A lot of people today are excited about the new Zune HD. And that’s great news for Microsoft, as it has been attempting for a few years now to even just steal some buzz from Apple in the MP3 market, if not sales. Well, they’ve succeeded in the first part, but the second? That could be much more difficult.
Microsoft’s new device sounds great: OLED screen, HD radio, HD video (720p) outputs… → Read More
I’m beginning to wonder whether someone is conducting this concert of Zune madness. The whole thing has been leaked, from the original unveiling to the specs, the approximate date, the pricing and models, and now the preorder tokens.
On reflection, that last one isn’t exactly big news, but it does pin down the release date: September 15th. We had September 8th penciled in, but we’ve waited four… → Read More
Can Microsoft’s latest Zune, the Zune HD, take down the king? It depends on which king you’re talking about. As it stands, the iPod Touch is a whole different beast because of the App Store. What Microsoft has done with the Zune HD is nothing short of spectacular, but who is it really competing with? My BlackBerry can play videos and show me pictures taken on a recent trip. The HTC Hero and/or… → Read More
Ooh la la. Damn, I need to load Windows onto my Mac. → Read More
Good news for Zune fans. CNET spent a little time with the upcoming Zune HD and came away mighty impressed. Big points were awarded for the 3.3-inch screen, 720p video playback, audio quality, music playback features, and — gasp! — a great web browser? → Read More
There are a bunch of new shots of the upcoming ZuneHD out there all of a sudden, in advance of an official announcement expected later on. They show not only a Black ZuneHD (I kind of like the silver one but hey), but some interface tweaks that make it a very good-looking device indeed. The Zune interfaces, from the website to the player to the device, have always been sexy, but the devices always… → Read More
Well, July came and went and we saw no sign of Microsoft‘s much-anticipated new streaming music service. So I did a little digging around, and over the weekend word reached me through a friend in the music industry that the delay has nothing to do with technical problems, as some have suggested. According to my source, Microsoft “has no label deals”. And a streaming music service… → Read More
Forget media-streaming set-top boxes and plunk down $150 on this 80GB Zune with free Home AV Pack deal that Woot! has going on (today only). → Read More
If you haven’t been watching Mean Mag’s Cinemash series then you’re doing it wrong. Cheech and Chong + Tron = Amazing. Kind of NSFW and don’t watch with the kids. Thanks for reminding me about this, KLash! → Read More
Microsoft still has plans for the Zune brand and the marketplace is probably a big part of it. Details are still light but at least we now have what is suppose to be a screenshot of the service. Who knows if it’s legit, but it at least seems to have all the same visual aspects of the Zune. It wouldn’t be surprising if it is the real thing. Now, our main question is will Microsoft… → Read More
The Telegraph has word that Microsoft will be entering the streaming music market. The plan is to offer free streaming, and the option to purchase music for download. Just what the world needs, another streaming solution. Another boutique music store. Another walled garden from which digital content can be rationed out to the masses, while fatcat music execs wallow in piles of cash. → Read More
Dru at Gearlive has unearthed a fascinating Escherian software solution that allows you to stream ZunePass music. Zune Pass, for those not in in the know, is Microsoft’s $15 a month streaming service that can blow music through your Zune and onto your Windows desktop. Then you need Orb. Then you send the music straight to the iPhone over the Interwebs. Simplicity itself.
