Warriors in Pink offer limited edition Zune to support Susan G. Komen for the Cure

Warriors in Pink have just begun offering a customized pink Zune. The limited edition Zune is a 4GB flash model with a pink front and the Warriors in Pink logo on the back side. The one drawback is that the Zune is retailing for $175, but what you get, aside from a nice pink Zune is the feeling of doing something good because the proceeds go towards the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

[Warriors in Pink]

Special edition Gears Of War 2 Zune 120 now available for pre-order

Microsoft has announced a new special edition Gears of War 2 Zune 120. The latest model will feature a laser-etched Crimson Omen on the back, as well as come in a special edition package and will also be pre-loaded with more than 240 "pieces" of Gears of War 2 media. The pre-loaded media will not be anything exclusive, but will include behind the scenes videos, game soundtrack, game trailers and concept art galleries.

The Gears of War 2 Zune will be available in the US and Canada and will retail for $279.99. Pre-orders begin today and the Zune can be found at Walmart and Amazon in the US and Amazon, Best Buy, Future Shop and The Source in Canada. Actual shipping will begin on November 7.

[Zune Insider]

Microsoft gets political, unveil special edition Republican and Democrat themed Zunes

Microsoft has offered up some political themed Zunes for both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions. Based on the images these appear to be only available in the 4GB model, and each feature a unique design on the back, as well as unique packaging.

The Zune for the Republican National Convention is red, while the model for the Democratic National Convention is an olive green. Both models feature packaging the reads;

"At Microsoft, we are committed to software and technology innovations that help people and organizations around the world improve their environment. Our goal is to reduce the impact of our operations and products, and to be a leader in environmental responsibility."

While I am personally a Zune user and a Zune fan, I do find it a little strange that they are handing out a product that the recipients may or may not even want and are stating how they want to "reduce the impact of our operations and products." We can only hope that if they are truly living up to that statement that these will be given to those that wanted one and not just tossed at everyone.

[Gizmodo]

Joy Division limited edition Zune unboxings

Well, given the fact I love Joy Division, I would love to get my hands on one of these, especially after seeing the pictures. I however cannot justify the extra cost, mostly because I recently upgraded to a red Zune 80 and truly have no need for another 80GB Zune, even if it does look really cool.

I am not sure if this comes as any measure of success, but I have been keeping an eye out for unboxings and images and so far have seen very few. In fact I have come across just two, one of which comes from a zunerama forum member who managed to get number 39 out of 500 and the other from Peter Rojas of Engadget/RCRDLBL fame who happens to be even luckier and scored himself a protoype. The player is also (as of this posting) still available for purchase.

From the description that was given by the zunerama forum member "RL" it sounds like a very nice looking device and a worthy unboxing experience.

"I got the box this afternoon from Fed-Ex.   Solid Black.  Opened it up.  Solid black.  Unwrapped the black paper from the interior box.  Solid Black with the Unknown Pleasures Graphics engraved into the cardboard.  Opened what appeared to be a 2 inch thick, LP Sized box and found another padding area with the same design engraved into the polyfoam.  Lifted it up and there it was.  A leather case with the same engravings.  A black 80gb Zune.  It was solid black, almost reminicent of the 30gb, lighter with a sticker on the glass warning of unsuitable content for minors.  To the side were the obligatory usb cable and premium headphones.  Etched into it's polyfoam cradle was a single signature, Peter Saville.  I hesitantly warmed it up.  The Zune start screen began, and then the background, the background that was etched into every single part of the package.  I am charging it now as we speak."

Here are a few images of the limited edition Zune, and the links below will also take you to both unboxings to check out the rest of the images. If anyone comes across any more feel free to leave a comment below.

[zunerama] [engadget]

Joy Division limited edition Zune still available

While the latest limited edition Zune to become available officially went on sale a few days back on June 17, it seems there are still some available. As we previously mentioned the edition will be limited to a run of 500, each being individually numbered and also coming pre-loaded with the Joy Division Documentary movie.

I honestly did not think it would take all that long to sell out, and am a little surprised to see it still available today. However after some though my concern is that depending on when you began listening to music, and for those who are younger, you may not be all that familiar with just who the Joy Division is.

