The Rabapab Blog

A few weeks ago I posted about the Zune HD, the new Microsoft media player to compete against the iPod Touch.  While Apple is certainly not in anyway close to losing their lead over the media player market, the new Zune HD will certainly close the gap a little more.  Prices were actually leaked a few weeks before the Pre-Order pages started showing up.  Currently both Amazon and Best Buy have the 16GB version available for $219.99 and the 32GB version for $289.99, both to begin shipping on 9/15/2009.

Best Buy – http://bit.ly/20OYJ4

Amazon – http://bit.ly/xtzds

From what I have seen the 16GB version is available in Black, while the 32GB version comes in a Silver color.  Other than memory size both devices are the same on the inside.  The new Zune HD has the following features which will make it stand out against the iPod Touch.  It includes an HD Radio tuner, OLED touch screen, the ability to display videos through the A/V Dock in 720P HD format.  Those are only a few of the new features that will be coming with the new Zune HD media player.  I certainly look forward to being able to play with the new device when it is released.

Once I have the device in hand I will throw a Review post up with some pictures and what not.  The one thing this blog is missing is some pictures, they help to break up the constant stream of text that the blog currently is.  And with those pictures hopefully I can settle this blog into a niche, one that will bring with it some new readers.  Until then, have a good day and make sure to check out the new Zune at a Best Buy near you.

So I must say that I am definitely looking forward to the Zune HD release supposedly sometime this fall.  The previews and few hands-on reviews that I have read with pre-release hardware samples lead me to believe that it will be quite the piece of hardware.  The touch screen interface is what I am definitely looking forward to, it has been long overdue.  The jump to the HD Radio will help to keep the device out in front, which will add to its appeal.  And now that it will have a web browser built in the device gains the utility of similar devices with WiFi connectivity.  The OLED screen should be absolutely amazing to see in real life, and I certainly cannot wait to get my hands on one.

I do hope that Microsoft can see the huge market for allowing applications to be developed for the device.  And with that knowledge I hope they open the device to 3rd party developers to create software similar to that capable of being run on the iPod Touch devices.  Otherwise, even with all the nice bells and whistles the Zune will still be lagging far behind the iPod Touch and iPhone applications market.  I would think that making the Zune device capable of running 3rd party software would be possible, considering as how it is running a Microsoft operating system.  Certainly they can build something that Apple is clearly capable of building, only I am sure that Microsoft can do it better and with the ability to multi-task.

If you are looking for more information check out the following articles, I found them informative.

http://reviews.cnet.com/8301-12519_7-10303243-49.html

http://www.engadget.com/2009/05/28/zune-hd-hands-on/

http://gizmodo.com/5272228/zune-hd-hands-on-photos-and-video-tour

Those are just a few articles with pics of early versions of the device in the hands of the reviewers.  And so far the device looks amazing, it can only get better between now and release.  Hopefully Microsoft will see the light and start releasing development kits to developers to begin creating applications.  That way with some luck they have some apps ready to go when the device is released.

Stay tuned for more on this device in the future.  I do plan on grabbing one as soon the device is released.

About 8 months or so ago I picked up a replacement for my old 20GB iPod.  The iPod had served me well over the years, more recently turning into a glorified portable hard drive.  In fact it is actually hooked up to one of my home network servers right now acting as a spare 20GB hard drive. 

The replacement that I picked up was not another iPod, instead I chose to embrace the Microsoft solution, the Zune.  Now when the Zune 1st came out it was hampered by design flaws and software limitations.  The original Zune only had a 30GB drive in it, which was still larger than my old iPod.  When they 1st came out I was all about getting one, but as I began to read up on them I found out that while they were vastly different from the iPod they were experiencing numerous software and hardware issues.That being the case I decided to hold off on picking one up right away, and decided it would be better to wait and see if they came out with a 2nd generation Zune.  The Zune I saw in the store the day I decided to make my purchase was leaps and bounds better than the original Zune.  Instead of a 30GB drive, my Zune had a whopping 80GB drive, vastly more storage space than the old iPod.  The Zune had a nice glass covered widescreen format, perfect for watching movies on the go, it also had more than enough room to store all of my favorite music.  Now I won’t lie when I was using my iPod I had a severly out of date music collection.  I was not into the whole iTunes scene, so I didn’t have a lot of the more popular music that was out at that time.  Well little did I know that was all about to change because I had purchased a Zune.  The greatest feature of the Zune ended up not being part of its hardware or software, but instead it ended up being part of its philosophy.  The idea of the Zune is to create a “Social Network” of like minded people based around musical preference.  Using the Live Network, Microsoft was able to link your Live ID friends through the Zune software to the different kinds of music that people listen to.  You are able to see what your friends are listening to and see what music is popular with them.

