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I recently got a first generation, 30gb white Zune. And I’m here to say, I love it.

My first impression was not a positive one. Installing & setting up Zune 3.0 software was a pain, and a familiar story for Microsoft software. But, four downloads, three installations and two restarts later, she was up and running. The wait was worth it.

Zune’s software is pretty and friendly. ‘Please wait’ is replaced with ‘Hang on.’ Gray backdrops and blue progress bars are now colorful and pink. Pictures of spontaneous youth wrestling and laughing remind me I should be out & about tonight.

The PC software is kind of useless & surely won’t usurp Winamp as my media player of choice, but it gets the job done for syncing files between gadget and computer. It also fills in missing MP3 tags and downloads album art automatically. My inner OCD sufferer is satisfied.

But when you fire up the Zune itself… man. The fun starts. It makes the iPod UI feel boring and plain Jane. Album art & photos of your choice serve as the backdrop. Text and content zip and saunter around your screen when you navigate.

I have to say a bit about the iPod’s trusty clickwheel. Many MP3 players tried to implement something similar or better, and fell incredibly short. Zune got it right. My 1st gen spin wheel thing looks like iPod’s, but functions more like a D-Pad on old video game controllers. Navigating up & down works as expected, but horizontal movement is where this setup shines.

Let’s say I’m listening to Foo Fighters, There is Nothing Left to Lose, when I decide that I really want to be jammin’ to The Colour and the Shape. In 99% of MP3 players ever, I would press Back, then scroll down to my album of choice, and press Enter. On the Zune, you hit Right once, and you’re there. Or maybe you’re window-shopping Foo albums and get a sudden hankerin’ for Foreigner. Hit Left, and you can power ballad awesome 80′s to your heart’s content. I’m the kind of dude who spends lots of time back-tracking through iPod menus, so this is super handy for me.

There’s many little ‘gotchas’ like this where small UI changes go a long way on the Zune. ‘Shuffle All’ is the very first option under Music. Great, but how about when you switch to album play afterward? Zune automatically turns off the Shuffle mode & plays your album straight through. Solid!

Physically, the Zune is lighter than it looks like it should be. Fits the palm nicely when in use, and travels comfortably in my back pocket. It’s very study, I suspect it could take a good deal of abuse from ultimate, parties, etc.

In the coming months, 30 gigs may prove to be a bit too cozy for my music library, but I am very pleased with my Zune so far. It’s the first Microsoft product I’ve been genuinely excited about in a long time. It does stand on the shoulders of tested giants, but it has some unique niceties that won over my affection and adoration. Hats off, Zune Team!