However, with that said, even as a Joy Division fan, I still find the $399 price tag a little high for my taste, but that black back sure does look sweet with the JD graphic included. While they seem to be going slow, they are only available until they sell 500, so if you are interested you may not want to wait much longer, as far as we know they could already be up to number 499.

Also, in an effort (I would imagine) to cut down on people from buying multiple units to create a demand and then resell them "you are only allowed 1 Joy Division Zune per order"    

[Zune Originals]

Joy Division themed Limited Edition Zune unveiled

The Joy Division themed Zune has officially made its appearance. The limited edition Zune is being released to mark the DVD release of a documentary about the life of Joy Division, the limited edition model will come in the form of a black Zune 80. Feature-wise it will be your standard 80GB Zune, however it will have the Joy Division movie pre-loaded along with the artwork from the Unknown Pleasures album featured on the back.

The Joy Division themed Zune will be available only through Zune Originals and sell for $399 beginning on June 17. It will also be limited to just 500 units, so if you are into Joy Division, then you may want to grab one on the day of release.

[Spin]

Zune Special Edition: Reebok and Allen Iverson

Everyone knows that the Zune is running like hell behind the iPod and tries hard to still a market share from Apple’s famous mp3 player. But the Zune team brings this race a step further and has teamed up with Reebok to create a special edition of the Zune 8.

The new snicker-Zune package is in fact an Allen Iverson limited edition shoe combine with a black Zune 8.

”The sneakers will be sold with a customized Zune 8g black digital media player, featuring etched AI graphics on the back that is loaded with special AI content including his Reebok commercials, playlists and interview footage of other Reebok athletes talking about the first time they played against AI in the league. The sneakers and Zune media player will also come in special packaging.” Crave

The package will be available in June for a retail price of $300. The special Iverson shoe + Zune 8 package won’t be easy find as it will be available at only five retailers nationwide: Complex/Training Day Store (NYC), Major Commonwealth (DC), Commonwealth (VA), Wish (ATL), and The 400 (Denver). Even worst, each store will receive only twelve packages…We’re talking about a “very” limited edition here!

Red Zune 80GB is Now Available as "Not Limited-Edition"!

Well, it looks like the demand for the red Zune 80GB has risen high enough for Microsoft to include it in the normal product line. Was this in preparation for the Canadian launch? Maybe. Maybe it just sold enough for them to start selling it again. I'm glad they're doing this though, the more choices, the better.

Hopefully they will start making the new Zunes in white, that would look nice, but they might be holding that off for the 3rd gen Zunes. What other colors do you think they should start selling on Zune originals?

If you've been holding off on the 80GB because it only comes in black, maybe it's time to buy one!

Source

Kenna Gets His Own Zune...Who?

Microsoft apparently teamed with music artist Kenna (?) over Valentine's Day to make available for a contest 200 limited edition Zunes. These black Zunes, of the 4GB variety, featured an original piece of art designed by Kenna and Jeff McMillan called "The Translator."

Kenna said on his Web site the players were numbered and loaded with a music video and his full album "Make Sure They See My Face." The Zunes were given away as part of an "Anti-Valentine's Day" promotion on select radio stations across the country. Microsoft and Kenna plan to do more "initiatives" in the coming months, which we assume means more Zunes. If not, we suppose you can probably pick one up at some point on ebay.

Microsoft Releasing Limited Edition Zune 2 in Gold

The folks over at Gizmodo have reported that Microsoft has teamed up with the company Goods to sell 10, each in 80GB and 8GB(20 in total), of the gold colored Zunes. This was in part due to a big hip-hop Launch Party that Microsoft and Zune sponsored for the "Goods" brand. They will be available next Saturday, but here's the kicker, only in Seattle. So if your that desperate to get a gold Zune, then nows the time to pack up your clothes, get on a plane and go wait in the line for that gold zune(Only if your that desperate though). So far, there has been no announced priced of these particular Zunes, or if there are any other added features, most likely not. If you want to see more pics of the Zunes, Click Here.

