Microsoft Zune 3.0

Though Microsoft left their new Zune hardware relatively untouched, the firmware and corresponding software got a few nice upgrades that add a bit of functionality. In the firmware, Marketplace is now available over Wi-Fi, while FM Tagging lets you mark songs you hear on the FM Tuner, and have them added to your Marketplace cart automatically. On the software side, Picks compiles a list of songs for purchase in the Marketplace based on recent listening habits, Channels offer what amount to preselected podcasts based on your tastes, Zune DJs or selected partners. Meanwhile Mixview lets you visually explore new music by seeing an artist/album’s related works, influences and top listeners. Of these new features, the Wi-Fi Marketplace is a solid, necessary addition, and Mixview is a few tweaks away from being downright awesome.Picks is basically a more personalized, less flashy, less functional version of Mixview. It’s not a new idea, by any means, as iTunes has done something similar for a long time, but it’s a feature that’s good to have anyway. Channels is another inclusion that’s cool, but is essentially a podcast with a bit of personalization. A Zune pass is also necessary to use Channels, which limits it’s reach a little bit. But one advantage it does have over a podcast, is that it can be auto-updated over the wi-fi, and switching from song to song is easier, finding a happy medium between preset and on-demand music content.

Zune quietly added Games functionality as well, but with only two basic preloaded games, and no downloadable content, it’s too early to judge this aspect of the Zune.

Zune Marketplace is a simple interface that highlights what it does best-letting you scroll through pre-compiled Top 10 lists. You can choose from top songs, top albums or new releases, and pick from genres within each menu. If there’s something you REALLY need to download while on the go, there is a search menu that goes through the entire store, but stringing together words on the Zune pad gets old…real fast. But for looking up quick music on the fly without a keyboard, this interface works pretty well.

FM Tagging is a feature that works pretty well most of the time, but runs into the occasional glitch and is limited by the Zune Marketplace. Most of the time, the name and artist comes up without a hitch on any given radio station, but sometimes the tags are formatted wrong and the Zune can’t interpret them. The other problem is finding songs in the market place. Even when the song info is correct, you just can’t find the song in the store, which negates the usefulness. This seems like a feature that’s best used with a Top 40 station as opposed to an obscure college show.

Mixview is probably the most significant of the new features, so I’ll devote some space to break down its pros and cons. Like Jesús said, Mixview is designed pretty well, and is really fun to use. You can view other works by the same artists, related artists, and artists who have either influenced or been influenced by the subject in question.

At its best, you can slide from Mixview cloud to Mixview cloud smoother than butter, learning about new artists and downloading new and related music on the fly without exiting the UI. You can also click on top users associated with an artist and browse their favorites and playlists. When you find a string of good Mixview clouds, I could see where using this with the all-you-can-eat Zune Pass would be more addictive than Oxycontin mixed with crack (think Wikipedia surfing).

At its worst, the recommendation service for Mixview can be a clusterfuck of randomness. When you click on a Mixview for an artist or album, the clusters will regularly include 3 or 4 entries to a related artist that come off as redundant. You will not only see a link to the related artist’s cloud, but also to his maxi-single, an out of print release,and maybe a downloadable album. It’s not always this bad, but it tends to get worse as the artist gets more obscure. Essential singles and EPs, I can understand. But listing greatest hits albums, forgettable EPs and singles already found in suggested albums is lame.

Compared to Genius, Mixview does some things better, some things worse, and some things completely different. Mixview’s interface easily trumps that of Genius, and goes deeper into what why it’s recommending certain songs. However, Genius seems to be more consistent with the quality of recommendations. Rarely am I blown away by Genius’ list of songs, compared to some Mixviews that are really awesome, but rarely am I left wondering “WTF?” or stuck filtering through crap with Genius.

As an example, I’ll use the difference between looking up rapper/produer El-P in Zune Mixview and iTunes Genius. Searching his latest album “I’ll Sleep When You’re Dead” in Mixview brings up ’80s prog-rockers Yes (cited as an influence), his maxi-single for “The Overly Dramatic Truth” (off the same album), DJ Shadow’s artist page, DJ Shadow’s album “Endtroducing,” Metallica’s “Master of Puppets,” and Prefuse 73’s “Vocal Studies.” Granted, these suggestions change slightly every time you click, and the general selection is decent, but with the more limited list space, do we really need two entries for DJ shadow, and another entry for a song off El-P’s same album?

