Buy.com has a discount deal available on this Microsoft PSF-00001 64GB Zune HD Video MP3 Player which reduces the price down to $299.99 – $80 Instant Discount + Free Shipping = $219.99!

With the Zune HD you have a grasp on all your favorite media and music anywhere you go! It’s super slim and stylish and sports a large 3.3-Inch OLED multi-touch screen with a 16:9 resolution ideal for all your videos. To take it even further you have instant access to the Zune Marketplace where you can get new songs and videos on your own terms and with Wi-Fi connectivity you have a full Internet Browser at your fingertips. You even have full access to HD radio so you always have listening choices that are new. This model has a massive 64GBs of internal memory which allows you to hold up to 16,000 songs at once or 96 hours of video.

Newegg is offering a new discount on this Microsoft EHD-00001 Zune HD 16GB Portable Media Player for just $199.99 – $30 Instant Savings + Free Shipping = $169.99!

If you’re looking for the ideal Music/Video player to take with you anywhere then check this out! The Zune HD by Microsoft features a large 3.3-Inch OLED Touch screen for displaying all of your HD content with superior quality and performance. It has support for all of your favorite media formats for maximum compatibility and is very easy to use with the included software to get you started. To make it even better it has connectivity with HD radio to expand your musical horizons as well as full Wifi support for browsing the Internet and sharing music with others right on the device and with the large display it has never been easier to navigate around. It comes with 16GB of internal storage for all of your media needs and has HDMI output for connecting to an HDTV for showing videos and photos with ease.

Tigerdirect is offer a coupon deal on this Microsoft Zune EHD-00001HD 16GB MP4 Player!

If you’re looking for the full media experience in the palm of your hands then the Zune HD MP4 player is for you! The Zune HD features 16GBs of space to play all of your high quality music and video files and take them with you anywhere on the go! The Zune Store is built right in so all you need to do is connect to the internet and you can immediately download and stream music from the store without having to rely on a computer at all! Enjoy the freedom of having the full Wi-Fi experience in the palm of your hands, the large 3.3-Inch OLED 480 x 272 screen gives you full access to the internet to browse wherever you want using the innovative Touch screen with QWERTY keyboard. The Zune HD comes in a sleek and stylish design and weighs only 2.6 ounces so you can take it anywhere without issue!

The deal comes to $169.99 – $30 Coupon (CES23590) + $1.99 Shipping = $141.98!

Zune users no longer have to resist the temptation to invest in a shiny new Mac thanks to Windows Phone 7 Connector, a free app available in the Mac App Store.  The app allows Windows 7 phones, and more importantly Zune HD users, to sync their media from a Mac computer, something that wasn’t natively supported until now.

From what we understand, the app will only sync media, and doesn’t support contacts, mail, calendars and other things of a similar ilk.  However, it does support two way syncing of media including photos, which at least is a starter, but still, we’re sure many people will be asking why the app is so crippled?

Despite the above caveat the reviews, albeit 15 of them, are overwhelmingly positive.

The best part?  It’s free to any and all.

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5 out of 5 stars

The Samsung Focus. It’s a phone’s phone. That’s partly thanks to Windows Phone 7. The Microsoft operating system makes it a proper calling device first, apps secondary, and that’s refreshing compared to app-filled screens from competing phone makers. Instead, we just buy and play apps, send emails and text messages, and only on rare occasion listen to voicemail left by our mothers. Someone in Redmond must have remembered why it’s called a cellphone. Add a smart OS to brilliantly designed hardware, and you have a clear winner.

Windows Phone 7, however, is not the highlight of this review. Samsung’s Focus is, which we took a first look at awhile back. I can safely say that it can replace my iPhone. In fact, that’s exactly what I did…for a month, and then some. And I haven’t looked back since.

As a product reviewer, I switch phones regularly. It’s part of the job. I personally own an iPhone, which I purchased like everyone else in the Apple store. Even when I’m testing a phone, I still bring my iPhone along, because it stores all of my data, music and apps. I bring it along even if I take out the SIM card to use my AT&T service for the phone being tested.

With the Samsung Focus, I did just that. I used my own SIM card (the Focus is available through AT&T), and after 3 days forgot entirely about my iPhone. As a side note, I use an iPod Touch and iPad regularly as well, so apps were never an issue. More importantly, I didn’t miss my iPhone. The Samsung Focus was – and is – an absolute pleasure to use.

The Samsung Focus is very similar to the Galaxy S phones (like the Fascinate and Epic 4G, which we reviewed) in both shape and design. As you read in my first impressions, the biggest difference between the devices is the Focus has a fat, rounded bottom, and of course runs on Windows instead of Android. Otherwise, if you painted a Galaxy S logo on the Focus, it would fit right into that exclusive club. Windows Phone 7, however, puts the Focus in a different class entirely.

