Microsoft Zune 4.8.2345.0

Overview

Microsoft Zune is a very useful utility developed for the purpose of storing and managing your music collection in addition to synchronizing and importing files from various online sources like iTunes or mobile music players. In addition, Microsoft Zune allows users to rip or burn various audio CDs and modify the default tags and file specifications.

To put it simply, this application provides all the features any music lover will ever need for managing his collection and translating it from and to his computer. At the same time, it is the perfect software utility for syncing your computer with a Zune device. However, all these features come at a cost: system requirements.

Installation

Before opting to install the Microsoft Zune application onto your workstation, it is advisable to verify whether the processor speed is at least 1.5 gigahertz and whether the system has 512MB of RAM. On a side note, playing and organizing your video collection generally requires around 1GB of RAM. In addition, synchronization between the computer and your Zune device or iTunes can only be done via LAN, DSL or wireless network. It is also important to note that Microsoft Zune takes roughly 417MB of space on the hard drive.

Once you have ensured your workstation meets these specifications, the installation procedure for Zune is straightforward and most of it is done automatically. In addition, you will be able to choose whether you want to send anonymous information regarding the functionality of your Microsoft Zune to the developer. Following the installation of Microsoft Zune, users will be prompted to restart their computer.

Interface

The interface of Microsoft Zune can be considered fairly stylish, as the default theme is an excellent mixture of black and light purple. Users can scroll between the Pins, Welcome, New and History menus by hovering the mouse over them. In addition, clicking on the collection button in the upper right of the screen will redirect you to the list of audio, video, pictures and podcasts that are currently included in your collection, for ease of access. The lower left corner of the screen enables users to synchronize a device, burn a CD or view the playlist, whereas in the middle lower section of the screen a tray bar with the song or video that is playing is displayed.

The basic player options like play, pause, stop shuffle or repeat are available in the lower right corner of the Microsoft Zune interface. In order to modify the default settings of Microsoft Zune, the middle part of the upper section includes the settings button, which permits users to change the default location of the imported files into the collection, the file formats that are associated with the player, send feedback about the program to Microsoft and many more functions.

Pros

The main advantage of Microsoft Zune is the ability to perform a wide variety of tasks with the utmost ease. The interface is intuitive and it will only take users a few minutes to get the hang of how to best adjust the settings. In essence, Microsoft Zune is a complete, fully equipped media player that can serve any audiophile’s needs. At the same time, this application has a very intuitive and efficient means of storing the music collection and transferring the files from outdated mediums directly onto the computer. Furthermore, Microsoft Zune has an exquisite interface which feels comfortable to look at without skipping on the functional aspects. It is also worthy to note that finding a certain song or video that you have recently played has never been easier thanks to the History tab.

Cons

Whilst it is true that the size and requirements can be justified through the perspective of the extensive amount of features, Microsoft Zune is still rather big for a media player.

Alternatives

If Microsoft Zune is just not your cup of tea, you could also try out Foobar2000, Songbird, Spotify, Winamp or MediaMonkey.

Conclusion

If your system can handle the specifications, Microsoft Zune is an excellent program to manage your entire music and video collection or sync your computer with mobile music devices. At the same time, Microsoft Zune allows users to streamline podcasts, view picture files in slideshow mode and many more functions.