Zune booth at CES 2009

I had a chance to visit the Microsoft booth today, a day ahead of the CES 2009 grand opening. Here's a few shots I took while I was there. The Zune booth is located at the same place as last year in the huge Microsoft pavilion. The Zune booth is smaller than the previous two years, but it looks nice.

From what I could see today, don't expect to see many new accessories announced this week. I only saw the same docking stations and Monster accessories already on the market.

We just learned, from the Microsoft Keynote, that the Zune social has now 2 million members. It's getting social for real!

More pictures after the jump.

Zune Phone Rumor Squashed...Again

This story of the Zune Phone, better known as the zPhone, has been on again and off again more times than anyone can keep count.  With iPhone sales so strong, many are hoping that Microsoft will play in this arena with a truly compelling product.  Many of us can also see how the Zune platform could form the basis of a really great smartphone.  Unfortunately, the folks at Microsoft are not sharing our vision. 

In an interview today with Microsoft's Robbie Bach (President, Microsoft Entertainment & Devices), he once again makes the definitive statement that Microsoft is not going to do a Zune Phone.  They are sticking with the Windows Mobile platform, and want others to do the hardware.  After all, Microsoft is a software company, right?

Well, that's what they said before they jumped into gaming with the XBox, and music with the Zune, both hardware platforms for their software.  I think it does mean that the Zune Phone is definitely not debuting at CES this time around.  Too bad, as it just means that Apple will get another year lead before Microsoft decides that their hardware partners are not doing the job up to snuff and decide to take it on themselves.  Let the rumors begin for next year...

Zune Bug Spills Into Cousin

Die hard Zune fans may recall that the original Zune 30 was based on the Toshiba Gigabeat.  The Zune sold enough to warrant another model, but the Gigabeat is not still around.  I recall they were selling the Gigabeats at one point at the local supermarket on the cheap a year or two back (seriously).

For those that tossed the Toshiba Gigabeat in their cart next to their carrots and white bread, it now appears that the Zune and Gigabeat had one more thing in common- the Zune New Year Bug.  Apparently, the reason of the failure has to do with the power management circuitry.  Thankfully, for those dedicated few still using a Gigabeat, while saving up for something, err, more modern, the Zune fix works as well for these players so you'll be Gigabeatin' again in no time.  Then again, I might take this as one more sign that it's time to move on up.

Zune Stuck In 2008?

After an unexpected "Zune Bug" reared its ugly head yesterday, the original Zune, not in the spotlight for some time, has been front and center.  While Microsoft reassured users that "All would be well, and to all a good night," it appears that statement may have been a vision of sugar plum fairies.  It would appear that at least some users are not back to normal, and the original Zune is in a state of SNAFU.

While there are some workarounds, they appear to be homesprung remedies with varying results so far.  For the time being, the safest route is to simply leave the Zune disconnected from the computer for the next few days while this all gets worked out.  I'm confident that the Zune team will be back on the job next week, and someone has gotta work on this, right?

In the meantime, here are Microsoft's official recommendations on the issue.

Zune Bug Roundup

The Zune 30gb was the center of attention today, however not for anything good.  In a device glitch, worthy of Y2K, it turns out that the Zune 30 is having an issue on December 31st, related to being the 366th day of the year, as we are in a leap year.  It looks like the problem is temporary, and hopefully that Microsoft will have a patch available before the next leap year, in a distant four years from now.  Then again, how many Zune 30's will be around them remains an open question.  In the meantime, here's all you need to know about the issue:

Apparently, Microsoft "warned" Zune owners of the issue, but I don't recall getting that memo.

The fix to the issue is detailed here, but it does involve some Zune surgery, so unless you have a strong stomach for your device's internals, I'd wait for the official fix.

Then again, for those that tend more to the software side to the hardware, these guys have detailed the source code that created the issue with the date.  Kind of neat to see what caused the issue.

Then again, it's kind of neat to see the Zune getting so much atention, especially their first model to the market.  Now only if Microsoft could generate this much buzz about the Zune without this type of problem, they could gain the market share that has eluded them thus far.