However, for this review we will concentrate on the device specifically. The design is sleek for a 4” display. It feels good in the hand, both to hold for calls upright and horizontally when watching recorded video or taking pictures. The glossy phone is easy to grip, and I’ve never had a slip or drop because of slick fingers. Buttons are well placed and tactile. There have been some complaints about the power/standby button being placed on the right side instead of the top, but I’ve found it easy to adjust to, and more convenient than a top button for a phone of this size.

The HTC HD7 beside the Samsung Focus, from left to right

Even removing the battery panel reveals a very clean design, a testament to Samsung’s swift change to its design philosophy. Unfortunately, even now, the micro-SD slot for upgradeable memory is still not functional. Interested buyers can take comfort in knowing that the Focus comes with 8GB of onboard memory, which is still leaps and bounds ahead of most smartphones. Still, it’s pathetic that after all this time there is still no fix for the flagship Windows Phone 7 device.

The curvature and contoured design is unique, and even after a month I still haven’t adjusted to it. The bottom bulk makes it more difficult to put in and take out of the pants pocket. That girth simultaneously helps support the device, which is presumably top-heavy without the thick bottom. The overall design is very pleasant to use with either hand, with both hands, and for phone calls.

Some stipulation about poor battery life is only partially true. A recent glitch did cause less than stellar battery performance, but in my testing the Focus lasted as long as most smartphones these days last – a full day. Under moderate use, it’ll last a day and a half, though if you’re on the phone constantly, you’ll be recharging it twice daily. Low battery life is partially due to WP7′s high-contrast graphic design. The screen often displays bright colors, which undoubtedly wears the battery down. This is also why the main screen uses a black background, though the wonderful design is worth spending a little extra battery life on.

The HD7 and Focus, sitting atop the Samsung Galaxy Tablet. The Focus is by far the sleekest device.

Windows Phone 7 devices use a 3-button structure for navigating menus (compared to the 4-buttons on Android and 1-button on iOS), the Focus has very responsive buttons and the display is equally quick. This is no surprise considering Samsung’s proficiency with recent screen tech, though it is worth noting that the Fascinate and Epic 4G both seemed to have less accurate displays for touch sensitivity, which I thought was due to the software. The Focus, using the same SuperAMOLED display as both Android phones, has no such problem, because Windows is more accurate in reading touches.

Typing, however, isn’t as fast as it can be. Either the OS or the hardware isn’t fast enough to accept quick successive presses. After writing a sentence or two in quick succession the keyboard will lock up as though trying to catch up, and after a moment unfreeze. This nuisance is particularly frustrating when using the included Office applications. Otherwise, touch sensitivity is on par with the iPhone, and the inclusion of suggested words (where the phone displays words you may want to use immediately above the keyboard) speeds up typing dramatically. It marries the two best features of the iOS and Android keyboards.

Synchronizing the Focus is easier than syncing an iPhone. All it requires is Zune software (which is already superior to iTunes), and within 30 seconds Zune will recognize the phone and start media transfers and backup. The whole system is snappy and convenient, and unlike iTunes with the iPhone, fast. The Focus can even be used while syncing, though access to data is limited. For instance, you cannot listen to music when synching. Pictures are immediately backed up, and whatever automatic settings users put in place occur instantly, and quickly. Even when filling up the 8GBs of memory, I didn’t have to wait more than five minutes.

Pictures taken on the Focus look magnificent, especially on the gorgeous SuperAMOLED screen

Once again as expected, the screen is gorgeous. Video looks divine, and the very clean, high-contrast design of Windows Phone 7 makes the display look even better, OLED’s specialty. In many respects, the Focus looks almost as good, detail-wise, as the iPhone 4. However, the SuperAMOLED suffers under direct and indirect sunlight and isn’t comfortable to use outdoors. The brighter your surroundings are, the more difficult the screen is to view.

The camera on the Focus is superb. Several shots I took at the beach are just incredible, better than some taken with my Nikon D7000. You can see a few samples below. Video is also good, but not great. The Focus includes a large number of photography options, from setting the white balance, the image effects, relative contrast (from very low to very high), light saturation, sharpness, EV, wide dynamic range, and even the ISO settings. There are so many options that I could spend another month just testing the camera, which in itself is incredible.

Click to see full-size images. Caution: they are 5MP each, but less than 2MB each.

The camera does have its limitations. The LED backlight tends to wash objects and flesh tones out, and the extremes in the settings are mostly for more professional photographers, not basic shooters. There is no option for easy versus full settings, which would be a good addition for anyone who just wants to take a good picture and have their phone figure out the rest. That said, people with more photography experience will surely get both a kick out of the Focus, as well as take some great shots with it.

