IN case you've been living in a cave all summer here's the scoop: the Zune is Microsoft's MP3 player, an exciting new device that's supposed to be an iPod killer.

It went on sale in America a few weeks ago but you won't be able to grab one over here until next year. And that could be a very good thing if any of the fairly scathing reviews of the first generation Zunes are to be believed.

It doesn't look at all bad. About the same width as the latest iPod video, but a little bit taller, heavier and thicker all round. It's got a larger three-inch colour screen and can play video and photos as well as MP3 music files. So far so good.

The difference is WiFi - wireless transmission that allows Zune-sters to beam their favourite tracks to a fellow Zune buddy for their enjoyment. No more swapping earphones with one of these babies.

There are some drawbacks to the wireless. As a sop to music publishers terrified by the prospect of hit songs beaming about the world for free, Microsoft only allows a transferred track to be played three times or kept three days whichever is the soonest. So if you like the latest Girls Aloud single you'll just have to buy it like everyone else.

The WiFi also impacts on battery life, although Microsoft claims a Zune can still match the iPod (not exactly a champ when it comes to running on a single charge). Since Microsoft didn't have the luxury of the iPod click wheel, the Zune uses a mobile phone-style five-way button arrangement instead. It's simple to use but not as fast as a 'Pod.

Everything has been designed so the Zune can be operated one handed.

And when you're done switching tracks or creating that perfect playlist the whole lot fits into a jeans pocket. The plastic shell has a soft-to-the-touch matter finish, which isn't at all unpleasant (although whoever thought selling a brown Zune would be a great idea is deeply, deeply uncool).

Other good ideas include magnetic headphones that stick to your player when not required and the fact music stops playing if the Zune detects they have been pulled out of the socket. The problems appear to begin when you install the software Zune needs to download music.

A quick trawl of the Internet will reveal hundreds of sites filled with complaints from users saying the software is buggy and prone to crashes. This is in marked contrast to iTunes which (despite a recent up-date hic-up) remains a paragon of reliability.

Transferring video appears to be especially tricky. In tests the Zune either crashed the PC or failed to recognise an uploaded file. It also requires a lot of PC horsepower. Users with a computer more than a couple of years old could be in for a long wait while filling their new Zunes. Support for Mac users is non-existent.

Microsoft will be working on a patched version as I write this, but Zune has been in development for years so there is no excuse for not getting it right first time. As it is, the player has got off to a rocky start.