Official Zune HD thread

By jonhapimp
in Hardware Hangout

 Share

Recommended Posts

Experienced

null.

Posted
Posted
I've been eyeballing the Zune HD versus the iPod Touch for a while now. Leaning towards the Zune HD... but I need a few more points to push me over the fence. Anybody... please? :laugh:

Same. I was so set on a Zune HD, then MS said they weren't releasing them in Europe this year. Pretty sure I'm going for an iPod Touch now, going to give it a while before I decide though.

Grand Master

Shadrack

Posted
Posted
I've been eyeballing the Zune HD versus the iPod Touch for a while now. Leaning towards the Zune HD... but I need a few more points to push me over the fence. Anybody... please? :laugh:

which do you prefer? iTunes or the Zune software?

iPod has a lot of apps available ATM, that may be a deciding factor.

The zune HD dock has more features with it. The iPod dock costs $50 and then another $50 for component cables. Zune HD dock comes with hdmi for $50 seems like a much better deal. Also, through the zune dock you get a nice onscreen display for selecting and listening to music and video. The iPod features only allow for video playback with no onscreen menu, lame.

I would personly lean toward an iPod touch because it is more established in the market and is on it's 3rd (I think) hardware and software refresh. Zune HD could end up overtaking the iPod, but early adopters will have to play beta tester for Microsoft as they iron out any problems.

Grand Master

Tech Star

Posted
Posted

Atomic Zune HD explodes all over Ebay

atomiczunehdebays.png

Hey, remember that totally wild, awesome looking "Atomic" Zune HD we spied evidence of in the source files a week or so ago? Well, we later saw an image or two of it, but now one's shown up in the flesh on ebay -- and for a starting bid of a mere 265 bones you might be able to snag it! This one's a 32GB model, and while we still don't know if it's going to be officially released or not, we get the feeling that it probably will. Regardless, we'd advise starting a bidding war anyway. Oh, and we're totally winning this one so hands off.

[Via Anything but iPod]

News Source: Engadget

It is going to ****ing $10,000 right now with 2 days left. I am doubting that the winner will pay, but they do have feedback that they do pay.

Grand Master

Calum Veteran

Posted
  • Veteran
Posted

To people debating over whether to purchase the iPod touch or the Zune HD, I'd put it down to two things - the UX of the device and the UX of the computer software. I much prefer how the Zune and Zune software looks and acts, but that is just all down to taste and opinion :) It's certainly what's making me somehow get hold of a Zune :)

Grand Master

Redestium

Posted
Posted

Zune HD I think is better as a pure media player, but the app store really opens up the potential of the Touch, turning the device into essentially a mini computer. So it really comes down to if you want that added value for the money or are you just after a pure media player that does its job very very well?

I already own the iPod Touch 2g and really enjoy the apps and how I can extended the device as I see fit, I won't lie the option is nice. I am still very interested in the Zune HD though because the device and software are pretty amazing from all accounts I've seen. It's a tough call, which really goes to show you how well MS did this time around.

Grand Master

TDQuiksilver

Posted
Posted
I dont know if I'm late but I found out that you could delete right from the device :)

Yep... for those who don't know how yet: press and hold on any single item (photo, song or even entire album) for a second or two and the prompt appears. Still lovin' this thing! :)

Grand Master

BoDEAN

Posted
Posted

Thanks. i ask because I was not sure if IPOD/ITUNES podcasts that you display, are compatible with the zune. I know there are 1000's of podcasts on the itunes store, and wondering if those would in turn work on the zune. A podcast is a podcast, no?

Grand Master

BajiRav

Posted
Posted
Thanks. i ask because I was not sure if IPOD/ITUNES podcasts that you display, are compatible with the zune. I know there are 1000's of podcasts on the itunes store, and wondering if those would in turn work on the zune. A podcast is a podcast, no?

The Podcasts are not hosted by iTunes/Apple. They are just RSS/Atom feeds with attached mp3/mp4 files. iTunes/Zune just provide a fancy UI to subscribe to the feed and then download the attached content. They are typically hosted by the respective publisher.