Zune pass subscribers: Last day to grab your 10 free tracks

If you haven’t done so already, don’t forget to use the 10 track credits you have from your monthly subscription. If you don’t use the credits before midnight tonight, you lose them.

I personally bought “Pink Floyd - Wish you we’re here” (5 tracks) and “Pink Floyd – Meddle” (5 of the 6 tracks). One of the best way to optimize the use of your free tracks is to find albums with a low number of tracks. This way, you can get even more than one album with your 10 track credits. Classical or jazz albums can be good choices as well. As an heritage of the vinyl LP, older music also tend to have a lower number of tracks.

What were your monthly picks? Please share your music suggestions in the comments, I will have 10 new credits to use tomorrow morning!

All 30 GB Zunes Expired at the same time!

Are you Zune 30GB owner? If yes, December 31st is not your lucky day. Tons of Zune owners are reporting that their Zune froze at the Zune logo screen when they turned on their device this morning.

The normal reboot trick doesn’t solve the problem and Microsoft hasn’t responded to this yet. This can’t happen at a worst time for the Zune support team, as the technical staff is probably all gone for the New year’s eve party.

We never now, if this is a date related problem(and it does look like it), January 1st might solve the problem. Can this be caused by the clock recently implemented?

Let us know if you find something to reboot the device…

UPDATE: The Zune team acknowledged the problem by posting this on Zune.net:

"Customers with 30gb Zune devices may experience issues when booting their Zune hardware.  We’re aware of the problem and are working to correct it.  Sorry for the inconvenience, and thanks for your patience!"

UPDATE 2 - "FIX IT YOURSELF": Isaac is suggesting that if you unplug the battery of the Zune, you should be able to restart the device. This should normally void your warranty, but most of the Zune 30GB out there are well over the one year warranty period. The detailed instructions are available here. I will personally wait until Microsoft provides a fix for this...

Zune Christmas Miracle?

With the Christmas sales still being tallied, it will be a time before we know how well this year's Zune sold.  While many of us are still rooting for the Zune, there are some factors working against it including less interest in pure players, Apple's continued dominance of this segment, and overall slowing of the economy.  On the flip side though, let's not forget that the Zune lineup, particularly it's flash offerings continue to offer good value, and overall the Zunes were the strongest players put out by Microsoft yet.

One hint that the Zune may have a had a strong showing comes from Google.  You see, all those Google searches get tabulated and analyzed.  It turns out that this past Christmas morn, search terms with the word Zune in them, including Zune.net and Zune.net/setup had an unusual spike, and even broke into the top 20 search terms, which apparently they are regularly not even in the top 100.

So, does this mean the Zune sold well, or just that lots of folks had trouble setting it up and sought assistance online?  Too early to say, but intriguing nonetheless!  I'm hoping the final sales numbers are as good as these search results might suggest...

Tis the Season For Zune Predictions

This time of year, as we wind down the holiday shopping, the tech predictions get ramped up.  It seems like every editor of every news outlet puts in their two cents of what will happen over the next year in the world of technology.

Over at PC Magazine, you know the place that decided to stop publishing their magazine (despite the name), is offering their soothsaying for 2009 from editor Lance Ulanoff.  Here's what he's thinking for the Zune:

Microsoft will discontinue the Zune in favor of Zune phones. The Internet is buzzing with rumors that Microsoft is planning to put Zunes into a whole new generation of smartphones. If this happens (and it will), the original Zune player will be collateral damage.

WTF?  I mean, huh?  Yeah, we've all been talking about the possiblity of a Zune Phone for many months now.  We also think that Microsoft is releasing some new smartphone stuff in the near future, probably at CES next month.  However, do we really think that the regular Zune will go by the wayside so easily?  I seriously think not.  After all, even with the success of the iPhone, I haven't seen the disapperance of the iPod Classic or the iPod Nano line.  I also think that Microsoft has too much invested into the Zune device to write it off, even if the zPhone's monthly fees might be more attractive in the short term.  How are you all seeing this?

Building A Bridge For the Zune

The great forces at Microsoft have done a great job of keeping the world of Zune apart from the ecosphere of the Xbox.  In retrospect, the was probably not the best idea, and there may be an effort to bridge the gap.

