Yesterday I had a meeting w/ James, the Zune release manager and he spilled the beans on the next firmware update. In Mid March, we’re going to release Zune Firmware Update 1.3.  Here’s what’s in the update:

• We’re fixing the skipping problem that some users were experiencing – that is, content acquired from Zune Marketplace will no longer skip when played on the device.


• Improved device and software reliability, when it comes to device detection, and improved sync’ing.


• We’ve made some changes to the FM Tuner so it no longer drains the battery when in sleep mode.

Now, for the inevitable question, “When is the *next* update coming?” or the corollary, “When do I get (insert ‘podcasting’ or another feature here)?” No specifics yet, but again, the dev team is always working on making Zune better. As we get closer to knowing what’s coming out and when, I’ll make sure and post. Also, know that some folks on the Zune team (including the Zune release manager) are reading this blog, and reading your comments. Thanks to everybody who has chimed in with ideas and suggestions (Cesar looks at John W, Tom, T, Swanlee, Rhett, and everyone who commented in yesterday’s post). You rock High five!

The specific date I heard on 1.3 was March 20, but let me double check w/ the team and get back to everybody.

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