Muted welcome for Microsoft Zune
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Microsoft's Zune will have to work very hard to unseat the dominance of Apple's iPod and iTunes say industry experts.
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Correcting a translation error that sparked a number of reports stating Microsoft planned to release its Zune portable music player in Europe, but not until 2008, the company now says it has no set timeframe. The confusion came in a response Steve Ballmer made to a German magazine.
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Microsoft plans to release an update to the firmware of its Zune music player in mid-March, remedying several issues including skipping. However, the update does not include any support for direct video downloading or podcasts just yet.
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Are the devices in this picture interesting enough to make you buy a Zune instead of an iPod?
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Microsoft&#39;s effort to send a message to Apple via legions of iPod users isn&#39;t quite as elaborate as RealNetworks&#39; Freedom of Music Choice campaign, but the gist is the same.
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Microsoft's official unveiling of the Zune Thursday received mixed reviews from the tech faithful. While many seemed to generally give a positive nod to Zune's feature set, the Redmond company's odd choice of brown as a launch color seemed to grab the most attention.
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Microsoft appears to be looking for new ways to tie Windows Mobile phones and Zune media players together, although a Zune phone remains unlikely.Over the weekend, Microsoft developer &quot;Mel&quot; asked an open question on the Windows Mobile blog: &quot;What are some ways the Zune player and a Windows Mobile device can work better together?&quot;Since then,&#160;more than&#160;50 commenters have suggested ways that Microsoft might converge the two devices. The most common idea is to essentially replace the Windows Media Player on Windows Mobile devices with Zune software.&quot;I proposed that WMP should be fazed out in favor of a combined WMP/Zune player which will synch with both Windows Media AND Zune, instead of having to have two separate apps with two different libraries for each device,&quot; wrote one commenter using the name Colin Walker.Peter Henning, another commenter, also suggested making just one media player that works on both devices. &quot;Currently you are just making our lives much more difficult with this parallel development and incompatibilities,&quot; he wrote.A single media player would solve some of the problems that other users complained about in syncing music between a Windows Mobile phone and a Zune. Another commenter going by the name Charlie Quidnunc noted that he has to create new playlists once he transfers music from Zune to his phone because Windows Media Player can&#39;t read Zune playlists.Another complained that he can&#39;t transfer music that he downloaded under his Zune subscription plan to his Windows Mobile device because of DRM restrictions.Offering Zune software on Windows Mobile phones could be one simple way for Microsoft to converge the two, said Michael Gartenberg, a research director with Jupiter Research. &quot;There are any number of ways that Microsoft could go about Zune integration. We might see a Zune application for Windows Mobile devices.&quot;But what we most likely won&#39;t see is a Zune phone, despite many Zune phone rumors. &quot;On one hand, the Zune is a closed proprietary system not built around a partner ecosystem,&quot; Gartenberg noted. &quot;On the other hand, the phone business is built on a partner ecosystem.&quot; Microsoft develops the Windows Mobile software, but hardware makers build the phones. By contrast, Microsoft develops the hardware and software for the Zune.If Microsoft started making a Zune phone, it would compete with its phone hardware partners. &quot;It&#39;s the same reason we don&#39;t see a Microsoft-branded PC,&quot; he said.On the Windows Mobile blog, &quot;Mel&quot; emphasized that wasn&#39;t looking for more suggestions of a Zune phone. &quot;I&#39;m not referring to an imaginary &#39;Zune phone,&#39; and I&#39;m certainly not hinting or speculating about a converged device,&quot; he wrote.Building a better music playing experience into Windows Mobile will be important for Microsoft, which is increasingly trying to make Windows Mobile phones appeal to consumers and not just business users. &quot;For the most part, Windows Mobile has ignored consumers,&quot; Gartenberg said.Microsoft recently announced plans to buy Danger, the developer of mobile phone software that runs the youth-oriented Sidekick device from T-Mobile. Microsoft has also made some executive changes in the Windows Mobile group designed to better focus on consumers.
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By Benjamin J. Romano, The Seattle Times  Sep. 14--Microsoft this morning officially unveiled Zune, its entry in  the portable digital music and entertainment market dominated by Apple  Computer's iPod and iTunes.
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The software maker won't replace tracks bought on iTunes as rumors suggested, but the Zune will come in a unique color.
