Microsoft Reveals Zune (Via Engadget) | The Coffeehouse

NuTcAsE
नमस्तॆ

http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/microsoft-launches-the-zune/

I'm on the fence until they release pricing and availability. Btw... BROWN!!! SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!... The black one looks prety decent, but no where near an iPod. Love the screen size and the wifi capabilities.

As per engadet Zune has its own app for competing with iTunes... Zune Marketplace. Link: http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/zune-marketplace-to-keep-your-zune-player-happy/

Ok, why is this not integrated with WMP 11? WMP11 rocks in terms of music library presentation and searching. I don't get the reason to launch another app for zune! Why can't microsoft's left hand talk with its right??

NuTcAsE
नमस्तॆ

Official press release here: http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/zune/default.mspx

rjdohnert
You will never know success until you know failure

Zunes going to be hard not to love. Will import from iTunes as well as Microsofts software, customizable. Wireless. Another thing MS could do is make it supported on Linux and Mac OS X. Not because Im a live free or die Linux guy, Im not, but no other major player supports Linux without some kind of hack or reversed engineered method. They could even utilize their partnership with Real networks so that they supply access to the music store. Mac OS X they have the Mac BU that could boost adoption on the Mac platform and work on Mac compatible software. Exposure and adoption are key. But I have a feeling Zune has the potential to be very popular.

Rossj

No release date? No price?

It looks pretty snazzy, but brown. Really? Brown? I think it might do well, iTunes export sounds interesting, but what about the 90 DRMed tracks I own? And there I think, lies a problem.

Refrax

at the bottom of
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/zune/default.mspx

what happened to the product box? it is so... simple... clean...

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

Refrax wrote:
at the bottom of
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/presskits/zune/default.mspx

what happened to the product box? it is so... simple... clean...

Yeeesss! Microsoft has finally "got" product design!

If they don't screw this up (like they did with Origami) I can see this doing pretty well.

Ang3lFir3
Codito Ergo Sum

If you haven't seen it yet, press video is available here

I must be crazy but the brown isn't half bad.

NuTcAsE
नमस्तॆ

Interview with J. Allard on Zune here (via Engadget): http://www.engadget.com/2006/09/14/the-engadget-interview-j-allard-microsoft-corporate-vice-presi/

The thing that was interesting in the interview is support for PlaysForSure. I have a huge library of songs I bought from MSN Music and Urge and if they are not supported in zune i'm going to scream bloody murder!

julianbenjamin
Giggity

I actually like the brown. It's different, and with a light-colored leather case, it'll look very nice.

JKelley
Is it sad that my badge picture is one of the best ones I have of myself?

I was immediately like "they had to pick 3 colors and brown was one of them?????", but if you look close its got a kind of greenish border around the brown that has a kind of army fatigue thing going on. I've been told it looks cooler than you'd think being brown, I haven't seen it in person so I don't know for sure. I'll still probably get black instead if I get one.

blowdart
Peek-a-boo

JKelley wrote:
I was immediately like "they had to pick 3 colors and brown was one of them?????", but if you look close its got a kind of greenish border around the brown that has a kind of army fatigue thing going on. I've been told it looks cooler than you'd think being brown, I haven't seen it in person so I don't know for sure. I'll still probably get black instead if I get one.

Have you touched one yet? How does the wheel work? As well as an iPod?

BryanF

W3bbo wrote:
Yeeesss! Microsoft has finally "got" product design!

If they don't screw this up (like they did with Origami) I can see this doing pretty well.

I'm reserving judgement until I see all the other sides of the box. Wink

What I'm seeing looks good though. I guess the only questions I have at this point are (1) what's the price? and (2) will there be a switch to turn wifi off to save battery life?

ktr
two sides to everything

blowdart wrote:

JKelley wrote:I was immediately like "they had to pick 3 colors and brown was one of them?????", but if you look close its got a kind of greenish border around the brown that has a kind of army fatigue thing going on. I've been told it looks cooler than you'd think being brown, I haven't seen it in person so I don't know for sure. I'll still probably get black instead if I get one.

Have you touched one yet? How does the wheel work? As well as an iPod?

from the video it kinda looked more like a directional pad. that makes sense too, because the navigation is both horizontal/vertical. i like that. it makes navigation alot faster.

