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Zune Pass

Microsoft opens Zune Pass to Great Britain

Aug 032010

Microsoft opens Zune Pass to Great Britain for those few Zune users who smuggled a Zune player into the country where you cannot actually buy them officially. Zune players are limited to US and Canada and now Brits can use the Zune software to play Zune music. Well sorta. You gotta make some changes to your system to trick the software into thinking you are in the US. And you cannot stream musci probably because of music rights issues still but you can pay for those services now with your british credit card and Microsoft Points I suppose.

Microsoft allows brits to access zune pass – The Inquirer

STILL ASPIRING MUSIC MOGOL Microsoft is bringing its all you can eat music service, Zune Pass, to the UK.

The service, which is a rival to Apple’s Itunes and Amazon’s MP3 store, has until now been limited, like its Zune music player, to the US. Now users here in Blighty are able to sign up for the service, which promises “unlimited access to music” for a fixed monthly fee.

Verizon drops prices on Microsoft Kin Phones

Microsoft No Responses »

Jun 292010

Hey maybe now I can afford a KIN. It seems I was right and the KIN phones are a bit to expensive so Verizon has taken the early lead and dropped the prices on the Zune enabled phones. I can only say that now I can consider owning one of these feature rich Windows 7 phones and I suppose I may have to head over to the Verizon store for some updates on exactly what this will cost me with the Zune Pass and data plans.

I really wish mobile phone companies would offer better rates on data plans and that the KIN phones were less expensive to own. If the prices were right I think I would have one for myself and one for my wife but its hard to justify switching carriers just to have a new phone no matter how long I have waited for the design and features that the KIN Phone offer. I really liked the Sidekick phones and KIN was supposed to be the next generation but the price points seemed a bit steep in comparison to available competitors. Maybe now some others will see the value in Kin phones and they will start to pick up in sales.

Sadly I really think they missed the boat with the branding of these and they should just drop Kin and rejuvenate the Zune line but if I had my way the Zune would not have been an also ran in the media device market anyway.

TECHNOLOGY – Verizon Wireless Slashes Microsoft Kin Prices

Verizon decided to lower the prices of the youth-oriented social-networking phones as the device could generate scant attention since its launch and the sales were below par. The Kin was designed to target a similar demographic as the Sidekick but could not hold on in the wake of iPhones and other smartphones that don’t cost any more per month and offer the ability to run thousands of applications.

KIN with Zune Pass subscription music on your mobile phone

Zune Pass No Responses »

May 052010

Details are being released about the subscription plan for Kin Windows Mobile phone with the Zune Pass music subscription included and the prices are going to be rather steep for a kids phone. Microsoft has been pushing the Kin phones as made for the tweens or teens demographic who are so into social media features such as those built into the new Windows 7 Mobile OS.

The only problem we see is that the Kin phones are going to be way to expensive for the average American teenager no matter how much they love their mobile devices. I think in this tough economy having a phone that will cost a minimum of $70 per month and as much as $100 is going to be to much for parents to cover. If they want to make these phones as popular as competing devices they really should offer a lower cost plan in the $40 range or this thing will be reserved for rich kids who probably already have a phone on their parents company or family plan.

Want a Kin with Zune Pass? That will be $85 plus taxes each month | ZDNet

Verizon may have killed off the Kin devices before they even get going with standard smartphone data pricing of $29.99 per month plus a minimum $39.99 voice plan requirement. Then if you want to take advantage of the Zune Pass integration you will have to pay another $15 per month to Microsoft (not handled through carrier billing). That is $85 per month, not counting taxes and fees that will most likely put you over $90 per month for a single Kin device.

Check out the Zune Kin Phones at Kin.com

Zune Phone No Responses »

Apr 132010

Microsoft has announced the long awaited results of the “Project Pink” efforts to revamp their position in the mobile market and the first Windows phones to be released are targeted at tweens and teens who are avid users of social media. Kin Phones, which can be seen in detail at Kin.com, come in two models the Kin One and of course Kin Two and these are not Thing One and Thing Two. These are good looking phones and they seem to be the perfect phone for teenage children who use popular social networks such as MySpace, Twitter and Facebook.

The KIN phones feature easy to use high res cameras for capturing HD photos and videos and posting them to your social network with a few flicks of the finger on the multitasking touch screen devices. The new Windows Phones run a custom GUI which integrates Zune media player and according to the Zune Facebook page we will be able to stream Zune Pass music to our phones from anywhere as long as you have minutes on your plan I suppose.

What data plans and cost the new Kin phones have are still to be announced but if they want to compete Microsoft will have to come in cheap if they want the new Zune enabled phones to be a hit with the kids when you consider it is most likely their parents who will be making the contract commitments and monthly bill payments.

