Friday, September 18, 2009

The Other Microsoft Behemoth


Like everybody doesn't know already, Apple rules the world. Maybe not the entire world but at least the consumer market if we are talking about mp3 players and smart phones. With their iPods and iPhones and their millions and millions of users they think they are untouchables (get it? iPod Touch?).

The thing is, that there is a 720pound gorilla in the room and it seems that is going to get fatter. The Microsoft Zune HD was launched a couple of days ago to a somewhat "not- so" screaming success. It has an OLED 16:9 touch screen (wide-screen aspect ratio), HD video output (720p), FM and HD radio, Wi-Fi so you can browse the web, games, future integration with Xbox and some more stuff. Most of the tech press thinks that it's really a good product. More so with the Zune software, the next platform for Microsoft delivered entertainment. Oh, lets not forget about the Zune Pass; that lets you fill up your device with media that you can enjoy at any given time, keep it if you want or even share it with others Zune owners (take that Apple) for a small monthly fee.

In the end, I think that the Zune HD is a better buy than the iPod Touch or any other media player device. With better user experience, more affordable and in a more open platform; there's no doubt about it, Microsoft has a big change to take a big slice of Apple's pie.

Here is a quick unboxing video from the guys at Technobuffalo; enjoy.