Sammy’s Gadget - Zune

Ever hear of the terms “beam” or “flag”? For owners of the latest digital music player such as Gadget enthusiast Samuel Dalembert, those words are common names for ways in which they use Microsoft’s Zune.

Sammy has found that the Zune offers unique features in its ability to “beam”, (meaning to send), music to other people from the Zune itself. By “flagging” the song, those who receive the music can save it for future purchase if they so choose from the Zune Marketplace.

One of its distinctive characteristics comes from the Zune Marketplace where one can look up the most popular songs that date all the way back to 1954 by searching through the appropriate Billboard charts that are available. Also, instead of simply purchasing one song at a time, the option exists to purchase a “Zune Pass”, which allows subscribers to download as many songs as they would like for as long as they hold onto the subscription.

Due to its small size and lightweight, Sammy takes his Zune with him on the road.

“I most often use it on the plane or bus when we travel as a team.”

When it comes to recommending this cutting edge technology, Sammy didn’t hesitate to give his approval.

“You have so many gadgets and so many other independent companies who have the same type of machine. I would recommend this machine to people because it’s got features that no one else offers.”

Specifications:
Size: 4.4in. x 2.4in. x 0.6in. (hxwxd)
Weight: 5.6 ounces
Plays up to 14 hours (wireless off), up to 13 hours (wireless on); pictures, up to 4 hours; video, up to 4 hours
Charge Time: 3 hours; 2 hours to 90%
Display Size: 3.0 inches
Orientation: Vertical and Horizontal
Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels

Audio:
Windows Media® Audio Standard (.wma): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
MP3 (.mp3): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov): Up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate

Pictures:
JPEG (.jpg): All resolutions (desktop software will automatically convert to 640x480 at sync time)

Video:
Windows Media Video (.wmv): Main Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 1.5 Mbps peak video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio; Simple Profile, CBR, up to 736 Kbps video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio.