It’s even nicer than I expected!
Update 1 There is new Zune software, it doesn’t plug in to Windows Media Player. The screen isn’t much bigger than a video iPod, but it looks a lot better. That’s my opinion and everyone else who has seen the two side by side that I’ve talked to. The software did a great job of pulling in my old playlists and now it is searching for all my missing album art. Very cool.
Update 2 I’m still very happy with the Zune. One thing I haven’t seen mentioned is that the Zune software can monitor multiple folders for new content. What this means is that you can use a podcatcher to automatically update the Zune with podcasts. I’ve done something else with it that I couldn’t do with iTunes, as far as I know. I set up a directory on each of my computers called Zune that I sync using www.foldershare.com. Now I can drop a photo, video, mp3 or podcast into the directory on any of my computers (including the FJ!) and it will automatically sync to the Zune next time I plug in.
There has already been a lot written about the Zune so it should be easy to find plenty of information online, but many of the early "reviews" were written by people who already had a bias and didn’t own a Zune. The website Zunescene.com has a good list of reviews and while most people seem to love their Zune, it does seem fairly balanced. There’s also a blog by one of the Zune Team members that I just discovered.
Here’s where I see this going. The Zune is the first mainstream, connected media player and it is going to evolve from here. I imagine that the Zune will be updated with new firmware throughout its lifespan, just as the iPod has been updated. With a built-in WiFi radio, all sorts of new capabilities are possible. Right now it is a bright-screened, better sounding, easy-to-use serious competitor to the iPod. I can’t wait to see what updates are in store over the next few months.