Today is Zune Day!!  Today is the day the much discussed Zune HD is due to be officially released, and I was lucky enough to get one on launch day.  Well…maybe luck had nothing to do with it.  Maybe I did pay a little extra for faster shipping.   But you really do not care about that story.  You want to see the goods.

I was a little surprised to find that Microsoft had not significantly changed the packaging.  It is pretty much identical to previous generations of the Zune. 

Just slide open the box, and on top you will find some paper.  Feel free to take a look at that if you like.  I was too excited and just tossed it aside for the time being.

Under that initial layer, rests the Zune HD…in all its glory, nestled in a shell of plastic and cardboard.  That is really on gorgeous looking device (sorry, I had to get it syncing and charging before I had a chance to snap all of the pictures). 

I was initially impressed by how tiny and skinny it is up close.  From some of the publicity shots I had seen, it looks a bit bigger.

Here, you can see a shot of the Zune alongside the iPod Touch 1st Gen and Cowon S9. 

Alongside the Zune, you will also find the bare minimum of accessories in the box.  There are the standard Zune headphones, which rank about equal to the earbuds which come with most iPods.  In other words, garbage before they come out of the box.  I’ll be testing this one with my Ultimate Ears earbuds. 

Also in the box is the standard sync/charge cable.  I really appreciated the fact that this appears to be identical to previous generations of Zune cables, meaning that although it is proprietary, the three cables I have from my old Zune media players should still work fine with it (thought I have not tested it yet).

Getting set-up takes a bit of time, even if you have used Zune in the past.  Your old Zune software will not work with the Zune HD.  You will have to use the new Zune 4.0 software, which was released today.  that is no big deal.  just head over to Zune.net and download the new software. 

The next thing you will need to do is update the firmware.  I was a little annoyed by this.  Here it is the first day the new device is available, and the firmware is already out of date.  Still, this was pretty much a matter of plug it in and let it go.  Before long, I had Zune 4.0 loaded on my computer, and Zune 4.1 firmware on the Zune HD. 

Let’s go ahead and take a bit of a closer look at the Zune HD before I leave you for now.  The design is absolutely exquisite.  Like I said, it is a bit smaller and much skinnier than I expected.  it is extremely light, but does not feel cheap are poorly constructed at all. 

Most of the controls are handled by the touchscreen, so there are only three physical buttons on the device.  On the top is the power button. 

On the face is the back button for navigating the menus.  In this picture, you can also see the headphone jack and sync/charge cable port on the bottom.

The most interesting button to me was this small one on the side.  At first, I thought it was the volume control.  In actuality, it calls up an on-screen menu, which allows you to adjust the volume, or control the music. 

This is pretty slick looking, but I will have to play with it some more to let you know how effective it really is.

I also really liked the fact that the metal parts were not the same shiny metal as the back of the iPod.  Instead, it is made from a brushed metal, which stays much nicer longer.  Which, of course, is not to say that you will not be facing the age old problem of fingerprints.  Like any touchscreen device, fingerprints are going to be an issue.  So, before I gunk up the screen with fingerprints, here are a few shots of that OLED screen in action.

That is it for now.  I will be back soon and again from time to time as we look at everything this new Zune can do, including a full review of the Zune 4.0 software and the new Zune app store in the marketplace (yes you read that right).  So, stay tuned!! Plenty more to come…

Be Sociable, Share!

• 

Related posts:

1. Zune Unboxing Pics & Video at Engadget
2. Zune Domains To Go Dark In Advance Of Zune HD Release
3. Hate The Zune…But Love The Zune HD (Pictures Enclosed)
4. Zune 30 Case – SOLVED!!!
5. More Zune Colors = Happiness