zune
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Zune revealed by FCC as "Toshiba 1089"
Well, here's a bit of a surprise: a wireless PMP just showed up on the FCC, featuring a 30GB HDD, FM tuner and a strangely familiar 3-inch screen. And it ain't being manufactured by Microsoft. Instead it looks like Microsoft got their good pal Toshiba to produce the Zune, which not only saves Microsoft the job of gearing up some production lines for the thing, but seems to keep them from stepping on at least one PlayForSure licensee's toes. Things get more interesting from there, since the documentation refers to those other heavily bandied code names: "Pyxis" and "Argo." From the looks of things, Pyxis seems to be the name for the network which Zune devices will use to share content, since in the "DJing Content" section it states that "Pyxis allows you to stream music to up to 4 other Pyxis devices." A bit more confusing, however, is that "You can invite other Argo members that you meet to be your friends wirelessly." Of course, it's always likely that they hadn't gotten all the codenames smoothed out by the time they wrote that up, but it's clear that the Zune player as we know it is only a small part of the overall "Zune" plan. It's also clear that Toshiba is part of the party, so we'll be keeping our eyes peeled for any other manufacturers who might be hanging on to Microsoft's coat tails here. Keep reading to see the Zune cracked open, tested, and completely dissected...[Via MobileWhack; thanks Sandeep]
Artist's rendition of Zune interface surfaces
Well it's official; we've definitely gone Zune-crazy 'round these parts. Not content with presenting you with a super-blurry photo of the upcoming device's supposed interface, we're now reporting on an artist's rendition of the GUI from someone claiming to be in the know -- so keep in mind that you're looking at mockups here and not actual screenshots. Anywho, the pictures jibe pretty closely with all the info that's streamed in so far: although they depict a rather no-frills white-on-black menu screen, when you slap some skins onto the background (like Bill Gates' old mugshot, for instance), it seems like a pretty aesthetically-pleasing experience. We're not gonna repeat ourselves and regurgitate all the functionality and specs that you've heard so many times before; instead, we're sending you directly over to iLounge to peep the full set of meticulously-rendered drawings. Hey, even if these shots end up looking nothing like what appears on the final device, whoever whipped them up has a promising career as a fake product designer and Internet rumor-starter of the highest caliber.
Xbox Handheld idea? Send it to this guy
Inspired by the Team Xbox article "Xbox Portable Explored," reader Curtis Baker has created a blog devoted solely to the much anticipated Xbox handheld -- which will likely tie in with the new Zune brand. The site basically serves as a public repository for user created designs for the mystery device. It looks like the site only opened a couple weeks ago, and, as such, the entries are a little thin so far. So, send this guy some designs and let's get this party started. If you've got a great design, send us a link and we'll feature it right here on X360F. Hint: UMDs are out, QWERTY keyboards are in.Our dream device: WiFi, touch screen, analog sticks, microphone, Live Anywhere, and 30 gigs of delicious hard drive. Please, somebody out there with mad design skillz, make it happen.
Zunespotting
Gizmodo's got a pic of the Zune in its natural habitat (photographed in B&W to protect the identity of the leaker). Somehow I don't think the Apple fanboys are going to be impressed by the magnetic earphones.[Via TeamXbox]
Zune interface details revealed
Somebody or other has been spending some time with Microsoft's Zune, and have spilled the deets to iLounge. It sounds like the general target in most aspects was iPod design and functionality, but there are plenty of departures, some hotter than others. The basic menu navigation is the standard heirarchal method popularized by the iPod, but with white text on black and fewer design elements. There are a few flashy elements, however, like a gradient highlight bar that fades in and out, and the option for user-customizable wallpaper. Scrolling is enhanced by a WM5-style overlay (pictured) that lets you know what letter you're at on the list, but that wheel is only for looks: it's a mere four-way button which allows you to push up and down to scroll. With that notable blow to any hopes of ripping off the iPod wholesale, the Zune goes on to outsize the 30GB iPod, and its all plastic casing doesn't sound as glam either. Some plusses are a snazzy FM interface and sizable album art, but of course the Zune's killer app is WiFi. iLounge says that you'll be allowed to "loan" songs to other users for a day, which they can proceed to buy from the Zune music store, and you'll also be able to stream music to a WiFi-enabled Xbox 360, but we're not sure if a hard drive will be required to pull it off. At a purported $300 pricetag, we can't tell if the Zune will have what it takes to challenge the iPod -- iLounge, naturally, has their doubts -- but from the writeup it does seem like the Zune will have at least one heavily bandied feature: video.
