22Moo intros 11+ new video eyewear products
Posts with tag argo
Zune revealed by FCC as "Toshiba 1089"
[Via MobileWhack; thanks Sandeep]
Zune: what we know, think we know, and don't yet know
What we know (for sure)
- Zune is the name of the project, the brand, and the device.
- The first Zune device will be launched this year, with more devices to come in 2007.
- The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a music, movie, and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music will be the first angle of service that is launched, "connected entertainment" being the ultimate goal.
- The Zune media service will heavily leverage community aspects and recommendation; emphasis is being placed on using Zune to discover new artists, media, etc.
- The Zune media device will be drive-based, and have WiFi.
- The Zune brand is intended to be an entirely vertically integrated end-to-end solution, not unlike the iPod / iTunes / iTunes Music Store triumvirate.
- The service and device will not be PlaysForSure compliant, meaning you will not be able to use your Zune player with Napster or Vongo, for example. This will be an entirely new system. Microsoft will continue to support and develop for their PlaysForSure initiative, but all things PlaysForSure are handled by two entirely separate division that will not have any crossover.
- Zune is under Microsoft's new Entertainment & Devices Division, and is headed by, among others, Robbie Bach, J Allard (Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect), and Bryan Lee (Corporate Vice President and CFO, Entertainment and Devices Division), which accounts for the division of this project from the rest of Microsoft, similar to how the Xbox project was also strictly separated.
- The logo we had is, of course, real.
- Microsoft's launched the Zune viral marketing site, ComingZune.com. [Thanks, bv]
- They'll be showing off the device by the end of next month, and will aim for a November release.
- Microsoft will buy your way out of iTunes in order to convert you to a Zune user.
- The Zune will come in multiple colors.
- Pyxis is the codename for their nano competitor which would also include video capabilities; Alexandria is the codename for the software that powers the Zune experience.
- A Microsoft portable gaming system is in the works, and will be a part of the Zune family. This device should have Xbox Live Anywhere integration. This may or may not be an Xbox co-branded portable, but is probably going to be the portable gaming / media device we've been hearing about for years.
- Microsoft's ad campaign will include a Super Bowl commercial.
- The Zune will have a bevy of accessories at launch; it'll probably be cheaper for accessory makers to develop for the Zune port than pay the Made For iPod tax.
- Whether the Zune media service will offer the same kind of all-you-can-eat subscription media services as PlaysForSure media services like Napster and Vongo. Supposedly subscription will be offered, but downplayed in favor of song purchase (which is the opposite of most PlaysForSure services).
- Whether you'll actually only be limited to sharing with up to 10 people nearby, as rumored, and that they won't get the protected files, but will "bookmark" them for later purchase.
- Exact device specifications for the first Zune device, as well as its price (though we hear it could be as much as $399).
- Whether it'll include XM and/or Sirius service as rumored (we doubt it).
Microsoft's Argo, Pyxis, Zune and Alexandria -- confused yet?
But wait, there's more... Zune deets
For a product that Microsoft hasn't even officially confirmed, there sure is a whole lot of Zune info to be getting on with. The latest leaks are from Digital Music News, who has been reviewing some of the presentation material that Microsoft shared with top-level execs of partner companies. The biggest detail that they've unveiled is that the Zune will indeed be basing its social networking capabilities on Microsoft's Live Anywhere platform. Not an incredibly huge surprise, given the functions we've already heard described and the Xbox roots of the device, but it should give the Zune a good boost in the direction of its 18-28 year old demographic, which Microsoft claims will skew a bet younger than that of the iPod. The social aspects, including that trusty friends list from Xbox Live, is purportedly taking some cues from MySpace, which seems to go beyond the functions we spied at our E3 demo of Live Anywhere. DMN also reveals that the 30GB Zune will have the "same pricing, look and feel as the 60GB iPod," which was $399 the last time we checked. That, of course, is the same price as an Xbox 360 Platinum, which might put the hurt on the cashflow of their younger target demographic. As rumored, the Zune should come in three colors, and that round button is indeed a scroll wheel to work the menus. WiFi functionality will be able to share music with up to 10 friends in a close-range peer to peer fashion, but to share a protected track your friend will have to "bookmark" the song for purchasing later. The player will be incompatible with other PlaysForSure services, focusing, we suppose, exclusively on their URGE store. There's still no word on non-DRMed MP3 sharing, but the outlook isn't good. Microsoft is aiming for a November release in the US, to be followed by a global launch next year. We would promise you more info as the release looms nearer, but we're not sure what else we could say.Think Secret dishes on Zune, future iPods
Apple rumor site Think Secret has been busy chatting it up with all those company insiders whom Misters Jobs and Gates would love to get their rich and powerful hands on, and turned those leaks into an article which dispels some of the recently-circulating iPod rumors, along with providing a few more tantalizing deets about Microsoft's upcoming "iPod killer." For starters, it looks like we shouldn't be expecting the "true" video iPod until at least the annual MacWorld Expo in January -- though larger capacity 5G 'Pods may arrive in the interim -- and apparently the long-rumored iPhone also won't be coming anytime soon, as that project has reportedly been put on hold for the foreseeable future. Furthermore, when the 6G iPod is finally released, it will likely lack both the wireless capabilities and talking interface that some people have been anticipating; Apple is said to believe that the former feature would have too much of an impact on battery life, while the latter would only feed what's seen as a marginal consumer demand. Finally, Microsoft's so-called Zune -- which is rumored to sport WiFi for communicating with MTV's Urge service -- may also come equipped with a powerful 400MHz processor suitable for gaming, as well as a built in tuner for receiving satellite radio broadcasts. Obviously all this info is just speculation from unnamed sources for now, but if the Zune does end up duping your iTunes tracks, playing high-quality games, and giving you access to Sirius or XM on the go, then Apple may be facing its first real marketplace battle in the iPod's brief but influential existence.Zune to get Super Bowl XLI commercial?
Either Microsoft has never had a Super Bowl commercial, or they've wasted some serious cash on mega-expensive advertising that no one -- at least not at Engadget HQ, anyway -- can seem to recall being aired in recent memory. Looks like that could soon change though; amidst all this hype about the Zune / Argo / Xboy / Microsoft portable media player / whatever the hell it's called, we've received word that Microsoft may be taking this effort all the way to the end zone. According to Digital Music News, the Zune could be starring in a Super Bowl XLI commercial in 2007, which would, of course display the company's commitment to the project initiative -- as well as giving it the kiss of death. Remember what happened to the last prominently placed portable media player to get some Super Bowl commercial action? Yeah, barely, right?Microsoft approaches iPod accessory makers for Zune
-(custom).jpg){kind=logo}
It was inevitable: we get confirmation that the Zune is for real, and now Microsoft is already tapping into the device accessories market. They don't have to go far to find a slew of companies ready and willing to pop out goodies for their new DAP; it's presumably as simple as calling up the folks who make accessories for that other portable music player. iLounge has it that apparently the Zune will feature a proprietary expansion port not so different in function from the iPod's dock connector, and Microsoft is reportedly offering contracts which would allow partners to officially accessorize at a lower rate than Apple's "Made for iPod" program. It was fairly obvious that Zune's release would spark another Mac vs. PC embroilment, so it's no surprise Microsoft is likely covering their bases and making sure their own accessory lineup is ready.
Microsoft's media player dubbed Zune
Microsoft's "Argo" / Xbox wireless portable media player
Microsoft DAP said to be part of Xbox-branded product lineup
[Via Joystiq]
