Microsoft Zune 4 Review

A user posting a Zune review on Amazon admires the interface, even compared with the iPod, as well as the sound quality, although this user and others note the absence of an equalizer in this generation. Microsoft's proprietary software gets mixed reactions in Zune reviews on Amazon. In a Zune review on CNET, an expert notes that the Zune 4 lacks features found in some of the other MP3 players on our list, such as voice recording, an FM radio recording, and support for Audible audiobooks.

What the Zune 4 does offer that the others don't is the ability to share media wirelessly with nearby Zune users, who can listen to a song up to three times. They can then buy the track from the Zune Marketplace using the same wireless capability, so long as they're connected to a network, and download songs they hear on the Zune's FM radio. In Zune 4 reviews, however, users more often mention the player's ability to wirelessly sync with their computers.

The Zune 4 keeps up with the rest of the pack when it comes to capacity and battery life, offering 4 GB of storage, 24 hours of audio, and up to four hours of video. Users must watch video on a 1.8-inch screen, but the resolution is 320x240, as high as on some larger MP3 player screens, and the display is covered with scratch-resistant glass rather than plastic. Unfortunately none of this means anything if you have a Mac; Zune players are compatible only with PCs.