Its been a week since the launch of Microsoft’s Zune HD and it has really been taken with a positive reception and has sold out in many stores. The main problem with this is the fact that when you release a product which recieves a great response at launch, is if users find issues with it later, it can really dampen the experience or even lead to them returning the device. Luckily, we’ve seen fixes for a few issues already (not by Microsoft however) and we’re sure we’ll see an update to fix all the other problems in the near future.
Zune HD’s Internet Browser
One of the biggest gripes with the Zune HD is the web browser experience. Microsoft’s top priority with Zune HD was to create an outstanding portable media device and the Internet Browser was just an added bonus and an additional use for the Wi-Fi. It has problems though and hasn’t satisfied a lot of users for a variety of reason such as the fact that; it can’t connect to a browser-based connection (such as a college, school or office wi-fi), the browser has no tabs or history and a lot of users expected Flash Player too.
Connecting Zune HD to a browser-based Internet
The main issue with Zune HD’s internet browser which has come to my attention is the fact that it can’t connect to a browser-based Internet login. This is a real problem for those who’ve purchased the Zune HD which they would like to use at school, college, work or on campus – since most available Wi-Fi in these types of places feature a browser-based login.
For now all we can do is wait, since I believe there is no possible fix other than wait for a possible update, however I’m sure this is imminant since the topic on zune.net forums has caused quite and stir and has already been brought to @skipdeez attention. It is also worth noting that the iPhone & iPod Touch had this same problem for a whole year until Apple released version 2 – so lets just hope it doesn’t take Microsoft this long.
An Internet Browser without Tabs, Flash Player or History
One of the first gripes I saw with the Zune HD’s browser was the fact that it has no ‘History’ which, quite frankly, I see as ridiculous. You could spend hours trying to find a page on your shiny, new Zune HD and its internet browser only to have to go through the same process again later rather than just finding the page in your History list. Microsoft really needs to address this as their top priority for a firmware update.
The current Internet Browser with Zune HD also doesn’t feature tabs which many users ‘just expected’ since its 2009. Though the browser was based off Internet Explorer Mobile 6 – which isn’t really seen as the most modern browser. There is not much we can do right now about the tab-less browser, other than hassle Microsoft and the Zune team and hope that they add this in a future firmware.
A few other niggles I’ve seen on the zune.net forums and over twitter with the Internet Browser is the fact that there is no Flash Player – which we all know the device could support with its mighty Tegra Chip, although chances are this is an issue with Adobe rather than Microsoft itself, its a feature many would like on their device and would be a great way for Zune to one-up the iTouch. Another issue i’ve seen is that, apparently, you can’t change the browsers homepage. Furthermore, the default page (according to this) is Google which is crazy since Microsoft is trying to implement as much as Bing of possible with Zune HD – are they trying to shoot themselves in the foot?
Wi-Fi Connectivity Issues
Another issue which as been brought to the Zune team’s attention already is the fact that Zune HD can’t connect to an access point which isn’t broadcasting its SSID (it’s hidden). Whether we’ll see a fix for this or not in a future firmware is unknown – we’ll just have to wait and see.
Zune HD Apps
Oh where do I start. I’ve seen hundreds of complaints at the fact that users purchased the new device and expected an App Marketplace on a similiar scale to the iTouch one. Now I understand this isn’t going to happen instantly – but releasing the App section of the Marketplace with 7 games and 2 applications doesn’t realy compare to Apple’s equivalent does it Microsoft?
Another widely known issue – being forced to watch an advertisement before opening an application. Now there are two ways of looking at this; by displaying an advertisement before the application, your getting what may have been a priced app for free. The flipside being that many feel these apps are so basic that they shouldn’t cost or have an advertisement, that the video ads are intruding on their Zune experience and that theres no ‘Ad Free’ option since they can’t purchase the application.
I really do hope that Microsoft sorts out the Zune HD App issues. They really need to release a way for third party developers to start releasing applications through the Zune Marketplace. No doubt this would see thousands of applications in weeks, harnessing the power of multitouch, the accelerometer and the mighty Nvidia Tegra chip and would really give the iTouch applications a run for their money – especially since they can easily be ported to Zune HD in a matter of hours.
Zune Software 4.0 Issues & Fixes
The new Zune Software is pretty outstanding but has also been riddled with issues for a select few users. Luckily for this there are alternative than just waiting for a fix and these fixes depend on which Zune devices your using and what problem you are experiencing. If your having trouble accessing the Zune Marketplace please see the fix - ‘Unlock Zune Marketplace in the Zune Software 4.0‘. On the other hand if your having podcast or download issues your best bet is to downgrade until a new Zune Software update is released – however you should only downgrade if you aren’t using a Zune HD device. If you have a Zune HD device, downgrading will make it impossible to sync.
How to Downgrade from Zune Software 4.0 to Zune Software 3.x
- You need to head to C:Users[YourUserName]AppDataLocalMicrosoftZune (or the equivalent for your version of windows, alternatively search for the file zunestore.sdf).
- Now You’ll need to copy every .sdf file from that folder to your desktop.
- Please make sure your Zune isn’t connected to your PC from this step onward.
- Head to Control Panel and uninstall the Zune Software (4.0).
- Now its time to install Zune Software 3.1. If you need help finding a copy leave a comment or send me (@adenfraser) a tweet.
- On your desktop you need to find a file called ZuneStore000200F0.sdf (or similar) that you copied there earlier. You’ll have quite a few .sdf files, you just need the one with the longest name – something like ZuneStore000200F0.sdf.
- Now copy this file to C:Users[YourUserName]AppDataLocalMicrosoftZune (this is the same folder as the first step, overwrite it if its already there)
- You now need to delete C:Users[YourUserName]AppDataLocalMicrosoftZuneZuneStore.sdf
- Rename the longest file, used in step 7 (ZuneStore000200F0.sdf or similiar) to ZuneStore.sdf (inside C:Users[YourUserName]AppDataLocalMicrosoftZune).
- You should now be able to launch Zune Software 3.1.
You may have to unsubscribe and resubscribe to some of your podcasts to get them to refresh but other that this fix should all work fine.
Good Luck!
via [mjwills - original post]
I hope Microsoft addresses these issues soon with an updated software and firmware but other than that Zune 4.0 has been great. If you have any other issues you’d like to bring to our attention or maybe a fix to the above don’t forget to contact me (@adenfraser) so I can help Zune users like yourself have the best experience possible.
Until next time – Keep Zuning.
Update – A guy I’ve been chatting to on twitter (@TheUnseenShadow) contact Zune Team member @skipdeez about the issue:
“@skipdeez Is the zune team planning on fixing the Wifi encryption support for the Zune HD? http://forums.zune.net/2/13/515366/ShowPost.aspx#515366“
And later received the response:
“@TheUnseenShadow @xxnevamorexx I have contacted the device team, this is definitely on their radar…”
Good News – It seems the Zune Team has been pretty quick so far at realising the issues some users are having – now these users with the problems have just got to wait for that much anticipated an update.