It would have been juicier if Microsoft hadn't announced the fall Zune lineup a day early and gone directly head-to-head with Apple's newly refreshed iPod lineup, but the fact is that if you're in the market for a new player the past 48 hours have delivered a slew of new options. Microsoft concentrated on the software side of the equation with Zune 3.0, but Redmond's players themselves got a WiFi music store, some new games, and Buy From FM, while Apple added in new Genius playlists across the board and updated the iPod nano's form factor and UI. At the high end of the capacity scale, the Zune seems to have the win on paper -- both the Zune 120 and the iPod classic frustratingly top out at 120GB, but the classic's stagnated essentially at the level of the 5.5G video iPod while the Zune 120 carries all the features of its smaller siblings. On top of all that, you have the newly-thinner iPod touch, with all of its browsing, media, gaming, and third-party application features -- and the lost purity of purpose adding all features those entails. That's a ton of choices -- so c'mon, kids, what's it going to be?

Hey, is that the fabled blue flash Zune, all priced up and sitting on a Walmart shelf in Knoxville, Tennessee a whole day before it's scheduled to launch? Indeed it is -- let's hope those rumored LifeCams are pretty spectacular, because we done just scooped every other product Redmond has on tap for tomorrow. You're next, Stevie.

[Thanks, Christian]

Look, we know how hard it is to hold in a secret, so we can sympathize entirely with Fry's on this. While new Zunes and / or features are looking more and more likely for September 9th, said e-tailer has already let slip a few new crucial details about the forthcoming (er, already out) 120GB Zune. For instance, we're looking at a Buy from FM option that enables users to tag sweet jams on the radio for easy purchasing when they arrive back at their PC. Furthermore, we're seeing Device to Cloud, Channels and Games options, all of which are further explained in the links below. In related news, a shockingly blue 8GB flash Zune has also emerged on the very same website (as predicted). Which is awesome if you're really into blue.

Read - 8GB blue Zune, via zunerama
Read - New Zune details, part I
Read - New Zune details, part II

Well, would you look at this. Thanks to the oh-so-disclosing FCC website, we're now seeing drawings of what looks to be 4GB and 8GB versions of Microsoft's forthcoming flash-based Zunes. Sure enough, the pictures match the leaked photos from yesterday to a T, so it shouldn't be long before these things get officially official. Additionally, the documentation includes what appears to be a matching Zune FM transmitter module and dock, which is pictured after the jump for your enjoyment. Hold tight kids, the new Zunes are nearly here.

UPDATE: Looks like these bad boys should also have built-in WiFi (likely 802.11b/g enabled) courtesy of a Marvel 88W8686 chipset.

[Via Technabob, thanks Daniel G.]
Read - Flash-based Zunes in FCC
Read - Zune FM Transmitter in FCC