On Genius, searching the track “Tasmanian Pain Coaster” from El-P’s album not only brings up earlier works from El-P, but also songs from Cannibal Ox’s “The Cold Vein” (which he produced and released on his Def Jux label), Mr. Lif’s “I Phantom” (same), Cage’s “Hell’s Winter” (same). Plus there were also suggestions to rappers like Sole and Evidence, who both emerged out of the same wave of hip-hop as El-P (not to mention share the same skin color). But I digress. The point to this music nerdery is to show that it’s a little easier to follow the logic behind the recommendations behind choices on Genius. But that could be what Zune intended with Mixview - choices for the more enthusiastic music fan who is looking for more than the obvious links in music. It’s just sometimes it comes off as scattershot song picking than informed recommendations.

And of course, the two excel in very different things. Zune Pass makes Mixview amazing on the music discovery front, because you can get new music risk-free at will. It also has the social on it’s side, and the ability to connect with the tastes of other users. Genius has the ability to make playlists from music already in your collection - which can be very cool if there’s a certain sound you’re in the mood for. Stacked up against each other, it’s kind of a wash, and mostly depends on what features matter to you.

Overall, there’s more good than bad to be found in the Zune 3.0 Fall Update. Picks and FM Tagging are neat, but picks are not a new idea, and the Tagging is a bit rough around the edges. The addition of the Wi-Fi Marketplace further establishes Zune’s spot, in my opinion, as the best non-touchscreen media player in the market, and Mixview just needs to tighten up its suggestion engine a little bit to achieve greatness.

Microsoft Zune 120GB

Question: What’s the difference between last year’s Zune 80GB, loaded with Microsoft’s new free firmware, and this year’s Zune 120GB? Answer: 40 gigabytes. Oh, and a glossy-black finish. Otherwise, the “new” Zune is identical to its older siblings. Yes, the software update does include some interesting features: Zune Pass subscribers and users with prepaid points can download songs to their player via Wi-Fi and tag songs on the FM tuner for purchase—but if you have an old Zune, you can get the software for free. Even if the physical design is more or less unchanged, the capacity increase and the new wireless features are enough to keep the hard drive–based $249.99 (list) Zune 120GB our Editors’ Choice, over the identically priced 120GB iPod classic.

http://www.microsoft.com

 

• Price as Tested: $249.99 List
• Player Type: Hard Disk MP3 Player
• Radio: Yes
• Recording, Voice: No
• Recording, Line In: No
• Video Recording: No
• Music Playback Formats: AAC, MP3, WAV
• Photo formats: JPEG
• Video Formats: MPEG4, WMV, H.264
• Screen Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels
• Screen Size: 3.2 inches
• Storage Capacity: 120 GB
• Weight: 4.5 oz

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Microsoft To Let Zune Users Record From FM Radio

FM radio is absolutely inundated with commercials these days, but occasionally, radio stations still play actual music. And Microsoft believes there’s a market in letting Zune music player owners capture songs from the brief intervals of non-advertising related content.

When Microsoft releases version 3.0 of its Zune software on Sept.16, Zune users will be able to tag and buy the songs they hear through the Zune’s built-in FM radio tuner whenever they’re in range of a Wi-Fi hotspot. If a user isn’t within range of a hotspot, the software will queue the song and download it from Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace store when they’re back in range.

Customers have the option of buying single tracks or subscribing to Zune Pass, which costs $14.99 per month. The subscription includes access to Microsoft’s Zune social music community and the ability to share music with other members via the Zune Card, a real-time playlist of each user’s favorite and recently played songs.

Wi-Fi and social networking are features that Microsoft is using to differentiate the Zune from the massively popular iPod line, which has one Wi-Fi-equipped model, the iPod Touch.

But thus far, Zune’s Wi-Fi capabilities have been oddly restricted to synchronizing digital music, photos, and video with PCs and sharing music with other Zune users, which is why the FM recording feature could attract some consumers’ attention.

Microsoft is also expanding the Zune portfolio with new 16GB and 120GB versions, and is also adding new blue-on-silver and all-black color schemes. The 120 GB Zune will be priced at $249.99; the 80 GB model at $229.99; the 16 GB model at $199.00; the 8 GB model at $149.99; and the 4 GB model at $129.99.

120GB Zune coming to BuyAZune.com!

BuyaZune.com will be one of the first places in the world where you can purchase the brand new 120GB Microsoft Zune! The 120GB is the largest top of the line MP3 player, soon to be available on the internet.

 

 

A reader was casually perusing the aisles of his local Fry’s Electronics today hoping to buy an 80GB Zune. To Joe’s surprise, he found the only-recently-confirmed 120GB Zune there, right below the Product Red 80GB version.

There were “about six” of the 120GB versions that he could see, but no new signage advertising it, he tells CNET.

He paid $250 for the device.

A Microsoft spokesman confirmed that this is “just the beginning” of the rollout of the newest Zune, and more retailers in other regions will start offering the device over the next few weeks.

 

 

(More pics after the break.)