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.

Buy.com is selling the 4GB Microsoft Zune for $87.77 with free shipping. According to the product page, this is a “Blowout Price!” which may fan the flames of the ZuneHD-coming-in-September rumor from earlier today as it appears retailers might begin trying to clear out old inventory.

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.

You saw the leaks, you read the announcement last night, and now you know when this sucker will be touchable for real. E3 will see the ZuneHD in all its glory, and we’ll be there to cover it for sure. Even if I have to tear myself away from the Dark Knight or Project Trico, I’ll get you guys some solid video of this long-awaited update to the Zune family.

Ain’t nothing wrong with Zunes, but you could be forgiven for a few covetous glances at your friend’s iPod Touch or Samsung P3. Touchscreen, widgets, apps… sure, they’re tempting, but they’re also expensive, space-limited and the music playing functionality isn’t any better. But Microsoft understands why you might be considering cheating on them with another media player when your Zune 30 croaks or runs out of warranty.

So they’re offering you a deal: trade in your aging Zune 30 and get a significant price break on new Zunes. Sounds good, but what if they’re just trying to offload inventory before the ZuneHD comes out?

You can get 30 gigabytes worth of refurbished Zune for just $80 over at Woot.com today. Available in black, white, or brown, the Zune “stores up to 7,500 songs, 25,000 pictures or 100 hours of video (128 Kbps).”

So now Microsoft is happily seeding buzz through Twitter account @officethemovie, which is tied to the marketing website for ‘Office 2010: The Movie’. The account was created recently and starting sending out tweets about 14 hours ago at the time of this writing. One of the first messages revealed a bit about the type of social networking integration the next version of Office is going to boast: “Office 2010 will include Twitter, Facebook, and other social networks integrated right into Word. That’s just a hint of what’s to come!”

Right after that one, there was another cryptic one about Zune, of which I’m not entirely sure what it has to do with Office exactly. It read: “June 2009 will be an important month for Zune lovers”, and was followed by another one that asked some people who expressed interest on Twitter that it concerns a ‘new product launch’ and that they should ‘hold off from buying an iPhone or Palm Pre’.

If you’re a big BSG buff, and I know you are, you’re probably looking forward to seeing the prequel Caprica, if you haven’t done so already. The first episode was shown at the Arclight in LA (I saw Alien there, it was freaky), and now you can get that episode on DVD. Or, if you’re a real fan, you can head on over to the Zune Marketplace and get the episode plus the big Q&A session that followed. With a sold-out BSG fanboy audience, you can bet your final Cylon that it was an interesting event.

Let’s talk about why this isn’t a real next-generation Zune. I can think of seven reasons right off the top of my head, having used one for about a year now and knowing a little about the way things work. Can you spot all of them?

If you were planning on getting a Zune some time soon (despite the looming ZuneHD), you may as well get one of the customized Zune Originals. The designs are all pretty cool, and if you pick one from the new Spring collection, it’s a free upgrade. I happen to like the art style they’ve cultivated for the Zune Originals and backgrounds, and (believe it or not) I’ve actually got some Zune art here in my apartment.

If I didn’t know better, I might think that the Zune team was trying to create a buzz. The ZuneHD peek-a-boo show continues, with some rather drool-inducing specs being thrown around. Apparently Microsoft has confirmed a few, probably by not saying they won’t be in the unannounced device. Off the record. But anyway, Tegra? Check. OLED? Check. Xbox 360 integration? Maybe-check.

Here’s what the latest rumors are putting inside this cryptogadget.

There has been a quite mumbling on the ol’ Intertubes that Microsoft has another Zune in development. We kind of already knew that from an Microsoft suit interview. The latest ‘leaked’ pics sport the same design that was in the first photoset however, are clearly renderings. The source claims these pics are real, along with a long list of specs and capabilities. Some which seem kind of unlikely, but if implemented will serve as a benchmark for even Apple in portable media devices of this size.

The Internet was awash with ZuneHD pics and speculation late last week and it seems that a squatter is attempting to cash in on the rumor. ZuneHD.net appears to be a simple placeholder for an upcoming device. There is single image made in the classic Zune style, but there is something strange about the site. Mainly that the site was registered after the leak last Friday.

It’s all very anonymous and tipsterish, but it appears that some promotional material for new Zune hardware called the ZuneHD has leaked onto the blagosphere. Engadget got the pictures, those rascals. The art style is very Zune, so I can see these being authentic. So what do we think the ZuneHD has in store?

Zune may be closer to expanding internationally than we thought. A few new job postings at Microsoft point to the possibility of seeing a 10-foot-interface for Zune designed for TVs – perhaps via the XBox – as well as a call for more music reviewers.

Ars found the two postings here and here. The gist: