@im.thatoneguy: "...beautiful brown sheen" sounds like it might be desrcibing Denise Richards after a tanning session.

My that was a reach.

ps61318

ok, just saw another review, it just has "standard" headphones. I thought all the Zune headphones were "Premium", with the magnets, etc.

dogcow

Gotta love that big screen on the Zune. Since Apple decided to go portrait on their Nano I wonder if their next gen classic will follow suit. And for the Zune 16, the one thing I hate is that they waste valuable screen size for the black border (1.8" vs 2.0" = sad face)

daftrok

Build quality looks really solid in those pics-does it feel nice in the hand?

And, when you say "does not come with the Zune premium headphones", do you mean it comes with just standard headphones, or no headphones at all?

dogcow

My zune 30 is only half full. I don't mind clicking instead of squircling and I love the beautiful brown sheen.

Can't wait for 3.0. It's like getting a new player every year. Two cheers for software.

im.thatoneguy

i currently have an 8 gig zune like it a lot. more than my old ipod too. but wow i want this new one. more sleek looking. <3

graphx

@Adrian Covert: Thanks. I'm at 85 GB of music when I put everything I've ever listened to on my iPod.

And I like the Artist Series on the Zune2. It looks like Microsoft beat Apple at their own game with the Artist series backs.

OMG! Apple Stinks!

@OMG! Apple Stinks!: It all depends hos much music you have or will have. Hardware should be the same except for the drive and headphones.

ganyapr

that thing is damn sexy.

xxdesmus

@OMG! Apple Stinks!: it pretty much comes down to how big of a hard drive you want, and looks. hardware is pretty much unchanged otherwise.

Adrian Covert

@RE-L: Maybe they were too stupid to charge more. They tend to be morons over there. Kind of like the dweebs who got cut from the JV chess squad.

OMG! Apple Stinks!

I might get the 120, but idk, I might stick with my 80, still thinking about it...

Sam_Zebian

@Fused7: It cost me $50 to get the headphone jack fixed at Tekserve [www.tekserve.com]

RE-L

It's sexy and I want one, but I still don't have a compelling reason to upgrade from my trusty Zune30.

ZombieRace

@OMG! Apple Stinks!:

Same here, I went with the Zune after applewanted 190 bucks to fix a broken headphone jack in my 4th gen ipod... i threw the ipod at the wall behind the genius bar and left (before the cops showed up)

Do we finally get unicode support in 3.0? pls pls pls? unicode for the zune is like cut and paste for the iphone

Fused7

i wouldn't go so far as "love"

kevman90

All I want to know is whether I should go with the old 80GB Zune2 model or the 120GB Zune3 model.

2 dud iPod classics and I'm done with the fruit company.

OMG! Apple Stinks!

I'm really looking forward to seeing what the software update has in store. The Zune already became the best end-to-end software/hardware solution for my main daily need (podcasts) after the 2.x updates. It's an absolute pleasure to use in this area if you're a heavy podcast user. I'm hoping it will do something similar with audiobooks with this update. I'd also like to see them continue to tighten the integration between the Zune/Xbox/MediaCenter/WinMo.

Long-term, I still think the NEXT gen Zune needs to make a hard push into the gaming space if they really want it to gain traction. They've created a large audience of potential users in the Xbox which they've barely even tapped into. Zune media player functionality can remain (and also branch out into other devices like WinMo phones) but it seems like a no-brainer to really go aggressively after the gaming segment IMO.

Ron-Mexico

@dogcow:

IMO Zune quality > Apple by far, when i first got my zune80 i brought it skiing, hiking, camping, travelling/flying etc without a protective case, its been a few months now and it still looks brand new with no scratches, unlike ipods that get scratched by the anything.

Fused7

@im.thatoneguy: I second that! New software is just as awesome as new hardware :)

maura_ea

@ZombieRace:
Thats what i was thinking before, but the 120 looks thiner than the 30g.

If it is, which it looks like from the photos, i'll def. get it.

mr30gZune

Definitely importing one of those ASAP!

