Last Updated October 16, 2008   Product Rating   Improved user interface Ability to buy & download music directly to Zune from Marketplace 120GB hard drive FM Tuner w/ tagging   Wireless music downloads require Zune Pass subscription Mediocre battery life

In today's world, almost everyone has an Apple iPod, but some of those users are slowly switching to Microsoft's Zune instead. They are mostly doing it to make the usage of Windows Vista more seamless with their MP3 player. With an iPod, you cannot play any purchased songs from the iTunes Music Store in Windows Media Player, which is the dominant audio player on Windows. Purchased songs for the Microsoft Zune do play in Windows Media Player as well as some other players out there. In this review, we'll take a look at some of the features of the Zune and why you might want to switch from the iPod to the Zune.

To start off, the design of the new Zune is very sleek and easy on the eye. The back of the Zune is painted sleek black as opposed to the silver on previous Zune models and the front is a very glossy finish that really finishes it off nicely. The 120GB Zune measures about 4 x 2.5 x 0.5-inches and is pretty light weight for the size that it is. It sports a very nice 3.2-inch glass LCD display, a 120GB hard drive, and includes the conventional Zune navigation controls, headphone jack, dock connector, and "hold" switch.

Perhaps the best reason why people switch to the Zune is the stunningly simple interface that it uses. The main menu is just lines of easy to read and navigate text that makes finding what you want really easy. Zune 3.0 introduces a new menu item on the main menu...the Zune Marketplace. The all-new Marketplace features downloadable content for free and for sale. You can search, preview, and purchase music directly from the Microsoft Zune Marketplace online store. If you sign up for the Zune Pass ($15/month w/ 14-day free trial), you can download unlimited amounts of music directly to your Zune by using the Zune's built-in Wi-Fi connectivity from the Zune Marketplace. If you choose not to purchase a subscription, you can purchase and download music for your Zune from the Zune desktop client on your PC with song-by-song pricing. We'll have more in the Zune Pass subscription later. You can also purchase games in the Zune Marketplace that you can play right on your Zune 3.0.

Another really nifty feature of the Zune (and other non-Apple MP3 players) is the inclusion of an FM radio tuner. Now although this isn't a new feature to the Zune 3.0, Microsoft has updated the FM tuner software. You can now tag songs that you hear on the radio by using RBDS (Radio Broadcast Data System) data so you can download them later and put them on your Zune. Keep in mind that in order to do this, you have to be listening to an FM radio station that broadcasts RBDS data, but most larger FM radio stations in large cities do.

The Zune's audio and video capabilities are really solid and work nicely, as they have in previous generations...and nothing has really changed either from the second-generation Zune. It supports MP3, WMA, WMA lossless, protected-WMA (from Zune Marketplace only), and Audible audio file formats and WMV, MPEG-4, H.264, and DVR-MS recorded-video content from Windows Media Center video formats. Again, keep in mind that songs purchased from the Apple iTunes Music Store are not supported on the Zune.

If you are a Zune Pass subscriber, you can subscribe to new "Channels" in the Zune Marketplace, which are real-time updating music playlists for your Zune. They including such things as Billboard Top 20 and various genre groups. These songs that are in your subscribed Channels will automatically download to your Zune when you are connected to a Wi-Fi connection. This new feature is a pretty quick and easy to way to make sure you always have new, updated music on your Zune.

The new Zune also comes with the release of version 3.0 of the Zune desktop client software from Microsoft. The new software is much more stable as well as visually appealing. The old pink background has been replaced with a plain white background, which is much easier on the eye. New tabs throughout the interface allow for easy access to your favorite features of the Zune software. New in 3.0 is something called Mixview, which is a way for you to see related music when you are currently listening to one of the songs in the music library. You can also connect with other Zune users to compare playlists...overall Mixview is a good way to explore content that is related to what you like that you may not have otherwise found. Also it's good to keep in mind that the Zune is only compatible with the Microsoft Zune software...so you cannot use iTunes or any other music management software for any other MP3 player.

Now comes the big question...should you get the new Zune or one of the iPods from Apple?

The Zune is still not up to par with the iPod in terms of it's abilities and integration with music/video content both online and offline, but Microsoft is doing everything it can to try to change that. The Zune 3.0 introduces new features that allow you for better integration with online content, such as Zune Pass and Mixview. If you want to move away from an a la carte music service like iTunes to a subscription service, then the Zune just might be for you, but keep in mind that you purchased content from the iTunes Music Store will not work.