Yes, you read the headline correctly. The Zune HD, which was recently rolled up and borged into the Windows Phone 7 brand, has received no less than nine new apps. We heard that the existing Zune games and apps would be ported to WP7, but perhaps during that process they decided to brush off a few that were still sitting in the box. → Read More
Nearly two years after its launch, the Zune HD finally has an email client. Microsoft enlisted the help of Matchbox Mobile, the folks that made the Zune HD Facebook and Twitter, to make a dedicated email app for the media player. The end result is an email app that supports Windows Live Hotmail, GMail and Exchange done up in the Zune’s Metro classic UI.
The trick is that Microsoft never intended… → Read More
This is a rock solid deal for a rock solid media player. I can’t recommend the Zune enough for music listeners. It’s a gorgeous device with a great UI and no dependency on iTunes. This Buy.com deal nets you a 64GB Zune HD for only $219. That’s nearly half the price of a 64GB iPod touch. Once again, the Zune HD is for those looking to listen to music or watch the occasional video… → Read More
Bloomberg is reporting that Microsoft has finally decided to put an official end to its Zune media player line. “A person familiar with the decision” has informed them that Microsoft will not be putting out any new hardware in the line, and will be henceforward focusing on integrating Zune functionality with the Windows Phone 7 platform.
Not exactly unexpected; the Zune hardware hasn’t changed… → Read More
The world needed the Zune. Hell, Apple needed the Zune. Microsoft better not kill off the Zune. Too bad it’s already as good as cooked. Bye bye, Zune. We’ll miss you. As Mary-Jo Foley points out, Microsoft suits are seemingly avoiding using the platform’s name lately. It’s a bit strange seeing how the Zune brand is fairly important to Windows Phone 7. The mobile phone… → Read More
Mac users have been asking for years for a version of Zune for OS X, even if it’s a stripped-down sync utility. The Windows Phone 7 Connector app for Mac is made for use, of course, with your WP7 handset, but apparently a simple terminal tweak is all it takes to make it recognize Zunes as well. → Read More
These rumors aren’t exactly the most substantiated we’ve ever seen, but to be honest, I’d report if a bird flew in my window today just to get the Apple taste out of my mouth. What’s being said is that Microsoft is going to double down on Zune with a Windows Phone 7-esque update. Whether there’d be new hardware is anyone’s guess. Why not? → Read More
Wal-Mart has the 16GB Zune HD available for $162.54 plus free shipping (and tax, if applicable). It usually retails for $199, so you’re saving quite a bit. Well, provided you were in the market for a Zune HD to begin with. Incidentally, that’s where I bought my Zune HD from, the local Wal-Mart. Fascinating, yes. → Read More
Joy! New apps. If you’re a Zune HD owner, fire up the ol’ girl and get downloading. This Labyrinth game looks pretty cool, and the Zune HD’s accelerometer is pretty responsive, so it should be good. Now give me a Mahjjong game and I’ll be set for life. → Read More
Potentially huge news for Zune HD owners—that means Devin and I. It has been hacked~! Yes, the good folks over at ZuneBoards have hacked the Zune HD to pieces, giving homebrew developers full access to the hardware, access that otherwise lay behind the XNA development kit. The Zune HD isn’t too shabby, so I fully expect to see ports of popular emulators like FCEUX in no time at all. → Read More
Great news, everyone! I just upgraded my Zune HD‘s firmware to the latest and greatest version, version 4.5, and I’m here to report that everything went smoothly… mostly. I probably shouldn’t have used the word “everything,” then. I can now play Xvid videos just fine, having tested an old SummerSlam 2001 DVD rip that I had in my Zune video folder. (Why I have old WWE DVD rips on my hard drive is… → Read More
To follow up with earlier rumors we’re happy to report that the Zune HD 64GB is now a reality. Microsoft just announced the Zune HD 64GB for $349.99, available April 12, just outside of the event horizon that is the iPad ship date. This new device will run the 4.5 firmware. → Read More
The Zune HD has seen modest price drops the last few weeks with the Zune HD 32 now available at the ever important $199 price point. With a lite dose of speculation, it now all makes sense seeing as there is clearly a Zune HD 64 launching in the near future. → Read More
Patents, patents, everywhere! It seems you can’t swing a cat these days without infringing on someone’s patent. The latest victim/perp is Microsoft; an Illinois doctor is suing them because of a patent he was granted in 2002 which allegedly covers the Zune’s ability to tag a song directly from the radio and then download that song once an internet connection is established. Obviously it’s for the… → Read More
Just last week Dell Home dropped the 32GB Zune HD down to $240 and we called it the great price drop in the history of price drops. We were wrong. The 32GB and 16GB versions just got another price drop and it’s HUGE. → Read More
