You don’t need Zune HD to access Zune Pass Music, Nokia N97 will do just fine

You don't need Zune HD to access Zune Pass Music, Nokia N97 will do just fine

Are you surprised by the title of the post. Well don’t be. The title of the post is perfectly right. If you thought even for a moment that you needed Zune HD to play music from Zune Pass, then you were wrong and its time to correct that thought. Zune Pass works perfectly when accessed via Nokia N97. Infact Nokia N97 has an edge over Zune HD when we compare it from the perspective of a media player.

I would also like to inform you that Nokia N97 is not the first mobile phone on which Zune Pass can be used. Prior to N97, Zune Pass was accessible via Nokia 5800 and Nokia E71 as well.  But one thing which stands out for Nokia N97 is its huge storage space. You may be well aware of the fact that Nokia N97 has an internal 32 GB storage and plus you can add more using microSD. So that means you can keep thousands of songs in your phone and listen to it whenever you want.

In the initial paragraph of the post I said that Nokia N97 has an edge over Microsoft’s media player Zune HD. I made that statement based on the following reasons:

  • N97 becomes equipped with built -in stereo speakers which Zune HD clearly does not have.
  • N97 supports viewing videos using the display in an angular  manner.
  • N97 has removable battery and Zune HD doesn’t.
  • N97 provides higher resolution display 640*480 pixels on a 3.5″ inch screen in comparison to Zune HD’s 3.3 inch screen which supports 272*480 pixel resolution

What this means is that now you don’t have to actually purchase Zune HD to use Zune Pass. Nokia’s N97, 5800 or E71 will do just fine.

Editor’s Note: We’re not sure if Nokia devices can sync DRM enabled music as well from the Zune Store. Let us know in the comments if you try this out!

You don't need Zune HD to access Zune Pass Music, Nokia N97 will do just fine

6 comments

  1. —- N97 becomes equipped with built -in stereo speakers which Zune HD clearly does not have.
    To be honest, I'd rather use headphones than crappy built-in speakers.
    —- N97 supports viewing videos using the display in an angular manner.
    Video viewing is usually with the person looking directly at the device while it is facing them, so that is still not really an advantage.
    —- N97 has removable battery and Zune HD doesn’t.
    Because the n97 is a phone, it is a necessity to have a removable battery to swap out. PMPs don't usually have swappable batteries.
    —- N97 provides higher resolution display 640*480 pixels on a 3.5″ inch screen in comparison to Zune HD’s 3.3 inch screen which supports 272*480 pixel resolution
    640×480 is a 4:3 aspect ratio which is not good for viewing widescreen movies with. 272×480 is a 16:9 aspect ratio, and exactly 1/4th the size of 1080p. It is perfect.

    I do not like the idea of using a phone as a PMP. I like to keep those two separate. My phone can play music, videos, etc., but I never use it. I like having a dedicated PMP. The ONLY edge I see here is removable storage. That is -it-.

  2. —- N97 becomes equipped with built -in stereo speakers which Zune HD clearly does not have.
    To be honest, I'd rather use headphones than crappy built-in speakers.
    —- N97 supports viewing videos using the display in an angular manner.
    Video viewing is usually with the person looking directly at the device while it is facing them, so that is still not really an advantage.
    —- N97 has removable battery and Zune HD doesn’t.
    Because the n97 is a phone, it is a necessity to have a removable battery to swap out. PMPs don't usually have swappable batteries.
    —- N97 provides higher resolution display 640*480 pixels on a 3.5″ inch screen in comparison to Zune HD’s 3.3 inch screen which supports 272*480 pixel resolution
    640×480 is a 4:3 aspect ratio which is not good for viewing widescreen movies with. 272×480 is a 16:9 aspect ratio, and exactly 1/4th the size of 1080p. It is perfect.

    I do not like the idea of using a phone as a PMP. I like to keep those two separate. My phone can play music, videos, etc., but I never use it. I like having a dedicated PMP. The ONLY edge I see here is removable storage. That is -it-.

  3. hello i was just wondering does this phone have
    bleutooth
    sms and mms messaging
    is it touch on the screen
    how thick is it
    how long is it
    does it come witih head phones
    does it come with a charger
    does it come in any other colours than white
    does it have music player
    how many songs and pictures can it store on it
    does it have video camera
    if it has camera what megapixel does it have
    does it have camera
    what storage does it have
    can it fit a micro sd card
    thankyou x

    1. Hello Aimee,
      The N97 does have bluetooth. It has sms and mms messaging which I think almost every phone supports now. It is touch screen. It is about a half inch thick and roughly 4 inches long. It does come with head phones, but should probably purchase seperately anyways. I also think that every phone has a charger that comes with it now too. I think that they only make two colors, black and white. There is a music player you can download from the website for it and is also on the phone. I don’t know exactly how many songs and pictures it holds. It has 5 megapixel camera. The phone comes with 32 gb built in to it. It has micro sd slot for extra memory.

      mabk,
      the phone itself was far too pricy when I purchased it early last year, but has dropped in price. I dont know exactly, but I’d estimate about $500 range. I was actually on the nokia site earlier today and the mini was about that price.

      sorry to the both of you because this info probably doesnt help either of you at this point.

      John

  4. Hello Aimee,
    The N97 does have bluetooth. It has sms and mms messaging which I think almost every phone supports now. It is touch screen. It is about a half inch thick and roughly 4 inches long. It does come with head phones, but should probably purchase seperately anyways. I also think that every phone has a charger that comes with it now too. I think that they only make two colors, black and white. There is a music player you can download from the website for it and is also on the phone. I don’t know exactly how many songs and pictures it holds. It has 5 megapixel camera. The phone comes with 32 gb built in to it. It has micro sd slot for extra memory.

    mabk,
    the phone itself was far too pricy when I purchased it early last year, but has dropped in price. I dont know exactly, but I’d estimate about $500 range. I was actually on the nokia site earlier today and the mini was about that price.

    sorry to the both of you because this info probably doesnt help either of you at this point.

    John

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