NerdBoyTV TIP: Microsoft Zune Media Player for $50

"TigerDirect is sweetening its offer of a refurbished Zune 4GB with an FM transmitter and charger, a dashboard grip pad, and a leather carrying case--all for $50 (you can find the new MP3 player by itself at Amazon for over $100).

Microsoft announced that it will discontinue the original line of Zune players in favor of the Zune HD, but we've always liked the wireless syncing, audio quality, and built-in FM tuner of the earlier Zune players."

Here's the sale: GO TigerDirect

Zune HD gets Facebook app, finally

READ MP3 Insider - CNET Reviews: "In what can only be described as the most anticlimactic app release known to mankind, the Facebook app for Zune HD is now available. Originally promised to arrive by the end of 2009, the fabled Zune HD Facebook app has maintained a Yeti-like elusiveness.

Was it worth the wait? Not hardly. An app would need to lay laser-shooting golden eggs to be worth six months of prolonged anticipation. Fortunately, just like Microsoft's Twitter app (which actually arrived in December), the Facebook app is free to download and contains no advertising.

Like any Facebook app worth its salt, the new Zune HD app can update your status, and view profiles, posts, photos, and videos. Users can also send a receive messages through the app.

One neat little extra feature, made just for Zune HD users, is the ability to set your Facebook status to the currently playing song by tapping the Zune logo to the left of the status box.

To download the app for yourself, visit the Zune Marketplace app store within the Zune desktop software, or download the app directly to your Zune HD using the integrated Marketplace menu."

Windows Phone 7: Out with the old, in with the Zune

Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "Microsoft gets itself right back into the mobile game, tossing out its old, tricky-to-use Windows Mobile interface and starting fresh with a sleek, touchscreen UI modeled closely on that of the Zune HD. The new design looks great, with the first WP7 phones set to arrive during the holidays.

Microsoft unveiled Windows Phone 7 Series (that's the official name) at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona today, and as rumored, we're talking a complete revamp of Windows Mobile. Gone are the PC-like pull-down menus that required a stylus; instead, now there's a clean, elegant series of touchable 'tiles' that you can tap, swipe, and rearrange as you like, along with slick animated menus that'll be familiar to anyone who's ever tried the recent Zune HD.

During its presentation Monday, Microsoft reps demoed the new platform on prototype hardware, and no specific Windows Mobile 7 handsets were announced; that said, Microsoft says that phone manufacturers ranging from LG and Samsung to HTC and Sony Ericsson have jumped on the WM7 bandwagon—so no, that (ugly) 'Turtle' phone that got leaked over the weekend won't be the only handset running the Windows Mobile 7 OS.

Meanwhile, all four of the big U.S. carriers have 'committed' to offering WP7 handsets 'at launch,' Microsoft execs promised, with AT&T set to provide 'unique software and services' for the new phones.

But while we didn't get to see any actual, upcoming handsets Monday (we'll have to until the holiday season before the first Windows Phones devices arrive), we still got an eyeful with the WM7 interface, and yes, it's a quantum leap over Windows Mobile 6."

Microsoft replays Zune design for phone comeback

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Apple Inc. rocked the wireless business by combining the functions of a phone and an iPod. Now, more than two years later, Microsoft Corp. has its comeback: phone software that works a lot like its own Zune media player.

The software, which was unveiled Monday at the Mobile World Congress, is a dramatic change from previous generations of the software that used to be called Windows Mobile. But Microsoft is, for now, sticking to its model of making the software and selling it to phone manufacturers, rather than making its own phones.

Microsoft's mobile system powered 13.1 percent of smart phones sold in the U.S. last year, according to research firm In-Stat. That made it No. 3 after Research In Motion Ltd.'s BlackBerry and the iPhone. But Microsoft has been losing market share while Apple and Google Inc.'s Android gained.

All the while, the market is becoming increasingly important. People are spending more and more time on their phones, and the devices steer people to potentially lucrative Web services and ads.

Phones with the new software will be on the market by the holidays, Microsoft said. All four major U.S. carriers will offer phones, just as they sell current Windows phones.