Grand Master

»X«

Posted
Posted

This may of been answered already, but does anyone know when MS will release it in the UK? I've got the money for the 32gb sitting in my drawer. I mean come on Microsoft for **** sake.

Should I just import it? After all, the HD radio is no big loss for me. My only concert would be the marketplace, since that isnt out here yet.

Proficient

V-99 ODST

Posted
Posted
So I ended up coming home from Fry's yesterday with the 32GB Zune HD. Love it!

The browser could use a bit of work, but overall it's amazing. So glad I don't have to bother with iTunes.

I still own a 20GB iPod 4G still haven't replaced the battery but iTunes just sucks so bad on Windows.

I updated from 9.0 to 9.0.1 and each song in each of my playlist can't be found I have to manually re-establish links for each song. It's the first time this happened to me. I keep hearing Zune software is pretty nice, I might end up buying one.

Proficient

darkmanx21

Posted
Posted

Swapped my 80 gig for the 32 gig one yesterday. It's a pretty slick device by all standards. Even though I lost 48 gigs (I know it's less) - there was really no point in carrying around my entire collection. I usually only listen to the playlists..and the Pinning system is fairly cool. Video..WOW!

I'm pretty happy - as of right now - the only thing I wish was that the button on the side (which resembles a volume rocker) would actually raise the volume or change the track. They should make it an option in Settings. Besides that..awesome all the way around. :D

This topic is now closed to further replies.
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.

  • Posts

    • What browser do you prefer to use, and why?

      By AnotherITguy · Posted

      Edge
    • Classic Outlook vs New Outlook — Which one do you prefer and why?

      By AnotherITguy · Posted

      Gotenks98 is right... Outlook (new) is absolute trash. Doesn't Mozilla have an Enterprise Version of Firebird?
    • Microsoft Weekly: Surface Laptop Ultra, Windows 11 context menus, Build 2026 recap, and more

