Zune HD specs reportedly confirmed; missing killer features
We have to admit it… We’re a little afraid. Afraid of what you might ask? Afraid that all this hype surrounding the now-reportedly confirmed Zune HD is going to be the height of excitement with regards to the device. Hype is good, hype is great, but you need something special to follow the hype in order for it to stick. Let’s take a look at the known specs:
- ~3.6-inch OLED full touchscreen
- NVIDIA Tegra powered
- 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions
- HDMI Connection to stream straight to your TV
- HD Radio
- Web browser
- Wi-Fi compatible, with wireless marketplace
- Released, early fall
- International release of the Zune device itself
- Home AV packs, Car packs, Charge packs
Sounds good and fun, but there’s definitely nothing so far that would (or should) draw much attention. HD radio? Mmm hmm. The Zune platform is supposedly in the midst of an overhaul which is nice but we need a wow-factor here. The average consumer is most definitely not going to pass on an iPod Touch and scoop up a Zune HD because of a high resolution display and HD radio, that’s for sure. Long story short, we hope Microsoft learned something from its experiences with the current Zune model.
I must be getting old. I just want a easy to use media player with good battery life. I don’t want / need a touch screen or little apps or games. Just give me a good size storage, easy to use controls and as long as my shure earbuds work with it – great.
Really how much F’n crap do you need on a portable music player? And people wonder why their battery life is 2 hours.
Ok people stop asking what is missing. The point they were trying to make is that what would cause someone looking for an mp3 player to choose this over an ipod touch. Like it or not, you say ipod and people will want that one more unless the other option has something that so good they would choose it.
Maybe we need one of the experiments like they did with Vista. Tell everyone its the new ipod touch and then be like nope, its a Zune HD.
BGR would drop his pants if those features were on an ipod touch.
Such a douchebag
On Apr 16, 2009 @ 9:18 pm, Wifiguy Said:
What does a Zune tell about you?
That you are not a closed minded bigot or a sheeple and also that you are not a mindless drone of the MEDIA Propaganda machine we have in the US.
Thinking for yourself is a great thing really it is ,You should try it sometime,if you are able???? Competition is also a great thing,if we din’t have it we would never have any innovation and everyone would be mindless drones like you!
No, its not BGR, its Zach. He’s the biggest Apple Fanboy on this site. I wasn’t surprised that this blog entry was a dig on the device after I saw who it was written by.
@jonnybruha, No doubt Samsung does have some cool HD screens but they’re not OLED, one example, do you think it will be wise for Apple to Dump the current 320×480 screen on the Touch and go with a 240×400 just for the fact that is a OLED screen? Not only will it be a downgrade but it will also cost them more than double the $, to me it makes no sense.
Cowon S9 has a OLED screen and comparing to other PMP’s thats a really big step up.
@keymaker, I don’t know where you’ve been getting your information, but the OmniaHD, S8300, S7220, and BeatDJ all have OLED screens. The OmniaHD is the one with the higher resolution that the iPhone/iPod Touch (at 640×360). Apple wouldn’t have to dump anything. The tech exists, but it’s still very early. And besides, rumor has it the next iPhone will have an OLED screen as well.
i’d buy this in a second because it doesn’t have all the BS that apple has around its products. apple may make great products, but the restrictions they put on their devices and how they are only compatible with other crap of theirs is a joke (glad they finally got rid of DRM, at least partially). this would be the first on my list if my ipod classic went, which i can see happening because the dang thing had to be replaced after a few weeks of having…
I also fail to see why this is a write-off to BGR just because it doesn’t have anything the iTouch doesn’t. Bluetooth would be really cool though.
HD Radio is a wierd choice though, it seems pretty obvious that it’s really not catching on very well so far
Internet radio is the way to go if you ask me, I don’t get why microsoft can’t add that
Anyways unless it’s cheaper than the iTouch, like the price of the samsung p3, its too expensive for me to want it
This wasn’t mentioned in the BGR article but there wil be downloadable 3D Xbox gaming and connectivity through the app store. Apps stores are mandatory in serious portable products for here on out, thats what the NVIDIA chip is about.
- Portable games from the XBOX lineup
- An App portfolio that should be fleshed out byt the fall
- HDMI Out
- Touchscreen OLED (funny how everyone was jizzing over the Sony X-Series OLED, which had no touchscreen but downplaying this)
- HD Radio
- In a slick 32 GB package
Im sold. A good speaker option and some DVR functinoality and this would be the perfect handheld but electronic perfection is not cost efficient…constant product updates are.
I just remembered something…
7) Microsoft SkyBox Support… Just for the heck of it…
Wow, can it look any MORE like the original iPhone?
Keymaker: you obviously haven’t used a subscription service recently. I’m guessing you never have at all. Keep drinking whatever koolaid you’re drinking.
I think that they should throw in a 64GB version in there.
Why the hell are they worried about competing with everyone else?
What ever happened to Microsoft doing their own thing instead of being focused on outdoing apple.
Palm a dying company did their own thing and look where its got them. Their fate relying on a phone that is hyped up to be the SOLID competition to the iphone. It might not be better but it’ll compete.
If microsoft out did themselves with the Zune HD and did their own thing i bet they could come up with something that would be better than the ipod Touch. The reason i say that is because apple only innovated with their first gen of the ipod touch. The second gen is the same thing with software upgrades that normal users would’ve never noticed besides the app store.
Oh…yeah i too thought the same and bought Zune when it was initially released Zune but had to give to my pet dog to play with it…
When I saw iPod for the first time the only thing that came to my mind was “What the F…” and it was due to sheer astonishment. The same words came out of my mouth when I saw Zune few year back but this time it was due to a different feeling..
The thing on the back is the Wifi output (most likely), wifi cant go through metal very well
or at least something there will be*
and, why would you need to put your whole library on there at once? 32 gb is plenty.. also, with wireless syncing, swapping out playlists and libraries, or just media is seamless
also, Zune social is better than anything apple’s got.
also, Zune software is better than iTunes, esp. with song finding
did anyone miss the TEGRA CHIPSET. that’s a killer feature for me. this will annihlate the touch in gaming for sure.
Zach get your head out of the Apple sandbox … your missing out on the real tech world.
typing from the HD right now in bed! this thing is so nice… fast and the HDMI output is amazing! right now (sept. 30th) i would agree that the itouch is better…BUT with more apps, xbox games/tegra usage, and netflix, hulu or youtube usage would definitly make this better than itouch… by far. all of my freinds totally agree even though they are HUGE itouch fans! everyone ive showed it to loves the interface a lot (more than itouch) one thing that they didnt like was the screen was “stickier” or harder to slide on…. i dont get this but watever. i love it and am waiting on aboe things…then it will be goldon!!!!!!!!!