The question is what is better, Zune marketplace or a different Zune download service? Without a doubt the best choice is one of the new download services. You will get more value for a one time fee than you will paying every month at Zune Marketplace.
There are a few services that stand out and I will share my favorites with you.
Stay tuned…
I love my Zune and it is better and more enjoyable than I thought it would be. When it first came out lots of folks made fun of me for liking it so much but now it seems I’m getting the last laugh because the Zune is getting more and more popular!
I will be reviewing zune download sites but for now you can check out www.zuneconnected.com
If you don’t have your Zune yet what are you waiting for?
You’ve heard about the Zune Marketplace and you’re curious. What is it, exactly? And how will it help you organize and purchase your music easier, smarter, and for less money?
Let’s say it’s a Friday night and you’re out hanging with your friends. Taking full advantage of the Zune’s built-in wifi, one of them sends you a song to listen to.
It’s a very good track. You decide it’s a keeper. You want to buy it for yourself. But you’re worried – what if you forget the name of the song before you get back to your computer?
You’re in luck. You simply tap a button on your Zune – and the song is instantly ‘flagged’ for purchase at the ‘Zune Marketplace.’ Next time you sync your Zune, that song you liked so much will automatically be downloaded and transferred to your device. Just like that.
This is possible because your Zune integrates perfectly with the Zune Marketplace. The Marketplace is the Zune’s free music store and media playing software.
Let’s take a detailed look at what the Zune Marketplace is, how it works, and what it means for you.
Zunetags
The first thing you need to use the Marketplace is a “Zunetag.” This is basically a name tag for your device which identifies you when you’re downloading songs or sharing them with friends.
Creating one only takes a minute. (Also, if you’re a regular user of Microsoft’s XBox Live online gaming network, you already have one. Your existing “Gamertag” works for your Zune too.)
Importing
Next you’ll want some music. The Marketplace will quickly import MP3s from CDs or other media players (although music purchased using the iTunes Music Store can only be used in iTunes). Then you’re in business – you can sync to your Zune or listen right in the Marketplace.
Media playing
In addition to downloading and importing your tunes, the Zune Marketplace can also play them when you’re near a computer (everywhere else, of course, you’ll have your Zune).
You can easily create custom playlists from your songs, and it can also organize your photos and videos, and put them on your Zune device.
Purchasing songs
Eventually you’ll probably want to download some more songs, of course, and the Marketplace is built to make that as straightforward as possible.The Zune Marketplace was designed to avoid an annoying habit that many other online music stores force us to endure: Have you ever noticed the way they love to charge your card dozens of times every month?
Keeping track of all the different transactions can get really confusing, can’t it. The Marketplace, on the other hand, is different. It lets you choose between two cleaner, streamlined purchasing solutions:
* Microsoft Points. The official currency of the Zune Marketplace is Microsoft Points. Points can be purchased with a credit card and then redeemed for music downloads.
You can load your Zune Marketplace account with points quickly and inexpensively. For only $5, you get four hundred points. $15 buys twelve thousand points, and so on.
And do you know what the best part about Microsoft Points is? It costs just 79 points for a song! And most albums are available for under 800 points.
(By the way: Just like with the Zunetags, XBox Live users will be able redeem their Microsoft Points in the XBox Marketplace as well.)
* Zune Pass. And if the Microsoft Points aren’t your thing, there’s another way as well. It’s Microsoft’s all-you-can-eat “Zune Pass” service.
How does it work? Well, as soon as you’ve signed yourself up for the $14.99/month pass, you can download as much music as you want – whenever you want – and sync it to your Zune player. That means unlimited songs and albums to fill up your Zune’s 30 gigabyte hard drive.
The two options both have their merits.
Whatever you choose, you’ll have access to a startlingly large collection of music. And Microsoft has plans to add movie and television offerings as soon as possible.
All in all, the sensational Zune Marketplace software is yet another of the many reasons why the Zune player is so exciting to so many people – and why it has bloggers and music buffs everywhere buzzing.
Note: With the popularity of audiobooks increasing dramatically the mp3 player is becoming a “must have” device for people of all ages. Many business professionals appreciate the podcasting features of mp3 players so a Zune will make an excellent executive gift.
There are so many intriguing possibilities for Microsoft’s new Zune media player. I love the three inch screen and the great potential for discovery getting connected, but most of all, I love the beautiful Brown color!
Zune designers were thinking right when they settled on black, white and brown for the first release of Zune. They are pleasing to the eye, and elegant in their simplicity.
It seems like most of the Mp3 players in recent memory have been available in shiny grays and primary colors. All I have to say after my initial look, is that “ brown is beautiful”. The brown Zune with it’s gorgeous green trim will impress your friends with your savvy sense of style.
The possibilities for Zune are tremendous, and as excited as I am by the available colors, I love the device itself. Microsoft’s plan is for Zune, to be all you can imagine in “connected entertainment”. Think of the Zune as a music player without bounds.
The estimated twelve hours of battery life with audio will carry you well into the night, and you’ll really appreciate the roomy thirty gigabyte hard drive..
Zune is equipped with WiFi capability which will make transferring music and photo’s a snap. If your in the mood for radio – flip on your local FM station and listen in. You can also experience the nice great selection of preloaded music videos and your favorite podcast .
Based on early reviews, the brown Zune (or your own favorite Zune color) looks destined to be the next big thing.
And for my money ($249.99 to be exact) it’s got to be brown.
