screenshot_80zunhd

The folks over at Cnet got their hands on the second coming of the Zune. Zune HD is Microsoft’s newest attempt to steal the MP3 player crown away from Apple and the iPod. To this date the attempt has been a miserable failure, but the Redmond folks are looking to turn that around with this new offering.

Those three people in Sheboygan who don’t already own a MP3 player are in luck, CNet reviewers love the Zune HD and think that’s it is the road to redemption for Microsoft. They were particularly enthused by the new browser which is a secret sauce concoction of IE 8 for the desktop and IE 6 mobile.

They describe it as just as good as Safari on the iPhone/iPod Touch. In fact, most of the comparison is matched up with the Apple crown jewel, which could in some circles be a back-handed testament to the (i) devices.

Honestly saying, some folks are calling the new Hardware “sexy,” I don’t agree. But in saying that, it does look like the player has stepped up its game. But is it enough to matter at this stage in the winners circle?

Take a read of Cnet impressions.