I have my iPod classic (because of the sheer size of the hdd in it), but I'm sick of the bloody scroll wheel. iPod thumb? No thanks.

I neeeeeed a 120 one of these.

Jacqueclaude

Dammit. I okay with my Zune 30, but those pics make me want to get the 120! Time to hock my 30, and spend a couple bills for the new one? Grr...

witnessx

I might have to buy another zune... or maybe 3

ZetaCrossfire

@Fused7: I also had a broken headphone jack on my ipod video (design fault?), didn't even bother asking for it to be repaired and replaced it with a zune 80 a few months ago, and so far, I love it.

The gloss doesn't look as good as the matte on the old Zune from the pics. But maybe it looks better in real.

shinchan

@Scott:
All zunes can use the new software

mr30gZune

Giveaway, Giz FTW?

masterthundar

@Ron-Mexico: Wow now that was a sweet deal. I got mine for $150.

Hellicus

@Scott: All zunes are upgradable... I have a 1st. gen Zune (30Gb) And its still alive and kicking !
I'm expecting the 3.0 software tomorrow.

Hellicus

@Scott: "Anyone know what Zunes will be covered by the new software?"

ALL of them. :) Even my old 30GB model I got for $89 off Woot. Gotta love it.

Ron-Mexico

@exwindchaser: Lol. Same here...

Hellicus

I've had a few iPods in the past (Classic, Shuffle, Nano) buy always ended up getting rid of them. Last week I went and bought a 4GB Zune to see how I'd like that. I didn't want to spend a bunch of money and be disappointed. I actually really like it. I look forward to buying the 120. Anyone know what Zunes will be covered by the new software?

--Scott

Scott

ooh this is exciting. I love my Zune30. I take it everywhere. Can't wait for the new software! I might even consider getting the 120 and selling the 30 to my brother.

exwindchaser

I will wait till tomorrow and test the new software with my zune30, still not finding a good reason to change the hardware it work like a charm.

Pacha

I don't know why Apple, Creative, Microsoft, et al even include headphones with their products. They're all crap. I can't think of one portable music device I've ever owned that I haven't chucked the stock 'phones and gone with an aftermarket pair.

FredicvsMaximvs

you know, I was just another

kzooguy

Hmm, those Zunes do look nice. I might even consider giving away my 30GB iPod to my bro and picking up a Zune. Only issue I have is that I have bought a lot of music and some TV Shows on iTunes. Has anyone had a problem migrating from the iPod to a Zune?

nflsonic

@pokey07: Not yet. But watch closely in this commercial. Something tells me that wasnt an accident:

+ Watch video

diabolusunknownTheSecond

@bana: Dont you miss those 72 gigs?

I have 30 gigs of music alone. I would miss it. Until the touch can hold 80+ gigs for under 300, its a useless device. Ill just browse the net on my phone.

diabolusunknownTheSecond

Label me insane, I love the design and the device firmware but I hate, repeat absolutely hate, the desktop software. Its god awful looking, and it completely mangled my music library (I just barely fixed the last file that was corrupted by the zune desktop.) Give me back the WMP-based zune desktop or something else entirely and then we'll talk.

The iPod classic has nothing on the Zune (except the Mass Storage Mode). The iPod Touch/iPhone are a different issue altogether (I heart 3G iPhone, your everything Windows Mobile should be but isn't.)

phate

Does Zune software still not work with OSX? I'm actually interested in the 16gb...

pokey07

ah-ha, think I got it now. THx.

Kaspir

@bana: you lost me on that one.

Kaspir

Sold my 30gig for an iPod Touch when the 2.3 update came for the Zune. It seriously broke it. A week later and 2.4 was nowhere to be seen. That was it. I returned it with the warrenty, and paid the $50 for the iPod Touch. Seriously, if you had a choice, Zune 30gig or iPod Touch for $50?

bana

@FredicvsMaximvs: Actually, Sony bundled phones sound pretty decent, at least better than the other big players.

Kaiser-Machead on the Edge

I'm holding out until v3 b4 I get another zune, my zune 80 is still in great condition.

