Flash Zunes

last updated on December 22, 2008

Orignally announced on October 3rd 2007, and released on November 13th, 2007 the Zunes 4 and 8 were updated on September 16, 2008, enabling the device to become the Zune 16. This update also included a new blue hue available in retail locations and online on Zune Originals.

This Zune uses the same connections both the Zune 30 and 80 take advantage of allowing users of the fevice to not just send songs to their friends, but to also wireless sync. Unfortunately not all of the high capacities features have been ported over to the smaller device a standard of this is Tv out. Although Zunes 4 and 8 can broadcast audio to etneral speakers they do not support external displays for viewing video or menus.

Storage & Capacity
1,000 songs (4GB); 2,000 songs (8GB)
(1 Gigabyte or 1000 Megabytes)

Display Options
1.8 inch Liquid Crystal display with 320 x 240 resolution and a 4:3 aspect ratio, also features both portrait and landscape display modes.

Media Formats
Can play WMA, WMA Loseless, MP3, and unprotected AAC audio files as well as video files encoded in WMV, MPEG-4, and H.264 formats. Photos can only be seen on the player if they are in the JPEG(JPG) format. Both the Zune 4 & 8 can play video in the MPEG-4 and H.264 formats without the need of a software conversion a feature, that it’s older brother the Zune 30 lacks.

Special Features
FM Tuner with programmable presets. 802.11 B and G wireless communication for Zune to Zune sharing of music, pictures, and podcasts. Also includes the ability to use personal pictures as wallpaper for your device, Purchase songs you discovered while listening to radio stations, with RDS and RDS+ support. Also included in the Fall 2008 update was the ability to stream and purchase music directly from the Zune Marketplace via it’s built in wireless.

Computer Connectivity
Using Zune software and the Zune Marketplace designed specially with the Zune in mind the owner can download music from the Zune Marketplace, their own music library, or rip it from their CD collection and use the included USB cable to transfer media to their device. Following a firmware update in November 2007 the player can now also sync wirelessly with a home network, or purchase music directly from the Zune Marketplace via wireless.

Battery Life
Uses a Lithium-Ion rechargeable battery built in to the player. For music playback the battery will last 24 hours with wi-fi activated. With video one full charge will last about 4 hours. The same goes for pictures & slide shows as well. One full charge takes 3 hours.

Physical Aspects
With side buttons and the ZunePad the device weighs just 1.7 ounces, has a depth of .33 inches and has the height/width of 3.6 by 1.6 inches. You may choose between the colors of black, red, pink, and green. You can also order both capacites online through the Zune Orginals site and customize the back plating of the device with text and different images.

Wireless
Microsoft’s Zune uses 802.11 b/g signals to beam music, podcasts, and pictures from device to device. In addition when connected to power via a USB cable or some other power source the device can also use these same wireless signals to sync content from it’s host computer wirelessly. The Zune Marketplace is now also available on the player, allowing you to wirelessly stream, music directly to your device.

Restrictions
The Zune cannot beam any media to any other device then another Zune. Although pictures have no restrictions, music sent to someone else can only be played three times before it will become necessary to purchase the tracks from Zune Marketplace or acquire them via a Zune Pass subscription. Video files may not be beamed from one Zune or another however Podcasts can be sent and kept for as long as the user desires.

What is Included
Included with your purchase are the Zune player itself, a USB Cable used for connecting to your PC, and the generation two magnetic ear buds. A “Getting Started Guide” is also included.

Firmware Updates
Zune 4, 8, and 16 are currently on version 3.0 having been significantly upgraded once again by Microsoft with the Fall 2008 software upgrade. (See Device Firmware). Although the first three firmware updates to the device were only bug fixes, the Zune Team at Microsoft has more then recovered from this having not failed to provide at least one software update a year to their former flasgship player every year.