Exclusive Microsoft Zune Details

[SnoopZ]

I've never really had a use for an mp3 player but if i'd had one i'd of wanted to connect it to my car without wires. So when i saw that the new Microsoft Zune comes with intergrated FM transmitter i started thinking i finely had a reason to buy one. I just hope the FM transmitting of MP3 music doesn't ruin the quality! I know you can already get seperate FM transmitters but having it built in is nice.


Source

After lots of quality time groping the Zune like blind man on his wedding night, our people give us the lowdown on the player's functionality. Get the scoop after the jump!

First off, that scroll wheel you see? That's not a wheel. It's just four buttons arranged in a wheel formation. That kinda sucks if you're used to the scroll wheel, but it seems their engineers weren't too fond of it, or Microsoft didn't want to be accused of copying the iPod's wheel. Either way, it's just four buttons.

But like the wheel, the scrolling speeds up the longer you hold down the button. When you're scrolling through songs, there's a large letter that appears in the corner corresponding to the letter of the current song when you're running through your list. It's very similar to the way Windows Media Center works when you're scrolling, if you're familiar with that interface. In fact, the whole interface is quite like MCE 2005, with the semi-transparent fonts and GUI design.

On the back, there's a grip so you can hold the player when you're watching video in landscape mode. There's also some kind of magnetic feature on the back so you can attach the headphones to it. The magnets could be used for some sort of docking or case design—they're still working on that. The bottom has that iPod-like dock connector, while the case itself is plastic and semi-transparent.

The UI itself has white text on colored backgrounds, with lots of textures. This could even be skinnable. While the song is playing, it will display album art or a Windows Media Player-like visualization.

FM support is fairly complete, with both an FM tuner and an FM transmitter so you can beam the music to your car. The FM transmitter also feeds up Song and Artist information so you can see what's playing from your car stereo (if it supports that feature, like in GM cars). Pretty neat.

Two menu options that were disabled were the WiFi, and Capture Settings. We're not sure what the Capture Settings means—maybe recording FM?—but we'll let you know. – Jason Chen

[Graham M]

And then you have to hope that it'll come in line with the new Ofcom legislation or you will see that feature Neutered in the UK version

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Zeph

And then you have to hope that it'll come in line with the new Ofcom legislation or you will see that feature Neutered in the UK version

Yes i was wondering about that, but i saw Pcworld advertising a standalone FM transmitter in a national newspaper yesterday.

[sir_drinks_alot]

ipods rule the zune will never be as good

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by sir_drinks_alot

ipods rule the zune will never be as good

I wouldn't touch an ipod with a barge pole.

[SnoopZ]

Microsoft’s Zune Delivers Connected Music and Entertainment Experience
Built-in wireless technology lets consumers share experiences device to device.

REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 14, 2006 — Marking the next big milestone for its Connected Entertainment vision, Microsoft Corp. today unveiled details of the first products to be released under its Zune™ brand. Designed around the principles of sharing, discovery and community, Zune will create new ways for consumers to connect and share entertainment experiences. The Zune experience centers around connection — connection to your library, connection to friends, connection to community and connection to other devices.

“The digital music entertainment revolution is just beginning,” said J Allard, vice president, design and development, at Microsoft, who is leading the charge for building the family of Zune products. “With Zune, we are not simply delivering a portable device, we are introducing a new platform that helps bring artists closer to their audiences and helps people find new music and develop new social connections.”

Microsoft press release.

Zune Official Screenshots.

I'll probably buy this, just so i can connect it wirelessly to my car, unless others do the same.

[Gareth]

You can do that with iTrip for ipods, or the equivalent for any MP3 player (ebuyer have 'em for a tenner if you already have an MP3 player )

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Gareth

You can do that with iTrip for ipods, or the equivalent for any MP3 player (ebuyer have 'em for a tenner if you already have an MP3 player )

I heard it wasn't good quality, but i really wouldn't know. So i'm interested into whether MS got it right.

[Gareth]

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

i'm interested into whether MS got it right.

I guess there's a first time for everything

[SnoopZ]

Originally Posted by Gareth

I guess there's a first time for everything

[dd2k]

Originally Posted by SnoopZ

I wouldn't touch an ipod with a barge pole.

i would, id smash it with one

[CycoSymz]

Just saw the ZUNE on BBC news...Looks pretty good to me, way better than the Ipod. The wireless link to share files with other Zunes is a great feature.

[Paul]

Microsoft have just announced the pricing for the Zune
BBC

Microsoft's Zune, a rival to Apple's iPod, will cost $249.99 (£134) when it goes on sale on 14 November in the US.

The firm will sell songs from a planned online music store for 99 cents each and will also offer a $14.99 a month subscription service.

"It's not going to be price that really drives people to Zune," said Jupiter analyst Michael Gartenberg.

Microsoft hopes the player's features such as the ability to share music over wi-fi will be its unique selling point.

So that means it will more than likely be £200 here when they release it knowing how the markets usually work Hopefully they will prove me wrong though

[Gareth]

Oh dear, looks like MS have missed the boat with the wireless capabilities of the Zune. It sounded good, but here's what Zune will be capable of...

Originally Posted by engadget.com

A Zune employee by the name of David Caulton thought it'd be worth putting together a cogent explanation of what the Zune wireless connection can and can't do.

You can:

Can search for and find other Zunes nearby.
Can send songs / albums for the 3 x 3 trial. Songs past the three days / listens are deleted at next sync, but catalogued on your PC for record-keeping should you want to purchase them later. No word on whether Microsoft is going to keep track of which files are traded.
You can send and receive image files for "unlimited viewing." (Oh, so copyrighted images aren't worth DRMing?)

You can't:

Connect to the internet.
Download songs directly from the Zune store via WiFi.
Sync to your computer via WiFi.

More info: http://www.engadget.com/2006/10/02/z...hless-for-now/ [engadget.com]

[Stephen]

I knew thats all you would be able to do and thats good enough for me.

Also woohoo 2,000th post