Optimize your Zune experience with these appealing Zune accessories offered by Microsoft. You’ll find everything you need to enjoy your Zune player at home or on the road.
Keep your Zune player powered-up and ready to go with the Zune AC Adapter ($29.99), capable of providing a full charge in about three and a half hours.
The Zune Car Charger ($24.99) can be purchased alone or with the Zune Car Pack ($69.99). The Car Pack includes the Car Charger and the FM Transmitter with Autoseek to make set up a breeze. Listen to your favorite music with the FM transmitter as it sends a wireless FM radio signal directly to your car stereo.
In addition, Zune Premium Earphones ($39.99) are designed to isolate noise for a high quality listening experience. The premium in-ear earphones include a carrying case and for your comfort, a choice of three different sizes. Use these earphones with the Zune Wireless Remote ($29.99) for ready access to your playlist and complete control of volume and menu options.
A simple to use Zune AV Output Cable ($19.99) connects your Zune player to a TV or stereo for hours of music or viewing of your favorite videos and pictures.
You can also purchase a Zune Sync Cable ($19.99) to connect your Zune to your computer. It works great as a spare, or to replace the original cable.
And don’t forget the Zune Dock ($39.00). This attractive docking station has a connector port and audio/ video output. Docking allows you to charge, sync or connect your Zune to home audio/ video equipment with the Zune A/V Output Cable.
Save time and money by purchasing one of the convenient accessory packages offered by Microsoft. The Zune Home A/V Pack ($99.00) includes the Zune Dock, The Zune Sync Cable, the A/V Output Cable, the Zune Wireless Remote with a Lithium Battery and the Zune AC Adapter.
Take the Zune Travel Pack ($99.00) to keep yourself entertained when your on the move. The travel pack includes the Zune Dual Connect Remote, Zune Premium Earphones, Zune Sync Cable, Zune AC Adapter, and a handy Zune Gear Bag.
Be sure to take a look at the wide array of additional accessories offered by companies partnering with Microsoft
iPod vs Zune. There’s a question for you.
Let’s face it. It’s a very biased internet out there. Everywhere you look, people from both camps are trying to tell sell you on one player or the other – the iPod for this feature, or the Zune for that one.
With all this contradictory advice flying around the internet about iPod vs Zune, who – and what – are you to believe?
It’s clear that what you really need are the facts. A source for plainly stated facts that will help you make up your own mind.
Well, here you go. From battery life to storage space to accessories – ten bite-sized bullet points, each one laying out the raw data for one specific category.
So settle down with a nice steaming cup of coffee and judge for yourself:
* Price: Both the Zune and the iPod cost $249. According to members of the Zune team at Microsoft, they’re “determined” not to let Apple undercut their price.
Because the two MP3 players have the same price, we can focus on how the actual features of the two devices stack up.
* Screen size: The Zune’s display is definitely larger, measuring 3 inches diagonal versus the iPod’s 2.5.
The Zune’s screen also supports a special wide-screen mode which makes watching movies and viewing photos a huge amount easier.
* Storage: The $249 versions of the Zune and the iPod both store 30 gigabytes of songs, photos, and videos. They’re equal in that regard.
The iPod, however, comes in a few other sizes too – the largest being 80 gigabytes. But as one would expect, you pay for that extra storage space: the 80 GB version costs as much as $349.
* Wireless features: The iPod has no wifi features – period – and the Zune does.
The Zune is all about connectedness – it allows you to wirelessly share songs, playlists, and photos with your friends so they can enjoy them too.
The shared songs can be listened to free for “three days or three plays” – and if they’re any good, “flagged” for purchase in the Zune Marketplace online music store.
Also, Microsoft is expected to roll out even more wireless features soon. We’ll almost certainly be getting features like wireless syncing – and the wireless downloading of new music from the device itself, without any need at all for a computer.
And because of the Zune’s excellent updating software, the new features will automatically work with all existing Zune devices.
* Operating systems: In this category, the winner is definitely the iPod, at least right now. The Apple media player syncs with both MacOS and Windows. The Zune, on the other hand, only supports Windows at launch.
If you’re a heavy MacOS user searching for a new MP3 player, or if you’re buying one for someone who doesn’t have Windows, right now the iPod might be a better choice.
* Overall size: The iPod is slightly slimmer than the Zune, which has more built-in features.
* Battery Life: The iPod battery lasts a couple hours longer than the Zune’s, at fourteen hours versus the Zune’s twelve.
* Accessories: Apple’s MP3 player was released over half a decade ago. As a result, it has accumulated thousands of accessories and add-ons for a wide variety of tasks.
The Zune, by contrast, is a brand new player, and so less products have been made to work with it. Yet, anyway: We can expect more companies to release accessories to the Zune as it becomes more established.
* Radio: The Zune lets you listen to FM radio – it’s built in, so it works right out of the box. The iPod does radio too, but only with an additional, separately purchased add-on product, which costs $49.00.
* Content: Both the Zune Marketplace and iTunes offer tracks for $0.99.
Microsoft offers a monthly subscription service, too. If you have a $15/month “Zune Pass,” you can download unlimited music with no additional charges.
The Zune also will have six movie studios and thirty TV networks stocking its Zune Marketplace. For movies, Apple currently has only Disney, but for television they have the edge with forty-five networks.
So what do you think? Which one’s for you?
Either way, here’s something we can be sure of: iPod vs Zune is a hot competition. Both devices have their own individual ups and downs.
But only one can be the best.
