Rumors of a Zune phone have floated around forever, but we've always thought it would make more sense for Microsoft to start by simply making a Zune player for Windows Mobile -- a plan Steve Ballmer casually confirmed today in an interview with CIO Magazine. Sure, Ballmer's hinted at Zune on WinMo in the past, but those were just hints -- not like today's pronouncement that "the Zune software will also be ported to and be more important not just with the hardware but on the PC, on Windows Mobile devices, etc." That's a pretty solid declaration of things to come, if you ask us -- too bad he didn't give a time frame. Now, about that 360 integration.

[Via WM Power User]

Simmer down folks -- everything is going to be a-okay. Yes, 'tis true -- Microsoft has indeed scheduled for Xbox Live service maintenance and Zune service tweakage to take place at the exact same time this coming Monday, but it's probably not worth losing your mind over. In fact, Major Nelson goes out of his way to affirm that "when [Xbox Live] service returns, you will not have any new features and you will not have the new Xbox experience update." Point being, your Zune Social, Zune.net forums, all of the Zune Marketplace and Xbox Live services will be offline for up to 24 hours (48 hours for the Zune suite) starting at 12:01 PST on September 29th, but don't expect a Zunephone to pop out of your now-forgotten HD DVD add-on when things come back on. Or you can, but we'd be prepared for unprecedented disappointment.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Read - Xbox Live down time
Read - Zune services down time

We've heard it time and time again, but the inner Zune Guy within us refuses to believe Microsoft is really shunning the chance to pump out a handset of its very own. Unfortunately, Lady Luck hasn't done us any favors since the last time this question was posed, as Scott Rockfeld, group product manager for Windows Mobile, recently confirmed that Microsoft has "no plans to build [its] own phone." He continued by adding that "right now [it's] happy to share the limelight." C'mon Scott -- where's that tenacious spirit you had that first day in Redmond? Where's the unrelenting determination to conquer the competition? Where's... oh, never mind.

[Via Pocket PC Thoughts]

You've seen the PR, now check the videos. The zunitedcommunity just posted four introductory videos straight outta Redmond -- three demonstrate the new WiFi Marketplace, buy from FM, and Channel features in the 3.0 firmware while the fourth demonstrates the updated desktop software with new Zune mix, improved Now Playing view, and new Picks view auto-populated to reflect your listening habits. CNET News also had the chance to get some hands-on time courtesy of Zune's Joe Belfiore. Joe confirms that WiFi access to Marketplace only works from hotspots that don't require a browser-based login (duh) while once again hinting at future Xbox and Zune integration since "both stores are based on the same technology." He also confirms that the 3.0 firmware will work with all Zune devices as we expected. Curiously, when asked about accessing your Zune music collection from a phone, Joe responded by saying, "that's another really interesting device that you may someday see us do work on but nothing that we're announcing here today." Funny response since CNET asked him about accessing Zune music from a phone, not a Zune phone. See all five videos after the break.

[Via Zunited, thanks Ryan and Milo]

We've heard Microsoft make vague references for some time about a Zune-like experience involving non-Zune devices (Windows Mobile phones, Xboxen), and it looks like they may be making real moves in that direction. A recent job posting from Redmond for a "Software Development Engineer in Test" calls on someone who "dream[s] about having a mobile phone based entertainment experience powered by a unified entertainment service across devices such as Zune, Xbox and PC." Someone, the ad reads, who will, "create a 'Connected Entertainment' experience, realized through the Zune service, that spans multiple devices such as Zune, Xbox, PC and Mobile phones." Sure, it's not exactly a bold-faced advertisement for a cross-platform Zune environment -- but it's pretty damn close.

