Me gusta el nuevo Zune. De hecho notarán que mi blog ya tiene, al costado de mi GamerCard de Xbox 360, mi Zune Card. =)

Pensaba escribir por qué me gusta el nuevo Zune frente al iPod, pero encontré un review que dice exactamente lo que pienso… y como soy flojo y es tarde, mejor lo copio aquí:

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There’s no kind way to describe the disaster that was the original Zune PC software. From the awful out of box experience, to the lengthy and painful setup, to the excruciating act of actually using the software on a regular basis, the original Zune software was just an epic waste of time. Clearly an ugly, ugly skin on top of Windows Media Player, Zune 1.0 brought with it all of the complexity that comes from using a convoluted legacy application, but none of the good stuff: It wasn’t compatible with PlaysForSure-based devices and services at all

Well, let’s just pretend that never happened. For the second generation Zune software, Microsoft literally started from scratch, designing something that is beautiful, unique looking, and useable. Zune 2.0, as I’ll call it, is one of the most attractive PC applications I’ve ever seen, and while Microsoft has apparently lost a few power user features in the transition, moving away from the WMP base was clearly a wonderful idea. This software is so good, in fact, that you might consider using it for organizing and enjoying digital media content on your own PCs, even if you don’t own a Zune device. No, you can’t use Zune 2.0 with non-Zune portable media devices, but so what? It’s so nice looking you might just not care. (And like its predecessor, it can share content with network-connected Xbox 360s in your home, which can be valuable.)

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When Microsoft’s Zune portable media player debuted a year ago, I described it as “a me-too device that provides only a small fraction of the iPod’s functionality.” On the flipside, I added that the first generation Zune did “offer a few advantages over the iPod, including a bigger screen, a smoother, more grippable body, and unique wireless features that … could become quite important in the future.” In short, the Zune was nothing exceptional, and I awarded it a middling 3 out of 5 stars in my review.  What’s interesting about all this, to me anyway, is that the buzz around the Zune seems to be inversely proportional to the quality of what Microsoft is selling. Last year, the launch of the initial Zune was preceded by a bizarre and mismanaged viral marketing campaign that was long on hype but short on anything truly desirable. This year, Microsoft, both officially and off the record, has gone to great lengths to reduce expectations for Zune 2. They needn’t have bothered: The new Zunes are wonderful devices wrapped lovingly with custom-made software that, once again, makes Apple’s old-fashioned iTunes software look sad by comparison.

Is this a revolution in the making? Not quite, not yet: Apple will still sell untold iPods this holiday season. But the Zune is no longer a laughing stock and some of the changes Microsoft has made, both in the hardware and in the software, will have Apple racing to catch up. I like what I see here.