Microsoft's Zune has been the talk of the town since it's release during last year's holiday season yet the context of the "talking" has been both good and bad. We've read mixed reviews with some loving the Zune and some hating it. Understandably this must be quite confusing for consumers, so today we at BFR hope to leave you with a review that you can truly use to base your opinion of the Zune on. Everyone has been looking for the silver bullet "iPod killing" mp3 player to come out but one must ask are we all being just a bit silly to have such expectations? The iPod has been a success that all device-making tech companies can only dream about having. The player dominates the market and thanks to key first-mover advantages like establishing an online music store to accompany the booming iPod, the player will continue to do so for years to come. For anyone to think it's possible for a company to come to market with a product so innovative that it instantly gobbles up even half of the iPod's market share is ridiculous. For one the iPod is a house hold name product. Everyone know's what it is and more than likely knows someone that has one (or two). Another reason, which is equally is big, is that most iPod owners have purchased some form of music off the iTunes music store and thanks in part to DRM, all of that music instantly goes down the drain if someone were to change from their iPod to different device.

The reasons as to why it's impossible for another player to instantly steal the market from the iPod go on and on. What it will take for another product to capture a piece of the market is that it will have to be a solid product, it will have to have a solid marketing campaign to build brand awareness, it will have to come with a solid music store experience to load the device with music, and it will of course have to come a very competitive price. Basically what it comes down to is giving consumers a good enough reason to change from their iPod and while at the same time leaving behind their current iTunes music collection investment. This is not going to be an easy task by any means but Microsoft is giving it their first shot with their Zune. Read on to see if the Zune presents a good enough case for you to consider it in your future purchasing decisions.

Below are the specifications from the Zune website. We will confirm the numbers listed below regarding battery life for audio and video.

Size and Weight

• 4.4 in. x 2.4 in. x 0.6 in. (h x w x d)
• Weight: 5.6 ounces

Battery

• Music, up to 14 hours (wireless off), up to 13 hours (wireless on); pictures, up to 4 hours; video, up to 4 hours
• Charge Time: 3 hours; 2 hours to 90%

Display

• Size: 3.0 inches
• Orientation: Vertical and Horizontal
• Resolution: 320 x 240 pixels

Audio

• Windows Media® Audio Standard (.wma): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
• MP3 (.mp3): Up to 320 Kbps, CBR and VBR, up to 48-kHz sample rate
• AAC (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov): Up to 320 Kbps, Low Complexity (LC), up to 48-kHz sample rate

Pictures

• JPEG (.jpg): All resolutions (desktop software will automatically convert to 640x480 at sync time)

Video

• Windows Media Video (.wmv): Main Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 1.5 Mbps peak video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio; Simple Profile, CBR, up to 736 Kbps video bitrate, 320 x 240 pixels, 30 frames per sec., with Windows Media Audio up to 192 Kbps, 44.1 kHz, stereo audio.

Wireless

• Connectivity: 802.11 b/g
• Range: Up to 30 feet