a photo that you buried deep in your jungle of photo collections. Selecting the photo in Zune will take you down to the sub-folder, then another sub-folder, and another till you finally reached it. When you finally done with view it, you have to press back button the same amount of times as you did when you tried to look for the picture.

The size of Zune is good, but not good enough, the thickness of the Zune is about the same as the thickness of my gf’s iPod 2G with the silicone case on. I ordered a silicone case and I hope my Zune won’t feel too bulky with the case on.

Another peev I have is the software, yes it’s cool and easy too use to some people, I feel it’s really frustrating that the syncing is no where near as smooth as iTunes. Sometimes it would start another batch just randomly so if your syncing 600 songs, it would end at 50% with 300 songs left and then the software would start from the remainging 300 songs at 0% and all the way till the end.

The most annoy thing in the Zune is that it barely has any foreign language support, so all I see when I upload my Asian music collection is an array of boxes for the titles, not so attractive.

All in all, the Zune 8GB is a cool little device with some flaws. 4 Stars!

excellent
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This has exceeded my expectations! It has done all that I wanted it to do and is very easy to use. I highly recommend it for anyone. I believe that it is even better than the ipod. I myself do not own an ipod but my daughter does and I have put music on them, this is easier to use.

Good purchase!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I love the size and it’s the color! I was expecting the headphones to be in another color, they come in black, probably pink or white would have been better! The only thing I don’t like very much is the button you have to move to “lock” the touchpad, other than that I’m very satisfied. The software is very easy to install and user friendly. I am using it everytime I can and people like it a lot, is not very common yet but probably it will become soon. One of my friends have one in red and he is fascinated as well

Wish I’d gotten an i-pod
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I guess I didn’t do enough research on this thing before I bought it, but I didn’t realize you could not use the Zune with any third-party software. I really, really hate the zune software. It’s clunky and slow and unintuitive. And there is NO alternative. Other than that, it’s pretty good. It turns on too easily–push any button just once and it’s on, running down the battery. But the crappy software will keep me from buying any other zune in the future.

Bad hardware, worse software
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
As soon as I got it, I tried charging it and it wouldn’t charge. I went on the net and tried all kinds of different things to drain the battery and charge it but none would work. Finally after three days, it said battery at full charge. But that was just a false positive. After playing the radio for five minutes, the battery charge dropped to zero.

Another drawback is that files can’t be copied without the software. In that brief moment it was working, I installed the software and imported a bunch of videos into it. I tried clearing the videos from the software and it deleted all the videos from the disk!!! Thankfully, Amazon refunded the amount when I returned the item. Not worth the pain it causes.

Best MP3 player out there
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This is by far much better than Ipod Nano.

Pros:

Glossy front to make it look stylish

Aluminum back so it leaves no fingerprints

Scratch-Resistant Screen

Touch Wheel that works much better than Ipod

Radio that sounds crystal clear

Great Free Games

Video/Picture quality is Extreme HQ, extreme…

Awesome earphones that it comes with

Very, very easy to put/remove files on the Zune software

Zune software doesnt freeze up on you like iTunes, nor does it keep asking for updates

Very nice battery life for music

Sound quality is excellent, 10x better and louder than iPod

Easy Wireless sync feature+Marketplace

Cons:

Took awhile for it to sync up the first time i used it (20-30 minutes)

Battery life for Video is short, only around 8 hours oppsed to the 22-24 hours for music

Thats it, so Im pretty sure that the Pros win over the Cons by a long shot.

This product is by far, better than iPod Nano.

I am very satisfied with this purchase.

Love my Zune
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
This Zune is great! My boyfriend has the 80 gb and I wanted a small one so that I could share music w/ him but not have the bulk of the size of his! Love it!

If Zune is Anti Mac theh why are they Molded to look like Ipods
Rating:2 out of 5 stars
I was happy to receive a Zune as a gift a few days after my Ipod Touch took a swim in a pool of soda.

But now trying to download music I am completely disappointed that is Does NOT work with MACS. Microsoft seems to have completely written off mac users as apple logo snobs. The ironic part is that the zune designers completely emulated the ipod from the structure and even attachment cord.

Yes it is possible if you run windows on the mac to function the Zune, but Still. Why support this product that is so anti apple yet has no problem knocking off their style.

I can only imagine their customer support is just as neglectful.

Great player!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had a 30 GB Zune for a few years now and when my son wanted a new MP3 player I suggested getting him this Zune 8 GB. He loves it. The Zune software was easy for him to learn to use and the quality of the player is really good. He is very satisfied with his Zune.

