80 GB Microsoft Zune Review - Design
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Design
The 80 GB Zune has improved in the appearance department over its predecessor, although it is a much more subtle look. Currently, the Zune only comes in a black finish with a silver metal matte-finish backer. What's cool about the back-plate on the new Zune is that you can have it customized by Microsoft with a nice engraving pattern across the metal backing.
The 80 GB Zune is physically smaller than the previous model. The overall dimensions of the Zune are 2.4 inches wide by 4.3 inches high by 0.5 inches thick. The size of the device is very similar to the 80 GB iPod.
Although the Zune is smaller in size than the previous model, Microsoft has increased the screen size from 3 inches to 3.2 inches. This is a great improvement, and it's a big advantage over the iPod's 2.5 inch display. The one downside to the larger screen is that the resolution has not changed in the new Zune. The resolution of the display is 320 x 240 pixels, which happens to be the same as the iPod's.
This means that while you will get a larger screen with the Zune, the iPod's screen will be slightly better quality (in terms of resolution). When you're dealing with small screens, such as in a media player, this slightly lower resolution is usually not that big of a deal. In my opinion, I would rather have the larger screen than have the one with slightly better resolution.
Aside from the enlarged LCD display, the new Zune also sports an improved control pad, which Microsoft calls the "Zune pad." This new controller is a cross between a laptop touch-pad and a 4-way directional button. The Zune pad is a great innovation by Microsoft; it works better than the typical click-wheel. Users will be able to operate the Zune pad by brushing a finger up, down, left, or right across the pad -- or they can use the Zune pad like a typical push button pad. This new navigating technology may not be quite as innovative as the iPhone or iPod Touch's navigation technology, but it's about as close as you can get.
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