Gizmodo spent some time today with the Zune HD and here’s what they had to say:
The device is tighter and more physically beautiful than the iPod Touch and it’s got a better UI, the main menu’s scrolling so natural through the swipe gestures. There’s a little note on the side, under the volume toggle—”Hello from Seattle.” The power button is up top. The home button is nice and prominent, a bar rather than a round button on the Touch. It’s smaller. And the accelerometer is more swift in responding to repositioning; images rotate very fast.
It’s funny that people are already saying that the Zune HD is better than the iPod Touch. For starters, the iPod Touch was introduced about 20 months ago, so a Zune device that’s scheduled to come out in a few months should be competitive with the Touch. Also, while Microsoft is busy working on a competitor to the current interation of the iPod Touch, Apple is undoubtedly already work on the next gen version of the Touch.
Alright, that’s enough haterade for now, but below, check out a video of the Zune HD in action. Hit us up with your thoughts and impressions in the commens below.
Zune HD Video Hands On from Gizmodo on Vimeo.
May 29th, 2009 at 5:08 am
Do the menu items not fit the screen for a reason?
So much for Apple not influencing the market.
May 29th, 2009 at 7:49 am
I love the OLED screen, looks better than LCD to me
May 29th, 2009 at 12:46 pm
It looks fine all around, but it’s hard not to have a good interface when the iPhone has been around for going two years now. (Though there were a few times when he swiped or tapped and nothing happened.) What is new or different (besides FM radio?) Also, will Apple not sue the tar out of Microsoft for copying most of the interface?
Credit to Microsoft for doing a good job of putting this together and copying the right parts of the iPod touch, but two years later? With FM and some kind of WiFi juju? Where are the Apps? Where is the pinch to zoom? Where is the email? Where is the browser? Where are the developers/APIs?
Whatever anyone says about Apple, they get their stuff out there first, essentially forcing everyone to live in their shadow. Of course Microsoft is copying: Apple did it right and it would be stupid not to keep the parts that work. But still so much is missing.
May 29th, 2009 at 6:48 pm
Nice touch to make parts of the interface appear to be ‘outside’ the screen. Makes the device feel a lot smaller and cramped—like there’s so much power in it, that it can just barely hold it in. Having the home-button right next to the touch-display, also brilliant. You can place like cool buttons right at the bottom there and allow the user to click two buttons at the same time. Now that’s efficiency. I’m impressed. Wow. I just have one question: Does it still squirt? I like squirting. I’m addicted to squirting, really. Anyone wanna squirt with me?