Let me preface this entry with a statement: I did not set out intending to bash the Zune. I really wanted to like it. I held off on reading more than a couple of reviews until I had a chance to try one out for myself. That said, my overall impression after experiencing it for 24 hours can be summed up in a word: underwhelming.

I am an avid iPod user. Very few among us can’t say that, can we? I mean, my dad bought a Nano last summer and can’t stop telling me how awesome it is. And since Microsoft has had a long and colorful history of borrowing the best of Apple’s software engineering and transforming it into something comically inferior, it’s no surprise to see what the Zune can’t do.

I was handed a Zune without much explanation from Conor Brady, who asked me to see what I thought. On first inspection I said, well, it sure is big. In fact, it’s larger (though lighter) than the 4th generation iPod, and I suspect closer to the size of the 1st generation model. Its tactile feel is pleasing, with a frosted plastic surface that is presumably more scratch resistant than its Apple counterpart. Its face features a large, tall screen that brightly displays album art (or not – more on this in a moment). The back shamelessly mimics the iPod with its girder-like Zune logo centered just above the midpoint and bears the tiny words "Hello from Seattle," in an obvious lift from the iPod’s "Designed by Apple in California." It also comes with a too-tight protective slipcover.

Upon turning it on via the pause/play button I immediately wanted to, well, spin the black circle. Even after hearing many times that the Zune DOES NOT HAVE A WHEEL, just a four-way rocker button, it’s just a natural response when seeing this kind of interface. I’m no engineer or trademark lawyer, but I’m willing to bet there may have been some way to incorporate a rotation mechanism into this device that not only could have avoided a legal conflict, but could in fact have been better than Apple’s clickwheel. One of my complaints (yes, I have them) about the iPod is the need to spin one’s thumb around clickwheel dozens of time to reach the bottom of a long list of songs or albums. What if, say, the Zune had solved this by bringing in another type of rotational component such as a spring-loaded pivoting circle that only turns 90º in either direction? This could work for list scrolling, volume, etc. just like the Zune’s current method of increasing the scroll speed based on clicking and holding the up/down buttons, but in a more graceful way. Incidentally, I do like that the Zune displays the first letter of the alphabetized title during a long scroll.

The decision by Zune’s engineering team not to consolidate the menu within the round button makes for some awkward thumb motions during operation. As a Mac user, I liken this to the need to use the Control key vs. the Command key when using keyboard shortcuts – it’s just not very comfortable. The center button is the universal selection tool, but to back out of a menu, you must remember to click the back button located half an inch to the left.

Song selection requires two clicks using the center wheel (one if you remember to hit the tiny play button to the right). During song playback, a number of options are available through the center button. At the top of this list is the iTunes-inspired five star song rating system. My natural impulse was to press the right side of the black button to add more stars. Unfortunately, this did not produce the desired effect. Instead, it just advanced me to the next song, whereupon I figured out that the center button controls this function.

Installation of the Zune software on a PC in the office took close to 30 minutes. Upon connecting the Zune, the Windows XP’s new hardware wizard failed to find the installer on the CD, requiring a manual installation.

Upon restart, the Zune jukebox software didn’t recognize the Zune and failed to relaunch after being quit. So another restart was necessary. This time, the Zune was discovered. Importing songs was a slightly confusing process. I had a bunch of folders of MP3 files on the desktop that I dragged into the library. Expecting them to be copied into the Zune’s directory, I proceeded to drop these items into the wastebasket. Now they wouldn’t play and the software asked me if I wanted to remove them from the library. I then moved them out of the wastebasket and into the Zune folder inside My Documents/My Music. The Zune software lets you monitor several folders at a time for updates, and it proceeded to find the files this time. Zune’s software also searched for the album art for my imported MP3 files, and found images for about half of them.

Upon syncing the Zune, I discovered to my dismay that none of the album art appeared on the giant display during playback, the Zune opting instead for a monochromatic blurry image of nothing in particular. Consulting a Zune message board, I found out that I was not alone, and it is rumored that this is a bug for which Microsoft has yet to release an update.

Zune has some key features that the iPod doesn’t come with, such as a built-in FM radio tuner that works pretty well (though not an FM transmitter for in-car use such as is found in the XM Inno). The magnetic earbuds are a nifty feature, though they don’t actually stick together very well. The gorgeous, large screen features an animated, easily readable interface complete with a glowing playback indicator. It should also make for stellar video viewing when the device is rotated 90º. If the full screen album art feature worked, this would be a clear advantage over the iPod’s display. The fact that it incorporates a wireless feature shows promise, though I didn’t have another Zune to test it with.

I didn’t have an opportunity to explore the Zune Marketplace music store, but I did find a decent review of it here:

http://playlistmag.com/features/2006/12/zunemarket/

People who have never used an iPod will probably love the Zune. It’s an attractive addition to the digital music player market. If sales are poor, I expect (in true Microsoft style) to see Zunes come bundled with some PC systems in the not-too-distant future. But I have the feeling it’s not going to convince too many PC-based iPod owners to jump ship.

Daniel Modell