Reminder! That Zune HD launch is hitting tomorrow, and I guarantee they’re going to be at least trying to roll the new 4.0 software out at midnight. I’m spending my Monday night drinking beer and refreshing zune.net, why aren’t you? All right, I also watched Gossip Girl. On accident!
Anyway, the new stuff they’ve got coming is hot. I’ll post a full unboxing and tour tomorrow for the curious. Having handled the hell out of this little thang, I can tell you it’s worth taking a look.
Update: The update is live. 131.2MB? Seriously? After I wrote a thousand words on iTunes taking up 88?
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Zut!
Oui, it’s true. The Zune HD we’re all pumped for will not be hitting Europe this year, if indeed it does at all. Microsoft France’s entertainment division director has said during and interview that “for now, we have no intention of marketing (it here)” or, to be precise, “pour le moment, nous n’avons aucune intention de le commercialiser.” Okay, that’s one way to get your product out there…
We’ve had our hands-on, but that’s because we’re an elite media group that knows everything eons ahead of time. I’ve had a Zune HD for almost two years now; I’m just waiting on the new holographic interface that comes with the Zune VR. Oops, I’ve said too much. Or I’m lying. Which is it?
Whatever the case, the Zune HD is making its way around the US so everyone can get their hands on it. I think Microsoft understands that not many people are just going to pick their device based on specs, but the screen and interface will probably turn a lot of heads in real life. They’re taking it around to a bunch of Best Buys for people to check out, so check this (extremely long) list of locations to see if you’ll get a chance to have a hands on.
There’s a reason why the Zune HD’s interface moves so smoothly. Powering the device is the Nvidia Tegra, which Nvidia recently described as an “an entire computer-on-a-chip,” and one with “eight separate processors, including: a GPU, two video processors, and audio processor, two ARM core processor and more.” (That “and more” bit is a bit ambiguous for my liking, but what are you gonna do?) In any event, the Zune HD looks to have some serious computational power going for it. WILL IT BE AN IPOD KILLER?
Can Microsoft’s latest Zune, the Zune HD, take down the king? It depends on which king you’re talking about. As it stands, the iPod Touch is a whole different beast because of the App Store. What Microsoft has done with the Zune HD is nothing short of spectacular, but who is it really competing with? My BlackBerry can play videos and show me pictures taken on a recent trip. The HTC Hero and/or myTouch 3G can stream music from the likes of last.fm or Slacker. I can download MP3s from my iPhone. Everything the Zune HD does, I’ve been able to do with a slew of different devices that I already own.
You see, the features that the Zune team has been touting don’t interest me much. I don’t really care to see an artist’s bio, their pictures or anything of that nature. Sure, the modified IE browser is nice and works great, but I want to know how deeply integrated the Zune HD is going to be with other Microsoft devices like the Xbox 360. I don’t need to fork over extra cash for an HD dock to stream 720p content onto my TV. I can already do that through my Xbox 360, FiOS and whatever content is stored on my NAS. Tell me what the plans are for the next six months. Tell me when the damn thing is actually going to launch.
Now that Amazon is showing the same exact pricing structure for the Zune HD as Best Buy, it’s a pretty safe bet that these are the correct prices. Let’s just go ahead and call the prices unofficial official, m’kay?
[Amazon via PC World]
Good news for Zune fans. CNET spent a little time with the upcoming Zune HD and came away mighty impressed. Big points were awarded for the 3.3-inch screen, 720p video playback, audio quality, music playback features, and — gasp! — a great web browser?
Microsoft still has plans for the Zune brand and the marketplace is probably a big part of it. Details are still light but at least we now have what is suppose to be a screenshot of the service. Who knows if it’s legit, but it at least seems to have all the same visual aspects of the Zune. It wouldn’t be surprising if it is the real thing. Now, our main question is will Microsoft continue its trend on giving this feature to previous Zune models or will it be Zune HD exclusive?
Microsoft officially outed the Zune HD a week ago, but the Amazon product listing under the Technical Details section is talking about Xbox Live integration that wasn’t mentioned in the Microsof presser.
Integration with the Xbox LIVE network gives you access to millions of videos, TV shows, and games from Xbox LIVE720p HD video output to your HDTV with optional docking station
There is more too.
This is just a rumor at this point, but the timeline seems about right for the Zune HD to start shipping on September 5th. That’s early enough to start some buzz before the Christmas and to ensure good inventory if it becomes a hit. We still don’t have an official word from Microsoft, but we wouldn’t be surprised if the new Zune is available right around that date.
It’s pretty crazy over there at All Things Digital, and in the hubbub it looks like the Zune HD has had its picture tooken and video shotten. This little video tour shows off the smoothness and speed of the UI, which looks like it has adapted extremely well to the touchscreen. I have my doubts about the screen resolution (480×272 is… well, passable), but the fact that it’s OLED makes for beautiful contrast, and I think that aspect is really emphasized by the stark Zune UI.
