Customer Reviews
Great start 
2008-07-16
Despite the knocks Microsoft sometimes takes, this is actually an excellent first generation product. And the beauty of it is that you get most of the benefits of their next generation product via software upgrades. I've had mine for close to 2 years now and its been nice to have the features continue to grow even as the product aged.
Although this older model isn't as small or pocketable as the newer generations (or competing iPods) it's still an ideal solution if you mostly plan on using it in the car, on an airplane, etc where pocketability is not as big a concern. The screen is large and great for watching movies for on long flights, etc. And the overall user interface (the visuals, navigating menus via the 'twist' navigation, etc) is far more polished and robust than even the tried-and-true iPod classic interface.
At this point, it makes as much sense to get the newer generation of this product. But this has definitely been a pleasant surprise as I had a lot of trepidation when first purchasing this product. It wasn't seen as cool or as hip as an iPod. But day-to-day functionality is what mattered most to me and in that regard this thing excels.
Great player, terrible battery 
2008-07-14
I haven't explored all the functions yet, but so far the Zune has worked out nicely as an alternative to the iPod. The one downfall that I have definitely noticed is the lack of battery life. I don't use it all day, but it seems as though the battery doesn't last that long.
Overall, it's a nice player. Still need to check out all the other cool features. (video player, wireless connection, Zune-to-Zune sharing, etc.)
Love it!!! 
2008-07-13
I absolutely love my Zune. I've had it for a year and a half now. The Zune marketplace is the best. I pay 15 dollars a month for unlimited downloads. I use it everday. Yea this review sounds like a commercial but it's really nice. IPOD KILLER!!
OMG Its rubbish 
2008-07-11
I have use many mp3 players and omg this is the absolute pits.
1.The interface is awful (I actually had to create playlists and put music on my freinds one)
2.It doesn't accept much music (In europe) without obtaining it illegally.
3.The bundled software is WOW Bad seriously.
4.Sound quality is below average
5.It is massive (I seriously couldn't fit it in most of my trouser pockets)
I now use a 5G ipod 30GB. I never actually owned one of these but borrowed it from a freind for a few months for a test run and was greatly disappointed. He doesn't know much about audio quality so he's happy and besides what he doesn't know won't hurt him. I am not an apple fanboy by any means because I am in the process of getting a cowon iAudio
which is supposed to be very good. I am just giving my view and am trying to advise anybody considering this product to avoid it at all costs.
1st Generation Zune - Not even close 
2008-07-11
I've owned a 1st generation 30gb Zune since the first of 2008. I've applied all available software/firmware updates. It has more working against it than for it. But I use it everyday because I don't want to risk losing my iPod Touch.
The main complaints are the horrible software; the USB 1.1 transfer speed (takes literally hours to load movies); the lack of any ability to organize videos in any way and songs only into basic groups; the way it doesn't remember where you left off while listening to songs in a very long list; no way to delete files from collection but keep in player (deletes without asking when re-connecting); scrolling and more scrolling, clicking and more clicking (no shortcuts).
It's not all bad: Good audio quality; video is passable but nowhere near the Touch; good size and comfort; good battery.
Like I said, this is my everyday player but if I didn't have my iPod to fall back on, I'd be disappointed.
Zune 30gb Doesn't Cut It 2008-07-23
I gave my wife the Zune 30gb mp3 player as a birthday gift. It was a bad choice right out of the box. The skimpy setup pamphlet actually says, "It's as easy as 1, 2, 3" to get started. Just insert the set up CD, follow the prompts. Well, the prompts never came and the unit wasn't set up. We looked for more detailed instructions in Help, looked online, looked in the box to see if anything was missing and found nothing. There is no instruction manual in print or online that we could find. Very frustrating. Microsoft has to do better. I returned the Zune unused and will replace it with a Sony 8gb unit.
positive review 2008-07-23
My friend lent me his Zune 30gig and its a pretty good player. It's actually much better than the iPod Classic if you want to watch movies, simply by virtue of the screen. It's big, bright, and clear.
The interface is decent, but I keep acting like its an iPod (which is not surprising, I had a 20gig for 3+ years but it recently broke). The PC software is kind of spotty, it's not very clear and the tri-paned interface does not feel as intuitive or clear as iTunes (which, to be fair, I have been using for more like 4 or 5 years).
If you have a lot of music and/or movies, I would definitely recommend the Zune 80gig over the iPod Classic. The iPod's scroll wheel in big libraries is less workable than the Zune's scrolling (no, really...) and the larger Zune screen is much better for video content. The Zune's feature set obviously does not come close to the iPod Touch, though, so for smaller libraries that would probably be my recommendation.
I'm not really sure where Microsoft is planning to go with the Zune. They want to carve out something in a market dominated by iPod but shown no indication of attacking or matching it in its newest incarnation. The Zune is a great product compared to the old iPods but lacking versus the new one.
Want an MP3? Go for it 2008-07-21
My first MP3 and I'm very satisfied. Easy to use, long battery life (shut off the wireless and keep the backlight to a minimum) and good quality. Portable, yet not small enough to "forget" in a pocket and launder.
Good amount of storage - I have several operas and Broadway shows (yeah, I'm a dork) and I still have plenty of room for my other "one-offs" tunes as well as several movies for when I travel. 8 GB wouldn't have been enough for me and 80 was overkill - this is perfect.
I read the reviews both good and bad; have to say I've had zero problems with this. Sooooo easy. Just wish it came in orange. I got the white because it was cheaper, it looks nicer than the pictures.
Its nice but it has software issues 2008-07-21
im not talking about the software being glitchy it just isnt very good, my software does not recognize the fact that i do want that music on my zune just not on my computer, because of this it is incredibly frustrating because it deletes the music off of your zune, so you have to go dig through your cd's to find the cd and rip it again just so you can put it on your zune, it has good music and video quality, and other than the pain it can be to get the software updated, it works well and i like it
I love my zune 2008-07-20
I love my zune!! it's amazing. the screen is soo big and large and very clear. my friends said that I should of got an ipod but when I showed them the zune they were surprised. I highly recommend this product you will not go wrong. actually I'm thinking of getting the 80gb.
