It's time to rethink what you think you know about Zune.
Microsoft's Zune HD portable media player has been sitting in a sealed box on my desk for two weeks now. Don't worry, I haven't lost my professional fascination with portable media players. The only reason the box has stayed sealed is because the Zune HD is little more than a $219 paperweight if it doesn't have the Zune 4.0 software client to connect to.
The wait is finally over. As of this morning, Microsoft's free Zune 4.0 software is available for download. Perfect timing, too, since the Zune HD officially goes on sale today and with any luck, preorders will be dropping on the doorsteps.
So what's new in version 4.0? Well, there's a new look, a new opening Quickplay page (shown above), an updated store stocked with new HD movies, rentals, and TV shows, a Genius-like Smart DJ feature that can leverage your Zune Pass subscription for an unlimited on-demand music-streaming experience that makes Pandora look like child's play.
But perhaps the biggest part of the new Zune 4.0 experience is that Microsoft is giving Zune Pass music subscribers a way to stream music over the Web by logging into their Zune.net accounts on any Mac or PC. We're still a far cry from being able to sync a Zune with a Mac, but at least Zune Pass users can now dig into the Zune Marketplace's deep catalog and stream music wherever and whenever they want.
Update: Some users are encountering software installation problems with the download package from Zune.net. For a more comprehensive software download (and larger file) you may want to try downloading from Microsoft's Download Center (
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=6136349f-2b32-4946-83b5-a09775531ef4&displayLang=en).
The Collection view of the Zune 4.0 software is perhaps the least changed since the previous software release.
Fortunately, the view's clean, intuitive, and uncluttered design makes it a favorite among Zune users. Across the top
left you can see separate tabs for all the music, videos, pictures, podcasts, channels, and apps in your collection.
Within each tab, submenus on the top right further organize each section (in the case of music, you'll see tabs for
artists, albums, genres, songs, and playlists).
Across the bottom you'll find persistent controls for playback, song position, and a set of three icons in the
lower left for devices, CDs, and playlist creation.
The Zune Marketplace download store built into the Zune software has always offered an attractive,
curated, well-organized selection of music. Users can browse the virtual bins in the left-side nav by selecting genres,
playlists, top songs, or regularly-updated channels. Equipped with a Zune Pass music subscription ($14.99/month), users
can download all the music they want like they were robbing the store blind.
The most notable new addition to the store is the selection of HD movies and television shows that can be downloaded from the video section--
including rented videos that can be played on your computer or Zune HD. Rented movies expire within 24 hours after the movie starts playing,
and must be finished on the device you started on.
But perhaps the biggest part of the new Zune 4.0 experience is that Microsoft is giving Zune Pass
music subscribers a way to stream music over the Web by logging into their Zune.net account on any Mac or PC.
We're still a far cry from being able to sync your Zune with a Mac, but at least Zune Pass users can now dig
into the Zune Marketplace's deep catalog and stream music wherever and whenever they want.
Beyond streaming music, users can elect to follow bands for updates on future releases, manage their Zune Social contacts,
participate in music quizzes, update their own profile, purchase tracks, and explore recommended artists.
If you prefer not to tie up a full window for streaming music from Zune.net,
you can launch the player into a smaller pop-up window, complete with album art and band photos.
Zune 4.0 also includes a new category for Apps, where you can find any
games or utilities downloaded from Microsoft's Zune Marketplace. At launch, they've got a handful
of games and a promise of more to come, including apps for Twitter and Facebook.
The Zune software's Picks page shows off recommended content based on the media already in your library.
