A day with the Zune HD, here are some of my first thoughts

While not really wanting to give a full hands-on review just yet (I would like to spend more than one day for that), I thought I would give a brief overview of some of the early thoughts that have been coming to mind since my Zune arrived yesterday afternoon. Here is a nice mix, and as you will see, some are good and some are bad. Of course, some of the bad are simply due to personal preference.

• This will most likely help the issues I have with the iPhone 3GS battery life. I say this because of the super nice display on the Zune HD and the fact that I am now watching video podcasts on the Zune HD instead of the iPhone.

• The Zune HD feels small and light, it also feels very solid.

• The display is beautiful, except when in sunlight, but that is ok because I can always move.

• The headphone jack is on bottom, I really dislike that.

• The lack of a built-in speaker. Say what you want, and I would agree that the sound quality on an external speaker is less than perfect, but I like and have grown accustom to using the built-in speaker on my iPhone.

• Still cannot customize home screen. For example, it has the listing as Music, Videos, Pictures, Radio, Marketplace, Social, Podcasts, Internet and Settings. Personally, I am never going to use the Radio, I would like to be able to move that to the bottom or better yet remove it from the list.

• You cannot, or maybe I have not figured it out just yet, but the Zune HD does not seem to be able to display the clock in any other place except on the screensaver screen. In other words, the "show clock: yes" that is located in the Clock section of the Settings is missing.

• I am having a hard time thinking of the Zune HD as anything other than a media player. This comes despite the already included web browser and the promise of apps. Personally, I would not say that I will never use an app on the Zune HD, but am not terribly excited by them just yet.

• Even after a day it still feels really strange to use a touchscreen Zune.

Well, that should give a nice start, however I will have a more in depth review based on my experience in the next few days.

Zune Originals is now celebrating Valentines Day

As we have seen in past years, Valentines Day has brought the release of a few special edition Zune Originals designs.

This year, would be purchasers have the option to decorate a 16 or 32GB Zune HD as well as a Zune 80. As far as design selection, you have ten to choose from, and there are a variety of interesting options. The designs all have a heart in them somehow/someway, but as you can see from the one that is pictured above they are not all your typical Valentines Day designs.

The Zune HD models can be purchased in any of the seven available colors and the Zune 80 in either black or red. Price wise, the the 16GB Zune HD is $199.99, the 32GB Zune HD is $289.99 and the Zune 80 is $199.99. Finally, they all come with the design of your choosing as well as free custom engraving.

[via Zune Originals]

Zune services going down Monday night for scheduled maintenance

Just to serve as a friendly warning/reminder -- your Zune services, which include the Zune Pass, Zune Marketplace, Zune.net streaming and Zune video on Xbox LIVE will be having scheduled maintenance this Monday.

The maintenance is expected to take "up to 24 hours" and will begin at 10pm PST on Monday January 25, 2010.

As for what is happening, well its a maintenance update, which means that we are not going to see any new features this time. However it was noted that SmartDJ on the HD and support for AVI/XVID video will be "coming later this Spring." 

Additionally, according to the post over on Zune Insider;
"Once the Zune service is restored, you will be prompted to update the Zune PC software. Additionally, older Zune device firmware (4, 8, 16, 30, 80, 120 GB) will need to be updated to allow continued connection to the Zune service. Zune HD owners will not have to update the device firmware."

Microsoft launches Zune Affiliate Program, now you can earn money for pushing the Zune Pass

Perhaps in a way to help spread the benefits of having a Zune Pass in a little more of a viral way, there is now a Zune Affiliate program available. In short, the program will pay you for selling the Zune Pass. According to the details, you will get "recurring payouts" and "high commissions." Basically, it looks like all you will need to do is fill out a short application to begin.

Honestly, I am not sure this would be enough to get many people rich, or even consider a job, but at the same time the money you earn could at least support your music listening habit. Even if all you earned was enough to cover the monthly cost for your Zune Pass. Seems to me, this is worth signing up for, after all I already try and get my friends to sign up for a Zune Pass, may as well get something back in return.

[Zune Affiliate Program via Inside The Circle]

Twitter has arrived on the Zune HD

As promised, the Twitter app for the Zune HD has been released and is now available for anyone, well everyone with a Zune HD to download. The app is available for free, and does not appear to have the same pre-roll ads that we saw with the games.