The new ones won't be called "Zune phones," as had been speculated. The software will be called "Windows Phone 7 series."

Forrester Research analyst Charles Golvin said the new software looked promising, but that it was also Microsoft's "final chance to get it right." He notes that those who have current Windows phones don't seem excited about the brand — many of them believe their phones are made by Apple or Nokia Corp., according to his firm's research.

CNET Prizefight: Zune HD vs. iPod Touch 3G

Once again, CNET does an excellent (and thorough) job of reviewing gadgets—this time, a prizefight extravaganza between the Zune HD and the iPod Touch 3G. Excellent review!

PCMag: Zune HD vs. iPod touch

The Zune HD sure looks pretty, though I've always had my eye on the iPod Touch 30 or 60 gig. Now that I have Christmas money to spend, what to buy? What to buy? ;-)

SlashGear VIDEO: Zune HD User Interface Walkthrough

Oh, watchout iPod Touch...this is hecka serious NOW! I want one, dammit!

Old MP3 players that are still worth buying

MP3 Insider - CNET Reviews: "There was a time in the history of MP3 players when new models were clearly superior to hardware that had been on the shelf a few years. If you were one of the unfortunate souls who bought an iPod Photo a few months before the iPod Video came out, you know exactly what I mean.

These days, the MP3 and portable video player landscape has hit a plateau of sorts. Sure, you've got your iPod Touch and Zune HD out there to keep things interesting, but for the others, features such as sound quality, format compatibility, screen size, and capacity have stayed relatively unchanged over the past few years. In fact, when it comes to storage capacity, your choices are more limited today then they were a few years ago--back when the hard drive was still king."

Zune HD up for preorder, more colors soon

via MP3 Insider - CNET Reviews

"The Microsoft Zune HD portable media player is officially available for preorder today. Outlets ranging from Best Buy, Walmart, Amazon, and Microsoft itself are taking preorders on a black version of the 16GB Zune HD, or a silver version of the 32GB model. As Tuesday's pricing leak suggested, the players are retailing for $219 (16GB) and $289 (32GB). Preorders of the Zune HD are expected to arrive on September 15, the same day we expect they'll hit store shelves.

Also on sale today is the Zune HD AV Dock, which allows you to connect the player to your television or home entertainment center and output videos and menus at 720p HD resolution. The dock retails for $89 and includes an HDMI cable, power adapter, and a remote control."

Best non-iPod MP3 players for Mac

Best non-iPod MP3 players for Mac - CNET Reviews: "Connecting a non-iPod MP3 player to a Mac computer may sound like heresy to some Apple lovers, but for those Mac users who dare to 'Think Different,' there's a whole world of alternative MP3 players out there for the taking.

Not all MP3 players play nice with Mac, however. Several popular MP3 players marketed to PC users (such as the Microsoft Zune or the Creative Zen) use a connection standard called MTP that only responds to Windows-based computers. For an MP3 player to be Mac-compatible, it needs to show up on your Mac's desktop as a generic USB hard drive (also called UMS or MSC compatibility). It's not too hard to come across an MP3 player capable of connecting as a generic USB hard drive, but finding one worthy of replacing an iPod is tougher than you'd think.

Each of the following six players offers something special that no iPod has yet to match. Whether it's the audio quality of the Sony Walkman, the unbeatable price of the Sansa Clip, or the dazzling file format support of both Cowon and Archos, Mac users looking to dip their toes in non-Apple waters have plenty of incentive."

CNET: Hands-on with the Zune HD

CNET News' Ina Fried got an up close look at the touchscreen Zune HD that Microsoft plans to ship this fall.

Why Microsoft, labels cling to music subscriptions

Why Microsoft, labels cling to music subscriptions | Digital Media - CNET News

"For anybody wondering why Microsoft and the top record labels continue to promote subscription music services, the answer was revealed Thursday.

David Ring, executive vice president of business development for Universal Music Group's digital arm, said at the EconMusic Conference that the recording industry simply can't sustain itself with download sales alone.

