Zune Thoughts: Zune Desktop Software v.1.0.5341.0 Visual Walk Through

I might not have a Zune yet, but I was able to get my hot little hands on the Zune Desktop software - and I'm pleased to present a 59 screenshot, 8.07 MB total image size, visual walk through of the software. I screen captured every screen throughout the setup (which took a bit longer than I thought to complete), then once the software was installed I dug through the menus looking for Zune-specific options. This software is 95% identical to Windows Media Player 11, though a few things have been changed - mostly cosmetic. I was hoping to see something new and cool, but alas, there wasn't much there. In many ways, the software has been simplified over WMP11, and that's not a bad thing.

I'll try to post some commentary on these images tomorrow, since it's rather late at the moment, but you'll learn some new bits of information looking through these - like the fact that the Zune desktop software is only supposed to be installed on one PC (curious, no?) and that if you're paying the $14.99 USD monthly subscription, you can sync up to two Zunes on one account. Up to five PCs can be activated to play back Zune content, and they took out all but three of the visualizations for desktop playback - and removed the album art view (which was my personal favourite).

I apologize in advance for the size and weight of this page - we don't yet have a multi-page break system implemented here at Zune Thoughts, so only click through if you're on a high-speed connection. You've been warned! If you're really a keener, you can download the 13.2 MB ZIP file of all my un-resized originals.