zune hd Reviews for the new Zune HD which was officially launched on Tuesday are now starting to hit the web and the overall impressions have been quite positive thus far. Most of the comments are roughly the same:

  • Audio is great
  • Video support is good – HD output is cool but available selections in the Marketplace suck
  • Touch-screen is awesome
  • GUI is awesome
  • Lack of apps is a bummer
  • A/V dock being extra is a bummer

Without further ado here’s a quick rundown of all the various reviews, first impressions etc. Oh yeah we’ve got ourselves a 32GB Zune HD in the house and we’re still playing with it so stay tuned for our own review which probably won’t arrive for another week or so .. but definitely check out the other reviews in the meantime.

SlashGear:

“Given the lackluster appeal of the original Zune models, it’s come as no small surprise how much we like the Zune HD. There’s a sense that the Zune team really love digital media, and put above and beyond the usual effort into crafting a PMP capable of not only showing that off to its best, but doing so in a way that endears and pleases with its creative UI. Yes, boosting native codec support and ironing out the few confusions in the control structure would make it even better, but if you think of the Zune HD as the first generation of Microsoft’s new breed of PMPs then you have to admire everything they’ve achieved. Even the pricing is reasonable: $220 for the 16GB model and $290 for the 32GB, though we wish Microsoft offered a 64GB version too. Those buyers looking for broad mobile flexibility – apps, media playback and everything else – should stick to the iPod touch for the moment, but anybody wanting an excellent PMP should definitely be considering the Zune HD.”

DVICE.com:

“Summing up, the Zune HD represents a remarkable feat of technological prowess. Its user interface is the best we’ve seen on a portable media player, its sound is admirable, and its HD playback is jaw-dropping with that tiny NVIDIA Integra processor inside. This built-from-the-ground-up media player portends great things from Microsoft, perhaps hinting that this tiny form factor might someday grow into something more. Zune phone anyone?”

PC Magazine:

“With a fantastic OLED touch screen, a top-notch Web browser, and a wireless music store, the Zune HD is the best PMP you can buy—that is, if you live outside the iTunes universe.”

PC World:

“Should you consider buying a Zune HD? Absolutely, if the hardware design appeals to you and you like the idea of feasting on music for fifteen bucks a month. The video features are another major attraction if you plan to supply your own content from (ahem) ripped DVDs or other sources rather depending on Microsoft’s offerings. But the HD isn’t a pocket-sized computer like the iPod Touch–as I said at the start of this review, it’s a mere media player, albeit a (mostly) neat one.”

Gizmodo:

“

The Zune HD is the best touchscreen PMP on the market. It’s got the most unique vision, the most impressive hardware and the most stylish software. It’s priced fairly at $220 for 16GB and $290 for 32GB, though I’d call the $90 dock a required accessory.

But I’m not sure that’s enough. PMPs like the Zune HD and Sony X-Series try to advance the genre with new and impressive media playback features, but the success of the iPod Touch shows that that media playback alone isn’t necessarily enough anymore. People seem to want pocketable computers, either in smartphone or near-smartphone form, or simpler, smaller devices like the iPod Nano and SanDisk’s Sansa line. So it’s not going to steal sales from the iPod Touch, but it should make some Samsung and Sony executives pretty jealous.

I’m left wishing Microsoft could get its Zune team to work with (read: boss around) the Windows Mobile team to put together a media phone. The Zune HD is a great PMP, but it could have been a jaw-dropping, unbelievable phone.”

Engadget:

“So let’s pretend for a moment that these players are exactly the same in every way except for how you get music on them. In that scenario, we think Microsoft’s angle has some real advantages. Of course, these players are different — you’re still sacrificing a lot for that $15 subscription — and even though the Zune HD is a tremendous media player with a lot of great features, we still don’t think it competes 1:1 with a device like the touch. Still, it competes, and for Microsoft and the Zune brand, that’s a major leap forward.”

NYTimes:

“It’s an outdated joke; the Zune HD player isn’t perfect, but it’s every bit as joyful, polished and satisfying as its rival. The question is whether Microsoft will stick it out long enough to close the catalog gap, the ecosystem gap and the image gap.”

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