      By TarasBuria · Posted

      Microsoft Weekly: Surface Laptop Ultra, Windows 11 context menus, Build 2026 recap, and more by Taras Buria This week's news recap is here, with Microsoft announcing the new Surface Laptop Ultra, fresh chips from NVIDIA for Windows on ARM, a no-build week, fixes for Windows 11's context menus, gaming news, reviews, and more. Quick links: Windows 10 and 11 Windows Insider Program Updates are available Reviews are in Gaming news Great deals to check Windows 11 and Windows 10 Here, we talk about everything happening around Microsoft's latest operating system in the Stable channel and preview builds: new features, removed features, controversies, bugs, interesting findings, and more. And, of course, you may find a word or two about older versions. At Computex 2026, together with NVIDIA, Microsoft announced the Surface Laptop Ultra, its most powerful laptop to date, powered by NVIDIA's RTX Spark processor. Details about this computer are currently scarce, as Microsoft has only revealed certain parts of its specs. So far, we know that the computer has a 15-inch mini-LED display, a rich set of ports, a powerful processor, and all-day battery life. It also comes with a new wallpaper, which you can already download here in full resolution. The Surface Laptop Studio is not the only NVIDIA-powered Surface, which Microsoft unveiled this week. At Build 2026, the company also debuted the Surface RTX Spark Dev Box, an odd-shaped desktop with a 20-core NVIDIA Grace CPU and an NVIDIA Blackwell RTX GPU with 6,144 CUDA cores and fifth-generation Tensor Cores with FP4 precision, connected via the NVIDIA NVLink-C2C chip-to-chip interconnect for high performance. According to Microsoft, it can run models with up to 120 billion parameters locally without relying on cloud GPU infrastructure. These two new Surface devices are likely to cost quite a lot, and for those who need a more affordable device, Microsoft is preparing the next-gen Qualcomm-powered Surface Pro and Surface Laptop. This week, details about these two devices leaked in plenty of detail. Other announcements at Build 2026 include the following: Microsoft unveils new security tools for IT admins and developers building AI products Microsoft announces Scout, an OpenClaw-powered personal agent for enterprise customers Microsoft unveils MAI-Thinking-1 reasoning and MAI-Code-1 coding models Microsoft announced a new Windows 11 native command-line utility Microsoft unveils Majorana 2 quantum chip, accelerating commercial timeline to 2029 Microsoft believes that AI agents will eventually replace apps through Project Solara Microsoft introduces Web IQ, a Bing-powered search system built for AI agents Last week, Microsoft released a new Experimental build, which introduced a major Start menu upgrade. It now lets you toggle off specific parts of the menu without affecting other features, resize the menu, and hide additional UI elements. We published a closer look here, so if you want to know what Microsoft is cooking without enrolling in the Insider program and installing unstable builds, check it out. Speaking of new features, many users are very annoyed about the way Microsoft delivers them. Recently, a frustrated user shared their experience with gradual rollouts, and even Microsoft engineers admitted there is a flaw in the system that prevents new features from applying properly. One of those new features includes the ability to uninstall AI models in Windows 11 with a single click. Windows 11 is finally getting fixes for its slow context menus. Marcus Ash from Microsoft confirmed that the company is working on fixing Windows 11's context menus. Reworked context menus are going to be faster, simpler by default, and "configurable to what you use most." According to Marcus, Microsoft will share more details soon. Windows Insider Program Windows 11 preview builds, released last week, are now available for download as standalone ISO files. These days, Microsoft regularly pushes new images, allowing users to clean-install its recent Windows 11 preview builds faster and easier. If you want to try the latest Windows 11 features without jumping through the Windows Update hoops, get those new images here. Sadly, Microsoft did not release new Windows 11 preview builds this week. Come back next time. Updates are available This section covers software, firmware, and other notable updates (released and coming soon) delivering new features, security fixes, improvements, patches, and more from Microsoft and third parties. Microsoft is preparing new features for Teams. Later this month, the messenger will receive a new download manager with auto-dismissing notifications, reducing clutter and making the overall experience less annoying when dealing with downloads. Mozilla released Firefox 151.0.3, a new bug-fixing update for the browser. It is a small release, which fixes problems with pasting into text fields and the oversized VPN button on the toolbar. The update is now available for all users in the Release channel. Here are other updates and releases you may find interesting: VS Code 1.123 introduces massive upgrades for persistent AI developer workflows Microsoft OneDrive is getting a simple yet much-needed feature Microsoft faces heat after quietly blocking promised Office features on Apple systems Microsoft resumes forced Copilot app installation on some Windows PCs Browser vendors pen an open letter to Microsoft, saying "enough is enough" Here are the latest drivers and firmware updates released this week: AMD Radeon Software 26.6.1 with optimizations for F1 25: 2026 Season, World of Tanks: HEAT, and various bug fixes. Reviews are in Here is the hardware and software we reviewed this week Steven Parker dropped more mini PC reviews this week. GEEKOM Air12 2026 Edition is a low-power, affordable computer with an Intel Tiger Lake Pentium Gold processor, up to 16GB of memory, and 512GB of storage, costing just $349. It is light, quiet, energy efficient, and has modern ports on the front. However, the front-facing USB Type-C is data-only, and there are some quirks with the computer's memory, so check out the full review. The AMD RX 9070 GRE has been released worldwide, and we published a benchmark review comparing this powerful graphics card to the RX 9070 XT, 7800 XT, the NVIDIA RTX 5070, and RTX 4070. It has solid, balanced performance, plenty of RAM, and low temperatures, but watch out for mediocre ray tracing performance and not the best efficiency. Also, we reviewed the Cuktech 10 Ultra, a compact, high-power charger with four ports and a big display full of various stats. This tiny charger can pull nearly 120W and spread that power according to each connected device's needs. It also comes with a high-quality 240W cable, three power modes, and retractable prongs. The best part? It is quite affordable, just make sure you have an outlet placed in the right spot to benefit from the built-in display. On the gaming side Learn about upcoming game releases, Xbox rumors, new hardware, software updates, freebies, deals, discounts, and more. Do you remember the ASUS ROG Xbox Ally, Microsoft's first handheld console designed in partnership with ASUS? This week, ASUS revealed a new version of the device to celebrate twenty years of its Republic of Gamers brand. The new ROG Xbox Ally X20 features an OLED display, a transforming D-Pad, TMR sticks, and other changes. However, the chip inside the console is still the same. Forza Horizon 6 launched last month to critical acclaim, but the game will soon have a new rival made by those who used to work on Forza Horizon titles. Mike Brown from Maverick Games announced Clutch, an upcoming racing game with a story-driven campaign, deep car customization, and rich multiplayer. The game is coming to PC, Xbox Series X|S, and PlayStation 5 in Spring 2027. The next update for Minecraft now has a release date. This week, Mojang announced that Chaos Cubed will be available on June 16, 2026. In addition, Mojang published a teaser of the next Minecraft movie. A Minecraft Movie Squared has now been confirmed for a release somewhere in 2027. NVIDIA GeForce Now is getting 18 new games in June. Those include Jurassic World Evolution 3, Fatekeeper, GOALS, Gothic 1 Remake, NTE: Neverness to Everness, and more. If you are a Game Pass subscriber, you can also get new games soon: Persona 5 Royal, Starseeker: Astroneer Expeditions, and more are coming to the service this month. Sumer Game Fest 2026 happened this week, where we saw plenty of new games, including Alien Isolation 2, Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3, Gen Atlas from the Shadow of the Colossus creator, a new Cuphead game in 8-bit style, a new expansion for Mafia: The Old Country, and more. Finally, here are this week's Weekend PC Game Deals, full of discounts and the latest freebies from the Epic Games Store. Other gaming news includes the following: God of War Laufey announced, introducing Kratos' wife as the new protagonist Ori studio's No Rest for the Wicked 1.0 release and console plans announced Microsoft launches Godot Sample to streamline Xbox PC game development on the engine Great deals to check Every week, we cover many deals on different hardware and software. The following discounts are still available, so check them out. You might find something you want or need. Samsung 990 PRO SSD 2TB NVMe - $389.99 | 39% off Sonos Sub 4 - Wireless Subwoofer - $759 | 16% off Logitech MX Creative Console - $159.99 | 20% off This link will take you to other issues of the Microsoft Weekly series. You can also support Neowin by registering for a free member account or subscribing for extra member benefits, along with an ad-free tier option.
    • Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 is getting a simultaneous release across PC and all consoles

