Brown was a dodgy choice for Microsoft, but we think it's by far the most attractive of the lot. Color options include white (rather iPod-y), black (with a blue glow), and brown (with a green glow). After days of use we can't see a scratch on our (unprotected!) Zune, as opposed to our 5.5G iPod that got scratched during the unboxing photos. The inside of the case is painted a different color than the external surface, which gives the edges of the player a two-toned glowing look that Microsoft is calling the "doubleshot effect." To our eyes and fingertips, the finish may well be the nicest of any mp3 player yet, dramatically less prone to scratching and smudging than the iPod's snobbish aluminum, and quite a bit more pleasant to hold in hand. Rather than shining polycarbonate plastic and chrome, Zunes are encased in very pleasant feeling hard-rubberized plastic. Aesthetically, the Zune team did a good job in departing from the general iPod-wannabe styling of also-ran mp3 players. The Zune shares general internal circuitry and the 3-inch LCD with the Gigabeat, but sports new exterior design, user interface, and WiFi. That's not to say the Zune is a Toshiba product with a Microsoft logo. Microsoft designed and engineered products are surely already in development for future generations of the Zune line. Microsoft obviously needed to get hardware and name recognition on the streets as early as possible, and so chose to rely upon Toshiba's base of technology in this first edition. The hardware is based upon Toshiba's Gigabeat S10, a critically well received yet rarely purchased mp3 player. The current Zune is the first edition of the family, and to a degree, it shows. The Zune project was launched by Microsoft's Xbox division and, over generations of products, is planned to become an integral portion of Microsoft's ever expanding family of hardware products. While it is sure to be the general consumer populace that will make or break Microsoft's attempt, read on to see what the biggest threat to Apple's hegemony is all about. Is it a legitimate iPod-killer or just another ineffectual volley destined to bounce off Battleship-Apple's hull? From a reviewer's point of view, the Zune is an interesting combination of real strengths and real weaknesses. After months of rumor followed by the usual blurry spy-shots, the Microsoft Zune has finally hit the street. The little flash movies on the site were undeniably stylish, and blatantly teased an upcoming iPod competitor. Though the technology press was somewhat put out after being whipped into a frenzy over Origami, the next viral campaign launched only a few months later at.
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