We can confidently say that times are changing for the Zune. The underdog of portable music players has pulled up a seat at the cool kids table alongside Apple's iPod fleet. The 80GB Zune boasts a bigger screen than its predecessor, a new wireless synching capability, and an easy-to-use gesture Zune Pad. In fact, the 80GB Zune and Zune Marketplace have the goods to be our new daily music device and PC listening software combo of choice.

The Zune's audio and video playback performance is very good to excellent. As with all portables, the bass is a bit lacking, but a good set of aftermarket headphones will make a big difference. The built-in equalizer presets are all too similar to do much good, but the overall sound of the Zune is very satisfying. Photos and videos appear clear, although darker areas of videos showed some pixelation. Microsoft preloads the Zune with a selection of songs, music videos and movies, so you're ready to go right out of the box. Granted, we didn't recognize many of the songs or artists, but this is still a nice bonus.

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.

Audio was clean and crisp - although the hard drive is distractingly audible at times. The on-player interface is easy to use and handsome, especially the large album art while track are playing.Video performance is very good, with the screen size really helping. Color was strong, brightness more than adequate in our test environments. I'm still dying for DivX support without transcoding, but hey I'm just happy to watch

Battery life didn't meet the published specs of 20 hours for music and 4 hours for video with the Wi-Fi turned off. My rundown test on music was 18 hours, and video was 3.5 hours, which is, you know, fine.So call it a 6, with points off for HD noise and uninspiring battery life.

For video, the Zune is compatible with WMV, and the included software will convert MPEG-4 and H.264/AVC for playback. However, it won't play video from Unbox, Vongo, Tivo to Go or other similar sites, and there is no support for DivX. It can only display JPEG pictures.

Features:-

Storage Capacity:-80.0 GB

Number of Songs:-20000.0

Main Storage Type:-Hard Drive

Audio Format:-MP3, WMA, AAC

Video Format:-MPEG-4, H.264, WMV

Screen Size:-3.2 inch

Interface:-USB 2.0

Outputs:-Headphone Jack

Additional Features:-FM Stereo Tuner

Power Source:-Rechargeable via USB cable

Width:-2.4 in.

Depth:-0.5 in.

Height:-4.3 in.

Weigh:-4.5 oz.

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