In direct competition with iTunes and the Apple iPod community is the Zune media player and its corresponding service, the Zune Social community. It may be a relative new comer but with a wealth of live services, downloads and products it offers owners of a Zune considerable media choices.
The aspect about the Zune that Microsoft hopes will set it apart from other digital media players on the market is its community. The social aspect of the media blitz is so much in focus that the tagline is "Welcome to the Social". Now of course you don't have to be a part of it, but your experience will be much richer with it. [Image 1]
To get started, you'll have to sign up for a Windows Live account. This is a central account that links to many Microsoft services, from Hotmail to personalized search, to accessing the social aspect of the Zune.
Once you have your account name and password, enter them into the Zune software and you'll be signed into your Zune Social account.
Zune Card
Playing music, both on the software and on your Zune, will be tracked by your account. Favorite artists, genres, and the like will show up on your account profile, also called your Zune Card. Zune Cards can be swapped between users and hold information about users musical tastes.[Image 2]
Friends
Zune Cards make it easy to find people with similar tastes as yourself. You can add them as friends on your account, and you'll be be able to get updates of what they're listening to. In fact, if you have a Zune Pass (a monthly subscription allowing unlimited music downloads), your Zune will even download full tracks of your friends' music. Even if you don't however, you'll still be notified of what songs your friends like on the Marketplace or even in your own collection.
Reviews and Comments
People can go to their favorite artists' pages and leave their opinions on songs and albums. This gives you an idea of what a lot of other people think and can be helpful in your decisions on music purchases. [Image 3]
Its your call, the Zune offers much, and has an online community to deliver an enriched user experience. But has it got the clout to beat the iTunes phenomenon? Only time will tell, but with the Zune Social, Microsoft have a sure fire competitor.
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