Zune Original from Thirsty Developer

At the end of last week I posted that I had won a Zune from the Thirsty Developer podcast.  Well it arrived on Monday.  This just isn’t any ole Zune.  This is a Zune Originals from the outfit that will do custom artwork on the back of the Zune.  I took an picture, but alas it was with my camera phone and done in poor lighting.  You can easily see the great design on the back; however, what you might have a hard time seeing is that the text above the image says:

“The Thirsty Developer
http://thirstydeveloper.com
Thanks for Listening”

It is the 80 GB version of the Zune which is even lighter and smaller than the 30 GB version I had (which my wife has inherited). 

Differences from the 30GB version?  Well, it’s slightly smaller and lighter.  There are different headphones that come with it.  I’m still trying to get used to them, but they do sound better.  One complaint about them is that you can’t tell which ear they go in by feel, you have to look for the “R” or “L”.  On the original headphones with the 30GB the right side had a raised area on the back that let me know which side was which without looking.  Again, they do sound better and they also fit better into the ear providing more of a sound cancellation effect than the originals so I can’t complain about them too much.  The 80GB did come with a large bag, which is easily twice the size of the Zune.  The 30GB one came with a case that fit like a glove.  Not sure why the case is so much larger.  I plan on picking up a hard case that better fits the device.

The Zune 80GB also has the new touch controller instead of the straight d-pad like the original.  I’m getting used to how that works.  You can turn it off if you want and make it more like the original where you have to really press the directional pad down completely.

So far I’m really liking it.  Now I need to figure out how to get a couple of shows on it from my collection for my upcoming trips.

Thanks Larry and Dave!