A job listing, found by CNET, indicates that they are looking to hire at least one new person at Microsoft to bring our beloved Zune into the Xbox family.  What can we hope for out of this?  The job posting gives us a hint:

We are looking for a strong, collaborative designer to work closely with the creative directors to propose innovative designs and content solutions for the Zune Device UI, Zune Xbox and Zune PC Application. You will be part of a small, but experienced, design team working with multiple feature teams to help ship exciting and emotionally engaging products for Zune.

Some are speculating that this will evolve into a Zune service for mobile phones.  Whatever direction this goes in, integration between these product lines can only be a good thing.  If you have 3+ years of experience in this type of thing, and are willing to move out to Redmond, WA, than this just might be the right opportunity for you!

Zune Team Merges To Work On Phone...Possibly

While I haven't given up on seeing a Zune Phone at CES next month, apparently another has.  This is the on again, off again, on again, and now it's off again story that keeps going round and round.  However, now there appears to be yet another twist developing.

Clearly the Zune team is more in touch with what younger folks want in a handheld device than the Windows Mobile team.  While many of us would like to see a "True Zune Phone" that could compete with the best of anythign out there, that still does seem a longshot (at least on the "off again" days).  Be that as it may, the latest thinking is that the Zune team will simply be merged with the Windows Mobile team into one big happy family.

In my mind, it's a bit of a risk because the device that could have been may never see the light of day under this scenario.  It also means that the partners will continue to manufacture the devices in all probability.  Finally, I doubt I'll ever get to dial with my squircle.  Here's hoping the Zune Marketplace makes it into a 3G connected device!

Zune Phone Cometh, Or Not

The issue of the Zune Phone has gone back and forth more times than that little white ball at the World Ping Pong Championship.  While recently, it looked like we were finally adding the Zune Phone to the Microsoft stable, once again, we're getting a denial from high up in the Microsoft camp.  What the heck is really going on here?  I seriously doubt all of this has been about (yawn) some new Palm OS phone!

The latest thinking is that while there won't be an official Zune Phone taking its place right among its brethren, there still will be a new Microsoft phone, and the Zune team will be heavily involved with it.  Is this as close as we're getting for a Zune Phone?  Does Microsoft not want to scare off its competitors partners?  Will I get to dial with a squircle? 

Once again, more questions than satisfying answers, but I can credit Microsoft with intriguing the blogosphere on whatever this product launch migh be that is (probably/hopefully) Zune related!

Get a Zune 80 for $229 and get a free 2 month Zune Pass

Microsoft is currently running a nice special on the Zune 80. The offer is simple, if you purchase a black Zune 80 for the regular price ($229) you will be given a free two month Zune Pass. Which should be more than enough time to convince most people just how nice the Zune Pass really is. Of course, there are some catches, this offer is available through December 31, 2008 and limited to the US.

[Zune Store via ZuneBoards]

Zune Phone Coming To CES

While some think this year's CES is going to be a yawnfest due to the economy, at least for me, it just got a lot more interesting.  We're now hearing yet another confirmation that the Zune Phone will make a debut.  With smartphones becoming pervasive, and Windows Mobile devices better suited to the business world, it would be a really smart move for Microsoft to enter this segment.  The Zune appeals to a much younger and hipper demographic than corporate suits, so this would be a great platform to build a phone around.

While Microsoft has denied this for over a year, some details are starting to emerge.  The zPhone is expected to have a physical keyboard, and also some touchscreen capabilities.  It will also utilize a special chip from nVidia to give it a graphics advantage.  The open question is that if Microsoft is making both the device and the software, as they do with the Zune, will there also be other manufacturers that use the software?

I'll be paying attention come Las Vegas time this January on this one!  The pics above are from a MS patent application.

Zune Sports the Red & the Blue

The Zune 120 has consistently been available in one color only, black.  True to Henry Ford's Model T, this one color option certainly simplifies the stocking of the store shelves.  However, maybe it is all this talk of Obama and his maybe it's a Zune, maybe it's not, but Microsoft has expanded the color palette by 200% for this holiday season, better expressed as adding two colors.

