Zune HD preorders … and a sneak peek at some Zune HD cases

I particularly like the way "Marketplace" has the last "e" cut off. It's brilliant. If I ever handed in a piece of code and my UI had a cut off letter like that...it wouldn't be a nice day, let's just leave it at that.

@panache1023: silly... It is part of the design!!!... silly

is that all you got ocean? lolol

The only thing it miss is a phone in the Zune HD... Why it is so long to get a ZunePhone??

There are several ways to deal with "Marketplac". I can't think of terribly pleasing ones. Squeezed font just for that line? Not good. Squeezed font for all lines? I haven't seen the machine--I don't know whether that works. There is also change "Marketplace" to something shorter. Like "Store" or "Mall". Perhaps the executive who didn't like "Store" is gone now. This gets to be more fun when the machine is internationalized, as English tends to use shorter words/phrases than other languages. (Anyone know the Finnish for "Marketplace"? This seems like a remarkably small thing for those of us in the bleachers to be obsessive about.

Wow. Who gives a crap about a half out of view "e"? Everyone knows it Marketplace. The Zune HD looks awesome!

""Who gives a crap about a half out of view "e"?" I agree. It's a stupid argument. It's something someone should have been disciplined for, but it's a stupid thing to rip the product over.

@Panache Why hasn't anybody thought of the fact that the cutoff 'e' might not be what it seems? Any idea? lol. I am surprised that nobody has imagined that the text might scroll as of yet! What if they need text that is even longer at some point? My choice would be to scroll the text across the screen, but hey that is just me! LOL. ;)

The UI scales, zooms (really quickly) in, out, right, left and up and down. In each area, there are very large touch controls. Once you see it in action up very close, it's easier to understand how it works and how insignificant the seemingly cut off "e" is. The best way I can decribe it is of you take the twist interface and add zoom controls to accomodate really excellent touch features (because the digital targets are round like the human finger is - and not square). To this, add the same sort of in task control relevance evident in the fluent UIX. Bing twist interface and also for Fluent interface SDK and you'll find good information about how to leverage it. I think that once people see it and feel it, they'll understand how really good the UI is.

@Everyone who complains about the 'e' Please, don't be a hater. ok? OK? God I think myself and everyone else that responded are sick and tired of people complaining about the cut off 'e'. IT'S A DESIGN CHOICE! (Yes looking at your ignorance panache1023. >_>) People already know what the word is, so they can cut it off as a design choice. Wether people like it is an individual preference. At the AEON here in Japan they have designs on the walls that advertise some of the food and guess what...the word are cut-off! gasp! But what it does and did for me is that I took more attention to the word and thought about it more. Just as you, panache1023, and many other people are taking notice to the Marketplace on the ZuneHD. Microsoft designed the trap and caught your attention to their profit area. Point Microsoft! +1

About the "e", as we shall call it. It looks to me like there might be an "e" at the end of "Marketplace". Has anyone confirmed other than these picturest that the "e" is in fact cut off? Paul, perhaps you can answer this question.

Perhaps I should read all of the posts before I comment. lketchum seems to have answered my question

"[...] how small the Zune HD really is" After comparing the Zune HD and an iPod Touch next to each other, you just keep thinking how bloated the iPod looks and feels.

"Wow. Who gives a crap about a half out of view "e"? Everyone knows it Marketplace." It's this lack of style, care and attention that attracts people it does to Microsoft and their inferior products.

Microsoft: Spreading FUD and lies. Typical. http://www.appleinsider.com/articles/09/09/08/microsoft_unleashes_retail...

robertsjoe Thanks for proving my point so quickly and accurately. I knew I could count on you.

U mm..those are silicone covers for the Zune, not the Zune itself, I'm an Apple fan and I'm feeling embarrassed with all the adolescent Mac Fanbois comments. I guess there's a difference between a Mac fan and a fanatic.

