Zune HD

Enter Microsoft’s Zune HD! I ordered one for delivery next week and shall be saved from the hell that is iTunes on Windows (I don’t doubt it runs smoothly on a Mac but on PC it’s an overbloated pile of shit).  I bought an iPod years ago because it was all that was available to me at the time with the storage I was after and have never enjoyed using it from day one.

So what does the Zune HD offer that has made this such a sweet piece of hardware?

  • Touchscreen
  • Built-in web browser/wi-fi
  • HD Video (720p streamable to HDTV via dock)
  • Built-in radio
  • Apps
  • Zune software is clean and fast
  • Zune Marketplace
  • Zune Social
  • Zune Pass
  • XNA support

So I thought I’d touch on some of the key feaures highlighted above.  The Zune Marketplace is like iTunes Store where you can purchase MP3s, videos, and applications but what Microsoft have added some features that take it way beyond iTunes.

First is Zune Social.  You create a username (or use your Xbox Live user account if you have one) and it then scrobbles your tracks just like Last.FM but isntead to Zune Social.  There is a program for Windows called Zuse which allows you to scrobble tracks to Last.FM if you’re worried about losing that ability.  Taking a page out of Xbox Live, they have added Badges to your Social account which act almost like Achievements that you unlock as you play more and more songs.

Next up we have Zune Pass.  For a paltry $15/month you get the ability to stream any music found in the Zune Marketplace using the built-in wifi – it’s like having Spotify on the go.  But wait! That’s not all! You also get to download 10 MP3′s to keep each month.  This is a feature which I feel extends the 32Gb flash storage found on the device in a way that works beautifully in this ever-connected world we now live in.

The Zune Software is just a dream to run.  Unlike iTunes it has a very clean design and doesn’t feel bulky and tacked together with duct tape.  It can be downloaded and run without owning a Zune and I’ve been doing just that for some time now.

Something I have been delving into on the Xbox is XNA.  XNA is an excellent game development framework designed to allow anyone to develop a game for PC, Xbox360 or Zune.  The great thing about XNA development for Xbox360 is that once submitted for approval your game could end up for sale on Xbox Live’s Indie Games section.  This seems to be the case for Zune too as Microsoft unveils the App Marketplace within the Zune software.  The addition of XNA supporting Zune was the ultimate cherry on top for me.

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