While the Zune 120 is still only in black in retail outlets, if you go through the Zune Originals site, you will have the option of customizing your Zune to a red or blue exterior.  It's about time there were some more color choices, don't you think?

Obama Zune Usage Still Unsettled

So, Obama gets spotted with a Zune, the blogosphere jumps all over it, and his administration denies it.  I thought this issue was all settled, and Obama was back to being an iPod sort of guy.  Even this article from today goes along with the theory that the original reporter didn't know what he was looking at, or that the Zune definitely was not Obama's.  Done deal?  Not by a longshot!

Apparently, during the Democratic National Convention, there was a giveaway of the Zune variety.  The Dem faithful not only got to promote their nominee to candidate, but they got some giveaways as well.  In their goody bag was a Zune of all things, loaded up with some exclusive content.  No word if "Happy Days Are Here Again," or "Don't Stop Thinking About Tomorrow" were among the preloaded tracks.  However, the latest theory is that Obama got the Zune, a special edition model no less, from this "un-conventional" source.

Is this now the final word?  Honestly, I don't know.  Every time I think this story is over, some other detail shakes out so stay tuned on this one.  I don't know about you, but getting a free Zune just might make sitting through one of those conventions worthwhile!

Obama Denies Zune Usage

Barack hasn't taken office yet, and is already in the middle of a scandal, of the mp3 variety.  While he apparently is an avid Mac fan, he was spotted yesterday with a Zune... reportedly.  For 24 hours, the blogosphere was lit up regarding the incoming President's music player choice.  After all, could the liberal Obama really use a corporate Microsoft product?  I hadn't really thought about it, but perhaps folks had been reading too much into the iPod choice, and now they were already disillusioned?  While it was hardly grounds for well, anything, this went so far as the Wall Street Journal calling the story ZuneGate.  Now maybe they just wanted to get everyone's minds off the lousy stock market, but an Obama spokesperson actually wanted to set the record straight, and let the American people that Obama uses an iPod.  Meanwhile, the reporter that broke the story is sticking to his guns, and suggests that perhaps Obama was borrowing the Zune from his entourage for the workout.

What does this mean for the future of this country?  Well, in all likelihood nothing either way, but I can't resist a president "Getting into the social," and enabling their wireless sharing at the inauguration.

Zune Remains Editor's Choice

I was surfing, and came upon the PC Magazine's holiday shopping guide of "How to Buy an MP3 Player."  What was intriguing is that there are only three players that get their coveted Editor's Choice designation: Apple's iPod Nano, the iTouch, and the Zune 120 GB.  While I'm not surprised that Apple dominated their choices, I was a little surprised that they saw the value of the Zune.  I've long maintained that "the ultimate music player," that Apple frequently touts its iTouch as, would, by definition, fit all of my music, which is 39 gigs at last count.  I'm not saying the iTouch is a bad product, and I've even been thinking of buying one, but at least to me, I'm looking for it to replace my Palm T/X as nonsmartphone PDA organizer, and not as a music player.

When Apple ceased any new meaningful development on their hard drive based players, and designated them as "classic" to justify this, they ceded this portion of the market.  Microsoft's Zune was well positioned to take this segment over, but unfortunately most of the players sold are flash based.  Still, for the serious music enthusiast, the Zune is the way to go, and PC Mag designates it as "...the best hard drive–based portable media player on the market." 

I'm just glad that someone is making a product with a large enough capacity because sooner or later my Zune 80 will need to be replaced, and I wouldn't hesitate to purchase another one.  How many pieces of electronics do you own that fit into that category?  Around my house, that is quite few!

No Place Like Zune For the Holidays

When it is time for some holiday shopping, most of us around here would much rather get some electronics rather than a necktie.  An audio player of some sort is a "must have" item for any gadget fan, and an up to date one with a really large capacity is my personal preference.  While it is hard to believe that I'm coming up on my year anniversary of owning a Zune 80 gig, I'm still intrigued to see what players are being recommended this year for music lovin' holiday shoppers.

