Net pundits drool over Zune HD

Microsoft has been giving selected journalists some hands-on time with the upcoming Zune HD, the sleek second generation version of its MP3 player, and everyone that’s seen the device sounds ready to sell their firstborn to get it back into their hands.

CNet’s Donald Bell admittedly “geeked out,” saying, “…I am tentatively reaffirming my faith in Microsoft. This thing was worth the wait, folks.” He goes on to say that it’s not going to crush the iPod Touch, but it’s still a rich multimedia device that feels “expensive, solid, and sexy.”

Dylan Tweney of Wired‘s Gadget Lab is in love with the device’s new touch-screen interface, which was shown off with “a bright, crisp OLED display,” powerful enough to “never stutter or paused no matter how quickly we zipped and zoomed.”

The San Francisco Chronicle‘s Ryan Kim also admired the user interface, which he describes as “very elegant and even more swooshy than the iPhone OS. When you select a category, things zoom around and titles fly to the top of the screen.” He also says that the music player is “especially impressive because you can get additional information and images about the artist playing at the time.”

Unfortunately, no one could get Microsoft to spill on when the Zune HD will be available or how much it will cost, but it certainly seems as though it’s going to turn some heads when it arrives.

Image: Microsoft.