Zune 80 Available at ZuneOriginals.net

If a plain Zune 80 is not enough for you, you can always customize it with laser-engraved designs and personal text through a new Web store called Zune Originals. They only had the Zune 4 and 8 until now, but the Zune 80s have arrived. What is you favorite design? Let us know it the comments.

Enjoy! Thanks Jesus and Arvind.

Yellow Zunes do Exist. But They're not for You!

Bill from Zuneguy shed the light on the Citron Zune Sam talked about yesterday:

"They do exist. They are the ship-gifts given to the team for launching the product. Just like last year when we gave out Magenta and Orange devices, these are a special run just for us. There you have it, mystery solved."

Well, don’t be too disappointed if you were expecting a Yellow Zune in the near future. My bet is that we’re going to see many new Zune colors and limited edition Zunes in the next 6-months. Just like last year.

Keep an eye on ebay though...One might appear sooner than later! Who wants to start IWantaYellowZune.com?

Wisin & Yandel Zune

Taking a page from that other music player's playbook, the Zune folks are coming out with their first themed Zune specific to a musical group.  I guess U2 and The Beatles were already taken, so they decided to go with Wisin & Yandel.  I'll willingly admit that I don't have any of their tunes in my collection, but I learned about them on the good ol' wikipedia here.  Apparently they are going after a Latin demographic, and distributing it at Wal-Mart stores, so this just might be the duo to get the job done as they hail from Puerto Rico.

Still, I'm a little confused by this strategy.  While they are offering a limited edition player, and it does have some exclusive content including their logo on the Zune, I'm just not sure if introducing this less than two weeks from the intro of their new Zune line makes any sense.  So much for Wal-Mart rolling back prices as this Zune 30 is going for a full retail of $199.  With the Zune 30 going for a downright cheap price of $80 today, only the group's diehard fans are going to flock to this model.

Brand Your Zune!

Since the Zune came out a year ago, we’ve seen the device in many colors and limited editions. But now, the Zune team brings the concept of customizabled branding to a new and interesting level. According to Michael Greene from Off Campus, the Zune team will personalize the Zune for any school or university, as long as the quantities are interesting.

But that’s not all; they will even personalize the pre-loaded content for you as well.

Look at a few more examples after the jump.

Source

Blue Zune Spotted at Target

Hey guys, the picture above comes from Target weekly ads. They’re announcing the red Zune and what looks like a blue Zune! Is it really a new Zune color? A new color for fall maybe?

Let's not get too excited here though. This may  just be a Photoshop manipulation. Will try to get more info on this.

The same ad was published on paper. Check the picture after the break.

[Thank you Jacob!]

UPDATE: Even though the image was really blue, Microsoft is not going to release a blue Zune. The ZuneInsider (sorta) denied the existence of a blue Zune on his blog by writing: "I've seen a good amount of speculation about a blue Zune - with lots of folks taking it with a grain of salt. That's a good call."

Still in the Mood for a Pink Zune? Here’s a Limited Edition Just for You!

We’ve seen this Zune before, but we didn’t know it would become a limited edition of the Zune…

Well, if you haven’t bought a Zune yet and like the pink color, you might want to rush (soon) to Urban Outfitter Stores to get one of the 1000 pink Zunes designed by Nylon Magazine. The first ones will be at NYLON’s Fashion week party tonight and the rest will be available later this month. No word on the price so far.

Ok, I get it. You’re still upset by the new iPods announced yesterday. But don’t worry for now; Microsoft has not said their last word. They’ve been working on the new Zunes longer the first generation Zune itself. They must have something interesting to offer. Right? Harvey from ‘rama has an interesting take on this.

And just like John Lennon said: "All we are saying is give peace Zune a chance"...

Interesting quote from the Zuneinsider after Apple's announcement yesterday:

"Oh, and this may come as a shock to folks, but today's Apple Computer announcement doesn't actually change any of our plans. Of course we watched with some degree of interest but our plans have been in motion for some time now.  No announcements to make other than the fact that the Zune team remains committed to building a solid experience for users."

Nice quote. No?

