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]

Frys leaks new Blue Zune 8 along with new features

Well, one can only speculate that Frys will either be in some big trouble with Microsoft, or perhaps Microsoft is trying something new to get a little attention and decided to allow them to intentionally leak, and in at least one instance sell the new Zunes to built up some excitement prior to the official release.

Of course the model that we saw sold, and later unboxed was the Zune 120, however the latest Frys leaks comes in the form of that rumored Zune 8 in Blue along with some previously unannounced new features. At least we can confirm that the Blue Zune rumor was indeed accurate, and furthermore its retailing for the $149.99 that we expected.

But perhaps a little more exciting than the Zune 8 in Blue, which personally I am digging the color is the newly listed features that it will come along with. Some of the leaked features include:

 

• Buy from FM which allows you to mark a song that you hear on the regular radio for later purchase.
• Device to Cloud which lets you use wireless hotspots to "update your collection, browse Zune Marketplace, refresh Channels, exchange favorites with friends, or buy songs you've tagged from your FM radio."
• Channels which allows you to create "custom programming stations that deliver personalized playlists to your Zune from a variety of sources."
• Games which seems to have come out of beta and become official. So far they have listed Texas Hold'em, Hexic as pre-loaded titles.

Now its seems we are just waiting for Microsoft to make this all 'official' but judging from what we have already seen I am not sure what else they could have in store for us.

[Frys] via Zunerama

Update your Zune Software to 2.3

Time to update your Zune software. There are no new features in this update, but it does provide some performance enhancements around set-up, sync and as always general reliability.

View the Changelog

New Feature in Zune Firmware 2.3?

It appears that the new Zune firmware has a feature that was not mentioned from Microsoft, and this feature is the ability to unsubscribe from podcasts on the go!

I know that some of you may not use this feature, but this can really help when it comes to podcast discovery, making a lot easier to weed through the good and the bad podcasts.

All you have to do to access this feature is play a podcast, hit the center button and go down to "Unsubscribe". Simple enough, right? Well, there was a feature that I heard about from Donald Bell on a Cnet video, just like this one, but he said that Microsoft took the feature out of the final release firmware to fix some bugs.

Well, enjoy the new feature, and maybe you'll finally decide to get some new podcasts!

Zune Firmware Update 2.3: No New Features

The Zune team just released the Zune firmware update 2.3. There are no new features with this update but we should notice the following:

• Zune battery issue resolved
• Improved device recognition
• Improved stability and reliability on sync (both wirelessly and while connected to a PC).

Let everybody know (in the comments) if you have specific experiences with the new firmware.

Source

Zune Firmware Update on the Way: A Christmas gift From the Zune Team?

According to feedback received from Zune owners since the November upgrade, the Zuneinsider says that the new software has improved the battery life of the Zune 30. This has apparently been achieved by introducing more power-efficient codecs in the Zune software. That’s good news for many folks out there, but Microsoft admitted at the same time that the new software also causes battery life problems to a limited number of Zune owners. This problem occurs when users suspend their Zune hard drives by holding down the play/pause button – in some cases the battery continues to drain.

Microsoft will respond to the problem with a Zune firmware update that should be available before the end of December. No words on the release of new features, but let us all wish for a sweet Christmas gift from the Zune team...(Don't hold your breath to hard on this one though...Cesar also said on his blog that the firmware update is going to be similar to the bug-fix-only update we had last December).

10 Potential Zune Features

Zune has immense potential, and these are some ideas I have thought of to implement in a software update for the Zune. These are only my ideas, so if you want to add some of your own, feel free to add them in the comments.

1-Gapless playback would be a nice feature for when the end of a song has a 10 second gap with no music, giving you more music at once

2-Ability to sync movies and TV shows purchased from both the zune marketplace and the xbox 360. Syncing with media center is great, because I already have a dual tuner working in media center for me, so 1.99 per show is no-go for me, but I can understand why many people want it. Music purchases should also be able to be made from your 360, because that would be a convenient feature.

Flash Zune and 80Gb Zune Available Next November!

Journalists were invited to a press event today at the Zune Team campus in Redmond. The new Zune players we’re revealed to the attendees, but an embargo stops them from publishing the information until midnight, tonight. Nevertheless, King 5 station in Seattle leaked some (unconfirmed) precious information ahead of time. According to the station, Microsoft will release a new Flash based Zune player (4Gb and 8GB) available in black, pink, green and red. A new black 80GB Zune player (hard disc based), thinner than the 30GB Zune player and equipped with a 3.2 LCD screen, will also be released by the same token. All models will carry an FM radio tuner.

And guys, we’ve been expecting new Wi-Fi scenarios and they're on their way! The new Zune 2 firmware will sync music, videos and photos wirelessly from with your computer! Pretty cool! Isn’t it?

Prices? These are easy to guess as they match iPod prices… Flash Zune models will be priced at $149 and $199 for the 4GB and 8Gb respectively. The new 80GB Zune player will carry a retail price of $249. The new devices will be available mid-November. We still don’t know if the 30GB Zune player will be retired or if it will still be available and compatible with the Zune 2 firmware.

The Zune firmware has been redesigned from scratch, and that’s why no substantial Zune Firmware update has been released since the first generation Zune was released last year. Life is sweet, isn't it?

Silicon Alley Insider says that the Zune marketplace will have DRM free music. The Zune to Zune sharing would be totally or partially released from its DRM prison (still to be confirmed though).

We should also expect videos and podcasts from the Zune marketplace.

The Zune Squircle is apparently called the Zune pad...

More details later! images from rompres

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

 

First Generation Zune Loaded with Second Generation Zune Firmware?

Engadget published a picture of the First generation Zune, clearly running a 2.1 Zune firmware version. What is less clear though, is when the firmware will be released. But expect it to be available when the Zune 2 and Flash Zune hit the market later this month or at the beginning of November.

Microsoft said all along that First Generation Zunes would not be outdated with the release of new Zune models. Good News!

Can’t wait to have this new firmware on my First Gen Zune. Let's now hope for new Wi-Fi Scenarios!

Source