I spotted this piece today in The Washington Times.  Topping their list, was, you guessed it, the Zune. They mention that there are both flash and hard drive models available, and that the Zune is "nice and affordable," which makes it kind of the girl next door that you don't think of while fawning after some cheerleader.  At least the paragraph does mention the Zune's strong points: WiFi music sharing (which they got wrong and characterized as streaming), and the all-you-can-eat music pass, which they are out of date and didn't mention the latest iteration to keep a generous 10 tracks a month.

While their details are a little less than accurate, I do agree that the Zune should top any holiday shopper's list.

Zune Phone Details

Even during the unofficial start of the holiday shopping season, details are emerging about the Zune Phone.  Well, actually, they could be more accurately described as rumors, but they're intriguing nonetheless.  For starters, this project apparently has a code name, and the Zune Phone is code named "Pink," for whatever it's worth.  Also of interest is that the device will likely combine the tech already found in the Zune, with the team from Danger, Inc.  And who exactly are these folks with Danger right in their name?  You may recall that these are the folks that brought us another teen electronics hit, T-Mobile's Sidekick phone/text messaging device that some of my family members are addicted to heavy users of.

Another rumor is that it will be powered by an nVidia Tegra chip.  This is noteworthy because this is a "system on a chip" design that will put nVidia into the mobile phone marketplace.  Reportedly these chips are designed for 3D effects (not surprising coming from a graphics company).  Also of note, they were designed to offer an advantage to an iPhone competitor.  I also saw that the Tegra was originally supposed to debut in a product at the end of 2008 which would fit the timeline of what we're talking about (adding in the obligatory Microsoft delay of a few more months).  Also, the Tegra has not debuted in any other products to date.

So, after looking at these fragments of a rumor, I still have one question.  How do you dial a phone with a squircle?

Zune Phone Rumors Return...Again!

The Zune Phone, popularly known as the zPhone, is one of those concept projects that seems to make a semiannual surfacing into the blogosphere.  While the idea is hardly new, and it's been repeatedly denied here and here at the highest levels from folks that would know what products are under development, I suppose we're due for yet another go around.

In many minds, including mine, the idea of an reasonable competitor to the iPhone is simply too compelling.  I also doubt that the expected sales of the T-Mobile G1, the so called gPhone, even hobbled by the T-Mobile network (I've got more than enough experience with their lackluster coverage that I'm not just being critical), passed by the top brass of the Microsoft folks without some interest.  I'm sure they would love to get a piece of that monthly subscription action, and while there are already Windows Mobile Phones, a zPhone just might break their M$ corporate image and hype up the cool factor to appeal to a younger crowd.

Will we see one at CES like this article suggests?  I'm not holding my breath for this January, but sooner or later I do see the zPhone coming to market.  This time around, the rumor is going as far as CNBC which is further than it got last time.

The Guild Comes To Zune

Microsoft is focusing on wider distribution of their content across multiple partners.  Today we're learning one example of this: The Guild.  This is an online video series that focuses on the real lives of virtual players of a fantasy MMO.  It is coming to both the XBox Live Marketplace, and Zune platforms.  The jury is out if this will buy them more cool, or just more geek, but I think they'll take the sales either way.

Best Buy Canada offering 4GB Zune for free with purchase of a 16GB Zune

Best Buy Canada currently has a pretty nice offer going on the Zune -- buy a Zune 16 and get a Zune 4 for free. The Zune 16 is retailing for $179.99 and looks to only be available in black, but that aside it sounds like a pretty sweet deal.

A few items to note is that this offer is valid online only and (at the time of this posting) is showing a quantity remaining of 76. According to the Best Buy details, you simply need to add the black Zune 16 to your cart and the Zune 4 will be added automatically.

Sounds like a good deal to me, pick up a nice Zune for yourself, and get a nice extra for nothing. This would surely convince me to add a Zune to my collection, that is if I lived in Canada.

[Best Buy Canada]

Zune "Not the Endgame?"

Hmm.  I always thought that that the point of designing, manufacturing, marketing, and selling any product, was to well, sell the err, product, right?  Well, apparently I missed that day in business school, because that may not always be the case. 

Take the Zune for example.  One analysis is viewing the physical Zune player as merely a way for Microsoft to promote their sales of entertainment via the Zune Marketplace.  Their analysis focuses on how Microsoft is focusing on promoting their latest Zune software rather than the player itself.  This also has implications on where content will come from for both the Xbox platform, and Windows Media Player.

