First Impressions (Zune Chronicles 4)
posted in Sound and Music |Zune Cronicles Part 4 (notes from 3/30,31)……..
Intro (part 1)
Charging (Part 2)
The First Sync (Part 3)
Overall Look:
The Zune is a little boxier than the iPod, and just a bit bigger in every direction… but I like it just as well.
Sound Quality:
Using the exact same ear buds, playing the same song, at the same volume, with the EQs off (I tend to leave the EQ off since I use my iPod for either sound gigs - where I want all the “color” to come from the system - or in my car - where I want the car stereo to deal with the EQ) - the Zune seems to have a little bit “fuller” sound. Don’t know if it’s a quality thing, or if their “no EQ” setting still colors the sound a little.
BTW, the pre-loaded songs on the Zune kind of, um, suck.
Display:
Very nice. The Zune’s display is much larger than my video iPod’s, and the sideways “flip” it does for videos gives a nicer aspect ratio. I don’t think the colors were any better, or that the picture was sharper, but just the size difference is big (pun intended).
User Interface:
The navigation, while a little different from the iPod, is easy to pick up and fairly intuitive. There are only two issues I came up with (both related to the same thing). Since they don’t have the “wheel” like the iPod, the Zune uses “clicking” for every adjustment. This means much less control of the volume - you can quite easily end up where one click is just a little too quiet, and the next a little too loud. Livable, but could be better. Also, for the same reason, moving through a track or video is much harder. You press and hold to FF and then hope to go far enough without going too far. The iPod is hands down the winner here, since you can go into seek mode and dial your way to the exact place you want.
Bonus:
The radio is really nice. Good sound quality and locks on stations solidly. It could use a better interface for dealing with your programmed favorites, but considering that the iPod doesn’t even have a radio, this is still a nice thing to have.
The firmware updates provided by MS is a Real Good Thing™. It allows them to fix issues or add new features. Good planning. With the iPod, upgrading means buying a new one.