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Zune HD stops syncing playcounts with nary a firmware fix in sight
This isn't exactly the same magnitude as last year's Z2K scare, but it's still an all-around bummer for all you Zune nuts. According to a spate of complaints posted to the Zune.net forums as of late, certain Zune HD units are not syncing their playcounts properly with the user's PC and Zune Social accounts. To be a little more specific, it seems that if you let a song play through on the device it will not be counted as played -- but if you skip to another tune before it has a chance to complete (but after 20 seconds or so), the play will be counted. A real pain, right? Of course, this is not only bad news for obsessive list keepers, but for Zune Social fans as well: if your listening habits aren't being properly tabulated, how are you supposed to make new friends and discover new music? Certainly not by going to noisy rock clubs and talking to people! Apparently a Microsoft Zune support team member has acknowledged the issue, but the company has made no statement relating to the bug -- or possible firmware fix -- as of yet. We'll keep you posted.[Thanks, Jon]
Zune 3.1 update out today - now featuring Sudoku!
We asked how you would change the Zune 3.0 software and Microsoft responded -- by upgrading Texas Hold 'Em. In addition to adding a multiplayer mode and some new single player difficulty levels to the venerable card game, the 3.1 update (out today) should find Zune Social easier to navigate, and a new "like minded listeners" feature lets you compare your music tastes to other users on the service. Additionally, the update promises an overall increase in stability and performance for the Zune PC app and the device firmware, including improved play count reporting and content synchronization. Rounding out this embarrassment of riches, the new software packs in freebies of Checkers, Sudoku and Space Battle. What are you still doing here, Zuneophiles? Hit the read link![Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Microsoft scouting exclusive video content for Zune
Now that the Zune's most vocal (and deranged) proponent has apparently jumped ship, Microsoft is looking for some other method of gaining market share. The most recent report on reinvigorating the portable media player has Redmond execs looking low and high at talent agencies and production companies in hopes of "licensing exclusive original video programming." According to Richard Winn, director of entertainment development at Zune, the company is searching for "non-conventional programming that can capitalize on the device's social networking platform." Details are unsurprisingly scant at the moment, but Winn also noted that the outfit was looking for something that "iTunes or any competing service" couldn't provide. We hear Vongo's going for a song... just sayin'.
Microsoft beefs up Zune music and community experience
As we noted in our Zune launch post, with the new Zune announcements, Microsoft intends to do more than just launch hardware. The Zune crew has apparently done a complete overhaul of the Zune desktop software so it's no longer just a weak rebadge of Windows Media Player 10 (praise the heavens), which Microsoft hopes will help the social to get more, um, social-er, with a number of things to attempting better engage music listeners and Zune customers: The Zune Marketplace is officially adding DRM-free music support, launching with over a million DRM-free MP3 tracks. As we mentioned earlier, other details (like which labels, whether there is a DRM-free upgrade path is for users who've bought music with DRM, price differences, etc.) are not yet known. Zune Marketplace is also getting podcasts and music videos. (Great, but where's the real video content?) Microsoft is also launching Zune Social, a free online music community / social network (great, another social network!) which allows users to create... Zune Cards, which are web widgets not unlike Xbox's Gamer Cards. Zune Cards let other users track your most played and recently played music (updated each time you sync back to your host machine). Users can also sample music directly from someone's Zune Card. You can now share with others music that was shared with you. No, the Zune still doesn't analyze the tracks it shares, so Zune Pass unlimited customers still can't share music without DRM. But, at very least the Zune's 3x3 DRM no longer has a time limit. Same three play restriction, but it no longer has to be within three days.