While it brings up an interesting point, I think we should remember that it took quite a while before folks were loading up their iPods from the iTunes store.  In other words, the player sales need to come first before the content sales.  IMHO, Microsoft should focus on moving the Zune units first, and then, now that the Zune Marketplace is offering such an enticing deal, I have no doubt that the sales will follow.

New Zune Advertising Campaign

No sooner does Crispin get the go ahead to remake the Zune ads to try and ratchet up the cool factor (not to mention the Zune price cuts), but we're already seeing the theme of the new advertising.  Hey, around here we all knew that the Zune is the way to go, however, I have to say that the marketing was underselling the product IMHO.  This new ad campaign is showing off the Zune as a "Music Discovery Machine," and invite folks to download the new 3rd gen software (which I have installing as I type this, gotta love dual core processors)!  With the social aspect of the Zune one of the main selling point, I'm glad to see that they are finally doing a better job of getting the message out.

Zune Pass: Your ten free track questions answered

It seems that the 10 free song announcement brought forth plenty of questions, and with that comes answers. To begin with, and perhaps most important is that your Zune Pass is not really changing, you will still have everything you had before, just now you are also able to download and keep 10 tracks for free every month.

These tracks, unlike AT&T's rollover minutes are use or lose. Meaning, you cannot download 20 tracks next month if you forget to get your 10 this month. So write a post-it or set a reminder in your calendar, just don't forget.

To begin downloading your free music, simply right click on your track of choice and select Buy or Add to Cart. Your Zune Pass account will keep track of how many you have currently downloaded and let you know when you have hit your monthly limit.

Now for perhaps the nicest part, most of the tracks will be DRM-free and in MP3 format, this of course does not mean that you will not get a WMA file from time to time. Currently about 90% of the Zune Marketplace is available in DRM-free MP3 format, so your chances are pretty good. As for those downloaded tracks, they can then be enjoyed on your Zune, and you can even burn them to a CD, just like you are able to with any other purchased music.

Hopefully this will answer some of the questions that were surrounding this offer, it all sounds good to me -- especially the file format! Now its time to begin choosing my first 10 free tracks. Any ideas?

Zune Pass users can now keep 10 Marketplace tracks every month

Beginning today, Zune Pass users will have another great reason to enjoy the service. They will now get to keep (forever!) 10 tracks every month from the Marketplace. Not a bad deal, this would be like getting around $10 worth of free music each month, all for the same $14.99. Sounds like a great deal for any current subscriber, and also a great tipping point for those that were still considering signing up for a Zune Pass.

An important item to point out is that these 10 tracks cannot be rolled over month-to-month, meaning you need to download your 10 tracks every month or you will miss out that month.

So where to begin, with so many tracks to choose from its going to be hard to make up my mind. Well, it seems that the Zune Team has thought of that, and to help make up your mind they have added a new collection called “perfect 10s,” which are "10 must-have tracks in each of the most popular genres." In addition they will also offer “fresh picks," which are "ten tracks from the best new releases each week."

[Zune Insider]

Time to update; Zune 3.1 is now available

If you have not already updated, now may be a good time as Zune 3.1 is now available. The new update includes a few time wasters that come in the form of games -- an update to Texas Hold 'Em along with three new ones which include Checkers, Sudoku and Space Battle.

Of course there are more important items than just playing games, and 3.1 also includes some "incremental improvements to the software" which include an increase in overall stability and performance on both the PC software and device. Additionally, some navigation improvements were made to the Zune Social and a new feature called “like minded listeners” was added.

As always, to get the update, launch your Zune software on your PC and under the Settings category simply click Check for Updates.

[Zune Insider]

Zune Holiday Price Cuts

Tis the season... to cut prices!  With the holiday shopping getting underway, and consumers keeping their credit cards in their pockets, Microsoft is sweetening the deals.  While I would argue to hold out for a Zune 120, that price held firm, but the rest of the line dropped in price.  Glad to see that Microsoft is doing what it takes to gain market share.  Will these price cuts get you to part with some dough?

