Hands On Reviews Of The Microsoft Zune HD From Gadget Experts

Microsoft Zune HD has hit the net with a bunch of early reviews. Some of the prominent online tech sites have gotten a chance to play with the device and they’ve written a few things about the device. Most of the reviews are positive and think the Microsoft Zune HD has a chance to compete with Apple’s iPod Touch.

Peter Ha, from CrunchGear, says the Mirosoft Zune is a wonderful device but doesn’t do anything special when comparing it to Apple’s iPod Touch. He also points out that he didn’t get a chance to play with the latest firmware, so some of the features weren’t as sleek or intuitive.

You see, the features that the Zune team has been touting don’t interest me much. I don’t really care to see an artist’s bio, their pictures or anything of that nature. Sure, the modified IE browser is nice and works great, but I want to know how deeply integrated the Zune HD is going to be with other Microsoft devices like the Xbox 360. I don’t need to fork over extra cash for an HD dock to stream 720p content onto my TV. I can already do that through my Xbox 360, FiOS and whatever content is stored on my NAS. Tell me what the plans are for the next six months. Tell me when the damn thing is actually going to launch.

Here’s a quick look video from CrunchGear:

Ben Patterson from Yahoo! Tech, had a much more positive review of the Zune HD.

First of all, let’s just say that the Zune HD makes for the sexiest Zune yet. A little taller and wider than the flash Zunes yet stiff wafer thin (official measurements have yet to be released), the new Zune feels way light to the touch—between three and four ounces, if I had to guess—yet solid enough not to feel chintzy. Indeed, the Zune HD feels as good to hold as the original iPod Nano did; you just don’t want to let it go.

…Microsoft reps cautioned that the Zune HD’s menus are still being tweaked, but they looked impressively polished to me; the interface reacted almost instantly to my taps, with menus that subtly fade, zoom in and out, and slide over and away in a pleasing but not overbearing manner.

Tim Gideon and Wendy Sheehan Donnell, from PC World do think the Zune has a chance to compete with Apple but they won’t be sure until they get a chance to do a full lab review.

Interoperability with the Zune Marketplace is not quite there yet – this is after all, a pre-production version – but cool features abound, like sharing songs with other Zune users, or sending e-mail suggestions for songs you like, as well as viewing albums and songs by artists similar to the artist you are currently listening to. The integration of artist bios (from AMG) and photos into the “now playing” screen looks sharp and offers an interactive listening experience.

…Is the Zune HD a worthy adversary to the iPod touch? In a word: Yes. Sure, the touch still has all those apps, but, upon our first glance, it’s easy to say the Zune HD more than holds its own ground with its fantastic user interface and beautiful 480-by-272-pixel OLED screen.

Here’s their quick hands on video: