Microsoft Zune 30 GB Media Player

This portable music and video player boasts a sharp-looking screen and a beautiful interface, but its extras won't sway iPod owners.

What will it take to beat Apple's iPod at its own game? Microsoft is betting that its $250 Zune--a 30GB, Wi-Fi-equipped music and video player--can go toe-to-toe with the digital music giant.

A large, bright screen, an attractive interface, and innovative wireless media sharing illustrate the Zune's potential. But Microsoft's Wi-Fi implementation is currently so limited that the potential isn't realized. The shipping model of the Zune I tested shows impressive polish for a first effort, but its features don't seem compelling enough to make it a serious threat to take a big chunk out of iPod sales.

At $250 for 30GB of storage, the Zune costs exactly as much as the latest 30GB video-capable iPod and the Zen Vision:M. Like most non-iPod players, it includes an FM tuner and supports MP3 and WMA music files, as well as WMV, MPEG-4, and H.264 video files.

Unlike many Windows-based players, the Zune also supports unprotected AAC files--a nice touch for anyone who's been ripping CDs using iTunes' default settings. On the other hand, Microsoft's player lacks a built-in voice recorder, which most Windows-based players include.

The Zune is a bit larger and heavier than the latest 30GB iPod, but its bright, beautiful color screen is a half-inch larger (measured diagonally) than the iPod's. When you're watching videos on a screen that small, every extra bit of real estate counts.

Rounding out the package are a USB cable, a carrying case, headphones, and a 14-day trial membership in Zune Pass, Microsoft's $15-per-month, all-you-can eat music subscription service.

With Zune's built-in Wi-Fi access. Meet up with friends who have a Zune, and you can beam tracks, playlists, or photos to their players, so they can listen to or view them on their own time. Beamed tracks appear in the inbox of the recipient's Zune, where they'll remain for a maximum of three days or three plays. If you like a track, you can flag it for purchase through the Zune Marketplace, an online music store associated with the player.

Microsoft plans eventually to link the Zune up with PCs and Xbox 360 consoles using its wireless connection; but right now, the wireless connectivity is limited. There's no wireless syncing with your Wi-Fi-equipped PC at home and no wireless access to the Zune store.

Album art takes up two-thirds of the display during normal music playback, with the standard status indicators and track information filling the bottom third.

The Zune's audio sounds quite nice, too, on a par with that of the latest iPods and Creative players. On PC World's objective tests of audio quality, this player earned the best score.
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