Zune (resurrection)

*taps mike*

Whoa, is this thing still on? It is? ok…

I haven’t updated this site in ages, i honestly don’t know why, i want to write about something, but then i worry it might make my site look differently to other people.

But now, i don’t care anymore, i like posting, so i will.

I recently got a Zune 80GB from the US along with three accessories; a car kit FM transmitter, a wall charger and an A/V out plug. I got the Zune from the Originals site and got a laser cut engraving on the back at no extra cost (see pics below).

The whole process of buying it and getting it to me was a bit rough, especially shipping. Apparently, USPS started the shipping process in February and i assumed since it wasn’t any special mail service1, it would come in 45 days. 45 days later, i got worried, so i asked the guy in the US who was shipping it to me to check it out. He found out that it hadn’t even left the US since USPS apparently sent him a letter saying that they don’t insure stuff outside the US (i got insurance since it was an expensive item). Don’t ask me why they didn’t say that upfront when he was mailing it. So he got a refund on the insurance and 8, yes 8 days later it came:

Most of the engraving on the site was pretty cruddy looking, but i liked the headphone design and got that along with a bit of text on the top, which says ‘Zune’ in 8 bit binary (go ahead, yell geek already)

So far i’ve filled 10 GB on it and i quite like it, MUCH better than an iPod in many respects, i <3 the album art usage, nice big pictures, and no nonsense such as album year, extra info, all that, it’s just artist, album, and title, nothing more necessary. I also love the touch sensitive pad, called a ’squirtle’. If the usage is sideways, that’s how it responds, otherwise the other way.

The software is a bit annoying, it has the whole ‘has to have a hard copy anti-piracy’ motto, which is a pain cos my music is on another PC which is connected via a slow wifi network.

Videos are decent on it as well, i was watching the last season of Star Trek: TNG on it, not the greatest since it was MP4, but watchable nonetheless.

In all, a worthwhile purchase, i just hope they bring it to the Middle East…