Back in April Reebok, Allen Iverson and Zune teamed up to release a special edition pack that included a special pair of Iverson’s shoes, a Zune and a shoe bag with a Zune pocket. They were only sold at a few locations and were never available online. Well some time has gone by and apparently a few these special packs are left. I think most sneakerheads will find this package pretty appealing. These packs will are now available at Pick Your Shoes (which, btw is one of my favorite places to buy hard to find sneakers).
Zune Originals is now showing the following availability:
- Zune 4: Black, Pink
- Zune 8: Green, Pink
- Zune 16: Green, Pink, Red
- Zune 80: Black, Red
- Zune 120: Black
Most noticeably missing is the black Zune 16 and the red and blue versions of the Zune 120. There are probably a half-dozen explanations that have nothing to do with new colors (holiday demand is the most logical explanation) but there is a possibility that new colors will be released in the New Year. The optimist in me would love to see a white Zune 120 released at CES.
There have been many attempts to deliver quality, accurate music suggestions based on listening habits. Prior to Zune and iTunes getting in the game, Pandora and Last.fm were the major players in music discovery. Obviously neither of the above mentioned systems provided a solid built in experience. Last.fm had a plug-in that, at least for me, delivered less than impressive results. After that there was Pandora. While Pandora offered a more sophisticated back-end, it only appealed to users who were willing to jump through a few hoops to use it. The few times I used Pandora, I was impressed but its lack of any kind of real on-the-go solution made it a poor option and kept it from being widely embraced.
iTunes Genius and Zune Picks are two different looks at music discovery and both are thankfully implemented in their respective devices. Both features aim to put users in touch with tracks they will like but execute that mission in very different ways. iTunes Genius feature, after analyzing the users catalog (This process took a long time for me), waits quietly to be activated. This feature takes whichever track the user has selected and creates a playlist of similar tracks from their catalog. In my experience the tracks listed were generally good but not surprising. As far as helping me find new music I might like? Well that’s the Genius sidebar’s job and it isn’t impressive or intuitive. For example the playlist that was created for me was based on Adele’s Hometown Glory. The Genius Sidebar suggested more of Adele’s tracks (which I already have in my collection), Noah and the Whale, The Wombats and Hot Chip. These are decent suggestions based on what was playing but since I already have them in my collection I was a little confused why iTunes would be prompting me to buy them again. Overall I’d say that Genius isn’t so much new music discovery but what-you-already-have discovery.
Zune Picks offers a completely different approach to the challenge of connecting people with new content. While iTunes dips a toe in the cloud, Zune Picks jumps in completely. Picks first offers you a menu (Marketplace>Picks) – similar in format to any you would find in the Marketplace but aggregated with albums, artists and tracks with your musical tastes in mind. My Picks were a good mix of music I was familiar with (Modest Mouse’s most recent release, Smashing Pumpkins Greatest Hits) and bands I had never heard of but liked instantly (The Spill Canvas). On the Picks page of Marketplace you can also find Zune Social users who have similar listening habits to you. You also have the option of following a link over to your Just For You Channels. Also in Channels is the Zune DJs section. I suppose this falls into old-school music discovery but it is clear the Zune DJs are pushing the envelope and putting unknowns next to established artists. Regardless, the end result is worthwhile.
There is no question that Zune Picks offers a better music discovery than Genius. Not only does Zune actually encourage music discovery – rather than re-suggesting songs you’ve owned for years – Zune has an editorial presence that aims users toward tracks and artists you might not encounter otherwise. By having both a technological solution and a human solution (Zune Picks/Channels and Zune DJs), Zune offers a substantially more useful tool for music discovery.
That headline isn’t an exaggeration. I know because I did the math.
I bought my Zune 30 the day it launched way back on November 14 ,2006 and payed $249. When the 2.0 update came out I considered getting the Zune 80 but because the update covered my Zune 30 I figured I’d go ahead and save $250 by not upgrading. The year went along and my Zune 30 just kept working. I assumed that eventually the hard drive would fail and I’d have a bullet-proof reason to pick up one of the new Zunes but, like I said, my Zune 30 just kept working AND I had all the features that someone with a new Zune 80 had.