'If what we're trying to do is one-by-one downloads...that's not a business that can grow,' Ring told conference attendees during panel discussion he participated in. 'It won't be healthy for the industry.'

Prior to Ring's statement, Chris Stephenson, an executive in Microsoft's entertainment unit, was ballyhooing the progress made in Zune's subscription service. Zune is the digital music player that Microsoft launched in November 2006 to compete with Apple's iPod. This is also the device that saw a 54 percent decline in sales for the fourth quarter of 2008."

Microsoft "committed" to the Zune despite plunging sales

Microsoft "committed" to the Zune despite plunging sales : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"If cats have nine lives, the Zune must be on its tenth or eleventh by now. Latest example: Zune revenue took a 54 percent swan dive last quarter, yet Microsoft—which is in the midst of slashing 5,000 jobs, mind you—seems determined to keep its stalled MP3 player around.

PaidContent.org dug up Microsoft's latest quarterly filings and found that Zune revenue plummeted $100 milllion—a devastating 54 percent drop 'reflecting a decrease in device sales,' according to the company's 10-Q filing.

As PaidContent notes, dismal numbers like those—in times like these—are usually the harbingers of doom, especially given the news that Microsoft will shed 5,000 jobs after missing its numbers last quarter."

Microsoft: Reports of Zune's death greatly exaggerated

Microsoft: Reports of Zune's death greatly exaggerated : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech

"The still-struggling Zune—hardware and all—isn't going anywhere, Microsoft execs told Wired this week, despite some recent speculation to the contrary.

A Zune spokesman told Wired blogger (and my former colleague at CNET) Eliot Van Buskirk that 'we're not getting out of the hardware business at all,' and that Microsoft remains 'deeply committed' to the Zune—and yes, that includes the boxy HDD- and flash-based hardware players.

Speculation about the Zune spiked after this Financial Times story, in which Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says that we "should not anticipate" a Zune phone (no, really?) and that Redmond (as the FT paraphrases) "would stick to its strategy of developing software to support a range of mobile devices."

The Financial Times story then goes on, noting that Ballmer "seemed all but ready to throw in the towel on the Zune mobile device" during his CES keynote, and speculating that "if there is a future for Zune, it lies in planting the software and online service linked to the player in other devices."

Microsoft posts fix for Zune "Z2K" bug, but problems persist

Microsoft posts fix for Zune "Z2K" bug, but problems persist : Ben Patterson : Yahoo! Tech: "Looks like the majority of 30GB Zunes hit by the embarrassing leap-year bug are working again, but at least a fraction of Zune users are still sans tunes.

Microsoft posted its fix—which involved letting the battery of the frozen player drain completely, and then starting it again after 7 a.m. EST on New Year's Day—on Wednesday afternoon, several hours after an avalanche of Zune users reported that their players had seized up."

Apple iPod Nano vs. Microsoft Zune

Apple iPod Nano vs. Microsoft Zune - CNET Prizefight - CNET Reviews

"You know it's going to be a heated MP3-player battle when you pit an iPod against its sworn enemy: the Zune. Apple and Microsoft have released very similar-looking products this season, which only fuels the need for this prizefight.

In one corner, we have the fourth-generation iPod Nano, with its curved design, built-in tilt sensor, and iTunes software. In the other corner, we have the flash-based Zune, packing Wi-Fi, subscription music, and a killer RDS FM radio. Still, despite some clear differences, both players share many things in common (including their prices).

Without wasting another second, let's toss these two tiny MP3 players into the ring and see who prevails after the five brutal rounds of our CNET Prizefight."

Updated Zunes, iPods make choice harder

Review: Updated Zunes, iPods make choice harder - Yahoo! News

"The Zune has a long way to go to become a threat to the iPod. But it is getting closer.

With updated Zunes and new iPods hitting the market in the past week, I spent some time with each: a black-on-black version of Microsoft Corp.'s music and video player and a bright red model of Apple Inc.'s iPod Nano. And it became clear that there are a few things Apple can learn from the Zune — though not surprisingly, Microsoft might want to take some notes as well."