Zune down! The Zune support forums are awash with users claiming various issues with Zune subscription media. Songs are not showing up, or if they do, they aren’t playing. Sounds like an authentication issue to me, and those happen every once in a while — but for weeks on end?
Any of you fine folks out there having trouble? I’ll see if I can scare up any info from the Zune team and post an update later. [Thanks, Aditya]
Worried that your venerable Zune 80 is going to kick the bucket some day? That spinning hard drive can only take so much abuse, after all. Well, if you’ve got the stomach to tear it apart and feel like dropping a bill on a little 32GB SSD, you might just be able to keep on Zunin’ until the sun blows up.
But what did he see in the clear stream below? His own image; no longer a dark, gray bird, ugly and disagreeable to look at, but a graceful and beautiful swan. —The Ugly Duckling
It’s been a long, brown trip for the Zune: from its early days (mocked and abject) to its awkward years (deemed a dead end and money pit) it’s been embattled and criticized, and rightly so. After all, here was an unpopular company with a frankly ridiculous brand it had pulled out of thin air, attempting to compete with the guys who defined the market. We’ve always been champions of the devices, despite their quirks, and of the service, despite its growing pains — and Microsoft occasionally made it pretty hard for us to stand by our favorite little misfit media player. Well, for once they just made it really easy.
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The Zune HD is upon us, and whether you love it or hate it, you have to admit that it is devilishly good-looking. I happen to think it’s also a great media player, based on my day with it and on previous demos, but the final judgment will come in a day or two with the full review.
In the meantime, I’m sure a lot of people have been waiting on a decent walkthrough of the Zune HD’s interface. I’ve got just that for you, in HD no less, so click that play button and get an in-depth tour of the music and video navigation, browser, and marketplace.
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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…
I think we all knew it was coming. After all, the new interface, while aesthetically similar to the old Zune UI, is totally incompatible with the old hardware. You can’t teach an old dog new tricks, unfortunately — though I would add, that doesn’t mean you have to throw away the dog.
Click on through for a great Zune-in-heaven photoshop. It’s the subtle glow that sells it.
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.
It looks like the Zune HD’s aspirations go beyond simply showing HD video on your TV. It is, in fact, a home theater PC in your pocket. I don’t to sound like I’m shilling here, but it really is a pretty serious advance in PMPs, unless (and this is certainly possible) there are ones already doing this equally well over in South Korea or Japan. It looks quick, sharp, and easy to navigate, as well as simply being better looking than many full-size media boxes out there.
I’m beginning to wonder whether someone is conducting this concert of Zune madness. The whole thing has been leaked, from the original unveiling to the specs, the approximate date, the pricing and models, and now the preorder tokens.
On reflection, that last one isn’t exactly big news, but it does pin down the release date: September 15th. We had September 8th penciled in, but we’ve waited four months, why not another week?
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.
Ooh la la. Damn, I need to load Windows onto my Mac.
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?
There are a bunch of new shots of the upcoming ZuneHD out there all of a sudden, in advance of an official announcement expected later on. They show not only a Black ZuneHD (I kind of like the silver one but hey), but some interface tweaks that make it a very good-looking device indeed. The Zune interfaces, from the website to the player to the device, have always been sexy, but the devices always got the minimalist end of the stick. No longer!
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Forget media-streaming set-top boxes and plunk down $150 on this 80GB Zune with free Home AV Pack deal that Woot! has going on (today only).
If you haven’t been watching Mean Mag’s Cinemash series then you’re doing it wrong. Cheech and Chong + Tron = Amazing. Kind of NSFW and don’t watch with the kids.
Thanks for reminding me about this, KLash!
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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?
The Telegraph has word that Microsoft will be entering the streaming music market. The plan is to offer free streaming, and the option to purchase music for download. Just what the world needs, another streaming solution. Another boutique music store. Another walled garden from which digital content can be rationed out to the masses, while fatcat music execs wallow in piles of cash.
Dru at Gearlive has unearthed a fascinating Escherian software solution that allows you to stream ZunePass music. Zune Pass, for those not in in the know, is Microsoft’s $15 a month streaming service that can blow music through your Zune and onto your Windows desktop. Then you need Orb. Then you send the music straight to the iPhone over the Interwebs. Simplicity itself.
Read his whole DIY if you’re so inclined. Then you can listen to your Orb-streamed music anywhere in the world.
An engineer at Microsoft has ballparked the cost of the 16GB ZuneHD at somewhere between $250 and $280 (for reference, a 16GB iPod Touch is $300). That’s a little bit higher than I’d have guessed, but considering OLED screens are still expensive, to say nothing of flash memory, it’s a solid estimate. Trouble is, where are they going to get people to take it for a spin? Apple’s got a great spot for iPod discovery — maybe it’s time for Microsoft to do the same.