The Zune concept also gave way to the “Zune Pass”, an unlimited music collection able to be built in a matter or minutes all for the price of one CD per month.  That was the kicker for me.  For $14.99 a month I can download as much music as I want and keep it for as long as I want.  I instantly built a wide ranging selection of music into my library.  And with upgrades that Microsoft pushed out they are now adding even nicer features to their Zune Pass subscription service.  Now each month you are allowed to pick 10 songs that you wish to convert to purchased music.  Once a song is converted you now own it and have full rights to it.  That means you are able to burn it disc or even share it with your friends who also have a Zune.  That brings me to the next great feature of the Zune.

When Microsoft announced that it was making an MP3 player, they took the concept a step further.  They added the ability to sync wirelessly.  The 1st generation of the Zune was marred with numerous wireless issues, which made the whole thing seem like a bad idea.  However, in the 2nd generation players they seem to have worked out all the kinks found in Gen 1 Zunes.  Not only can you sync the content of your Zune wirelessly across a wireless enabled network, but you can also “sling” songs, as it is called, to your friends on their Zunes.  Microsoft has built in DRM protection on the devices that restrict those songs to 3 plays or 3 days, whichever comes first.  So you can basically send songs to your friends to check out on their Zune and then if they decide that they like it they are able to download it right thru their Zune Pass subscription. 

The main part of the wireless functionality is the “Social” experience.  The idea is that while you are out and about, for example at a concert for your favorite band, the band could be pushing out sample or unreleased music over the air to those people who brought their Zune with them.  You could also be an aspiring musician yourself and while you are at the concert your would be able to “sling” some of your own tunes to those Zune users around you with their wireless connectivity turned on. 

As one would expect from Microsoft the Zune device and the software that you run on your PC track the music you listen to and upload statistics to your personalized Zune online profile.  From there other Zune Social users are able to see what kind of music you are listening to and perhaps discover music they have never heard before.  The online profiles track statistics such as number of plays, achievments (which are unlocked once you reach a certain number of plays.  It will show breakdowns on your most listened to artists, songs and albums.  With the information currently on the Social you are able to see who the top listeners are of your favorite bands, and then find new similar music that you may not have heard of before.  The Social makes it fun and easy to find new music, which for me is what it is all about. 

So if you are one of my friends and you have not picked up or checked out a Zune, definately look into them.  They are worth the expense and with all the extras that you get with the device you really can’t go wrong.  I hope to see you all on the Zune Social.

So I picked me up one of these wonderful music players the other day.  I had been a iPod guy for quite a while, although I was in no way an iTunes addict like others I know.  With the newest version of the Zune, Microsoft has been able to greatly improve on the original design.  They increased the drive space from 30GB to 80GB, more importantly they actually got the wireless sync working the way it should have.  I have been thoroughly impressed with the Zune since I got it.  However, even more impressive to me is the Zune Marketplace, which while it may not have as many selections as iTunes, in my opinion it is substantially better than iTunes.  The biggest difference to me, which as I said I was not an iTunes addict so this may be available, is the Zune Pass option.  Essentially in a nutshell you can pay $15 a month and have access to pretty much everything that is available on Zune Marketplace.  You can download whatever you want and listen to it for as long as you maintain your Zune Pass.  You are able to put that music on your Zune, and on up to 3 computers and as long as you are a subscriber the music will play.  For $15 a month that is an extremely good deal in my opinion, and as you can imagine I have been going crazy with music downloads over the past few weeks. 

 The other really awesome part of the Zune experience is the Zune Social, which is kinda like a MySpace for Zunes.  You have your own page with some basic details and much like the Xbox Live system you have a Zune Card (like your Gamer Tag).  Everything you listen to with your Zune or the Zune software on your PC is uploaded to your Zune Card, to show stats such as your total number of plays, which songs, artists and albums you are listening to the most.  It also allows you to see what your friends are listening to if they are Zune users, and you can even browse other people and get some really cool stuff through the Zune Social network.  Since it is all tied to your Microsoft Live ID, all your existing friends are available to you right off the bat. 

 So if you have been looking for a really nice music player, the Zune is definately worth checking out.  If you are on my friends list then you should definately look into getting one, if not you may get one for a gift from me here soon, as the small ones are just as nice and they are not that expensive. 

To see what I am listening to make sure to check out my Zune Social Page.

http://social.zune.net/member/Rabapab

Here is my Zune Card