Microsoft’s incorporation of Zune into its next release of mobile phone software is, to put it mildly, big news for Zune.
Announced at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, the release of Windows Phone 7 Series – the next operating system for Windows mobile phones – includes fully-branded Zune features for music, videos, and podcasts.  Beyond that, [...]

This’ll be an interesting week ahead for me.
I’ll be in Redmond, meeting with Microsoft for the MVP global summit. Most of my time will be with the Zune product team. That is time I value, as this group has always been generous with their time with MVPs. I’m looking forward to that opportunity, and to [...]

Following its tradition of offering expanded color choices for players purchased through its Zune Originals site, Microsoft introduced the color purple as a Zune HD option this week.
Zune players ordered through Zune Originals are priced at $219.99 (16gb) and $289.99 (32gb), and can be engraved with text and/or artwork for an additional $15. A selection [...]

Zune video is now available on Xbox LIVE, with the service rolled out as of Wednesday to 18 countries. (See list of countries below.)
This gives LIVE users access to Zune video marketplace directly from Xbox. It also provides interactive video viewing features such as Party mode, where you interact with up to seven friends through [...]

After a few days of playing with the suite of new games released for Zune HD last week, our forum members are weighing in with their first impressions.
(Got your games yet? Here are instructions for getting the games loaded on your Zune HD.)
These games are a leap forward in quality compared to earlier game releases. Several of [...]

Zune software 4.0 becomes available today, in a significant update timed to coincide with today’s release of the new Zune HD player.
Among the new features: Quickplay (an up-front graphical display of content you’re likely to want to play), Smart DJ (creates playlists based on an artist, track, or album in your collection or in Marketplace), [...]

Hot off the wires, here’s the press release on the new Zune unveilings today. Stay tuned for our Zune HD unboxing and a survey of new software features!
Microsoft Introduces a Powerful New Zune Media Player, PC Software and Online Services
Zune, Microsoft Corp.’s end-to-end digital entertainment service and media player, today announced significant advancements for consumers. [...]

Zune HD arrives with a preloaded promotional video. Those of us who received early review units aren’t able to sync additional content to the Zune HD until the 4.0 firmware gets released on September 15.
As a result, the little promo video is getting a lot of air time in the first pre-reviews and hands-on looks [...]

It’s always hard for me to get a feel for the size of a gadget until it’s in my hands. So it is for the Zune HD.
Sure, I’ve known the dimensions (52.7 x 102.1 x 8.9 mm) and weight (74 grams) of the player for a while.
But I did not appreciate the lightness and compactness [...]

Ah, nothing like an unboxing of a new gadget to make my day. Here’s a video (above) and some pix of the unpackaging of my new 16gb Zune HD. This new player is a joy to hold.
Zune HD is shipping now from Amazon.
Click on any pic below to see the full-sized photo.

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