Cnet has put together a great iPod Touch versus Zune HD specifications table which lists in great details the reasons you should buy a Zune mp3 player over the Apple touchscreen device. The Zune is hands down winner with better hardware features which make the Zune a superious game player. Sadly Microsoft is really lacking in the apps store where basically they have nothing and iPod has an entire of iPhone programmers ready to launch apps for iPod Touch. The Zune HD app store is sure to offer some basic games and applications but it may take awhile for Zune and the Microsoft platoform to catch on.

Spec to spec: Zune HD versus iPod Touch | MP3 Insider – CNET Reviews

If the MP3 player market was a fault line, we’d have a boatload of busy seismographs on our hands. Certainly, two of the most exciting releases of the past couple weeks are the new iPod Touch and the Zune HD.

Discuss this in the Zune Message Boards.

YouTube – ZUNE HD Xbox integration

ZUNE HD Xbox integration

The Zund HD is said to feature a mobile web browser, and finally we’ll be able to do more with the new and enhanced wireless capabilities which are said to allow synchronization with your Outlook contacts, your photos, and of course Zune music without having to be plugged into your computer. Wireless sync for your Zune is finally here with the features we have been aasking for since 2006 when they released the first Zune.

Is anyone as excited as I am about the possibilities the new ZuneHD will offer?

Microsoft to Launch Zune HD | Money News Shopping – mns.co.uk

Rumors have also been spread that the new device will run a version of the upcoming Windows Phone operating system. This will allow users to download and install more software and applications to the device. If these rumors are right, then the Zune HD from Microsoft will be a good competitor for the iPod by Apple. Microsoft has only had modest success with the Zune, but these better capabilities of the device could change this.

Discuss this in the Zune Message Boards.

So we all know there have been some huge changes coming Zune and to be honest it’s been a great big question mark as to what Microsoft would do to shake things up. I’ve been sitting back and watching this with little to say on the matter since Microsoft released those horrible holiday sales stats which show Zune losing over 100 million of their hard earned dollars

I did not say much when they posted stories about huge layoffs at Xbox and Zune and even though it hurt to see him go, I didn’t have much to say about the departure of our longtime friend Cesar from the Zune team. It got to be a drag trying to keep up so I set back and waited for signs of a direction and now it appears we have one.

The Zune team will be split into two divisions based on hardware and software. The software team will focus on putting Zune on every other device on the market while the hardware team will continue to develop and manufacture Microsoft devices. The Zune lives on and maybe we’ll begin to see all the wonderful features we wanted in the beginning with the new and improved Zune family.

We’re hoping for great big things from the software division and the upcoming release of Windows Mobile 6.5 is the first big step. Screenshots from the latest update to the Microsoft mobile operating system show new links to the Microsoft Marketplace. And today we find out that Microsoft will be opening up retail stores a la Apple and actually retailing their products in their own stores for the first time in company history.

Is the new Microsoft really just the old Apple in disguise? Will the juggernaut of technology be able to become the juggernaut of consumer electronics in America? Will a Microsoft store with Windows, Zune and Xbox for sale make it in a recession or should they have considered a staffed boutique inside Best Buy or even Walmart?

Microsoft readies Zune service for non-Zune devices, Marketplace appears in WinMo 6.5 screenshot – Engadget

We’re just days away from Mobile World Congress where Microsoft is expected to make a few notable annoucements. Until then, we have to settle for all the hints and innuendo we can gather as Redmond attempts to win back the hearts, minds, and pocketbooks of consumers infatuated with Android, WebOS, and whatever Apple’s got cookin’. Like these supposed 6.5 screenshots above, this time showing what looks like a Marketplace store a la the Zune.

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Microsoft is backing up the Zune and will continue to produce hardware devices for the Zune software and marketplace which are  apparently the prime driving force for and reason for Zune according to Bach. The software is reason enopugh to keep going as they see it so the idea of a 3 to 5 year plan for Zune still seems correct

Check out the following article for more details.

Microsoft’s Bach talks about Zune

On the future of MP3 players, such as the Zune, as capabilities continue to be added to smart phones: We have already started to see some flattening and even declining in the stand-alone MP3 player market. I think you’ll see that continue. As phones get more capable, as battery life gets better, people’s desire to have their music with them along with their phone is certainly going to go up.

If they do not repair themselves then Microsoft is going to have a huge mess on  their hands for certain. The Zune 2K9 problem is going to make a few potential Zune owners hesitate before buying a Zune but maybe the fact it fixes itself will make things ok.

Zune.net

Early this morning we were alerted by our customers that there was a widespread issue affecting our 2006 model Zune 30GB devices (a large number of which are still actively being used). The technical team jumped on the problem immediately and isolated the issue: a bug in the internal clock driver related to the way the device handles a leap year. The issue should be resolved over the next 24 hours as the time change moves to January 1, 2009. We expect the internal clock on the Zune 30GB devices will automatically reset tomorrow (noon, GMT). By tomorrow you should allow the battery to fully run out of power before the unit can restart successfully then simply ensure that your device is recharged, then turn it back on. If you’re a Zune Pass subscriber, you may need to sync your device with your PC to refresh the rights to the subscription content you have downloaded to your device.

Customers can continue to stay informed via the support page on zune.net (zune.net/support).

We know this has been a big inconvenience to our customers and we are sorry for that, and want to thank them for their patience.

Q: Why is this issue isolated to the Zune 30 device?

It is a bug in a driver for a part that is only used in the Zune 30 device.

Q: What fixes or patches are you putting in place to resolve this situation?

This situation should remedy itself over the next 24 hours as the time flips to January 1st.

Q: What’s the timeline on a fix?

The issue Zune 30GB customers are experiencing today will self resolve as time changes to January 1.

Q: Why did this occur at precisely 12:01 a.m. on December 31, 2008?

There is a bug in the internal clock driver causing the 30GB device to improperly handle the last day of a leap year.

Q: What is Zune doing to fix this issue?

The issue should resolve itself.

Q: Are you sure that this won’t happen to all 80, 120 or other flash devices?

This issue is related to a part that is only used in Zune 30 devices.

Q: How many 30GB Zune devices are affected? How many Zune 30GB devices were sold?

All 30GB devices are potentially affected.

Q: Will you update the firmware before the next leap year (2012)?

Yes.

Matt Akers
Zune Product Team

.: This posting is provided “as-is” with no warranties, and confers no rights :.

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Survey Hints That Zune Could Double as Extra Storage For the Xbox – Gizmodo Australia

The most recent installment of the Zune newsletter includes a survey question that hints at the possibility of the Zune being used as additional Xbox 360 storage. After selecting “Yes” to the first question, readers are asked “Have you ever connected your Zune to your Xbox to do any of the following?” The first response to the question is “Use my Zune hard drive for extra Xbox 360 storage.” One could interpret this as meaning that Microsoft is considering making the Zune official backup storage for saved games, Marketplace downloads, etc.

The Zune 9000 skin protector for Zune players gives your zune player a high tech look with a basic black white and red look that makes your Zune really stand out from all those other Zunes around us.

The Zune skin helps to protect your Zune from scratches to the finish and will help keep your Zune looking new for a long time.

This weeks Zune Skin is the new Advantage skin protector for Zune from Decal Girl. With soccer and hockey moms so popular in todays news it appears our friends at DecalGirl decided it was time to freshen up the line up with some new designs for Zune. The high color graphics look really nice on this Zune skin and with mine over a year and a half old now I can attest to the fact they really do last a long time.

Click here to buy a new Zune Skin from Decal Girl.