The new
Zune HD is a giant leap forward for Microsoft's portable media player (PMP) brand, combining first-rate styling, durable, yet lightweight, construction and impressive hardware, including an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) multi-touch screen and a powerful
NVIDIA Tegra HD processor.
The Zune HD, you see, is more than a music player. It also features the first
HD radio receiver available
in a Wi-Fi-equipped handheld device and can store and playback
720p HD video files using the optional
Zune HD AV dock.
You can add content via
Zune Marketplace either over the Wi-Fi connection or when connected to the Zune PC software for playback on a large-screen HDTV. Later this year, Microsoft even plans to release free Zune applications, such as
Twitter for Zune and
Facebook for Zune, in addition to 3-D games.
The user interface is remarkably easy to use.
Quickplay and
Smart DJ help you quickly find and play digital content.
Zune Pass subscribers can also enjoy "all you can eat" access to the Zune Marketplace music catalog for only
$14.99 per month.
Smart DJ creates endless playlists using any artist, album or song as the starting point. If you have a Zune Pass, song recommendations are culled from both your personal collection and from more than 6 million tracks in the Zune Marketplace. Playlists for nonsubscribers are based solely on locally-stored music, but the results are still impressive.
Zune HD is available as a
black 16GB version, which retails for
$220, and a
platinum 32GB version, which lists for
$290. Additional red, green and blue devices are available in both capacities from
Zune Originals, where you can also customize the back of the device with custom art and text etchings.
Is the Zune HD a threat for
Apple's iPod Touch? Maybe not, but it's a viable alternative, which is more than you can say for the current offerings from Sony, SanDisk, or Creative. For more information about the new Zune HD, visit
Zune.net
