mp3 Players Blog

Zune 8 GB Digital Media Player (Red)

This slim 8 GB Zune device is good to go with plenty of room for your favorite music, pictures, and video. It comes complete with a built-in FM tuner and buy-from-FM capabilities, wireless sync, Zune-to-Zune wireless sharing, video playback, and more–so you get all that Zune power in one tight little package. It holds up to 2,000 songs, 25,000 pictures, or 25 hours of video. Watch a demo on Zune.

Every Zune device lets you listen to your favorite FM radio stations and tag songs for later purchase.

Download millions of tracks, whole albums, or playlists with the Zune Pass subscriptions service.

Remotely sync your Zune device with your PC collection.

The Zune Marketplace offers millions of songs, albums, TV shows, audio/video podcasts, and more.

A full family of accessories is compatible with all Zune devices.

Buy from FM
Click to buy from the built-in FM radio. Every Zune device lets you listen to your favorite FM radio stations and click to tag the songs you like for later purchase when you sync your device with your PC.¹

Zune Pass
With the Zune Pass subscription service, you’ll get millions of tracks for the price of one CD. Download tracks, whole albums, or playlists. Explore new music or rediscover old favorites–then sync them to your Zune. Extend your subscription online or by purchasing a Zune Pass card. Or, if you like, purchase songs or albums individually.²

Wireless Sync
Remotely sync with your PC. Connect to your home wireless network and remotely sync your Zune device with your PC collection from your dock, AC adapter, or speaker dock accessory.³

Device to Cloud
Your Zune player can access thousands of wireless hotspots around the country. Automatically update your collection, browse Zune Marketplace, refresh your Channels, exchange favorites with friends, or buy songs you’ve tagged from your FM radio. Take advantage of a Zune Pass and access the music you love where you want, at no extra cost.

Wireless Sharing
Music is in the air with Zune wireless sharing. Send your favorite songs, albums, playlists, pictures, and even audio podcasts freely between any Zune devices. Listen to the full track of any song you receive up to three times and pass them along to other friends. If you want to buy a song, click to tag it and have your Zune find it later when you sync with your PC.⁴

Channels
Like your very own radio stations, Zune Channels are custom programming stations that deliver personalized playlists to your Zune from a variety of sources you select, such as music experts, celebrities, or top radio stations. Channels you subscribe to automatically update whenever you’re connected–to your PC, home network, or even selected wireless hotspots. When you subscribe to Zune Pass, you get an unlimited Zune Channels experience.

Games
Zune players now come with a selection of fun free games. Choose music from your collection to create your own personal game soundtrack. Connect and compete wirelessly with other nearby Zune users.

Video/TV Shows
Choose from a growing selection of TV shows now available on the Zune Marketplace video store, and take your favorite episodes or whole seasons with you wherever you go. Use your Zune device to watch popular shows like The Office, South Park, Heroes, and 30 Rock from NBC; shows from Comedy Central; Adult Swim from the Cartoon Network; and countless other shows from other major networks.⁶ Also, if you’re recording TV shows or movies with Windows Media Center in Windows Vista, you can import and sync them to your device. Load up your favorite videos, and hit the road.⁵

Zune Social
Discover, share, and connect with the Zune Social, a free online community that lets you share your musical tastes with friends and millions others. Customize your Zune Card and Zune profile page with your favorite music and pictures. Then connect and share Zune Cards, music, and messages with friends and other members of the community.

Zune Marketplace
Fulfill your entertainment desires at Zune Marketplace. Millions of songs, albums, TV shows, audio/video podcasts, and more are available–plus, your online store is always open and only a mouse click away. Download or subscription? It’s up to you. Buy individual songs and albums, or an unlimited Zune Pass music subscription².

Audiobooks
Let your Zune read to you while you can’t. Listen to everything from your favorite novels to the latest bestseller. Now you can transfer your existing audiobook files from sites like Audible.com to your Zune device and enjoy them whenever you want.

Xbox 360 Compatibility
Ever wish you could play games to the sound of your favorite tunes? Now you can. Connect your Zune device to your Xbox 360 console and play your favorite songs while you game on Xbox 360 and Xbox LIVE. You can share content from your Zune collection to an Xbox 360 console on a home network and play your media through the Xbox Dashboard.

Accessories
Traveling, working late, or working out? Whatever you’re up to, your Zune will be right there with you. Make sure you have the best accessories to keep up with your lifestyle.

• Zune AC Adapter: Fast recharge wherever there’s an outlet
• Zune Car Pack: Ride with Zune as it charges while playing in your car
• Zune Home AV Pack: Hook up your Zune to any home stereo and control it via remote
• Zune Premium Earphones: noise-isolating design that delivers superior sound quality and comfort
• Zune Cable Pack: Provides every cable you need to stay connected
• Zune Dock Pack: Nonstop your tunes while you charge your Zune
• Zune Leather Case: Protects your Zune with style

Legal Disclaimers:
1. Buy from FM feature available with stations broadcasting RDS and RT Plus data
2. Zune Pass is a monthly music subscription service; some songs are not available via Zune Pass. Available Zune Pass content may vary over time.
3. Wireless sync feature requires access to a home wireless network
4. Zune to Zune wireless sharing may not be available for all songs in your music collection and works only between Zune devices within wireless range of each other. Recipients may play full-length sample tracks up to three times.
5. Requires a PC running Windows Vista Home Premium or Windows Vista Ultimate and an integrated or external TV tuner.
6. Available content may vary over time.