Personally, I can live without Twitter on my Zune HD, despite being an active Twitter user, but I would love to hear from anyone that is planning to use it.

In addition to the app release, the Zune Team is also running a contest that could result in you winning a prize. In order to enter the contest, you will need to follow @Zune on Twitter and tweet;

"Twitter for Zune HD is here! Tweet from your Zune HD and win free prizes!"

Just make sure you send that message to @Zune and of course, you need to do that from your Zune HD.

At this point we now have the Twitter app and the 3D games. I guess we are just waiting on the Facebook app at this point. And again, I can skip that one also. Sorry for any lack of enthusiasm but I tend to think of my Zune HD as more of a media player -- music, podcasts and video.

[via Zune Insider]

Best Buy offering an in-store Zune HD event on December 13, 2009

 

It looks like Best Buy is going to offering another in-store event for the Zune HD. The event will be taking place on December 13, 2009, but unfortunately will be limited to a select group of stores. That said, if you live close to one, it seems like it may be worth while to check out.

According to the Facebook announcement, the stores will have "free Zune giveaways (hats, t-shirts, stickers, buttons, and posters) and will also be having people on hand to demo the device and answer questions."

Personally, I would head on over just to get a Zune sticker, yup its silly, but I have supported the Zune for a while now and they are one of the few products that I have never come across a sticker for. But sadly, the closest location for me is about 4-5 hours away -- certainly not worth the drive for some free swag.

Anyway, hit the link below for the complete list of Best Buy locations that will have the Zune HD event on December 13.

[via Zune on Facebook]

Buy a Zune HD and get a free one month Zune Pass

For a limited time, you can purchase a Zune HD and get one month to enjoy a Zune Pass for free.

This offer does come with a few catches though, so pay attention. To begin with, the Zune HD must be purchased at Best Buy. And on top of that, you will need to print out the above coupon an present it to the cashier upon checkout. Finally, the offer is valid until January 2, 2010.

But hey, if you were planning on giving the gift of a Zune HD this holiday season -- what better way than to give it with a free month Zune Pass included.

[via Zune on Facebook]

Zune Store confirms additional Zune HD colors coming December 1

 

It looks like those additional Zune HD colors will be coming a little sooner than later. Thanks to a recent change over at the Zune Store website we can now confirm that the Zune HD will be available in Red, Purple and Magenta beginning on December 1. Of course these will join the existing Platinum, Black, Blue and Green models. That said, while colors are great, I am sure there are plenty of people who would have rather seen the release of a 64GB Zune HD instead.

[via Zune Store]

Zune HD wallpaper collection

I have had my Zune HD since the release and since then I have found very little in terms of a nice collection of wallpaper for it. Now, thanks to a few forums posts over on anythingbutipod I have found more than a few new items to decorate my Zune HD with.

Anyway, hit the link below and do a little browsing. I will say that it does take a few minutes to find all the ones you want or like because they are spread out between a few posts. But regardless of taking a few minutes, there seems to be something for just about everyone. Enjoy and decorate your Zune HD.

[anythingbutipod via CrunchGear]

Speck unveils PixelSkin case for the Zune HD

In a little bit of good news for those looking to protect their Zune HD, we now have another option in terms of cases. This latest case is the PixelSkin, which comes courtesy of Speck.

This particular case is made of a soft rubbery material that should serve to protect against scratches and the minor bump. As you can see from the images the case offers cutouts for the display, connector port and headphone jack.

While I cannot comment specifically on this particular Zune HD case, I can say that I have used Speck cases on other products in the past and they have held up pretty well over time.

That said, the PixelSkin for the Zune HD is currently available for order and will set you back $24.95.

[Speck PixelSkin for Zune HD]

 

 

Zune HD now has 3D games, and they are FREE

I guess that recent firmware update was indeed leading up to those 3D games. Of course it was noted that the update was adding support for those games, but I am not sure anyone expected to come this quickly. That said, I am not complaining, just surprised.

Anyway, the good news is that there are now six new games available which include Audiosurf Tilt, Checkers, Lucky Lanes Bowling, Piano, Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition and Vans Sk8: Pool Service.

So, if you have not already, first make sure you update to firmware 4.3, then proceed to download, install and play some games. The best news is that these games are free, of course that free does come as ad supported. Which means that you will have a short video to watch before you can play. But hey, they are free, I guess a 12 second delay in play is not all that bad.

[via Zune Insider]