David Pogue has reviewed Microsoft's Zune media player for the New York Times, and notes that although the player has some great features, the list of missing features "could stretch to Steve Ballmer's house and back 10 times."

The Good
The Zune's rubberized coating won't show scratches and fingerprints like the iPod. If offers about 14 hours music playback, and 4 hours for video. The screen is slightly larger than the video capable iPod's, but the resolution is the same. The interface looks good, and the ability to use your own images as menu backgrounds is a nice touch.

Mr. Pogue said "The software design is beautiful, simple and graced by brief, classy animations."

It also includes a built-in Wi-Fi antenna so that you can share music and photos with other Zune users.

The Bad
The Zune doesn't use a click wheel-type controller, although it looks like it does. Instead, the plastic ring covers four inefficient navigation buttons. It includes a built-in FM radio receiver, but reception is poor since it uses the earphone cable as an antenna.

It also includes a built-in Wi-Fi antenna so that you can share music and photos with other Zune users. Turning it on will sap a good hour from your battery life.

The Ugly
And again, it also includes a built-in Wi-Fi antenna so that you can share music and photos with other Zune users. The Wi-Fi support doesn't include network access, so you can't download music directly to your player, and sharing songs only works with other Zune players.

The draconian digital rights management that Microsoft forces on shared songs applies not only to music you purchase, but also to your own creations - even if you don't want them to be copy protected. You can't resend a song to the same person, and shared songs can be played three times in three days. Playing the first half of a song, or the first minute, whichever is shorter, counts as a full play.

Mr. Pogue notes Microsoft's literature says that struggling rock bands can use the Zune to share demo recordings with friends when out in public. He adds that what it doesn't say is "And then three days later, just when buzz about your band is beginning to build, your songs disappear from everyone's Zunes, making you look like an idiot."

Microsoft's Zune store is also missing several things that Apple offers, including gift certificates, allowances, user-submitted playlists. And the Zune player application is "pretty barren."

Mr. Pogue sums up his feelings by commenting "Competition is good and all. But what, exactly, is the point of the Zune? It seems like an awful lot of duplication — in a bigger, heavier form with fewer features — just to indulge Microsoft’s "we want some o' that" envy."