Microsoft Zune H3A-00001 120GB Hard Drive Portable Media Player - H3A-00001
Microsoft Zune 120GB Digital Media Player - Black

I bought a 120GB Zune after the failure of my Cowen X5L. The latter must be one of the best MP3 players ever made which made this review tough. The Zune is easy to use and delivers excellent quality sound. I do like the interface - it is easy to navigate with just a few controls and the graphics are very slick. The Zune sets itself up very nicely with your music with very little user input being allowed or even possible. The 120GB drive is just what I needed. I like the wireless networking capability. Some things I didn't like: If you have a long list of albums, artists and songs, it is really tedious to scroll down long lists to find the item you are seeking. The X5L allowed you to format the music in a hierachial structure (same as disk directories) so that the target was only 3 clicks away. No means of adjusting the tone! Although audiophiles may welcome this, I have found that when travelling on planes etc., the availability of a graphic equalizer to tweak the tone balance greatly enhances the ability to hear the music over the plane engines. No recording capability. I could make recordings from the radio on the X5L. No microphone. No supported means of uploading files from the Zune to the PC. OK, there is a hack that seems to work well so this is not such an issue. Very susceptable to fingerprints etc. This device definitely needs a case! Do I prefer it to the X5L? Yes but only just and mainly for the increased drive capacity.
 
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I have had a 1st generation 30gb Zune for 2 years and love it. Two months ago the screen got cracked accidentally, and while it still works, i can't see what it's doing. That makes it hard to control. I decided to replace the whole thing, as it would have cost the same to replace just the screen. I couldn't be more pleased with the new 120gb model. I also vastly prefer the Zune software to I tunes. It's much more user friendly, and much more adaptable to my needs. The Buy.com experience was also very pleasant. My order was processed immediately, and shipped the same day. All in all a great deal, a great product and great service. (I don't work for Buy.com or Microsoft)
 
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Compared to my old 30GB Zen, the 120GB Zune is easier to use after a bit of getting used to. One drawback is there seems to be a High Pass filter in the headphone jack when plugged into the Aux input of my car stereo there is not much bass at all. I have verified this with two different cars / stereos so I'm sure it's the Zune. A fried said the same thing of his older 30GB Zune. With headphones or using the A/V dock to my home entertainment system, this issue does not exist, the output is exactly as I expect with plenty of bass. I have not tried the FM transmitter to see if the same problem exists, I just crank up the bass and it's fine. Other than that (what I consider very small issue) I love it!
 
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I bought this for my daughter as a replacement Zune (old boyfriend kept the orig) and Christmas gift. She said it was thinner than the 30Gig she had and enjoyed the larger screen. I was very impressed by the video quality on the large screen and the ease of navigating. I'd like to get on a plane right now and take a trip just so I could enjoy the video capabilities of this toy.
 
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As a bit of background, I have been a musician for over 35 years and have been an audiophile geek for longer than that. I know what good sound is and is not. When I purchased the 120, I already owned an 8GB Zune and had used it extensively on a long overseas trip. The only reason I purchased the 120GB is that I started running out of space on the 8GB. Both of them have a long battery life and wonderful sound as long you're doing just audio (video burns juice faster of course), but the 120GB does burn up battery power quicker...this makes sense as the 120GB Zune has a tiny hard drive that has to run and burns more battery than the memory-only 8GB. The audio output on both of these blows away anything I've heard on Ipods and everything else I've auditioned. If you care for audio fidelity even a little this is the device for you. Also, don't bother with the Zune supplied headphones...they're crap. I am using Etymotic ER-4 headphones that are relatively expensive but worth it. PROS: (1) Fantastic quality sound (if you own decent headphones), (2) bigger screen, (3) LOTS more storage, (4) easy to use interface, (5) FM radio (nice when you travel, especially to hear music in foreign places) CONS: (1) It's a little thing, but you can hear the hard drive spin up when you start (but not during playback), (2) terrible headphones in package, (3) can only be recharged from USB port (unless you buy an AC adapter). In short, if you are all about music and sound quality the Zune is for you.
 
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I had an ipod,but this mp3 player is by far, a better value and easier to use,I love the new controls as well
 
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This is my second Zune. My first 30G is still in great shape. I decided to dedicate it solely to my home receiver. No more, cd changers, etc. All my music, podcasts, etc. are on it (them). The new one is for my personal use. It looks a little smaller and sleeker. I love that the new software is available for my 30G, too. My daughter had been campaning for an ipod video. When she saw my new Zune, she was sold. Not to mention, how much more you get for your money with Zune. Space, screen size, fm radio, games, wireless connectivity, upgradability for all generations, quality of build. I guess you can go with the itouch, but, have you looked at the price for what you get? I'm really annoyed by all the ipod/mac brain washing that is going on out there. Zune rocks!
 
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The Zune 120 is my 2nd Zune. I also own the Zune 30. It has been the changes in the software that has helped make me passionate about the Zune. The Zune Social service is a great value for me, the hardware is fantastic and I really enjoy the radio tagging. My daughter has an Ipod Nano 3rd Gen and she is becoming less thrilled with her Nano the more she learns about my Zune. I only wish the Zune would allow me to create and maintain playlists on the Zune itself.
 