      By Jose_49 · Posted

      Let's goooooooo! I've been loving the entries so far! I still have to finish Rebirth (things have been busy!)! Excited for this next installment.
    • Final Fantasy VII Remake Part 3 is getting a simultaneous release across PC and all consoles

      By Fleet Command · Posted

      "Revelation?" I was hoping for this episode to be called "Reunion". Oh, well... In a related note, the Final Fantasy VII compilation has received an EC entry, short for Ever Crisis. For those who don't know, it already had AC, BC, CC, and DC entries, short for Advent Children, Before Crisis, Crisis Core, and Dirge of Cerberus. I hope it doesn't get an FC entry becaude that would be a freakin' crisis.

  • Recent Achievements

    • Reacting Well
      X-No-file earned a badge
      Reacting Well
    • One Month Later
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      One Month Later
    • Week One Done
      pestcontrol46 earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Week One Done
      JKR earned a badge
      Week One Done
    • Rookie
      moog19 went up a rank
      Rookie

  • Popular Contributors

    1. 1
      +primortal
      515
    2. 2
      PsYcHoKiLLa
      277
    3. 3
      Skyfrog
      76
    4. 4
      +Edouard
      71
    5. 5
      FloatingFatMan
      68
    Show More

  • Tell a friend

    Love Neowin? Tell a friend!