PBS On the Zune

Lately I seem to be adding more podcasts to my Zune.  There is at least some quality, and lots more of not so quality, entertainment out there, and much of is free for the taking.  Seems like everyone is adding their content this way.  Well, we can add PBS to the list as they add content to the Zune Marketplace.  Quality entertainment including "Ken Burns Jazz," "America" and "American Lives," "NOVA," "Wired Science," "Scientific American Frontiers" and "Carrier." 

I'm concluding two things from this: waiting at the dentist will never be so boring again being forced to read last month's Time and US News & World Report.  The other is that I might have to break down and toss them a few bucks for this year's PBS fund drive to encourage this type of thing.

Can Microsoft Buy Cool For Zune?

As much as I like the Zune player, I can fully admit that they've done a lousy job marketing it.  While Apple incessantly advertises on television shows that younger folks flock to, like "Gossip Girl" and "90210" currently, I have yet to see an ad for any Zune player on TV- ever.  Clearly this is a missed opportunity because without the right marketing campaign, the Zune product line will never succeed in gaining market share.

At any rate, my personal opinion aside, apparently Microsoft has come to a similar conclusion, and has hired a new advertising company for the Zune line.  Taking the responsibility of getting the word out will be Crispin Porter & Bogusky.  These folks will take on managing the $41 million of marketing media that Microsoft threw into Zune last year.  Hopefully, Microsoft's music player, a worthy competitor to any other music player on the market, will finally get a piece of the elusive "cool factor" that has eluded them thus far.  Can I recommend some product placement among the elite NYC teens on "Gossip Girl?"

Canadian Zune Price Cut

Amidst the upcoming Black Friday sale news, I spotted a deal on the Zune 8 gb.  It appears to be limited to Canada, but with what they had to go through to get the Zune, they deserve a break.  While the 8 gig player is certainly current, and it got the same firmware update earlier this fall, I'm kind of surprised to see the player get a $100 price cut.  This is going on at Future Shop, the big box retailer.  Last year the holiday deals were all on the 30 gig player, but it was already going out of date at the time.  At this fire sale of a price, I wouldn't hesitate to pick one up as a spare.  After all, you don't want your hard drive freezing on your new 120 gig Zune, right?  Don't think about it too long as the sales ends on November 20th.

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]

Zune service down for maintenance

Just sending out a friendly reminder, or potentially a first notification if you did not receive the email alert that the Zune Team had sent out over the weekend.

Currently the Zune service has been taken offline for maintenance reasons and could be offline for as long as 48 hours. Of course, personally I am hoping it comes back sooner than that. Below is a copy of the original notification email...

The Zune service will be down for scheduled maintenance on Monday, September 29, 2008 from 12:01am Pacific Time, for up to 48 hours. During the downtime, Zune Social, the forums on Zune.net, and all of Zune Marketplace will be offline.

We apologize for any inconvenience this might cause you.

Please check back soon. We look forward to sharing our picks, plays, and recommendations with you in the Zune Social and in Zune Marketplace shortly!

Sincerely,

Your Friends at Zune

Zune 3.0, now with Audible.com support, free book and 30-day trial available

Another feature that came along with the Zune 3.0 software update was the addition of Audible.com support. While maybe not the most advanced of the new features, its one that I am personally excited to see, in fact I would say that this addition was long overdue.

Aside from the support, Audible is also offering a few freebies. The first is a 30-day trial to test out the Audible service, of course this offer is valid only for new customers. The second offer is a free book, and this one is available for everyone. The freebie book is Black River by Dean Koontz and can be downloaded by any Zune owner.

To claim your 30-day free trial or your copy of Black River just head on over to www.audible.com/zune.

[MSN Money via Zune Insider]

Zune Originals adds new artwork, online exclusive colors

In addition to the new software and free Wi-Fi, Zune Originals has also received an little refresh with the introduction of the new Zune hardware. We have already seen the new Zune 120 and Zune 16 hit the retail stores in black, and now Zune Originals has also announced that the Zune 16 will be available in blue, red, pink and green as an online exclusive. Finally, customers will also have the option of choosing some new artwork as Zune Originals has added 14 new designs to give your Zune a little more of a personal feel.

