Zune HD Review

Move over, Apple because Microsoft releases their new Zune HD today. Fortunately for us, Chris Hardwick and Kevin Pereira review the new media player with its 3.3" multi-touch OLED screen, 720p HD video out and Wi-Fi connectivity, all for $220.

What You Need To Know

• The Zune HD is one of the smallest and lightest devices we've reviewed: it's only 0.35" inches thick and weights 2.6 ounces.
• |Its 3.3" OLED screen is 100% better than the old Zune track pad.
• The touch screen is incredibly responsive both to taps and multi-touch, compared to the iPhone and Palm Pre.
• The interface is more intuitive and the QuickPlay bar is a nice addition.
• They've taken a lot of pages from the iPod interface and improved its features.
• The Zune software is as easy as iTunes to organize and sync your media. You just click and drag your files to sync onto your Zune, or sync it to your computer through the Wi-Fi connection.
• The software also features a Smart DJ, which figures out what kind of music you like and makes a play list based on that.
• The Zune pass ($15/month) allows you to play unlimited music on your computer, making the Zune experience much more expansive.
• The browser and virtual keyboard are good, but both could be a little bigger.
• The HD radio tuner allows you to tag songs and buy them through the Zune marketplace.
• The 720p video out can be used with the AV Dock ($90) There are only a few apps available. There is no external speaker.

Price

• $220 for the 16 gig Zune HD.
• The Zune is only $10 cheaper than the 32 gig iPod but this might be the better deal for a 16 gig version.

Rating

• 4 Seals of Approval out of 5. (How do we rate gadgets?)