EDIT: forgot quote :-/

Jaz
From the depths of Wales I come

i kinda like the brown but would really either go for white or black.

ok here are my problems and questions with the zune and theres only a few.

i have a 30gig player and my music collection is growing i want to upgrade, i like the zune but it offers me no other choice than 30 gig, the ipod now offers me 80gig, as much as i love the zune and it's features the ipod is the only player i can see myself upgrading too, i would of gone 60 but 80 is more tempting though if they release a 60gig zune i'd reconsider.

i'm unsure about it's sharing ability, i have a large collection of mp3's can i share those? it says it can share your own recordings but is that like a recording you've made on the zune that uses it's own file format or does it mean anything?

my xbox360 comes with(out) a 20gig drive, i find 20gig too small but my zune is 30/60 gig, can i replace my xbox drive with my zune?

can't think of much else.

i'm looking forward to an actual release though and really will consider if you guys release a 60gig

blowdart
Peek-a-boo

Jaz wrote:

i'm unsure about it's sharing ability, i have a large collection of mp3's can i share those? it says it can share your own recordings but is that like a recording you've made on the zune that uses it's own file format or does it mean anything?

I wonder if I can store all my music on my device and stream it back over wifi to the xbox or my laptop?

Jaz
From the depths of Wales I come

thats a good point blowdart. i get the feeling MS are doing deals with belkin and people so we'll see devices that you hook upto your home stereo to do what a slingbox does.

however it should really be native to stream from the device to a laptop or xbox there should be no other devices needed.

JKelley
Is it sad that my badge picture is one of the best ones I have of myself?

blowdart wrote:

JKelley wrote: I was immediately like "they had to pick 3 colors and brown was one of them?????", but if you look close its got a kind of greenish border around the brown that has a kind of army fatigue thing going on. I've been told it looks cooler than you'd think being brown, I haven't seen it in person so I don't know for sure. I'll still probably get black instead if I get one.

Have you touched one yet? How does the wheel work? As well as an iPod?

I'm in the same boat as all of you, I've seen more about the device from Engadget than anywhere else. Smiley

So no I haven't gotten to play with one. And I'd be a bad judge since I currently own no MP3 player myself. My fiance has a Rio Forge, but I don't use it. I too was holding out for a huge storage capacity. But the Zune is cool enough that I may "settle" for 30gb.

blowdart
Peek-a-boo

JKelley wrote:

I'm in the same boat as all of you, I've seen more about the device from Engadget than anywhere else. So no I haven't gotten to play with one. And I'd be a bad judge since I currently own no MP3 player myself. My fiance has a Rio Forge, but I don't use it. I too was holding out for a huge storage capacity. But the Zune is cool enough that I may "settle" for 30gb.

Yea I need to upgrade my 10Mb original zen, and I was waiting for a Zune. But it needs a bigger drive. Damn them!

And I need to play with it first.

And it needs to have an anti scratch cover

Jaz
From the depths of Wales I come

dare obasanjo had a good idea so instead of preloading it with music that really isn't the sorta thing most people will listen to, they can goto a store and buya hip hop zune preloaded with eminem and jay-z or buy a rock zune with guns n' roses and black sabbath or buy a pop zune with (I need to watch my language)cat dolls and shakira on there. that makes much more sense.

Rossj

Where is the podcasting support? How could they miss that? *sigh*

W3bbo
The Master of Baiters

Rossj wrote:
Where is the podcasting support? How could they miss that? *sigh*

Probably trademark issues, they'd call it "Zunecasting" or something.

Minh
WOOH! WOOH!

Rossj wrote:
Where is the podcasting support? How could they miss that? *sigh*

That's strictly a software matter, and I supposed that means WMP12 or a patch for 11 one of these days.

Minh
WOOH! WOOH!

W3bbo wrote:
Rossj wrote:Where is the podcasting support? How could they miss that? *sigh*

Probably trademark issues, they'd call it "Zunecasting" or something.

I say, MS let's not be lame & just call it podcasting ... cuz that's what it is.

And if Apple goes after MS for "podcasting" they'll get so much back lash, that will make MS sympathetic.

BTW, is it me or in the "I'm a Mac, I'm a PC" ads ... the PC feeling more like the underdog, the funny guy, the lovable loser everybody likes. Not like that a**hole, "I'm a Mac" guy. Japanese woman, don't hold hand w/ that guy! He's a well-known a-hole!

Jaz
From the depths of Wales I come

whta do you mean by podcasting support ross, are you talking PSP esque where you can subscrie to podcasts? actually building on that:

what if using the zune marketplace i can subscribe to nelly furtado (this would only work with a subscription service rtather than buy as you go) so that anything new by her automatically gets downloaded to my zune?

found out that all transfers are drm'd, so if i send a pirated version of "man eater" to my mate it becomes a 3play/3day transfer with drm. thats ok tbh. what i'd really like is bluetooth so when i'm out and about with a new album on and i'm listening to it, i find a song i like but didn't know and i can bluetooth it to my phone to set as a ringtone or whatever.

charles have you sent this discussion to J yet?

Rossj

Minh wrote:
Japanese woman, don't hold hand w/ that guy! He's a well-known a-hole!

Chix dig Unix ..

Update: From here ..

wrote:

It turns out that the play-three-times-over-three-days limit applies not only to purchased music, but also to any music you may have transferred from CDs. Definitely not a feature.