The 2nd Gen Zune and the Zune Marketplace

The new Zune is here! The new Zune is here!

I'm a happy puppy now.

Last week I got my new Zune 8GB and finally replaced the Samsung YP-1 that I'd been using for running and working out.  I abused that poor little player so badly that it was no longer syncing and the headphone jack was corroded badly enough that most of the time I would only play one of the two stereo channels.

Needless to say; November 13th couldn't have come any sooner.

After playing with the new Zune UI I'm totally convinced that this is just about "perfect" - of course there are other more full featured players out there like the (lame) iPod Touch; however for the money, purpose and size - the Zune 4/8 is fantastic.

You've probably all heard of the neat features they've (finally) added like Podcasting but they've also added some best in class items like Wireless Sync.  This one has proven to be an awesome addition to the mix.  Think of it this way.  You're just about to got to work for the day and you don't want to go plug the thing into your computer.  Simply sync wirelessly and all your latest downloads and Podcasts are there in just a minute or two.

Awesome.

Last but not least, today I bit the bullet and purchased the Zune Pass.  The Zune Pass is a all knowing all singing ticket to download as many songs as you want and as long as you keep your subscription you can play them on your computer or Zune as much as you want (put that in your iPod and smoke it!)  Couple this with the ability to share tracks with other Zune users and it really opens up the world of new music. 

I've already downloaded about 100 tracks in the first few minutes - I'll let you know later what I think of it. Chances are it is what it is... More music variety without dumping loads of money into songs you probably wont listen to forever.

So far so good.