Now, here I am again. There is a whole new crop of Zunes and they all look amazing but my Zune 30 is running the 3.0 firmware just fine and I have most of the features that someone with the new Zune 120 has. I’ve also saved another $250 by not upgrading (for those keeping track that is $500).
I also bought a Zune pass back on November 14th, 2006. The Zune pass has been costing me $14.99 a month. I’ve thought about getting rid of it but it is an amazing value. In the time since I first got my Zune pass I’ve downloaded 10,293 tracks which far out weighs the small monthly expenditure.
So overall I payed $249 for my Zune 30 and $14.99/month for 23 months. That adds up to $594.77. Sure seems like a lot but the 10,293 tracks would have cost me $10,190.07 had I bought them individually. Add to that the $500 I saved by not having to upgrade devices (thanks for the free firmware updates!) and you get $10,095.30. How about that? (more…)
I’ve been looking forward to this feature since I first heard about it and - if you can believe it - Picks has exceeded my expectations.
Just after booting up Zune 3.0 I headed over Channels and excitedly clicked on the New Releases For You button. Every track on the list was one I liked and downloaded (thank you Zune pass). But that wasn’t all… I was recommended Mirah’s new album and I discovered a band I’m really digging called Alais. I fully expected at least one crazy suggestion but every suggestion made sense. Still not impressed? Okay check this. A long time ago I ripped the Smithsonian Collection of Classic Jazz and while I wouldn’t identify myself as a huge fan of jazz I appreciate it from time to time. New Releases For You hooked me up with a Miles Davis re-issue that I’m really enjoying.
For me, this is where the value of Picks and New Releases for You lives. Not only am I getting suggestions that make sense based on my listening habits, I’m getting album recommendations that I never would have thought to listen to had the software not suggested them.
Next up I headed over Rock Picks For You where I discovered the Small Sins first album and People Under the Stairs.
It will be interesting to see how these feature develops over the next few weeks. Certainly I’m going to be better about ratting the tracks in my library.
Yesterday I got an awesome preview of the fall Zune update and while most of the buzz I’ve seen is centered on the firmware update, what I’m most excited about is on the software side. Don’t get me wrong, Buy from FM, Zune Games and all the other cool stuff coming to the device are amazing (and I’ll be talking about them a ton in the next few days) but when I saw how the music discovery is going to work on the software side I was sold.
Let’s face it tracking down new music is hard and sometimes 30 second samples just aren’t enough. I’ve always felt like if it would be great if I could have an expert, like one of the music editors from the Zune Marketplace, look at my entire music collection and then make suggestions on other bands I might be into. Obviously, that isn’t a very realistic scenario but with the new Picks feature you get exactly that – only better! Picks not only looks at the tracks you listen to but also what tracks similar listeners like. The result is a playlist that draws on millions of users listening habits to customize the perfect playlist for you.
A lot of features promise to make you look cooler in the eyes of your friends but Picks is one that could actually deliver. Imagine being able to say that you listened to the Jonas Brothers before they were big!
Check out Zunerama for more information on the Sept 16th release.
Most people thought I was dumb when I put all my money into white Zunes after the Zune 80 was released but look at me now. I’ll have you know that I own three white Zunes 30s… yeah I’m pretty much set for life.
Note: I just ordered a top hat and a monicle, fancy fancy
I think we all know now that there will be new Zunes either tomorrow or sometime later this week but I think the now our attention should focus to the software side of the equation. If Zune 3.0 is going to be released tomorrow, what will it look like and what does it need to compete? I’d really like to see some improvements to the marketplace, mainly around music discovery and sharring. I’m also excited to see if any additional hi-def content is added to the marketplace or if any improvements have been made in how the Zune software handles hi-def content. What do you want to see in Zune 3.0 software, that is, if it arrives tomorrow?
This was taken directly Fry’s website. Appartently, the new Zune will have some very cool features. I’ve been looking forward to games for a while but being able to buy songs on the go is very appealing. What do you think?
Check it out via Zunerama
