So today, after much waiting, my Zune 2 arrived. I had sold the Zen for a good share ($150) on eBay, and then shopped around for a good deal on the Zune. It took a few days, but once I looked through my wallet and found a Xbox Live Diamond Card as well as a few Target gift cards that I had gotten for my birthday, it seemed obvious that I would be getting it from Target. The sale was 10% off anything at Target.com. That link is at xboxlivediamond.com, but you have to get the card. The card is no longer free, but I got it while it was still free. Anyways, that dropped the $249 Zune to $224. But when you add sales tax (an APPALINGLY high percent) and shipping (way expensive for the speed), it negates the 10%, bringing the total to a nice $249 point, at which I applied the giftcards and voila. It came via UPS in a suprisingly small box. I opened the box, and here's what was inside.

OMG! MY ZUNE!Here's the box. It's nearly the same box as the iPod except with Zune all over it.

Nice cosmetic touch to waste more trees to put the headphones and cable into another box.

That there is the Zune right before unwrapping its protective shield and welcoming it into the world.
A still pristine Zune, before it gets initiated into a world of scratchy keys and headphones in pockets.

That's the entire contents-from left to right directly above:
Bottom of box, Zune holder, Zune, User Guide, Start Guide, Sync Cable, Premium Headphones, replacement tips, and top of box. Not included are the boxes that held the sync cable and headphones.

The Zune 2 in relation to my BlackJack II, the Creative Zen Vision:W and a TI-84+ Silver. It's smaller and thinner than the ZV:W and TI, but is nearly the same thickness as the BJII. The PSP is just about the same as the TI, but I couldn't find it for the pic.

There's the Sizeasy for you web 2.0 types.

All over the box, it warns to go to Zune.net/setup before I plug it in, so i obligingly do. It's a good website. But since I was eagerly anticipating the Zune, the software is already installed and nicely organized with my podcasts already downloaded. The review of the software will come in a later post.
My initial impressions, just a day after getting it, are very positive overall. It seems like just an upgrade from my Zen Vision:M, but a needed one. The interface is gorgeous, but a bit different that the superb Creative UI. Right now the thing that bugs me most is the inability to add music to the currently playing tracks. Does anyone know how to do this without clearing the quick list every time? I also spent all last night watching Keith Olbermann on the device (c/o Countdown on Zune Marketplace for free) and couldn't get a time left counter without interrupting playback. Is there a way to get that? Also, does anyone know of a good free converter for the Zune? I don't know the exact specs for Any Video Converter.
Expect a full review of both the Zune and the software coming soon!

Labels: microsoft, unboxing, zune, zune 2, zune marketplace, zune unboxing