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As someone who is plugged into head phones doing AutoCAD all day the Zune was a great purchase. The 120GB drive is more than plenty to hold anything I want. Controls are very intuitive. The design is sleek and simple. Appears to be pretty rugged (haven't dropped it yet though) The Zune software is pretty large at 130MB, which you have to download. It has a lot to offer for the beginner and advanced users. Have not had a chance to zune with someone else on the WiFi, but the option is very cool. The product is a little pricy unless you are really into music and use it everyday like I do. Also there are not as many third party docking options (Bose please get on board with the zune) but other than that GREAT Media Player.
 
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This player is awesome..great video playback on the 3.5" screen. Software is much improved over past zunes. Battery life is pretty good. Games are an added bonus.
 
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This is a very nice video player that comes with 120GB and FM tuner. The small size is also a plus to the Zune. All I can say is that this video player is worth every pennies.
 
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This Zune is superbly unique great buy. Presently I owned this one and the previous 30G they are awesome well supported by my systems. I travel frequently and I download my own DVD videos and CD's. The 30G came with a CD which in my view was very uselful since I travel often; and most of the time I am supported through wireless network. The only issue I had with downloading the 120G to the network was a little more complex because when I downloaded and signed up for social; the software was not loading return error through microsoft.com i finally broke the failure by googleing zune software download. I got it loaded through external source directly to my laptop 64 and 86 and it work when I launch it directly from my laptop. It is a bit time consuming when you are on wireless. I can not speak for LAN set-up system. If Zune could compliment a download CD with the purcahsing of the 120's or above later on that will be great tool to have; they can even do it on a mini CD for easy travel use.
 
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This is a very nice player, it does everthing. Video,pic,FM tuner. I love the size for the price.
 
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Very pleased with the product. Was debating between the Video iPod and Video Zune. Glad I picked the Zune. Love the wireless feature. Just copy the files to your folder and sync wireless from anywhere in the house. It is slow though. Also like the various video formats it accepts. Not the mention the FM radio
 
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I buy a lot of tech gear, professionally and personally. I've worked in the IT industry for 25+ years (they didn't really call it an industry at all then ;-)), and I love electronics and gadgets. So my expectations, jaded as I have become, are high for the items I research and choose to buy. The Zune has EXCEEDED my expectations. I can't tell you how rare that is. My family now has a total of 5 Zunes. (2) 1st generation 30GB Zunes (with hard drives) (2) 2nd generation 'mini' 8GB Zunes (flash memory) and my favorite, the 120GB Zune you are looking at now. I can tell you, like a lot of Microsft's products (the XBOX and XBOX 360 comes to mind as well as countless other products), the Zune keeps getting better over time. The latest software release from Microsoft (which includes 'firmware' for the Zune as well as updated client software for the PC you attach it to is loaded with great features. A couple quick google searches will give you more reviews on the software update than you'll need. But the thing I appreciate most about Microsoft with regard to the Zune is that they've made the software - and ALL the new features - available for ALL Zunes. So all FIVE of my gen 1, 2 & 3 Zunes work exactly the same. Does Apple do that? Nope. Not likely to either, that's how they get you to buy more iPODS. My favorite feature is probably the ability to connect to a hotspot/home wireless and browse and stream music from the Zune Marketplace (Microsoft's 'iTunes'). VERY cool. It's nice to relax and explore new music (and even download the stuff you like) without being tethered to a PC. Wireless sync and sharing are nice too. The combination of 'Channels' (think playlists someone else creates and updates weekly) and the Zune pass are powerful too (didn't think I'd use either but now I am a Zune pass subscriber with a dozen channels already). The Social is an interesting way to see what others, including your friends, are listening too. I'm talking about the software that comes with the Zune a lot becuase that's what makes the Zune experience IMHO. As for the 120GB Zune hardware? I love the glossy black finish. Yes it is a total fingerprint magnet, but it looks GREAT (when clean lol). I swear even though the dimensions are not a lot smaller than the original 30GB Zunes, it looks and feels quite a bit smaller and sleeker. And 120GB? Nuff said. You will work VERY hard trying to fill it up. I have dozens of full length movies, thousands of songs and pics and more podcasts (video and audio) than I will ever get to. In fact I just say sync ALL with everything except the movies in the software settings. There is not a realistic risk of me running out of space anytime soon (I'm just under 1/2 full). The build quality of the device is very good. It's a shame the premium earbuds don't come with the 120 like the 80GB Zune though. Zune earbuds are ok, but you'll likely upgrade (I have). All in all I would have given the Zune all 5's, but IMO it's still a little pricey. But worth it...
 
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I am really enjoying my Zune and have made it part of my daily commute to and from work. It functions pretty much as I expected. The only issue I had was that the software would not recognize my Zune on the first computer I tried, an older Dell running XP. Could easily have been the Dell as it has been buggy ever since my kids started using it. Thankfully we have a new Dell running Vista and eveything went very smoothly. Sometimes the syncing process is time consuming, especially when dealing with large video files, but otherwise no complaints. I love the 120gb capacity - never even think about what's on there and what I might need to remove. Have all my pics, all my music and dozens of TV shows I have no time to watch at home. All around I am very satisfied and glad I didn't shell out $400 for an iPod like the rest of the world.
 
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Electronics > Personal Electronics