Archives Posts

Coming Zune a Smartphone and Game Player from Microsoft

December 8th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

The Zune Phone has been a rumor for about two years and the Xboy or portable Xbox player has been a rumor for at least 5 years. Manythink there will never be a portable game player from Microsoft but lets be real. What choice does Microsoft have? Can they survive as a company without a strong prescience in the mobile market? I don’t think so. Mobile computing is the way of the future and the smartphone is going to become the portable computer of choice.

Microsoft is not known as an innovator and many of their products and services are a me too effort with many critics crying foul over plagiarism and copycat ideas coming from the worlds largest software company. the Zune was no exception. Since the Zune was announced we have seen lots of comments about the fact they are playing catch up to Apple and Sony in the portable media player market with the iPhone and PSP leading in areas where Microsoft has little to no representation.

When they released Zune many of us were hopeful for what the futire held for them and we were excited about the potential for Microsoft handheld devices. That’s when the rumors started and things have been building ever since. You can read a partial timeline of the Zune phone announcements here for more details on the rumors but little has been said about an actual device until now. We knew that when Microsoft bought Danger they would be releasing a phone but no specifics. When they brought games to Zune we got even more excited because we could see that they understood what we wanted but still no game player

Now we may be taking the first steps towards an actual device. The latest rumors have Microsoft working on an all in one smartphone and game player using the Nvidia Tegra chip. The current story is that the new device will be more of a game player with phone features which may be what they need to invigorate the existing Xbox fanbase. A Microsoft portable game player has been the dream of a million Xbox fans since they introduced the first console years ago and its been a recurring rumor and joke just as long. The rumored new player is said to be primarily a game player and the Nvidia Tegra chip is the perfect fit for what we hope to see in our new Zune.

The rumors have been picked up by other tech sites and they seem to make sense to others as well. Just about everyone expects Microsoft to enter the mobile phone market with some sort of device that will allow them to compete with their own OS and the existing line of Windows Mobile Devices. By building their smartphone under the Zune brand and by the new super chip they may stand a chance against the iPhone and the Apple Apps store which just hit the 300 million apps downloaded mark. Some suggest they take on another acquisition by purchasing an existing provider such as RIM and building upon what they have already done but that’s an expensive option and it won’t guarantee success anyway.

I think the rumors make some sense to me. The Inquirer sets the new Zune phone game player release date as February 2009 but that’s not very likely in my opinion. I think they will make an announcement at some point early next year but they phone will not be ready until Holidays 2009. We will be getting a Zune phone and it may have the new Nvidia Tegra chipset but its going to a full year before I am playing games on my portable Microsoft device.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

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Tags: Zune, Zune Game Player, Zune Phone

Zune Phone release date set for early 2009

November 27th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Zune phone concept courtesy ZuneScene.com

The Zune Phone rumors are heating up again today with an article out at CNBC that’s states “I’m hearing from a good source that Microsoft is ready to give a major facelift to the company’s Zune music player that could mean its evolution into a new smart phone from the company.”

According to their tipster the Zune phone is being developed in house using technology from their recent acquisition of Danger, manufacturer of the popular Sidekick portable devices, and the project is named “Pink”. The Zune phone may be released in early 2009 after making it’s debut at the Consumer Electronics Show CES 2009 in January.

This Zune phone story sounds a bit more logical then the “we’re not making a phone” line of garbage that people like Ballmer have been talking for the last two years. Why would Microsoft spend $500 million on Danger and not make a Zune phone or some kind of smartphone? It’s simple. They keep putting out yes and no stories to keep us talking about a device they are WAY late to the game with. The Zune Phone is becoming the “Chinese Democracy” of mobile devices. Let’s hope it doesn’t take them 14 years to get a device to market.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Windows Mobile, Zune, zune 3, zune 3.0, zune 4, zune mobile, Zune Phone

Zune as a portable hard drive for Xbox

November 15th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

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.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune

Zune 120 pictures surface

September 3rd, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Third generation Zune pictures leak: 120GB and 16GB flavors — Electronics NEWS - about-electronics.eu

The third generation of Microsoft’s Zune portable media player product line has been talked about and speculated for quite a while now, but very little has managed to leak out of Redmond, until now.

A Canadian has supposedly somehow gotten his hands on both 16GB and 120GB flavors of the Zune, both of which are expected to be released under Zune 3.0 (recall that the original Zune 30GB is considered first generation and that the Zune 4, Zune 8, and Zune 80 are considered second generation).

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune

Introducing the Zune 120

August 18th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Zune 3 is going to be a 120GB player using the new Samsung 1.8 inch drive. The FCC just published a test report for a new Zune player with a 120 GB HD and nearly identical specifications as the Zune 80. The Zune 120 as it’s sure to be called would probably be the same hardware with the only real improvements in the harddrive capacity. Based on the pricing of the iPod 80 and iPod 160 players it is speculated the price for th Zune 120 will be around $299.

I hope they drop it to $249 and sell a ton of units for this holiday season but I doubt it. Will a 120gb player be all that we get for a new Zune this holiday or does MS have something bigger planned? I think we can expect to see this new player as well as some sort of phone integration with Nokia and possibly other Windows Mobile smartphones. Thats probably as much as we’ll see before we see the Zune game players next year.

I do not think we’ll ever see a Zune phone. I think Microsoft respects the hardware manufacturers in the phone industry and the only real reason they took on making their own players was the lack of competition in the market. There are a zillion phone makers and many of them use Microsoft software. I think the boys in Redmond learned a lesson with the PlaysForSure debacle and they would never do the same to Windows Mobile fans.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune

Nokia and Microsoft working to bring Zune marketplace to Nokia handsets?

