The Underwhelming Sound of Zune

At this point Zune has been covered nearly ad-nauseum, and it wasn't even released until today. However, like others, I have some quick thoughts of my own.

I was in Wal-Mart today, and I walked near the digital audio players (DAP for all the cool kids out there) section. I immediately saw one of the new pink iPod nanos, as well as the incredibly cool piece of design that is the new shuffle. I stood there and drooled over the new shuffle, looked over the selection as a whole and then moved on.

Only then, did I realize I had walked right past the Zune display without taking any notice whatsoever. There weren't any big signs, just some small ones that said both Microsoft and Zune. I looked at it, and realized that if it weren't made by Microsoft I never would have even given it a glance. (Somebody please post in the comments the link to the Zune-poo comparison).

Microsoft better hope that their name and the silly music sharing feature are enough. I don't see much else here to make it compete with Creative or iRiver, let alone Apple.

Doc Johnson

Yes, I used that title just to see what kind of fun I could have with Google ads.

However, docks are very relevant to this post. I have never purchased an iPod dock to this point, and I also haven't connected my iPod to my home theater. Both seem very practical and usable, they just haven't been necessary for me, and I hadn't really found a product for either that I truly liked.

All of that may be changing. We are potentially getting a new house, and the new house may be used a bit differently. I foresee being down in the home theater area much more than before. There is also a good chance that CRAPT games will be held down there, and music will need to be provided. The iPod makes a great way to do that.

Enter this new product from DLO. A dock that can be used with computer or entertainment center, that can provide an on screen display and remote capability for the iPod. Sweet. It has a very nice design, and the price point isn't terrible. I like it.