An engineer at Microsoft has ballparked the cost of the 16GB ZuneHD at somewhere between $250 and $280 (for reference, a 16GB iPod Touch is $300). That’s a little bit higher than I’d have guessed, but considering OLED screens are still expensive, to say nothing of flash memory, it’s a solid estimate. Trouble is, where are they going to get people to take it for a spin? Apple’s got a great spot for… → Read More
I thought we already knew this, since it was included in all those other details that were confirmed shortly after, but everybody else seems surprised so we should probably at least act like we didn’t know (we’re very polite here at CG). Yes, the ZuneHD does officially use Nvidia’s Tegra chipset — its hardware decoder and low power draw made it a natural choice. I still… → Read More
Attention Zunatics: regularly scheduled maintenance on all things Zune begins tonight. Don’t freak out if you can’t access the marketplace from midnight tonight to midnight tomorrow. The Social will be there for you on Wednesday. → Read More
Buy.com is selling the 4GB Microsoft Zune for $87.77 with free shipping. According to the product page, this is a “Blowout Price!” which may fan the flames of the ZuneHD-coming-in-September rumor from earlier today as it appears retailers might begin trying to clear out old inventory. → Read More
It’s pretty crazy over there at All Things Digital, and in the hubbub it looks like the Zune HD has had its picture tooken and video shotten. This little video tour shows off the smoothness and speed of the UI, which looks like it has adapted extremely well to the touchscreen. I have my doubts about the screen resolution (480×272 is… well, passable), but the fact that it’s OLED makes for… → Read More
You saw the leaks, you read the announcement last night, and now you know when this sucker will be touchable for real. E3 will see the ZuneHD in all its glory, and we’ll be there to cover it for sure. Even if I have to tear myself away from the Dark Knight or Project Trico, I’ll get you guys some solid video of this long-awaited update to the Zune family. → Read More
The ZuneHD has been acknowledged by Microsoft, and although much of what we reported turns out to have been true (OLED touchscreen, web browser), we were hoping for a little more resolution. A 480×272 screen on a device branded “HD” is a bit misleading. I suppose the HD is for the HD radio receiver inside, but honestly, that’s not much of a killer app, though it’ll be… → Read More
Ain’t nothing wrong with Zunes, but you could be forgiven for a few covetous glances at your friend’s iPod Touch or Samsung P3. Touchscreen, widgets, apps… sure, they’re tempting, but they’re also expensive, space-limited and the music playing functionality isn’t any better. But Microsoft understands why you might be considering cheating on them with another media player when your Zune 30 croaks… → Read More
You can get 30 gigabytes worth of refurbished Zune for just $80 over at Woot.com today. Available in black, white, or brown, the Zune “stores up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video (128 Kbps).” → Read More
Zune fans (all 12 of you), I have some bad news. There will be no new Zune announcement in June, apparently that was just a mix up on Microsoft’s part linking to the wrong Twitter account. More importantly, it also means there will be no ZunePhone announcement of any kind. But there are still potentially some new details on that front today thanks to ZDNet’s Mary-Jo Foley.
Foley claims that a… → Read More
So now Microsoft is happily seeding buzz through Twitter account @officethemovie, which is tied to the marketing website for ‘Office 2010: The Movie’. The account was created recently and starting sending out tweets about 14 hours ago at the time of this writing. One of the first messages revealed a bit about the type of social networking integration the next version of Office is going to boast… → Read More
So now Microsoft is happily seeding buzz through Twitter account @officethemovie, which is tied to the marketing website for ‘Office 2010: The Movie’. The account was created recently and starting sending out tweets about 14 hours ago at the time of this writing. One of the first messages revealed a bit about the type of social networking integration the next version of Office is going to boast… → Read More
Want a Zune? Actually, do you want a cheap media player ’cause they don’t get much less expensive than this. Sure, this model is the last generation, but you still get all the goodies of the new models. The player is available via eBay through the Best Buy Outlet so you can purchase with confidence. Oh, and the shipping is free. → Read More
If you’re a big BSG buff, and I know you are, you’re probably looking forward to seeing the prequel Caprica, if you haven’t done so already. The first episode was shown at the Arclight in LA (I saw Alien there, it was freaky), and now you can get that episode on DVD. Or, if you’re a real fan, you can head on over to the Zune Marketplace and get the episode plus the big Q&A session that… → Read More
Let’s talk about why this isn’t a real next-generation Zune. I can think of seven reasons right off the top of my head, having used one for about a year now and knowing a little about the way things work. Can you spot all of them? → Read More
If you were planning on getting a Zune some time soon (despite the looming ZuneHD), you may as well get one of the customized Zune Originals. The designs are all pretty cool, and if you pick one from the new Spring collection, it’s a free upgrade. I happen to like the art style they’ve cultivated for the Zune Originals and backgrounds, and (believe it or not) I’ve actually got some Zune art here… → Read More
If I didn’t know better, I might think that the Zune team was trying to create a buzz. The ZuneHD peek-a-boo show continues, with some rather drool-inducing specs being thrown around. Apparently Microsoft has confirmed a few, probably by not saying they won’t be in the unannounced device. Off the record. But anyway, Tegra? Check. OLED? Check. Xbox 360 integration? Maybe-check.
Here’s what the… → Read More
There has been a quite mumbling on the ol’ Intertubes that Microsoft has another Zune in development. We kind of already knew that from an Microsoft suit interview. The latest ‘leaked’ pics sport the same design that was in the first photoset however, are clearly renderings. The source claims these pics are real, along with a long list of specs and capabilities. Some which seem kind of unlikely… → Read More
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