I think there is a difference between "Mac" fans and "Apple" fans. I'm not sure when it happened, but something changed not too many years ago (perhaps 12 or so). As the personal computer industry progressed from hobbyists and went to business and the main stream markets, Apple was at least appreciated as a choice. I remember it and liked it but held out for the IBM PC. I was a Timex Sinclair user at the time (remember the memory expansion module falling off and taking with it several hours work?). A few guys had Apple ]['s but the basic was pretty awful until Microsoft's was licensed. By then IBM's were shipping and while they cost a small fortune, out of the box there were better tools. Sorry to digress... but it is relevant (a little). Now, without question, Apple did some things right with the iPod and later touch. That does not change the reality that they were also dang lucky - that rampant online theft of music helped their early success. They exploited it well and without it touching them in any way. That was masterful. Now, the Zune HD really changes things, A LOT! It is the first device of its type with enough power to turn devs loose. What can be done on such a platform is going to surprise a lot of people - perhaps not at first, but very quickly devs will begin to do things that few can imagine being possible on such a small device. I wish I could comment further, but I cannot - not yet. Mike Galos is also right about the take away experience between Zune HD and the iPod Touch. The touch feels really "fat" and out of touch, really, but only after one has used the Zune HD, which simply amazes. You walk away from it kind of stunned - how could something so small and thin and cool (as in temp) run so much so fast?!?!? It blew me away. There's more - much more and all I can say to devs is, "WOW!" For all: man... just enjoy it all and I do mean all... we are all so blessed and so fortunate. We fuss over devices that delight us. It was not so long ago, as it remains in many other places, where people had so much less and in far more cases than there should be, nothing it all. Either side of the fan base, just enjoy what you have.

lketchum "remember the memory expansion module falling off and taking with it several hours work? " Well, that was something you fancy types who could justify shelling out the extra money for 16KB of RAM... :-) I do remember being amazed that there actually was a flight simulator for the Timex-Sinclair that ran on the base unit without the extra RAM pack. Now that was some tight Z80 programming. (At the time I was getting occasional commercial gigs programming TRS-80s running TRS-DOS in BASIC and Z80 Assembler)

Everyone that keeps saying how great "smaller" is because other things feel "bloated" or whatever. I have really big hands. I don't like to hold things that are too small. I have a hard time picking out cell phones because for some reason, people in the industry think the smaller something is, the better.....so wrong. Give me something that is small but that still FEELS like something in my hand please. I'd take that over the "smaller" item any day.

"Wow, you guys are all (most) a bunch of freaks." How dare you disagree with panache?

One more thing Shark, No one has disagreed that it looks bad. I just hear a lot of people making EXCUSES. Wow, you're dumb.

"With the iPod Touch and iPod Nanos getting cameras, plus other goodies" You know this for sure? Or are you just guessing? Let's wait until the details get released. And let's wait until we actually get the Zune HD in the flesh before we start talking about alleged shortcomings.

@Panache1023, I've heard the good design/bad design opinion argument for a lot of years and it has never held much water. I mean for example, take the iPod classic's interface and click wheel - many raved about it. I hated it and I could say I know a thing or two about both industrial and software design, but really... what does that mean (I don't think I do, by the way - despite building a lot of both). What I am saying is that one never really knows until a design is tested by real people doing everyday things. I've seens designs I love and they have flopped. Obviously, I have seen designs I don't like and the rest of the world has raved about them. I really like the Zune HD's design and it remains to be seen if others will, too. You're getting a little worked up over a vowel, that in its cropped form, you won't see for long and the way the UI zooms, you're really going to get worked about what does not matter. It is different - so let it be and I would encourage you to look at it in that context - let it stand on its own.

Just because I think that the cutoff "e" looks idiotic, does NOT mean I don't think the Zune HD could be a good product. Believe it or not...I can actually find faults in products and still like them! I know it's hard for a lot of you to find fault in MS products because you love them so much...I find plenty of faults in them, but I still like them very much (XBOX 360, Win 7 for example)