Zune v.3

Well, it came rather quietly. Not many are heralding the arrival of the new Zune update.

It is, however, a pretty slick update. Sadly, this is what the Zune should have been when it launched so long ago. However, the new features are here, and they're pretty slick.

On the software side of things, they've added even more options, things that are pretty useful. They've more tightly integrated their 'social' functions, and seemed to have sped up everything overall.

On the hardware side, they've added games. Yes, I know, games, but to me it's pretty cool. You get Hexic and Texas Hold 'Em for free, and overall, they're pretty slick, feeling pretty speedy and responsive.

You can also now peruse the marketplace right from the Zune via WiFi, which is a pretty great feature. At least, it will be for those that actually use the Marketplace, which I really don't, but I applaud them for getting it up and running. You can also now add the WiFi key right from the Zune, albeit in a very painfully slow way.

While some might think it's silly, I also like the fact that they've now added a clock to the corner as well.

Another interesting feature is that you can now add songs you hear while listening to the FM radio to your cart, which attempts to find the song through some crazy magic, and downloads it when you sync. Again, this would be useful if I bought music through the Marketplace, but it's still pretty slick.

Overall, I honestly think this how they should have launched. It's really too bad that it took them this long to really get things right, but still, it's better late than never. I'm most impressed, though, with their steadfast support of my ancient brick of a Zune 30. Most people might find the Zune to be a joke, but, really, I like my Zune, and I'm strongly considering pick up a 120 sooner, rather than later.