Microsoft’s return to the portable media player scene carried a little added heft this time around, offering more formidable competition to the iPod’s dominance. Called the Zune HD, the new device goes directly after the iPod Touch, managing to shine brilliantly in the process.
Clad in a silver and black industrial design, it’s an excellent music player with an undeniable wow factor. Beyond the snazzy looks, however, lies a hardware set that can only be described as souped up: a 3.3-inch AMOLED screen, HD radio tuner and HD video out.
The display, which manages a 480 x 272 resolution and a 16:9 aspect ratio, is easily the best screen available on any PMP in the market. Images appear bright, with vivid colors. Multi-touch interface is responsive and accurate, making navigation and other onscreen operations easy.
Don’t let the name confuse you, the Zune HD doesn’t show HD video. It can process 720p fast enough to show it in downscaled form right on the OLED screen or output it to a connected HDTV for full resolution. You’ll need to pay for the AV dock separately, though, which prices itself at a rather expensive $90.
The HD radio tuner, along with a classic FM one, lets you listen to a whole range of available broadcasts in your area. Connected to the AV dock, it can output the received programming, as well. Music playback is excellent (along with a superb music player), capably rivaling the best PMP audio in the market today (which, in my opinion, is a toss up between the Sony Walkman X and the iPod Touch).
Unfortunately, the Zune HD falls miserably where the iPod Touch shines: software. Sure, the onboard browser is good, using a modified IE for Windows Mobile 6.5 that’s configured to support the full multi-touch experience, allowing such gestures as scrolling, pinching and double tapping into the mix. Zune Marketplace and Xbox Live are amazing sources for discovering new content/
That’s where the goodness ends, though (at least, until Microsoft makes another play). While the company has set up an application storefront for the Zune HD, it’s a closed platform. That means all new software that’s turning up for download will all either come from Microsoft or its partners, making the place a barren desert compared to the App Store, which is more than likely to reach an inventory of over 100,000 apps within the next six months or so.
The choice is actually pretty simple. If you want a great player with an awesome OLED screen at a cheaper price ($290 for the 32GB version), the Zune HD is it. Want the extensibility of tons of apps and plenty of high-profile games to go along with your media playback? Say hello to Apple.
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