Apple breaks silence - denies claims of wireless iPod, kinda
Apple doesn't feed the press many scraps, if any, and they rarely - if ever - comment on unreleased products. Apple Taiwan, however, has broken the silence by denying claims of Apple sending staff to major Asian markets to demonstrate these rumored wPods. So no, they didn't exactly deny claims that the devices exist - just claims that they're getting trained on how to use and sell them.Speculation has been heating up about a wPod in light of Microsoft's announcement of Zune, an iPod competitor, that could feature wifi. Yes, I know wifi is an announced feature, so in all likelihood it should feature wifi, but in the tried and true Vista spirit of scrapping announced features, it sounds like Microsoft has already dropped video support from Zune. With the way things are going, they'll be lucky if the device ships with the ability to play music.But I digress. Back on the topic of wifi and everyone's favorite little white music player, we very well might not see it in the next version. Apple hasn't been publicly hip on the idea (though Jobs did say video wouldn't happen either), it's tough to build in and, perhaps more importantly, it eats batteries for breakfast. The iPod already receives criticism for its 14 hour battery life (with only 2 or 3 hours of video) in light of competitors like Sony who get upwards of 20 and 30 hours, so adding a juice-hungry feature like wifi is no small step for a device like this.Regardless, we'll see what we can see in the upcoming months, as the iPod is definitely ready for a refresh. Who knows, maybe you'll be able to buy iTMS music from the palm of your hand soon enough.
Zune to cost $299?
We already knew the Zune was going to come in a triad of colors, but we didn't have much of any idea as to the price they were going to stick you for. Common sense would dictate it would be at or slightly below what the iPod is asking for their device -- but not above -- and if TWiCE is correct with their information, the Zune will run for an on-par $299. They're also reporting the Zune won't allow for music purchases on the go, which kind of flies in the face of that whole "connected entertainment" thing, as well as the idea of putting WiFi in a portable, so we're looking at it somewhat skeptically for the time being.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]
Zune & its impact on PSP's identity crisis
Rocky Mountain News recently sat down with senior marketing manager and friend John Koller about the current state of the PSP, and how it faces an identity crisis. "We looked at (the PSP)... as a strong portable game system with multifunctional limbs... It's still a gaming system at its heart." The article notes that Sony wanted to highlight the games of the system first and foremost, and with an excellent library of launch games, the gaming critics and community at large embraced the handheld.However, with a lack of consistent high-profile original games for the system, many PSP users demanded the media functions of the system to be up to snuff. With the failure of UMDs, and cumbersome media restrictions, the PSP has failed to reinvent itself as a defining media platform as well: "The PSP consumer has turned out to be a different consumer in many ways than what we have targeted," Koller admits. By focusing on firmware upgrades, the upcoming GPS and camera peripherals, Sony has a chance to redefine itself. Some other highlights of the article include: As mentioned before, Sony is working on a DRM that can deliver video and music to the system. They are considering how to deliver content, whether it be through Connect, or even a third-party service. "Future iterations of the PSP are likely, Koller said, but Sony is counting on the current version to be around for 10 years, much like their consoles. Sony typically releases a new console about every five years, while continuing to support previous models for another five years." While Nintendo will be Sony's direct competitor, Microsoft's upcoming Zune appears to worry Sony. "I am assuming, we are assuming, that the Zune will eventually have game play," Koller predicts. He expects Zune to have "a huge impact" on the industry. [Thanks steve, Via Kotaku]
Zune may or may not ship with video?