What’s in the Box?
Zune 8 GB Digital Media Player (Red), earphones with three earpiece covers, Sync cable

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars Zune 8 GB MP3 is fun mobile entertainment
I like my Zune MP3 very much. My only complaints are:

Learning to use the Zune software. If you delete anything from your “collection” you are also deleting it from your hard drive! (unless your Zune is connected to your computer with the USB, in which case then you’re deleting the files from your Zune device). I also went to the “marketplace” and tried to install the latest movie trailers & it filled up the device with 2 movie trailers & then I wound up calling tech support because I couldn’t get it to work after deleting those files. I had to wipe and re-load the device even though it showed plenty of room left on the device.

Tech support is OK, but most of them have foreign accents & it’s hard to understand everything they say.

The sponge covers on the ear buds constantly fall off. I’m very surprised I haven’t lost the 1st set yet. Fortunately the device come with 3 pair. I’m always finding them on the floor..

I think it should come with a pouch to carry the device & ear set together. A pouch with magnetic closure would be awesome!

My good points are:

The sound is awesome.

The menu allows you to choose files by genre, album, artist, music style. And you can shuffle the music, repeat..

The operation of the device is pretty easy.

The display screen shows pictures & videos either horizontally or vertically to maximize the view.

I love the RED color I got. (8 GB)

5 Stars Great music player
I have owned a number of iPods over the years including one of the latest ones. While I am not comparing the Zune to an iPod touch which has so many features and functions it almost is in another category, I will compare the Zune to either an iPod Nano or the iPod classic that is sold today. I can say that I love the Zune and think is a much better device for your buck.

The main advantages Zune has over the iPods are:

1) ZunePass - you can put as much music as you want on your Zune, including great recommendations from the Zune store for only $15 a month. For me this is a really great way to explore new music. I paid the same for Rhapsody for a long time but had now way of putting on my iPod. Also I believe you get to keep 10 songs a month - basically a free cd per month.

2)Zune has a radio - a very nice one which will tell you what song is playing and what station - iPod does not. This is a great feature in my opinion.

3) Zune has wireless capabilities and can sync your library through your home network. It can also trade songs to other Zune users.

4) It is as elegant as the iPod. Originally I thought I was going to have to take step down in terms of elegant design and interface from what I was used to in the iPod, but I am happy to say that MS did a great job at making the soon a beautiful device and very cool and trendy looking as well. Also, the Zune team did a great job integrating the software with the device and the service - not something Microsoft always gets right.

Overall, very satisfied so far and would recommend!

5 Stars Music, Podcast, FM Radio
I debated getting an IPod, but I really wanted the FM radio.

So far I am very happy with the product. The software was easy to install and use. It is easy to add music from any CDs you already own. It has a nice interface to automatically download an update podcasts, a feature I was not looking for originally but have ended up using more than anything else. Both my kids have IPods so I am somewhat familiar with them and for me the Zune is a better option. One downside of the Zune is that if like to accessorize you don’t have to many choices.

2 Stars Lasted 4 days.
After loading 10 gig of music the unit locked up. None of the navigation buttons worked and I couldn’t get off the song it was playing. It was stuck in a continuous loop. I tried all the described reset functions to no avail. Its hard to believe Microsoft would make a product without their most important key stroke combination, Ctrl Alt DeL. When I packaged the item for return it was still playing U2 War. I realize there is a bad apple (Microsoft) in every bunch. I haven’t decided if I will give Zune another try. I much prefer it over Apple since its not so proprietary. If my next experience is more positive. I will update at that time. I’ll give it two stars because I really enjoyed our brief time together and after-all, it is a MS product so I am used to my expectations being crushed.

1 Stars Don’t waste your cash
Bought this a year ago for my son’s birthday. It was hard to set up and the website is most confusing…then have to use their exclusive online membership to download songs…can’t use Rhapsody or others…so then i’m paying for two memberships for two sons. The Zune tho…what a P.O.S! We continually had trouble with it and it just stopped working altogether in December (after owning it for a total of 9 months) It won’t charge, turn on, do anything. Trying to get some technical support is ridiculous. Again, their website is confusing and layered. It seems they try to make it difficult so you just give up. (which we did for several months) Had to come back to Amazon (God Bless Them) for the purchase info. But i still doubt i’ll get anywhere. makes me crazy that i spent $150 on this for nothing. Ended up buying him a replacement SANSA for Christmas that works great, cost a fraction of what the zune cost and syncs with common online song downloads.

PLEASE don’t give Microsoft any more of your money and avoid this.

Buy/More Info

Filed under: Mp3 Players Reviews