What happened to the silver ring around the pad?
This is a nice looking device none the less.

wetworker

@FredicvsMaximvs:

To be honest, the premium zune headphones sound good for earbuds, that being said I've never tried the high end earbuds, and I prefer to use my grado SR325's when I need to listen to stuff at home late in the night.

Fused7

@phate: Actually there is one thing I dislike about the Zune device: its inability to play standard video files. Everything has to be in stupid WMV. Can I please just use MPEG movie files?

phate

@pokey07: Disregard my last post. This is the real video:

[uk]

+ Watch video

Damn youtube and they like named items.

diabolusunknownTheSecond

@phate:

I agree in full, these machines look awesome, just the bad desktop software and lack of osx support is a deal breaker.

jwm1314

Giz always post high res, clear pictures. In this case, it should have been blurry. Now I can see clearly how crappy that thing is. The colors are bland, the fit and finish is bleh.... Looks like some guy in the 50's during the Russian Cold war got recruited by MS and designed that thing...

Ken_Darrow

@Ken_Darrow: Looks good to me, what pics are you looking at?

Xenocide

I returned my 80gb that I got 2weeks before the release of the 120gb. I should get the 120gb in a couple days. Plus I wanted black and all they had were Red 80s when I got mine.

Solday

@Ken_Darrow:
Apple fanboy much?

Fused7

I would really love to have a Zune, but unfortunately, all my music is on my Mac; it has more hard drive space than my PC. Le sigh. They need to find some compatible software, the Zune is kinda amazing. I do love my iPod though.

KarinDiscoGirl

@phate:
You must be joking right, since the new software came out I've never ran into any problems, all the messed up tags from the first version was a synch to fix. As for the look of the software, it's one of the best looking audio player out there, the only thing it needs now is a mini player mode, something like winamp.

wetworker

sexiness. Went to walmart today and almost nabbed one but I have to see how this 3.0 firmware pans out. Still trumps the iPod IMHO.

spuntyb

Welll they fixed the Shit Green Color of the player, yet still left their display the same shit green color...Aggggg fugly

vgart

Does anyone else see a reflection of Casper the Ghost on the back of the 120? Just askin...or do I need to re-up my meds?

yelraf

I use a Mac, and have four iPods, but this year I'm so disappointed with what they've come out with that I will be buying a Zune to replace my two years old 80GB 5'th gen. I already put all my music onto the PC in the house, the only major problem being that I have 16,991 songs and yet only 16,225 transferred. I copied the whole folder as well. If anyone could help me out with this, it would make me feel a lot better about losing so much in this switch.

kylo4

I think it's time to upgrade. I still have to the o.g. 20gb ipod and have over 80gbs worth of music. So the 120 sounds like the perfect gift to myself

chocmatic

Here's a video showing some of the new software features:

+ Watch video

Ron-Mexico

@diabolusunknownTheSecond: Okay so I was listening to Pink Floyd's Echoes (RIP Rick Wright) and the music synced up perfectly with the advertisement.

It's one of the stranger experiences I've had today.

jopari

@jopari: Damn...I thought, "What the hell's he talking about?", then googled it. That sucks. I second the motion...RIP.

yelraf

Man this new Zune software is killing me. I started working on a project recently that I have to work at a field office ran by the client. No cell phones, no thumb drives and no MP3 player allowed in the building. I'm going through serious withdrawals. And if our company wins the bid for detailed design (which is almost a sure thing) I could be there till 2011-2012 easy. I miss me Zune80 and WinMo 6.1 phone. *sniff* I guess job security is a good thing though.

RobotVampire

@dogcow: a little angular in the hand, but not bad.

and it comes with standard headphones.

Adrian Covert

Nice M83 plug in the title pic :) Listening to that album right now.

kjake

Great review. I especially like the part where you described how it sounded.

Oh, wait. You forgot. Just like the iPod reviews. I guess how it sounds isn't important.

rockhopper

@rockhopper: this isn't a review, jackass.

Adrian Covert