[Tyrone Marshall]

I have held out long enough, this one is the one I will be getting. If the price point is good, I'll be joining the multitudes when this is released.



Check it out, M$ newest foray into digital music storage.

● Li-Ion battery
● Preloaded audio and video content
● Zune will be launched in '06, most likely Nov. 14
● WiFi (802.11 b/g) connectivity
● 30 Giga-Byte Hard Drive
● available in 3 different colors, black, brown (chocolate), and white
● magnetic headphones.
● LCD high resolution screen, the screen is 3.75 inches diagonal
● built-in FM radio tuner
● TV output connectivity
● dedicated song download site
● DJ Mode (broadcast what you are listening to)
● wheel is NOT a wheel it is simply 4 button (up, down, left right)
● Zune brand will eventually include multiple entertainment

WMA, MP3, AAC, JPEG,WMV, MPEG-4, H.264 media
Podcast playback
3 day playback of Wi-Fi transfered songs from friends
XBOX streaming
XBOX (Microsoft) points compatability
Over a dozen accessories at launch
5.6 ounces in weight, 4.4 by 2.4 by 0.58 inches size
Metric: 158 g, 112 by 61 by 14.7 mm size

ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Microsoft_Zune

ref: http://www.engadget.com/2006/07/21/zune ... -yet-know/

[Tyrone Marshall]

More information on how M$ plans to place the Zune into the hands of local and up and coming music artist, music sampling/sharing via wifi, and a goal to not be undercut by the ipod in price.

Finally good competition in the portable music player field. If they can introduce some of the technology that makes Pandora.com great in the future, this may have the magic to make music very special.

ref: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/ZDM/story?id=2439651

[dutch_designer]

50 gigs more storage for 50 bucks extra... (ipod 80 gigs)..
i'm tempted because of the looks of it, but that's about it... ah, who am I kidding, I haven't got the cash for this now or anytime soon.

[KRZ]

drm ridiculousy included...no thanks man.
and uh since then is brown considered a stylish colour again? i see what the zune360 will be..till then i stick with my DS.

[-Adrian]

drm ridiculousy included...no thanks man.

That's reason enough already, don't wanna buy myself crippled hardware. Also wouldn't play a big part of my music collection, since they're ogg vorbis :/

[Tyrone Marshall]

drm ridiculousy included...no thanks man.
and uh since then is brown considered a stylish colour again? i see what the zune360 will be..till then i stick with my DS.

I read this is not the case, it will not have drm on it.

Zune will not use Microsoft's existing PlaysForSure digital rights management (DRM) software. Although media will still be offered in WMA format, the new DRM system means that music purchased from one of MS's many PlaysForSure partners will not work on the Zune device, nor will Zune-DRMed music work on 3rd party devices using PlaysForSure. This means that the "open" model Microsoft heavily promoted with PlaysForSure is apparently being abandoned for a "closed" end-to-end model more similar to the iPod/iTunes/iTunes Store[10]. A number of sources have mentioned the possibility that MS will offer a "voucher" to allow existing FairPlay[11] and PlaysForSure[12] content to be one-time converted to the new Zune format, but this appears to be speculation at this point.

Microsoft is rumored to be in preparation to release 2 higher capacity zune players in 1st quarter 2007, one featuring a 60gb 1.8" hard drive, and the next to feature a 100gb 1.8" hard drive.[citation needed] The 100gb Zune is reportedly rumored to feature a built in 1.3 megapixel digital camera similar to those found in camera cellular phones.

[Jozvex]

It looks nice, but I'm happy with my PSP. The only thing the PSP doesn't have is an FM tuner which would actually be quite nice.

PSPs are probably bigger and more expensive though.

[Voidmonster]

Tyrone,

Unfortunately, the Zune automatically adds DRM to any files you put into it that prevents you from sharing even free content with other users. Shared content can be played 3 times within 3 days, and deletes itself whenever one of those two numbers is hit. Even completely unprotected files and files intended to be freely distributable are packaged into the Zune with this DRM.

It's not at all clear if the management software will put that same DRM wrapper on all your files or not. Based on MS's track record, I have to assume that if it doesn't now, it will in the future.

[Voidmonster]

I'd also like to retroactively apologize if that post was lacking clarity. I've got an annoying headcold at the moment, and someone turned on Catmull-Clark with all my straight-line thinking.

[ricardo]

Get a 3D labs mp3 player, but, PLEASE, don't feed M$' world dominace quest!

Or just buy an iPod, it's plain, simple good.

Ricardo

[-Adrian]

Get a 3D labs mp3 player, but, PLEASE, don't feed M$' world dominace quest!

Or just buy an iPod, it's plain, simple good.

Ricardo

Apple pulls lots of crap aswell, they're just not a target as popular as M$, so better get neither a Zune nor an IPod

[aitraaz]

Get a 3D labs mp3 player, but, PLEASE, don't feed M$' world dominace quest!

Or just buy an iPod, it's plain, simple good.

Ricardo

Apple pulls lots of crap aswell, they're just not a target as popular as M$, so better get neither a Zune nor an IPod

what the ?...Steve Jobs is a benevolent and humane guy, no?

lol, Apple just forked over 100 million for copyright infringement on the ipod design, it looks like zune made just enough design adjustments to avoid such a lawsuit from apple (and probably the guy who registered the initial design)...So, time for some third party designs, i'd say...

[dutch_designer]

Just get a Cowon iAudio X5, 60 Gb.. best audio quality apparantly (wish I knew of that brand earlier).
http://www.engadget.com/2005/05/23/cowo ... -reviewed/