High hopes – but turned out to be standard Microsoft garbage
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I really liked the idea of the Zune service with the “all you can eat” subscription. I downloaded the software, and it worked ok on my laptop, but crashed frequently, as one expects with Microsoft software. I persevered and bought a Zune player from Amazon. Three different Windows XP machines couldn’t recognize the player (code 1 and code 18 in device manager), so I tried a second and third Zune. None worked. I spent 10 hours total on the phone with multiple “level 2″ tech support reps. Uninstall/reinstall… No luck. I’ve installed dozens of devices from iPods to Treos to Blackberries over the years on Windows machines and, ironically, the Microsoft Zune device is the only one that can’t work with the Microsoft Operating System. I should have known. After it took them 7 years to get out the flop that is Vista, Microsoft is just too big and dumb to innovate any longer. They know it too, since “Microsoft” can barely be found on the service and device. Cool name, cool looking device, same Microsoft garbage. Now going to try Rhapsody.

Great Workout MP3
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Being a solid state memory device, this is perfect for running or biking (not that you’re supposed to, but who cares about one ear…)

I have this and use it predominately for listening to music while running or listening to audiobooks while biking to and from work. Amazing product, couldn’t ask for more. Oh, I converted from Nano to 30GB Zune, then to this, and now I have a 120GB Gears of War Special Edition Zune. With my girlfriend having one, that totals out at 5 Zunes, and 2 MyVu video glasses. In case you’re wondering, I kinda hot tubbed my 30GB so it doesn’t work as well anymore, my Nano has been gone for about 4 years, I use my 8GB for running and biking, and my 120 GB for auto and travel (movies with the MyVu video glasses).

BUY IT! Join the Social.

Worst thing ever!
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought this in june and it came 3 days later. but the 2nd day i had it had broke. I don’t know how but when i woke up from sleeping it wouldnt start. I charged for 3 hours like it said in the book and still wouldnt start. I am sending it back the second day i got it. FU Zune

Worth every penny!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I have had several mp3 players in my past, usually spending about $80. And I have had to return every single one. I finally decided to take a chance on the Zune. It was well worth the money, it came in a neat-tight little package (for a green, recycle-alcoholic like myself, I was very impressed with the packaging) with ear buds, cord, and some directions (which I rarely read anyways.) I had already downloaded the Zune software online, so when I got my blue beauty out of the box and plugged it up. It immediately synced up and BOOM! I was ready to start clicking and dragging my songs to the little Zune icon! IT was as simple as that! Working the Zune, took me no time to figure out!

It is very user friendly, and the sound is amazing!

I love this!
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
I really love this thing. I wasn’t too certain I would. I had only owned an ipod, and, when it died, I read the reviews for the Zune. Since the reviews said such good things, I decided to go out on a limb and purchase this one. Best thing I ever did. I like the software much better. It lets you submit your own album art. The sound quality is also MUCH better than the ipod I had. I can’t say enough good things about it.

Grate
Rating:5 out of 5 stars
Product was in excellent condition delivered on time very good seller. If needed I will defiantly purchase from him again

Worst Seller Ever
Rating:1 out of 5 stars
I bought a Zune from this Seller and it was defective during its first use. I asked for help; she told me what to do to get it to charge. It did not work. I let her know this and she said I could return it. I inquired about recouping the cost of my return postage; she said she would pay it but it would have to be through Paypal. I agreed and sent back the Zune. When I emailed her as to the status of my return shipping, she told me that since the Zune worked for her she would not refund my return postage. She also accused me of lying about the amount I requested for return postage ($8.75 v. $4.75 which she claims was on the box, but did not take me up on my offer to send her a scanned copy of the receipt which I finally discarded thinking she was refunding my return postage – silly me). I have filed a complaint with Amazon under the A-Z Guarantee on this. Also very disconcerting to have a Seller call you a “liar” and “untruthful” in an email. I simply wanted a product that worked when plugged in as a gift for a dear friend. I have been doing business on Amazon Marketplace and Ebay for years and have never had an experience like this. Apparently the Zune she sold me was “on a shelf” for a while which is why it didn’t charge. I never could get it to work. Under Amazon’s policy, “item defective during first use” is a reason to return it. Instead, I am lambasted by the Seller and called slanderous names. For the money you think you’re saving buying from this Seller, go to the nearest Best Buy and rest assured that you’re getting a product that works the first time you plug it in, and without the negative and meanspirited comments.