The Zune HD‘s price keeps dropping and dropping. No matter. It’s a killer media device and well worth your money if you don’t mind forgoing the App Store that’s available on the competing iPod touch. Dell Home currently has it up for $240, which is the lowest price we’ve seen from a reputable retailer yet. Who knows how long it will be that low, though, so you better… → Read More
The Facebook app all of us Zune HD lovers have been waiting for has arrived! It looks pretty solid, but due to a hilarious sequence of errors, I can’t update my Zune software to allow the app to be installed. Seriously, Microsoft, I want to recommend Zune stuff to everyone, but you make it so difficult for me. You can see what it looks like in these screenshots, at any rate. More in the… → Read More
The Zune HD is a tempting piece of PMP goodness and it just got a whole lot more tasty with a modest price drop. Both Amazon and Newegg have at least temporarily dropped the price of our favorite media player. So far we haven’t heard anything from Redmond about official cuts, but something is definitely up when these two retailers both cut prices. → Read More
Update: The app no longer censors tweets. Good, because that was the most ridiculous thing ever. Oh now this is exciting. Microsoft released a Twitter application for the Zune HD a few moments ago, and I’ve been tasked with testing it out for your edification. Spoiler: it works, it’s buggy, and I can’t see the sense in using it. → Read More
The Zune HD has been kick’n it for a few months on retail shelves. But if you’re planning on buying one sometime soon and purple and magenta are your colors, you might want to wait until December 1st. On that day the portable will be available in those lovely colors in addition to the five that are already available. Of course you can customize your Zune HD even more with the signature Zune… → Read More
Own a Zune HD? Let me suggest you head over to the forums at AnythingButiPod and check out all the wallpapers. They are of course all formated for your device and most of them are killer. → Read More
One of the only downsides to owning a Zune HD instead of an iPod is the lack of speaker docks. There simply isn’t that many available and the ones for the previous Zune’s aren’t compatible. But Kicker knows what’s up and just released firmware to make its $249 ZK500 Zune HD friendly. But there is fine print involved and you can’t update the system yourself. → Read More
As of next Tuesday, November 17, you’ll be able to access Twitter and Facebook on your Xbox 360. The software update is free, like previous updates, and also includes Last.fm and Zune video compatibility. “What are you doing?” “Losing to 12-year-olds in Modern Warfare 2 over and over again! Not fun.” → Read More
http://vimeo.com/moogaloop.swf?clip_id=7564013&server=vimeo.com&show_title=1&show_byline=1&show_portrait=0&color=00ADEF&fullscreen=1 A major and valid criticism of the Zune HD when it launched was the utter lack of apps. Weather, a calculator, and a game that’s been on the Zune for like a year. It had nothing on the thousands upon thousands of apps and games… → Read More
Own a Zune HD like Devin and I, the two hippest cats here at CrunchGear? Best to connect it to your PC right now so you can upgrade its firmware to version 4.3. Go, now! → Read More
You probably know by now that at least some of us here at pretty high on the Zune HD—look at the lengths I went to get it up and running!—but I recognize that not every Mac owner is going to jump through hoops just to be able to use the device. But maybe, just maybe, Microsoft is finally ready to do what so many people have asked it to do: make a Mac version of the Zune software… → Read More
Welcome to CrunchGear’s seedy electronic shop in the touristy area of town. Today we have a special deal for one lucky commenter: a new 16GB black Zune HD. Read on to figure out how to win. UPDATE – Congrats to Aaron for winning the Zune. He’s currently running with an RCA Lyrica. I don’t even think RCA is in business anymore. → Read More
Sometime in the past two weeks I decided, with some thought being put into is, to buy a Zune HD. Why, I don’t know; I thought it looked neat, and I was thoroughly unimpressed with the new iPods Apple showed off at that Rock and Roll event. For the most part the Zune HD is, indeed, neat. Its user interface is miles ahead of the iPod’s, and, with a little forethought, can be used rather effectively… → Read More
When the FCC took apart the Zune HD, we noted that the test unit had “For our princess” written on the inside of the shell. Nobody knew what to make of it at the time, but now that it’s in the production units it’s clear that it wasn’t a one-time thing. As it turns out, it’s a memorial for a Zune team member who passed away during the device’s development. → Read More
The Zune HD is sold out and backordered all over the place. Nicholas got the last one in his local Best BuyWal-Mart, and your favorite online retailer is probably waiting for their next shipment (32GB versions especially). Sure, it’s probably the result of retailers underestimating customer demand, but hey, I think Microsoft will take all the sold outs it can get. → Read More
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