Zune – It’s a Revolutionary Gadget!

Zune No Responses »

Apr 062010

In the recent days, Microsoft has managed to release its latest Zune. With the release Microsoft has managed to combine the cloud computing method with the digital media successfully. Microsoft was looking for some of the most enhanced entertainment value so that it can offer the customers one of the most striking aspects. This time Microsoft has collected things easily, gently, successfully and professionally. Well, it’s the Apple on the other hand is making iPods with larger capacities. However, Microsoft has proved that the size of the hard drive doesn’t matter with the release of Zune. Well, it’s the ability to access songs and movies that exactly matters and with Zune people can get the right access for their favorite songs and movies from anywhere, anytime. It’s a kind of promise the Zune has delivered for its customers.

So, how exactly Zune and cloud computing works! In order to get the full details we need to understand what exactly the cloud is computing? Cloud computing is all about a general term for anything which is involved in the delivering process of hosted services on the Internet. A cloud service is what that will be sold on demand of the user. On the other hand users can get little of such services. All customers require is the personal computer and the Internet access for it in order to the right service.

So, applying such concept for Zune was a revolution. You can see that the hosted services in the Zune marketplace, which is exactly higher in numbers. More than six millions songs and music videos along with the podcasts, the Zune marketplace is going high on demand. This marketplace is also loaded with standard and high definition movies.

The Zune users can get straight access for these unique and in demand contents for just $14.99 per month. The Zune pass is also there to bring you access for more music. You can now eat music buffet easily!

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Zune 4.5 firmware coming zune

Zune Firmware No Responses »

Mar 302010

Microsoft details Zune 4.5, still mute on 64GB Zune HD

Microsoft is planning to release the free Zune 4.5 firmware update sometime in the next few weeks. The company confirmed four new features the update will include: Smart DJ on Zune HD, Picks on Zune HD, music browsing and streaming from Zune Marketplace on your TV, and expanded video codec support.

The Zune software currently has two music recommendation features: Picks and Smart DJ (added last fall). As expected, both are coming to the Zune HD device as well. Users will be able to choose a song or artist from their collection or from the Zune Marketplace catalog and then hit the Smart DJ icon to build a new mix based on their selection. If you have a Zune Pass subscription, music will be pulled from the Zune Marketplace catalog as well as your collection. For Picks, the algorithm analyzes what you listen to and compares that to millions of other Zune users to make personalized recommendations. These automatic recommendations will available directly on the Zune HD device as well as the Zune software.

Anybody who gets a Windows Phone 7 Series phone is going to get a Zune within that device

Windows Phone No Responses »

Feb 212010

Microsoft phone system hits reset on digital music | Reuters

To date, Microsoft’s effort to address the digital music market has largely focused on its Zune player and Zune Pass subscription service, which have won favorable reviews but few customers. But with the recent unveiling of its Windows Phone 7 Series operating system at the Mobile World Congress conference in Barcelona, Microsoft hopes to reboot its struggling digital music strategy.

Even the well-received Zune HD device, introduced last fall, hasn’t been enough to convince music fans to convert to the Zune Pass. The company says it has sold only 3.8 million players since 2006, and NPD Group estimated in November that it has a 2 percent share of the U.S. portable media player market, compared with 70 percent for Apple’s iPod.

So Microsoft has made it a priority to expand the Zune service to other platforms. In November, it added the Zune’s video service to its Xbox Live network, consisting of more than 20 million worldwide users of the Xbox 360 gaming console. Since then, Zune communications director Jose Pinero says the number of daily HD video downloads and streams has doubled. Now, Microsoft plans to use its Windows Phone 7 platform to bring Zune to mobile customers.

“Anybody who gets a Windows Phone 7 Series phone is going to get a Zune within that device,” Pinero says.

Microsoft working on disappearing Zune Pass music issue

Zune Pass No Responses »

Feb 192010

Microsoft seems aware of the disappearing Zune music issues many of us have faced and they seem to be addressing it as best they can. Zune Marketplace has shown a significant decrease in the number of songs available on the Zune Pass music subscription service because of issues related to the licensing of music.

Microsoft has hired a new firm to manage their content license and music rights acquisitions and industry insiders claim they are making a wise move if they intend on keeping the music subscription service rolling forward in to the new Windows Mobile Phones programs.

Microsoft hires new firm for Zune Pass | MP3 Insider – CNET Reviews

In what is likely a reaction to recent complaints of disappearing music in the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft has hired an outside firm to help clear music for its Zune Pass subscription service.

In an announcement today, Music Reports Inc. revealed an agreement made with Microsoft to “administer the music publishing licensing and royalty accounting for the Zune Pass subscription service in the United States.”

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