ZunePhone Rumors Return

Many Zune fans have been hoping to see Microsoft use the cool Zune interface to make a phone that is less corporate, and can take on the iPhone head to head.  While Bill Gates himself seemed to squash such rumors a few months back it hasn't stopped the rumors of the so called zPhone from resurfacing:

This post is short for a reason, I don't have any real details. This is just speculation on my part. 

Still, expect more information about a Zune integrated with a phone later this year. Some might call it a ZunePhone, but whatever you call it I believe it is for real and Microsoft has a dedicated team at now creating the v1 product.  I'm not suggesting there will be a new hardware product, I'm suggesting that the Zune software will find it's way onto Windows Mobile phones.

All right, all right, up front this guy does tell us that he doesn't have any inside information so why should we take any of this seriously?  Well, this is the internet, and faster than you can say metatags, we've got reputable site Ars Technica running with the ball:

Given Apple's immense success with the iPhone, many have looked in Microsoft's direction to see if it would answer with its own device, as it answered the iPod with the Zune. Speculation was mounting for months, but no one managed to come up with any tangible evidence that Microsoft was up to something.

They go on to look at the unconvincing and disparate tidbits that Microsoft is looking to Zuneup there Windows Mobile platform.  Hardly any of it is convincing of anything, which of course feeds more speculation.  Personally, I think that we'll see a Google Android phone before we can dial with a squircle.