It was great fun guys! So nice to meet you all.

Most importantly, nice to meet you, Zune 80 :)

Sounds like fun. Hopefully you guys make it down to Greenville, SC or Charlotte, NC soon.

Sweet, wish I could have gone...

To those who did go, what are the screens like? Sharp, clear, colourful?

Cesar,

I just read the write-up on generation zune. One thing has me worried. I currently utilize all five rating stars with my zune 30. I use this extensively for making playlists and autoplaylists. How is this new system, which appears to be severely crippled going to effect my satisfaction with my pre-ordered zune 80

What is this woman saying after 2 minutes and 49 seconds of the video? (after 2:49)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GwfRK233lIU

OMG I'm on the internets!!1

The event was cool... suprisingly swank.

It was great to be able to get a real chance to play with the new Zune's before I go buy one and I'm more excited than I expect I would after getting a chance to play with the Zune Pad.

I really think this may be the first mp3 player that meets all my needs.

Thanks for the beer Microsoft!!

So any word about the Seattle event?

I wrote and so did an MS employee on my behalf while I was up on campus.

It would have been easier to hang out while I was already up there, but I can try to make another trip up there.

I'd just have to know a date/time so I could figure out what method of transportation I'd be using.

Couldn't you have waited *one* day?!?

Le tear.

ok....I seriously hope they don't plan on breaking the ratings system, which allows the auto-playlist feature to be worthwhile.  Hate it or love it ratings just won't work with the way I organize my playlists.  This is the first real knock that I'm hearing about the new devices...and it sounds like a deal breaker.  I already have over 35+ playlists that utilize the ratings and I (obviously) plan on making more.  To top it off, I really thought it was well designed that I could rate my music on the device and it would all synchronize back to the computer.  You guys might want to reconsider breaking this feature...it's not as trivial as you may think.

Are the Surface units in the Sheraton in NYC yet? If they are will you give us a report on how the Zune works with them in a real enviroment?

Thanks again for the invite. It was cool meeting you.

My overall impression is favorable. This is what the Zune should have been the first time around (and the Zune30s weren't that half way bad.) I think the Zune80 beats the iPod80. With a few more firmware updates and more features (which I hope occur more frequently with more features), then there will be no question which is better to most people. (Maybe we'll start to finally convert some iPod fanboys.)

As for the comparison between the Zune4/8s and the iPod Nano 4/8s, I think it all depends on the person's preference as to which would be determined the winner. Some people may like the Nano's extreme small size whereas others will like the clickable ZunePad which is a great feature for the gym. If the nanos had a shuffle like clip, the decision would be even harder. Since I'm a Media Center fanboy, my leaning will always be towards the Zune since I'd want native support for my recorded media.

Good job! Can't wait to play with them more in 3 weeks!

*Wants one*

Honestly, the only thing I'd like to see changed is the silver backing that I saw in those videos. It just doesn't look right.

Oh! And bring back the Double Shot, please? I stare at my Zune for like 5 minutes sometimes because the light catches it just right.

Pretty please?

Cesar you've yet to reply to my RSVP email. Please reply, I've got important questions there that need to be anwered ASAP. Thanks

On the back of a Zune2 pamphlet that was picked up at Target, it says that Wireless Sync only works with a Vista PC!!  Is this true?  

I was really looking forward to wireless sync but I don't want to get Vista.

Can you confirm or deny this?

Cesar,

I am liking a lot of what I see about the new Zune hardware and software. However, from what I have read, I'm not liking the idea of a like/dislike only rating for tracks. If you guys don't keep the original 5 star ratings system in the code you are taking a major step back in functionality. This is basic stuff and would be a BIG dissapointment if it is left out of what otherwise looks like a really slick new software.

BTW, any improvements in the embedded album art resolution to make it look half way decent on Windows Media Center would be near to top of my list of other recommendations.

On Monday we had about 30 people come to Family , a bookstore in LA. Just like the community event in