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We have collected 4 reviews of the Microsoft Zune HD. Experts rate Microsoft Zune HD 8/10. Reviewsor.com helps you find reviews, best prices, user reviews of the Microsoft Zune HD and Microsoft Multimedia players.
The Zune HD is seen by many as a too-little-too-late attempt at challenging the iPod touch, but it's a formidable portable media player in its own right. Its multitouch OLED touchscreen makes everything from the intuitive interface to TV shows and movies pop; the integrated HD Radio is great for discovering new music, and you can output HD content right from the Zune HD to your TV (with an optional accessory). We also like the integrated Web browser, even though its not best in class. Microsoft has a long way to go to catch up to Apple in the apps department, but the Zune HD is a slick and satisfying device that will get better with age. We love the look and simplicity of the Zune HD player. Its luxe aesthetic goes well with the interface overhaul and premium aura. The brushed aluminum backing, graced with a Zune logo etched into the metal, comes in black and platinum with red, blue and green available via Zune originals. Smooth and streamlined, the Zune HD has has three buttons. On top, the power button is flush with the case, the slightly raised Home button sits below the screen, and on the left is a narrow button that shows and hides the on-screen player and volume controls.
As the high-profile underdog alternative to Apple's iPod portable media player, the Zune has endured an unfair share of jokes and scorn. Proving the adage that "what doesn't kill you, makes you stronger," Microsoft has taken four years'-worth of hard knocks and forged the Zune HD. As one of the only iPod alternatives that can match the iPod Touch in beauty and pricing, the 16GB ($219) and 32GB ($289) Zune HD also includes a unique stable of features worthy of Apple's envy. The most important aspect of the Zune HD's design to recognize is that there's something missing: the ugly. Gone are the days of the bulky, brown brick. Instead, the Zune HD's slender body (0.3 inch thick) and anodized aluminum construction has the futuristic and industrial look of a sci-fi movie prop. A glass-covered 3.3-inch screen defines the front of the device, while a slab of angled aluminum curves around the back, giving the Zune HD a cold and solid feel in the hand. Like any touch-screen device, most of the Zune HD's functions are controlled by pressing or swiping your finger on the responsive capacitive display.
The Zune HD is a huge step forward for Microsoft's Zune line, but you still have to pay extra for some of the best features. The Microsoft Zune HD is the Zune that I wish Microsoft had released last year. I found a lot to like about the Zune HD and the Zune 4.0 software. The device marks a huge improvement from last year's model in speed, usability, video quality, and design, while the Zune 4.0 software delivers some fun music-discovery features and splashy visuals. But while the Zune HD is priced competitively against the competition (16GB for $220 or 32GB for $290, as of 9/15/09), you'll have to shell out a lot more money above and beyond the price of entry to take advantage of all of its features. Physically, the Zune HD represents a complete makeover--one that's flashy and sexy. Measuring 4.0 by 2.0 by 0.3 inches, it falls somewhere between last year's hard-drive and flash-based models in size. It weighs a featherlight 2.6 ounces, or 1.5 ounces less than the iPod Touch. A gorgeous, 3.3-inch, multitouch OLED display dominates the device's face, and a single, slim physical home button resides below that.
Almost two years to the day after Apple reimagined the personal media player as a mobile computer with the iPod Touch, Microsoft has outed its own take on the pocket entertainment machine: the Zune HD. Like the Touch before it, the Zune HD uses a high-resolution touch screen to add a new degree of ease and color to mobile listening, and to serve as a portable theater for video. But since "like Apple" has never been enough to outsell the Cupertino thinktank that always seems to be one step ahead, Microsoft's Redmond engineers have also gone the extra mile with a retina-scorching OLED display, lighter design, and 720p HD video output, to name a few features that best Apple's Touch. Will it be enough to win iPod devotees over to Microsoft and breathe life into the struggling Zune brand? We pocketed the little guy and cranked up the tunes to find out. Like the string of increasingly capable Zunes before it, the Zune HD handles both digital music and video, but to truly bring the Zune platform up to speed with the Touch, Microsoft has stuffed in a grab bag of other features as well. The most immediately impressive must be the 3.3-inch screen, which uses incredibly bright (and efficient) OLED display technology to produce colors as vibrant and life-like as the pages of National Geographic.
| Retailer | Information | Prices | |
|---|---|---|---|
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Gb Black 32gb Touch Digital Media Mp3 Player Mint Condition | $278.34 | See it |
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Zune HD 32GB Video MP3 Media Player Black | $279.99 | See it |
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Microsoft 32GB Zune HD Video MP3 Player Platinum Silver Refurbished | $299.99 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Platinum (32 Gb) Digital Media Player | $319.99 | See it |
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Zune HD 16 GB Video MP3 Player (Black) | $326.99 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Gb Platinum 32gb Digital Media Player Mint In Original Boxl | $349.99 | See it |
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Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum) | $399.95 | See it |
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Zune HD 32GB Video MP3 Media Player (Black) | $399.95 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Magenta 32 Gb Digital Media Mp3 Video Player Fm Radio L | $449.99 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Platinum (32 Gb) Digital Media Player Sealed Retail Box | $467.99 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Green 32 Gb 32gb Digital Media Mp3 Video Player Fm Radio Bn | $499.19 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 32 Purple 32 Gb 32gb Digital Media Mp3 Video Player Fm Radio N | $499.19 | See it |
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Zune HD 64 GB Video MP3 Player Black | $499.95 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd Touch 32 Gb Mp3 Media Player Plat Bnl | $499.99 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 64 Black (64 Gb) Digital Media Player Sealed Retail Box L | $699.99 | See it |
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Microsoft Zune Hd 64gb 64 Gb Black Mp3 Media Player | $727.99 | See it |