The Microsoft Zune (There answer to the ipod)

[Justin24]

http://gear.ign.com/articles/732/732897p1.html

Microsoft has been laying a little low on the Zune front in the past few months since they encountered a bit of fallout when spy photos revealed that the first Zune player was actually a re-branded and slightly altered Toshiba 1089, also known as the Gigabeat S30/S60. That's not necessarily a bad thing actually, and now that Apple has apparently been unable to get a widescreen video iPod ready for a holiday release, the Gigabeat / Zune's very nice 3 inch screen looks rather appealing.






Perhaps buoyed by Apple's failure to get a hot new iPod video out the door, Microsoft unveiled the first official Zune product pics, spec sheets, and accessory packs today. While there isn't much that we didn't know before, if you haven't heard of the Zune yet, take a peek and check out some of its unique features, it's actually got a pretty good shot at doing well this Christmas.

Most obviously, the Zune is rocking a rather nice 3.0-inch screen that will flip between vertical (music selection) and horizontal (video playback). Three colors will be available at launch: brown, black, and white. A 30GB HDD and built-in FM tuner will place it in line with Creative's DAP offerings, but what really makes the Zune unique is its inclusion of 802.11 wireless capabilities.




Zune users will be able to detect one another and then share songs, recordings, play lists, and pictures completely wirelessly. Songs owned on one Zune and shared with another will be available for playback up to three times over the course of a three day period. After the shared period runs out, users will be able to bookmark the songs for purchase via the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft's name for its upcoming iTMS-like content download portal. Microsoft will offer two options for the Zune Marketplace, allowing users to either purchase songs one by one like iTunes, or subscribe to a "Zune Pass" rental plan like Napster and Yahoo! Music. The Zune will also be the first MP3 player to include a mass of pre-loaded music right out of the box. Microsoft will be working with a variety of smaller record labels to include both songs and music videos with the Zune.

Three accessory bundles will launch with the Zune: the Home A/V Pack, the Travel Pack, and the Car Pack. The Zune Home A/V Pack will provide the means for integrating a Zune player into a home theater setup, which means an AC Adapter, A/V Output Cable, a Dock, a Sync Cable, and a Wireless Remote. We can only assume the Zune will rock on-TV menus for easily selecting music, videos, or pictures while on the couch.




The Travel Pack will include a Zune Gear Bag, Premium Earphones with a storage case, a Dual Connect Remote (we're guessing that's a headphone-splitter), a Sync Cable, and an AC Adapter. Finally, the Car Pack will include a Zune Car Charger and a Zune FM Tuner.

The fact that both the Zune A/V Pack and Travel Pack include AC adapters suggests the Zune retail box won't. We're also wondering why both kits include Sync Cables, as we can't image Microsoft selling the Zune without a way to put songs on it out of the box. The cables will likely be mini USB 2.0, however, so finding one laying around if MS isn't including one with the Zune shouldn't be too hard. Microsoft will also be partnering with the usual iPod accessory designers like Griffin Technology for all kinds of Zune add-ons this holiday season.




No Zune prices or official release dates were announced today, sadly.

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http://www.zuneuser.com/ check out the video.

 

[U2Man]

Thanks for that Justin.

 

[Canadiens1131]

Good God it's ugly.

 

[U2Man]

I would say that it is slightly better looking than I had expected.

Those prices cannot make me buy this instead of one of the new iPods though. Not at all.

 

[Justin24]

I think they are really nice. They have a bigger viewing screen and you can transfer songs from one to the other via wifi. Now I wonder if songs from limewire could be put onto the program like itunes can?

 

[MrBrau1]

terrible name.

 

[Justin24]

That I agree.

 

[MrBrau1]

I wonder how much battery power the wifi sucks down?

Again, million $ idiots. Wifi, radio, who gives a shit?

All the gimicks are funny.

"My MP3 player can change my car's oil"

 

[Canadiens1131]

1. Zune battery life: 12 hours music, 3.5 hours video

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Yeah, it's a somewhat minor-seeming detail, but no one seemed to know how much damned battery life the Zune was going to have at launch. They were pretty tight lipped about it, but our new pal Matt Rosoff, a Microsoft analyst, let us know that according to his contacts, with wireless off we can expect a 12 hours of music playback at 128Kbps, 3.5 hours for video playback, and 4.5 hours when running a slide show. Compare that to the 30GB iPod's 14/4 hours and the 80GB iPod's 20/6 hours, and it's a little difficult to fully envision the payoff for that added thickness and height. Still, remember: bigger screen, wireless, bigger screen, wireless. Ah well, we'll just hope upon hope that'll be something the fix before release in a couple months.

[Thanks, Matt]
http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/17/zune-battery-life-12-hours-music-3-5-hours-video/

 

[U2Man]

I'm disappointed.

 

[adrball]

Nothing there to worry Apple I don't think

 

[BrownEyedBoy]

hehe I´m sticking to my iPod but man I´m rooting for microsoft now just because I´m always on the underdog´s corner.

 

[Westport]

The ultimate Pod will be the one will the horizontal screen that will automatically connect and sync to your computer when you are at home or the office, update, load up your tunes, video, data, audio, movies...put them on your Pod...and at the same time back them up on the net. That way...if lose your pod, crash your computer, and change your Pod, or change your computer....your shit will always be there for you.

That's the device that will conquer.

 

[Canadiens1131]

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/portable-media/zunes-final-price-22999-msrp-202066.php

Zune's Final Price: $229.99 MSRP

One of our moles on the inside told us Microsoft just had a meeting to determine the price of the 30GB Zune. The final tally: $229.99. Microsoft was going to go $289.99 to undercut the iPod by $10, but since Apple dropped the bombshell that they were lowering prices to $249, Microsoft had to scramble to undercut the lower price as well.

As a result, the Zune might be dropping some pre-loaded content that nobody really cared much for anyway. – Jason Chen

Teh plot thickens.

 

[powerhour24]

Microsoft was excited to introduce this and then Apple comes out with lower priced iPod the day before, and Microsoft can't even announce pricing because Apple caught them completely off guard. Not that this awful product wasn't DOA to begin with, but here's just another nail in it's premature coffin.