Zune 80, Microsoft gets one right
938491
I got the Zune 80 gb for my wife for Christmas. She flat out loves it, currently it has 100+ CDs in it (and climbing as she finds them to add). She raves about the sound quality, much better than her old 2gb MP3 player. She loves the sorting features, being able to sort by Artist, Album, Genre', etc.
My only issue is that she doesn't answer her cell phone (can't hear it ring through the ear plug type ear buds.
We will probably get another one for me. Sweet tech, sweet sound.
1295832
I'm not going to give a big review, just a few thoughts: 1. Make it a little thicker to give more battery life (this will piss off lots of people for me saying this). 2. Give me a stinking EQ! Give me a choice of having it on or off to use wi-fi or not. I don't use this feature myself so omitting the eq makes me seem unimportant. Also, a few people are saying that after they updated their zunes (1st gen) they still had an eq - BUMMER!!! 3. Allow me to use other programs to sync music and video to the Zune (I own 4 Ipods and you can use 3rd party software even w/them - though it never seems to work well w/it - ZUNE would be PERFECT!!!) Not the best personal review but just a few issues I have .
2471978
This music player is great, after installing the software it automatically pulled my entire music library from Windows Media Player onto the Zune in a matter of minutes.  The graphics and colorful menus make it easy to use, and the product easily woks with other Microsoft products.  Everyone I show this to at school tells me they wish they'd known about the Zune when they bought their Ipod.  If you prefer Windows Media Player, this is defiantly the better choice.  However it is a little bulky and lacks the all the cool touch sensitive features that you'd find on an Ipod.
2390624
I recieved the 30 gig brown zune for xmas, I was a little suprised and annoyed that the included software wasn't vista compatable. But after using the update on thier site I had my zune running with little trouble.

Two things make the zune stand out from ipod very well, the larger screen and it's FM radio. I use to have a Iriver and I loved being able to use it as a radio and even though the zune's reception isn't so great (which i can't blame on the device alone my clock radio has trouble too so it probibly has alot to do with then concrete walls.)I was pretty happy with having an option to being able to listen to whats onthe air when i get sick of my music.

The larger screen is great for videos especally for WMV which i had converted my copy of the BBC series Life On Mars and got an average of one hour long episodes onto my zune for only a 1/4th of a gig (250mb)

But still i think it comes down to the hardware being great but it's still limited by it's software. hopefully they'll fix it better but til then i'm content with using my drm free mp3s from amazon and the digital copies of series i made at home onto wmv.
2043790
I dropped my Ipod and picked up a Zune to replace it because it was half the price. Even at half the price this product is grossly over priced.  Unless you enjoy cumbersome music management and if you have a MAC with Itunes good luck with that, I won't even go into all the hoops I jumped thur to get the zune to work.  Listen do yourself a favor..if you can afford Ipod or Itouch just do it make life simple.  Oh and it sounds tinny

Good luck
823110
I got my Zune with the upgraded software today, the new Wi-Fi feature (Zune to pc) and enhanced interface were nice and all but just a reminder to some of the buyers: at the current stage zune firmware 2.2 does not support east asian characters and also there is no hacking software available to fix this glitch. so if you listen to a lot of songs with foreign language titles then you might wanna consider something else.
2956994
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 $$.
2571512
I bought this for my husband for his birthday.  He likes it, it is more updated than the one I got last year.  It has a touch-sensitive button option, which makes scrolling easier.  This version is slimmer and has a slightly bigger screen-which is a color screen.  The biggest drawback is the specific Zune program used to add songs.  It was complicated to figure out how to use the one program for two Zunes.  We had to rename the "composer" with our names so we could seperate my songs from his.  Once we got over the big initial hurdle, it hasn't been too bad.  And the 80GB will last a while.
106466
The old Zune is compact and a good performer, despite its very short battery duration (less than an hour with continuous use). It stores a lot, including video, and the digital FM radio receiver is a nice touch. But, good luck finding one, now that the Zune HD is out there.
4546702
I first bought a Zune 30 right after it was released. Being much more feature heavy than the iPhones as well as having a better screen was the tipping point for me. As my first MP3 player I was very happy with my purchase. A coulple years later I accidentally stripped the inside of the audio jack accidentally with some fauly headphones so now its ruined :C. I used some christmas money and purchased the new 120 gig model. The touch surface took a bit to get used too but its exactly the same as my loved old 30 gig but with a screen superior to any iPod, excellent hard drive space, and usable software. To this day I've probably used about 80 gigs worth of videos and music. <3 Zune!
789170
I've had the 80 for 2 days and it's much better than the 30 because the touch pad.  I'm getting rid of my 30 gig zune
1621451
I may be one of the few people on the planet who like the Microsoft Zune, so I'm glad there are some suppliers still out there with cables and such.  I know it's just a cable, but it was a lifesaver to me.
4167658
While the Zen is a decent size and does everyting well, and nothing poorly, it is the software that really bothers me.