So word going around late this week was that the Zune, better known as Microsoft's supposed iPod killer, is slated to ship without support for video. Yeah, you heard that right. According to a report on from the New York Post, "Microsoft called up some content providers and said the video portion of its Zune device... was being delayed." (The other juicy tidbit was that they'd have ad-supported downloads, but that's still unsubstantiated as far as we know.) Microsoft's Zune PR, of course, provided us with the following statement with regards to the story: "We do not have product details to share at this time and as such cannot comment on rumors or speculation." Then, on top of that TechWeb reported that Microsoft actually referred to the rumor as "speculative." It's all the standard fare non-denial denial, we know, but we still don't have any strong reason to believe the Post's report has any weight. Besides the fact that sources told us nothing of the like, Microsoft would effectively be committing Zune to launch failure this buying season if they trot it out into the market place not even as well equipped as your standard iPod. That is, after all, the point of Zune, right? To best the iPod in all the ways Apple's been dragging its feet, and provide a viable alternative? It's 2006, look at that device right up there. If you think that's not going to have video, well, may god rest Zune's soul.[Via Macsimum News, thanks CoreyTheGent, Jon, and Conor]Read - NY PostRead - TechWeb
NEC's 3D SiP processor enabling high-def playback on portable devices
NEC's new chip design and manufacturing process is going to enable them to build processors small and efficient enough to decode video at resolutions comparable to HDTV on cell phones and other mobile devices. While we've covered versatile system-on-chip (SOC) processors making their way into set top boxes and Blu-ray players, NEC's system-in-package (SiP) SMAFTI (SMArt connection with Feed-Through Interposer) design uses a 3D to overcome conventional SiP hurdles and enable data transmission at up to 100Gbps. Apparently this "microbump connector" will move data around at 10 times the speed of existing technology, making your handheld much more powerful. Finally, we can expect devices using SMAFTI to begin appearing during the first quarter of 2007. Since we're not electrical engineers, much of that is gibberish but the possibilities are so nice we can't even decide which rumor to start. High-def iPod? Microsoft's Zune/Xboy HDTV player on the go? Managed copy-enabled cell phones for your HD DVDs? Of course the most likely possibility is some cool Japan-only mobile phone (Chinese non-HD n930 pictured above), but does anyone else think HD resolution on a 3-inch screen might be overkill? (Nah, not us either.)
Zune to launch November 14th?
Alright everybody, we've all had a few days to cool down on the Zune stuff -- hope you've been well rested. So with no further delay here's the latest from from the inside: a trusted source has given us a little more to go by on the hardware end, including a few specs we more or less expected or heard, such as that the Zune should have a 30GB drive, black, brown, and cotton color options, FM tuner, 13 first party accerrories available at launch (and who knows how many 3rd party accessories), and a 50% larger screen than the iPod with video (making it 3.75-inches if you're talking diagonal, and not areal). The jucier bits, however, are that we can all expect to find out some hard information from Microsoft in August, and that the player is slated to launch on November 14th, right in time for the holiday buying season (what a huge surprise). As always, more to come.
Xbox Portable: Send in your designs
Cesar from TeamXbox created this fabulously fake mock-up of Microsoft's mysterious Zune gaming handheld (known in fanboy parlance as the "Xboy"). It includes all the features he'd like to see, drawn from some obvious sources of inspiration. As the man says, "Good artists copy, great artists steal." Anybody else want to put together or point out a worthy design for this fabled product?
Rest of industry slowly catching on to Apple's music integration approach
RealNetwork's CEO Rob Glaser, always one to fire off a comment when he tricks himself into thinking the industry is listening, might be one of the first major partners of Microsoft to publicly express, erm, 'disappointment' with the Redmond company's all-in-one approach with their Zune music player and service, slated to be delivered... oh I dunno, some day: "We think this a case where our technology competitors, in this case specifically Microsoft, have literally thrown the baby out with the bath water." This might also be the first time Microsoft has been accused of literally throwing out a baby, along with other features and products, such as most of Vista WinFS.But here's the interesting part: Rob then goes on to threaten (hehe, isn't he cute?) that this gives RealNetworks the opportunity to go find other hardware companies who are "open to integrating tightly with our Rhapsody software platform". Discussion as to whether RealNetworks has even 1 full percentage point of the digital music market aside, it sounds like, after four years, supposed competitors to the iPod + iTunes platform (since when was Microsoft a hardware company?*) are catching on to the possibility that the whole 'integration' strategy Apple uses might actually be a good idea. However, time will have to tell whether this 9th inning enlightenment will pay off for any of these companies.[* - Microsoft's mice and keyboards (and possibly other peripherals) don't count. Last I heard, they're designed and built by HP.]
Switched On: The next PlaysForSure ad
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about the future of technology, multimedia, and digital entertainment: At Microsoft, we know that customers appreciate the importance of choice and compatibility. If you're in the market for a new digital media player, look for the logo that ensures interoperability with a wide variety of players from our valued partners and wretched competitors such as Creative, Samsung, iRiver, Archos and Sandisk. PlaysForSure means that you won't be locked into one company's digital media player. On the other hand, isn't that worth the convenience and elegant integration you'd get with a sweet, sweet Zune player?