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Microsoft has sent a letter to buyers of its pink Zune, because the special edition player may not arrive in time for Valentine's Day.
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Buy.com has the Zune Home AV Kit, normally $99.99, for $19.99 plus shipping. It connects any Zune model to a TV or stereo receiver.
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The Microsoft music player's much-ballyhooed wireless sharing feature only makes sense if you can locate other users. But the gadget's earliest adopters can't seem to find each other. In Listening Post.
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Microsoft today unveiled details of its highly anticipated Zune media player in the latest bid to rival Apple's iTunes/iPod combination.
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(InfoWorld) - The first Microsoft Corp. Zune products will hit U.S. retailers in time for the busy Christmas holiday season, with a 30G-byte digital media player and a Zune Marketplace online service the first to reach consumers, Microsoft said Thursday. The details of what Microsoft is offering with its Zune product line -- which will compete with Apple Computer Inc.'s iPod device and iTunes software and service -- sound similar to what Apple already offers, with a couple of exceptions. In addition to allowing users to play music, videos and photos on a screen, the Zune player will include wireless technology and a built-in FM radio tuner. So far, iPods lack either radio tuners or built-in wireless technology. Zune's wireless technology will allow users to share songs, playlists and photos between Zune devices, Microsoft said. A user can listen to any song they receive up to three times over three days, after which they must purchase it from the Zune Marketplace if they wish to continue listening. The Zune Marketplace, like iTunes, allows users to purchase media and manage their own media libraries. Users can purchase music tracks individually or buy what is called a "Zune Pass," a subscription service allowing users to download as many songs as they want for a monthly fee. The Zune device will come in three colors -- black, brown and white. In addition to viewing media on the 3-inch screen, users also can customize the screen with personal photos or themes, Microsoft said. In another deviation from Apple's plan, Zune devices will come preloaded with content from record labels. Labels that are teaming with Microsoft to provide music for the players include TS, EMI Musicâs Astralwerks Records and Virgin Records, Ninja Tune, Playlouderecordings, Quango Music Group, Sub Pop Records and V2/Artemis Records. After months of speculation, Microsoft confirmed in July that it was developing a music player and service to rival Apple's iPod and iTunes. If other attempts to unseat the iPod are any indication, Microsoft will have a tough road ahead. Recently, Dell Inc.Â stopped selling its DJ Ditty music player on its Web site and ended development of its own line of music players. Still, iPod market share has fallen in the past year, leaving room for rivals in the market. At one point the music player had more than 80 percent market share by analysts estimates, but the latest reports give the iPod a little over 70 percent market share. In addition to the devices and the online service, Microsoft also will offer three Zune accessory backs that will be sold separately and will be available at the same time as the Zune devices. The Zune Car Pack includes a built-in FM tuner with AutoSeek and the Zune Car Charger. The Zune Home A/V Pack includes five products that integrate Zune with a television and music speakers: Zune AV Output Cable, Zune Dock, Zune Sync Cable, Zune AC Adapter and the Zune Wireless Remote for Zune Dock. And the Zune Travel Pack offers five products for traveling with the Zune device: Zune Premium Earphones, Zune Dual Connect Remote, Zune Gear Bag, Zune Sync Cable and the Zune AC Adapter. Like Apple, Microsoft also is working with accessory manufacturers to provide more add-on products for Zune devices. Among the companies with whom Microsoft is teaming are Altec Lansing, Belkin, Digital Lifestyle Outfitters, Dual Electronics, Griffin Technology, Harman Kardon and JBL, Integrated Mobile Electronics, Jamo International, Klipsch Audio Technologies, Logitech, Monster Cable Products, Speck, Targus Group International and VAF Research.ADVERTISEMENTMAKE SOA REAL WITH IBM WEBSPHERE PODCASTStreamline processes and maximize efficiency within a proven service oriented architecture. Take back control of your business processes with IBM WebSphere.
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Blog: Robbie Bach, President of Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division reveals that 1 million Zune MP3 players have been sold since the product launched last year.
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Yeah, theyâre saying Sonyâs two new players wonât make you deal with that ridiculous SonicStage MP3 to ATRAC converstion stuff anymore, and itâs being reported that the two new players will be among the first to natively support MP3.
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SEATTLE -- Microsoft Corp. slashed $50 from the price of its Zune digital media player Wednesday, the same day Apple Inc. was expected to unveil additions to its market-leading iPod line.