Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Spring Update Around The Net Wrap Up
Posted by David Tucker in "Zune News" @ 09:11 PM
“With those fixes, the Zune software is no longer a show-stopper, and I can recommend the Zune as a credible alternative to the iPod.” - Matt Rosoff, “Digital Noise” @ cnet blogs
“It's a worthwhile bunch of upgrades, if you're into the Zune scene.” - Anders Bylund, Ars Technica
“Unfortunately, news on the video store front isn't so compelling: Microsoft is only adding TV shows at this point, no movies, and there's no way to pull video you've bought on your 360 over to your Zune.” – Paul Miller, Engadget
“There's also improvement in the player itself, like the return of auto playlists and the introduction of gapless playback. Wee!” – Gizmodo
“You’ve heard them say “Welcome to the Social” — well, this is what they’re talking about.” - Devin Coldewey, CrunchGear
Well, if the Zune Spring Update 2.5 was a summer blockbuster, the review teasers would probably look something like that. The final verdict will take several more days of playing with the new software but I know that THIS Zune owner is quite pleased with what this update has given us. The social stuff alone is just fun. The video section is still lacking the one thing I really want to see, which is some sort of subscription option, but I realize that’s hoping for a lot right now.
Overall the reception is pretty positive. Plenty of people still don’t think that it’ll make a difference in the fight to dominate the iPod (which misses the point) but the general consensus does seem to be this is a big step in the right direction.
“It's a worthwhile bunch of upgrades, if you're into the Zune scene.” - Anders Bylund, Ars Technica
“Unfortunately, news on the video store front isn't so compelling: Microsoft is only adding TV shows at this point, no movies, and there's no way to pull video you've bought on your 360 over to your Zune.” – Paul Miller, Engadget
“There's also improvement in the player itself, like the return of auto playlists and the introduction of gapless playback. Wee!” – Gizmodo
“You’ve heard them say “Welcome to the Social” — well, this is what they’re talking about.” - Devin Coldewey, CrunchGear
Well, if the Zune Spring Update 2.5 was a summer blockbuster, the review teasers would probably look something like that. The final verdict will take several more days of playing with the new software but I know that THIS Zune owner is quite pleased with what this update has given us. The social stuff alone is just fun. The video section is still lacking the one thing I really want to see, which is some sort of subscription option, but I realize that’s hoping for a lot right now.
Overall the reception is pretty positive. Plenty of people still don’t think that it’ll make a difference in the fight to dominate the iPod (which misses the point) but the general consensus does seem to be this is a big step in the right direction.