[Thanks, Ryan]

Someone clearly didn't want Microsoft fans being left out at this time of extreme Apple coverage. In an interview with SFGate, Robbie Bach manages to deftly deny the rumored Xbox / Blu-ray match-up, deny a Zune Phone is coming anytime soon (although he intimates Zune software may come to phones), but still cleverly suggests that a Zune Touch could be in the offing. Of course, by "cleverly suggest" we mean he mentions the possibility of a device with touch capabilities, which is like saying Dell might release a laptop with a keyboard. Is that the device pictured above? No silly, that's just someone's Photoshop work. Steve Jobs -- anything to say about this?

[Via wmpoweruser; Image courtesy anythingbutipod]

The funkiest and freshest dude in Redmond, J Allard, has once again reached out to the people and dropped straight-up knowledge in regards to Zune Phone rumors. According to the report, during an interview with Reuters Allard shrugged off the chatter, saying that the company was focusing on the new Zunes at the present time. It would have seemed like a total dead-end, but the Microsoft exec then noted that the Zune was built on top of Windows Mobile, and added that the giant has, "The flexibility to take these in a different direction where [sic] our customers, our partners and we are ready." Sure, some new product would be nice, but let's be honest folks -- why would you need to make a phone when everyone is running your software anyway?

It's probably not shocking to anyone that the Zune hasn't exactly lived up to the high hopes Microsoft had for it, and at the recent Citigroup technology conference in New York, Mindy Mount -- corporate vice president and CFO of the firm's entertainment and device division -- noted that she'd "give it a B-," and also stated that it was a "solid effort for the first year." More intriguing, however, was her comments on the future of the Windows Mobile OS, and while she was tight-lipped in regard to RIM acquisition whispers, she did hint at the possibility of a tweaked system to compete with Apple's iPhone interface. Reportedly, Mount stated that Microsoft "identified [Windows] Mobile being more integrated with photos and music," and concluded by proclaiming that it was "a natural thing to have in its product roadmap." Of course, this corporate speak can't really be regarded as much more than just that at the moment, but feel free to make of it what you will.

[Via Zune-Online]
Read - Microsoft Exec Hints at iPhone Rival
Read - Microsoft exec: Zune gets a B-; Xbox profitability; Windows Mobile's future

There's some buzz going around right now about a "Zune phone" filed with the FCC -- we did a little extra digging, and we're not really convinced that's what's at hand. We know a Zune phone is in the works, that much is abundantly clear, but what passed through the FCC was a pre-approval application document that ran down a list of questions the FCC had for a CE "coalition" consisting of Microsoft, Dell, Google, HP, Intel, Philips, who are apparently in on some device together. (Strike one. You really think Microsoft's gonna collaborate on the Zune phone? And with that many non-cellphone carrier companies?) From what we can tell, it'll be wireless (duh) with DTV signal detection and transmission (i.e. cognitive radio), and BPSK, WPSK (and likely QAM) modulation and OFDM. Doesn't mean a lot to most people, we know, but the FCC plainly asked the consortium to describe the product's purpose; the answer was "To provide consumer broadband access and networking." (Strike two.) And then there's the above diagram which shows a computer connected via Ethernet to a radio hub system with 802.11g and outbound "wideband" uplink. Did we mention the words "Zune" or "phone" appeared precisely no times in the document? (Strike three.) A Zune phone? We think not -- yet -- but we'll know better when the filing actually hits the FCC in the near future.

Zune, the music player; Zune the service; Zune, the software; Zune the lifestyle brand; Zune, the cellphone? The iPod beat Microsoft to the portable music device market by what, five years, so don't be surprised that it doesn't look like they're going to let Apple off so easily on a cellphone -- especially not while they've got a fighting chance. At a press conference today, Chris Stephenson, GM for Zune, told the press, "A Zune phone is definitely part of the future of this brand." We did definitely hear before that Microsoft was working toward setting up an MVNO, but even if that never takes off, there's no reason to believe the Zunephone won't spring to life regardless. As much as we love our HTCs, let's just hope it isn't a Windows Mobile device given a facelift -- we all know that, like PlaysForSure, the problems with adapting off-the-shelf Microsoft stuff are more than skin deep.

[Thanks, Joel]