Brown Zune-Halo 3 Special Edition for the Soldiers

Microsoft released another version of the Zune-Halo 3 special Edition, specifically limited to the soldiers and their families. Based on the brown Zune instead of the black one, the new limited edition Zune looks very similar to the one available at Gamestop.

But the main difference with the previous Zune-Halo 3 is probably the price. That’s right folks! The lucky soldiers can buy the new Halo 3-Zune at a discounted price. Microsoft did not say what the Zune discounted price was, but we can probably assume that it is around $200, the same price Microsoft employees are paying for the Zune.

 

Zune video: Red vs. Blue Special Edition

The Zune-Halo 3 Special Edition went on sale on June 15th, exclusively at Ebgames/Gamestop. The device is jam packed with cool exclusive content. Watch a custom episode of Red vs. Blue made just for Zune. It’s a “Welcome to the Social” Halo Style.

The Red Zune Outsells the Pink but can’t Beat the Black

Even though the red Zune makes a nice debut on Amazon, the black remains the number color for the Microsoft Zune. The red Zune is now sitting in second position just in front of the pink Zune. The brown and white Zunes are the least popular Zune colors. These shiny colors certainly give the Zune a big boost. If not already done, the million Zune sold target will probably be easier to reach with the pink and red Zunes.

But the black is not only popular on the Zune player. In the Amazon’s top sellers, the number one position is hold by the black 30Gb iPod video.

Four brands are seriously competing for the MP3 player market. The iPod is of course the number one player on the market followed by Sandisk, Creative Zen and Microsoft Zune. New models including a flash Zune would help Microsoft reaching at the second position.

Below is a list of the top sellers on Amazon. The ranking is updated hourly but it does not change that much from day to day.

Buy the Red Zune Available on June 10th

The Zuneinsider spilled the beans about the Red Zune: The new color will be available exclusively at www.target.com and www.Amazon.com on June 10th. The red Zune is still not in the product list of the stores.

The pictures above are the official red Zune pictures published earlier today. We also have unofficial pictures of the red Zune from flickr and ebay.

We still have no information about the number of red Zunes that will be available. But like the pink Zune, the new color will probably be limited to 100 000 units or less. At this point, any model available on the market is probably a limited edition Zune with the strong rumors of a second generation Zune that could be just around the corner.

Do you like the new color?

A bonus picture after the jump.

Pre-Order Your Zune-Halo 3 Now

The Zune – Halo 3 special edition is available for pre-orders at Gamestop-Ebgames now. The players will be shipped on June 15^th, 2007. The special edition comes loaded with a collection of "Halo" content, including videos, soundtracks, trailers, ads and artwork. The game itself will only be available only on September 25^th, 2007.

If you are not convinced about this edition of the Zune, you can have a look at this video made by the Zuneinsider. He's unboxing the Zune-Halo 3 for you. The Zune's packaging for this special edition is really great. The artwork is amazing.

With those really cool special editions, a really think that Microsoft is reaching something Apple was never able to do with the iPod. Sure, they had special editions like the iPod-U2 version but Apple is too much self-centered on their own designs that they can't easily co-brand products like Microsoft can do.

Update: The guys from gearlive were lucky enough to put their hands on a copy of the Zune-Halo3. Here's their photo review of the new special edition Zune.

Here are more pictures of the Zune if you haven't seen them yet.

More details about the content bundled with the Zune-Halo 3 after the jump.

Limited Edition "Halo 3 - Zune"

At a Halo 3 preview event in NYC, Microsoft announced a limited edition "Halo 3 – Zune" due out in mid-June. Look sweet! Isn't it?

Pretty soon we will have a hard time keeping track of all the limited editions of the Zune released by Microsoft in a year. It seems to be an important marketing strategy for the Zune. We do like it though!

 

Just after releasing the three initial colors in November of last year, Microsoft released 100 pink Zunes and 100 orange Zunes. The buzz created by those limited editions of the Zune gave them some ideas (a pink Zune was sold more than $900 on ebay!!!). Last month a light pink Zune (100 000 units) was released and a limited edition Adult Swim Zune was also released a few weeks ago.

We are still waiting for a watermelon red Zune and now there's the Halo 3 – Zune!

More pictures after the break!