Another great feature is the option to automatically upload pictures to a SkyDrive account, for free. That way, pictures taken are automatically backed up online. While I haven’t yet found a need for this feature, it should prove convenient with extended use considering how rarely most of us actually connect our phones to our computers. And the feature is even more valuable considering how good the camera on the Focus is.

The Samsung Focus is an excellent phone. There’s no question why it’s Microsoft’s flagship device for their new mobile OS. The Focus has everything a high-end phone today needs: great hardware, excellent software, and most importantly, they work well together. For app junkies, the WP7 app marketplace is barren, but anyone who wants a phone first, app player second, will be very pleased with the Focus. Combine that with a great camera, easy synchronization and plenty of customization, and both Samsung and Microsoft have a real winner.

The Samsung Focus is available on Amazon for $99.99 after a 2-year contract signing.

This deal includes $15 of MP3s from Amazon

5 out of 5 stars

Pros:

• Best design yet, excellent screen and feel
• Faster, thinner, lighter
• Facetime and 720p video recording

Cons:

• No FM radio, no numerical battery
• Low resolution and low quality still photography

Product perfection is next to impossible. There’s no way to please everyone, and as we all know, the minute you buy something new, something new and better has just come out. In our everlong search for perfection in anything, gadget or otherwise, the iPod Touch aims for kingship. Does it take the throne?

With the iPhone 4, a huge makeover to the handset promised to reshape Apple’s media player, and it did. Including the iPhone 4’s A4 processor, Retina display and front-facing camera for Facetime, the 4^th generation iPod Touch includes almost everything the tech giant’s latest phone introduced. It accomplishes all this while still thinning down and shedding weight, from the already absurdly-thin design.

The iPod Touch 4G makes older models look fat in comparison. The mirrored back surface still scratches easily, and rounds the glass off to an almost razor-thin edge. Past iPod’s had much larger, rounder edges – this iPod is by far the sleekest. The power/standby button has finally been moved over to the right side, as on the iPhone. The volume rocker has thicker, rounded buttons which are easy to press, though iOS4 on the iPod does not support quick mute like on the iPad.

The 2nd Gen iPod Touch left of the 4th Gen

4th Gen iPod Touch, Top, with it’s rounded, separated volume rocker above the 2nd Gen

Past iPod touch models had qualities that made them seem less professional, less clean. The Wi-Fi antenna showing, thick rounded edges, etc. The iPod Touch 4G, however, does not. It’s clean, crisp, and looks and feels great. The thinness of the design is excellent for holding in a pocket, though like the Nano, it’s easy to forget because it’s so light and thin. Yet with that miniscule frame, the iPod is still tough. Users can safely play a game of ball with the Touch in a pocket. I’ve on more than a few occasion forgot it was even there.

Performance is stellar. It seems silly that each new i-device is considered snappy and fast thanks to performance boosts, yet the same applies with this iPod Touch. There isn’t a faster mobile device on the market today.

Many have thus far been impressed by the Retina display, boasting a higher resolution 960×640 display and 326 pixels per inch. I’m not. Yes, it looks great, and yes, it is much clearer than older every other screen I’ve tested. But having switched back and forth between my iPhone 3GS and the iPod Touch 4G, it really isn’t that big a deal. Some journalists have openly stated that the upgraded screen makes the iPad useless, but I couldn’t disagree more. There is certainly a difference, but that’s not worth upgrading for alone.

What is more significant is the improved brightness and contrast. The difference in lights and darks has been significantly improved over previous models. It’s not as good as the Super AMOLED displays used on Samsung’s recent Galaxy S mobile phones, but it’s a significant step forward in LCD displays. That contrast is far more important than the picture clarity because the human eye is more sensitive to the differences in lights and darks than it is to anything else, except for motion. So unless you plan on spending inordinate amounts of time reading – for which the pixel density and higher resolutions do matter  – the update in contrast and brightness is most noteworthy.

For gaming, however, pixel density changes everything, or at least it can. Games with heavy graphics can look amazing on this screen, though few have helped flaunt the upgraded hardware thus far. More importantly, the upgrade in processing speed, screen quality and overall build, help to push the iPod ahead of mobile gaming competitors. This iPod is easily the most powerful gaming device, not to mention the smallest, most useful and most inexpensive (through cheaper downloadable games).

The addition of not just one, but two cameras is huge, but not as big as it could have been. The main camera in the back is capable of shooting 720p video. A few test videos I shot proved to be noisy and a little fuzzy, but picture quality was fine, above par for what we’ve come to expect with 720p-ready cellphone cameras. Reducing the size to 480p improves the quality.

