Anythingbutipod has conducted a series of hardness tests on MP3 player screens.

Using keys, a razor blade, and a carbon steel kitchen knife, Grahm from ABI vividly demonstrates how the Zune’s glass screen is impervious to being scratched.

As Grahm points out, a device’s susceptibility to scratches is determined by the relative hardness of the device material compared to the material it comes in contact with. A hard object will not be scratched by a softer object, and the Mohs hardness scale can be used to classify the relative hardness of different materials.

See the video below, and I’d recommend visiting ABI for the scratch test results on several MP3 players. It just might make you re-think the notion of purchasing a screen protector. These glass screens are tough!

Incipio is clearing out its inventory of accessories for the current generation of Zune players, including their leather cases and the awesome metal slider cases picture above.

You can get your picks from their great selection of cases, for 50% off. And, U.S. shipping is free.

That’s a great deal on some quality cases. (I’m currently using the  Incipio leather flip case on my Zune 80gb player. )

Check out all of their cases and other accessories at myincipio.com. We’ve used many of these accessories from Incipio - you can check our photo reviews in our Accessories Review page.

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Have you accidentally cracked the screen on your Zune 120, 80, or flash player?

It’s not easy to do, with the glass screen, but it can happen.

When I and my fellow MVPs met today with the Zune support team, they mentioned that you can now get your cracked screen replaced by Microsoft. Previously, there was no avenue for doing this outside of do-it-yourself, void-your-warranty projects.

The price is $79.99 which includes shipping, both ways. This service covers replacement of the glass screen, the LCD display, or both.

Contact Microsoft support (877-GET-ZUNE) if you’re in need. It’s available for current Zune models; if you own an original 30GB you’ll have to go the DIY route.

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I am, of course, constrained in what I can share with you from our meetings today in Microsoft’s MVP global summit. Five other Zune MVPs and I spent a full and fascinating day with various members of Microsoft’s Zune team.

I thought I would share, though, a few behind-the-scenes pix from the past day.

As the opening introduction session kicked off, the giant screens displayed some example accomplishments of Zune MVPs this past year. I was late for this section, stuck in my car by I-5’s construction delays. As I neared the convention center, I received a text from my friend Grahm of anythingbutipod.com:

“Dude, you were just on the 20 foot screen on the keynote stage”.

Me: “You can’t be serious!”

Grahm: “Totally, your head was like 4 feet tall.”

Grahm snapped a pic and twittered it. (Thanks, Corrine, for finding that twitter pic!) That was a nice, surprising way to start the conference!

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I’m on the Redmond campus this week for the Microsoft MVP global summit. My meetings with the Zune team are, as usual,  governed by my MVP Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).

While here, though, the Zune team has let me and the other Zune MPVs share with you some information about the Zune.net update rolling out tonight.

I posted earlier about the podcast updates. In addition, the update includes:

- A Zune Social music trivia game. This new feature allows Zune.net forum members to create and post music trivia quizzes. The music referenced in those quizzes is linked into Zune Marketplace, where it can be played or purchased. When you publish a quiz, and when a friend tries your quiz, it shows up in your Recent Activity.

- An RSS feed will now be available for Zune Social forums

The music trivia game is a user-requested feature from the Zune.net forums, and offers a novel way to share music trivia with other forum members. You can see another screenshot here.

Tomorrow is another full day of Zune meetings, most of which will also be under NDA. I’ll share what I can in tomorrow’s posts, though!

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A Zune.net update, to be released in the morning, will provide streaming audio podcasts directly from your web browser.

No client software is required, and this update makes Zune.net - with over 12,000 audio podcasts - one of the web’s largest browser-based podcast libraries. See another screenshot here.

If you choose to download podcasts or subscribe to them, those links open Zune Software to handle those functions.

Zune.net, Zune Marketplace, and Zune Social will be down tonight from 9pm. This is for several updates, as well as in support of a major move of all Zune servers to a new data center.

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Into jazz? Curious about jazz?

Zune site Inside the Circle is having a Jazz 101 contest. All you have to do is go to this post, leave your name or Zunetag, and give your personal opinion about jazz music.

The contest is open until Saturday, February 28th. Prizes include:

• A 4GB Zune Device
• $25 in Microsoft Points
• A 1-year digital subscription to Downbeat Jazz Magazine
• The Downbeat subscription gift (as of now it’s a Count Basie T-shirt)

Enter here!

Well, this has been a interesting, and turbulent, month in the Zune world, with the Microsoft quarterly 10K with Zune sales insights, the layoffs in the Zune team, the redeployment of the Zune software and hardware teams to different divisions, and the Mobile World Congress WinMo announcements.

And, timely enough, I will be in Redmond the week after next, for the annual MVP global summit. This is a highlight of the year for me, and a chance to engage in meaty ways with Microsoft’s teams responsible for Zune software, hardware, user suppport, and social.

As usual, I’ll be wearing my NDA hat. But tell me, Zuners: what are some things I should be looking for, and questions I should be asking, as I interact with the Zune team members (hardware and software) while I’m on campus?

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Microsoft introduced Windows Mobile 6.5 this week and, as expected, the updated operating system for mobile phones incorporates some of the Zune design esthetics.

In particular, WinMo now has a clean home menu that appears to be fashioned after the Zune player user interface.

Debuting at the Mobile world Congress in Barcelona, WinMo 6.5 introduces a brand new “finger-friendly” interface. With a honeycomb layout (pictured) for selecting functions, smartphone users will be able to put those styluses and directional buttons away.

Having used my iPhone for several months, I appreciate some of the clever ways that Microsoft is advancing ease of use. Case in point: Checking for new email or voice-mail messages is probably the most common use I have for my iPhone, and with it I have to go through a series of swipes and icon touches to see a new email or voice-mail message. I do this repeatedly everyday. With WinMo, you can do this with one finger swipe:

“Microsoft has also developed a new way to efficiently use the home screen when it’s locked. If a user gets a new voice mail, for example, a voice mail icon appears on the locked home screen. The user can then press the icon and slide it off the screen. That single move unlocks the phone, launches the voice mail application and starts dialing the voice mailbox. The system works similarly for text messaging and e-mail.” - ComputerWorld.

The update will appear in phones starting in the second half of this year.

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Congratulations to Darkecho, who wins a Zune 16 GB player in our 2009 Zune Guide contest!

This is the first of two 16gb flash players that we’re giving away. For details on how to enter, download our free 2009 Zune Guide, and enter here to win. Good luck!