August 5th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Nokia and Microsoft working to bring Zune marketplace to Nokia handsets?

If the majority of new products and services from wireless carriers and handset manufacturers recently seems to be an answer to something from Apple, it’s probably because it is. Sure, Apple’s iPhone, iPhone 3G, iTunes integration, and AppStore may not be directly responsible for all of the wireless industry’s recent advancements, but Cupertino’s entry in to the mobile space certainly sparked a new appreciation among manufacturers and service providers for sleek and integrated user interfaces that deliver a user experience to be desired.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune

Zune is an entertainment device

June 12th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Robbie Bach is giving out more interviews and dropping some hints and jabs at the competition as well. It’s very interesting to see that they do not have big plans for games for the current Zune players until they have it figured out. he says he sees Zune as an entertainment device rather than just a game or music player.

I wonder if what they are trying to figure out is a Zune game device?

Video Game News, Video Game Coverage, Video Game Updates, PC Game News, PC Game Coverage - GameDaily

But you aren’t going to see a broad gaming effort from us until we sort that through and have it figured out. I don’t think of Zune like the PSP. The PSP is a game player that also does video and music. We think of Zune as a broad-based entertainment device.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune

Zune Touch is the new touchscreen Zune player

June 9th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Microsoft to make a touchscreen Zune. I wonder if they will incorporate some of the Suface computing features into it. I think that might make it more powerful than the iPhone interface. can a portable player handle surface computing?

Microsoft to make Zune touchscreen player
Microsoft ultimately expects its Zune media player line to receive a touchscreen, the company’s Entertainment and Devices chief Robbie Bach says. Without committing to a specific product, the executive describes the addition as near-certain and implies that the media player will eventually drop its physical control pad entirely in favor of a touch interface as part of a broader company philosophy.

Electronista | Microsoft to make Zune touchscreen player

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune

Connecting your Xbox and XNA Game Studio

May 9th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

I’m considering the XNA pacakge so I can install games on my Xbox. I looked into how hard it is and then I realized it’s a pay only feature. It’s $100 for homebrew games on my Xbox and thats a bit much this week. I gotta find out how many games there are and how easy it is to install them. Wheres the best Xbox XNA games place?

Connecting to Your Xbox 360 Console with XNA Game Studio 2.0

This guide assumes you have already installed a supported version of Visual Studio tools and XNA Game Studio. These products must be installed before connecting to an Xbox 360 console. For information about installing these products, see Setup and System Requirements.

* Step 1: Sign In to Xbox LIVE
* Step 2: Download XNA Game Studio Connect
* Step 3: Connect Your Xbox 360 Console and Windows-Based Computer
* Step 4: Create and Deploy an Xbox 360 Project
* What’s Next?

Step 1: Sign In to Xbox LIVE

Turn on your Xbox 360 console and sign in to Xbox LIVE. You will need at least a Silver Xbox LIVE membership, an XNA Creators Club membership, and a hard drive for your Xbox 360 console to be able to develop games for Xbox 360 using XNA Game Studio. While you are in XNA Game Studio Connect or playing an XNA Game Studio game, you must remain connected to Xbox LIVE.
Step 2: Download XNA Game Studio Connect

XNA Game Studio Connect must be downloaded from Xbox LIVE Marketplace and installed on the Xbox 360 console. XNA Game Studio Connect is listed on Xbox LIVE Marketplace next to the XNA Creators Club Subscription, which may be found by selecting Game Store, More…, Genres, and then Other.
Step 3: Connect Your Xbox 360 Console and Windows-Based Computer

When you develop games for Xbox 360, you develop them on your Windows-based computer, then transfer them over your local network to your Xbox 360 console. This requires that your Windows-based computer and Xbox 360 console share the same subnet. Most home networking layouts support this configuration. If your console and computer share a router or hub, it is likely that they share the same subnet.

With your computer and console on the same subnet, follow these steps to set up a connection between your computer and your console.

Technorati Tags: zune, xna, zune xna, zune games

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: zune games

Microsoft Mesh and the Zune players

April 26th, 2008 by Alfred @ Zune MAX

Microsoft Seeks Mesh Sizzle - Forbes.com

Microsoft (nasdaq: MSFT - news - people ) demonstrated its grand vision for the future of Web-based software and services at the Web 2.0 conference in San Francisco Wednesday, even as it prepared to talk about the state of its current business on its quarterly earnings call with investors on Thursday.

Microsoft’s pitch is simple: Today’s world is all about the Internet. Microsoft wants to use the Internet to synchronize a user’s data, applications and panoply of devices into a single living “mesh.” The project, Live Mesh, helmed by chief software architect Ray Ozzie, has been in development for two years as Microsoft has struggled to move from the stronghold it built on the PC desktop with Windows to the untamed Web, where it competes for turf with Google (nasdaq: GOOG - news - people ), Yahoo! (nasdaq: YHOO - news - people ) and a host of online upstarts.

Microsoft could certainly use sizzle from its online adventures. Analysts predict Microsoft will report Thursday that earnings have sagged 14% during its fiscal third quarter in contrast to a year ago, when the company enjoyed a one-time pop created as it rolled out Windows Vista and a new edition of Microsoft Office. The Redmond, Wash.-based company is expected to report earnings of $4.2 billion, or 44 cents a share, on sales of $14.5 billion, according to consensus estimates published by Thomson Reuters. By contrast, during the same quarter a year ago, Microsoft earned $4.8 billion, or 49 cents a share, on sales of $14.4 billion.

Written by Alfred @ Zune MAX - Check out my Zune Card in the Zune forums now!

Tags: Zune