The lack of a proper still camera is more frustrating. Both the rear and front (640×480) cameras can shoot stills, but only at low resolutions with mediocre quality. The rear camera is limited to about one megapixel. It was my biggest hope to see the iPod Touch become a competitive photographic device, but Apple’s obviously more intent on leaving that with the iPhone for now. Maybe next year…

Using Facetime has been a blast. Calling family and friends is gimmicky, but fun. It works perfectly, and the results of several dozen calls proved that the technology is solid. The bigger problem is how we communicate as a society. Conversation becomes awkward quickly – with Facetime, you can’t do anything besides for look at the person on the other end and speak. Your appearance matters. You can’t play with your hair or do something else. In a way, it puts more pressure on the conversationists. Facetime demands a person’s full attention, one which we as a society will need to adjust to.

FM radio, which made its way to the iPod Nano, is still missing for the Touch, though one could argue the point that with Wi-Fi and apps, an FM transceiver is unnecessary. I argue that Touch owners who plan on using the device to exercise won’t be carrying a Wi-Fi signal with them, and we all can’t live in Mountain View. There is also no numerical battery life indicator, which I always use instead of the graphic battery bar.

With this fourth iteration of the iPod Touch, Apple brings sweeping upgrades, but not sweeping changes to their acclaimed media device. Those upgrades are fantastic: a powerful processor, more memory, a vastly better screen, all while maintaining excellent battery life. The few changes – the inclusion of two cameras – are a start in the right direction, but not the leap we’ve seen Apple take so many times before. The company is quickly closing in on a perfect, do-everything device, but this isn’t it.  Still, the 4^th generation iPod Touch is by far the best portable media player, and the closest one to perfection.

It’s $199 – $50 instant discount + free S&H = $149!

Zune users rejoice, 4.5 has been bestowed upon your PMP.  Just plug in the device and get a syncing.

So what does it add? Smart DJ, which we showed you last week at the Zune House here in LA.  Microsoft has also increased the codec compatibility of the player by adding AVI support.

I’m just waiting on Microsoft to kick out a Mac compatible build of their software so I can play with the super sleek device.

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Yesterday, Microsoft finally made it official and announced the 64GB Zune HD.  That very same day we were invited to the Zune House in LA where we got a hands on look at the yet to be released software update for the player, 4.5.  The biggest take away: their DJ feature which is like Apple’s Genius.  It’s hard to say which of the two will be better, but since we just got our hands on a 32GB Zune HD we’ll let you know as soon as the software is made publicly available.

The Zune HD wasn’t a huge hit upon its release, and while I doubt it will ever be as popular as the iPod family, that doesn’t mean it isn’t a nice product. Microsoft is still supporting the device and has announced a 64GB version, while reducing the prices of the 16GB and 32GB models. Maybe that will draw new customers to the sleek OLED-display device.

The new Zune comes in a wide variety of colors:  Black, Blue, Red, Green, Purple, Platinum, and Magenta. In addition, the 16GB and 32GB Zunes will now be $199.99 and $269.99, respectively. Meanwhile, the Zune HD 4.5 firmware is expected soon, and new details on it will be coming out this week.

The 64GB Zune HD hits April 12th for $349.99.

We’re excited to share that Zune fans will be able to purchase a new 64GB capacity of the popular Zune HD device for $349.99 starting April 12th through ZuneOriginals.com. By increasing the Zune HD capacity to 64GB, users will be able take up to 16,000 songs, or 20 hours of high definition video from Zune Marketplace, or 25,000 pictures* on the go! Customers will be able to customize their Zune HD 64GB through ZuneOrginals.com, available in their choice of Platinum, Black, Blue, Red, Green, Purple and Magenta colors.

In addition to introducing the new 64GB capacity, we are also reducing the prices of the 16GB and 32GB devices. Starting today, price lists are being distributed to retailers, setting the Estimated Retail Price (ERP) for the Zune 16GB device at $199.99 and the Zune HD 32GB device at $269.99.

With its OLED multi-touch screen, built-in HD radio, HD video out capabilities and Internet browser, Zune HD is a full-function media player which has received accolades from press and consumers. We’ve also announced details of an upcoming firmware update which will add even more features to the device, such as Smart DJ auto-playlists directly on the Zune HD, ability to browse, stream and acquire music from Zune Marketplace on your TV (while the device is connected to a TV set through the A/V dock) and expanded codec support allowing users to play more video formats natively from the device.

We are excited to be offering a great range of storage capacities for the Zune HD at a competitive price point and will be sharing more news on the availability of the 4.5 firmware in the coming days.

*Music estimates based on 128 Kbps WMA files with length of 4 minutes each. Pictures transferred to Zune will be optimized for Zune screen size; video estimates based on 500 Kbps WMV files with 128 Kbps WMA audio tracks.

It’s going for $289.99 – $40 instant rebate + free shipping = $249.99!