[ZuneOriginals]

Microsoft offering free McDonalds Wi-Fi for Zune owners

In addition to the recently released Zune 3.0 software, Microsoft has announced that Zune owners will also be able to get free Wi-Fi at McDonalds restaurants across the US.

“Wayport is pleased to be working with Microsoft to make it easier for Zune users to access music on the go,” said Dan Lowden, vice president of business development and marketing for Wayport.

Now, assuming you have already updated to the latest software you will be able to take advantage of all the new features the next time you get that fast food craving. Which means that in addition to downloading music from the Marketplace you can also tag and purchase from the FM radio, and also take advantage of the recommendations and programming features. As of the current announcement, the wireless access is available at more than 9,800 McDonalds locations.

[Microsoft]

Zune 3.0 software now available

In short...the Zune 3.0 software update is now available. You can grab the new software by launching your current version and heading to Settings -> Software -> General -> Check for update. Also if you do not already have the Zune software installed you can download it directly by clicking here. Mine is downloading as I write this post, can't wait to begin playing.

Wal-Mart offering the new Zune 120, lower priced Zune 80 a little early

The official release date was supposed to be the 16th, but it seems that at least one Wal-Mart in Harborcreek, PA has decided to add them to their show floor cabinets for everyone to see. Of course seeming how everything else detail wise managed to leak out a little early with the Zune lately, I suppose we should not see this as any real surprise.

While the pricing had already been confirmed by Microsoft, we can see from the image that Wal-Mart will sell off their remaining inventory of Zune 80's for a nice $198, which sounds like a good time for anyone looking to make a purchase. Of course if you wanted the biggest storage option to date, you would have to shell out the $50 extra for the Zune 120.

Personally I have a Zune 80 that is in excellent condition so its kind of a mute point for me, but I am a sucker for a bargain and had I been looking I think I would be more than tempted to go for the Zune 80 and save a few bucks, after all, all models of the Zune will be able to get the new firmware for free anyway and aside from storage that is where most of the cool features are anyway.

Has anyone else able to find one of the new, or discounted old Zunes in a local store yet? If not don't worry much as they should be everywhere tomorrow.

[Engadget]

Microsoft officially lets the new Zune details out

I suppose this post comes as a little bit of bittersweet news considering we have already seen the details, but that said, Microsoft has chosen to officially unveil the details for the new Zune hardware and software.

So just for a quick recap, the new model of the Zune will be the black 120GB hard drive based model which will retail for $249 along with a 16GB flash based model which will retail for $199. Additionally the Zune 16 will also be available in blue. The Zune 8 will be priced at $149, and Microsoft also plans to lower the prices on some of the older models.

As for the software side, it looks like software version 3 will be available with those features that we mentioned earlier, which include Buy from FM, Device to Cloud, Channels and Games. Currently nothing was mentioned about when the new software will be made available for current Zune owners. Personally although I like the blue Zune 16 and the black backing on the Zune 120 I am more excited by the new software features and hope that will be ready soon.

If nothing else, I guess Amazon can go ahead and add that Zune 120 listing back to their website now.

[CNET]

Zune 120: The unofficial roll-out continues...or does it?

In addition to the listings over on Frys, another online retailer (Amazon) had ever so briefly list the Zune 120 for sale. Currently I have not seen any confirmed purchases through the Amazon store listing, but they have since removed it from the store, with the URL now going to a big'ol 404.

With just one day before Microsoft is expected to officially make the announcements, it seems Amazon has had a change of heart, one can only wonder whether Frys will do the same. Of course it seems that Frys is already in a little deeper with between their multiple leaks and at least one confirmed sale.

Funny thing is that when this listing was available on Amazon, there were eight vendors listed, of which seven was showing the Zune 120 as in-stock and even had expedited shipping available, and strangely the only one of the eight that was showing a "temporarily out of stock" notice was Amazon themselves.

At this point we can only hope the announcements come tomorrow, and put an end to this mess. Anyone interested in the larger capacity Zune, or what about the blue Zune 8, its pretty sharp looking.

[Amazon via Pocketables]