Microsoft has left Plays For Sure in the dust due to Zune. In other words, don't count on PFS and WMA getting a big boost in technology creativity any time soon.

Apple's iPod really has the most seamless solution, and for a few bucks more, you won't be regretting your decison...

Don't be "penny-wise and pound-foolish" just go with the most seamless solution on the market. I recently moved to iPod-iTunes and the overall use - now I know why 60% percent of the people use it!
2063361
I ordered the 4GB 2nd Gen Zune as a Christmas gift for my father and loaded it with some of his favourite songs.  I was a bit concerned by some reviews that said the Zune would "randomly restart" however after testing it on an 18 hr drive it had no such problems.
I must say it's easier to use than my iPod Video and I'm quite impressed by the features and overall ease of use.  If I were going to replace my iPod, I would probably go with a Zune myself.
130565
I mainly got a Zune because I didn't want to pay for an iPod. Why? Personally, I can't stand iTunes. I am no giant fan of Apple either. Nor am I a fan of that senor wheel. Zune remedies all of this. Some things it doesn't do that great though...

Pros: The Zune software feels exactly like Windows Media Player 11, all of the controls on the device are buttons, the large display helps for movie watching. The price is right too, since last I checked 8G iPods are running the same price as a 30G Zune. Finally, the wireless connectivity of the Zune works out great. The Social network is definitely an interesting feature that everyone with a Zune should at least try. It can also play podcasts.

Cons: I didn't do it because I didn't feel I would need it, but since the price drop I would suggest the extra $50 for the extra 50G. It really is a great deal. The battery life is about 15-20 hours at half volume, not great but good. Also, from time to time the software can be a tad buggy when adding new songs.

I recommend this product for every music listener. Cheaper than an iPod video, and all the same features.
3734393
Sold my Zune HD after 3 month of usage, for the following reasons

1)Zune software is not very good, navigation is unnecessarily frustrating, the UI is not very user friendly, Microsoft over-decorated the UI at the cost of navigation, and No MAC support in the foreseeable future. I'm not saying iTunes is perfect, but just that iTunes fits my preference

2)So few apps, I know it took iTunes years to reach 10,000 apps, maybe MS need more time. NO!!! Come on, Microsoft, put more emphasis on that if you really want Zune HD to be a decent competitor to iPod.

3)Web browser is below satisfaction. Some major languages can not be displayed(maybe will change after future firmware update), actually, the web browser is basically useless

4)Microsoft does not seem to take this device very seriously, see the hype around windows phone?

I'm not buying this as purely a media player, my expectation is high, I want to see a good experience of internet, and more importantly, the will to be a truly great device

I gave this 4 stars because it is not bad at all compared with other devices, but for this price, I think iPod touch is better and (still) shows more potential, not in terms of the tech spec of the device, but the focus of the companies behind them

Com'on Microsoft, you need to work hard and more innovation
2596161
I owned a 15GB 3rd Gen Ipod, then a 30GB 5th Gen Ipod, and I recently purchased a Zune. (white) I bought it and my wife inherited the ipod.  This is a great player.  Lets break it down.  The zune software works as expected.  They are lacking some content like videos / etc... but it's just a matter of time.  Installation was a breeze.  It was a nice OOBE (out of box experience) to have a device that came with content as well as partial charge for me to try it.  The music transfer was as painless as can be expected.  The DRM restrictions everyone is talking about; you can't help it.  it is not Microsoft's fault that the music industry have yet to get a handle on a way to make digial licensing logical. (at this point it is not, i did have to jump through some hoops to get some of the content from my itunes to zune, but i won't go into details on that. Not the Zune's fault).  The wireless feature, is probably more geared towards highschool students and college kids that would actually gather and share music etc... not something that I would use, and the 3 day 3 play rule it's inevitable due to licensing restrictions.  I am not particularly dying to access the internet on my zune, the same as I have tried to browse the web on a smart phone, or on my son's PSP, and to be honest  WHAT'S THE POINT?  use a laptop!!.

Now the good stuff.

- First of all, the finish.  I would walk around with my ipod constantly cleaning the whole device which was a magnet for fingerprints.  That doesnt happen with the zune.

- The click wheel of the ipod is a novelty.  it is cool to show at first, but it is not that great.  The 5 directional button on the Zune, work absolutely great for me, the "click" under your finger is a lot more user friendly than no feedback at all.

- The screen is marvelous.

- Battery life, same thing

- Sound quality comparable. I used B