Microsoft revamps Zune to compete with Apple

[Lostlover]

My brother had a Zune. Zune was cool as it found CD artwork for you.

 

[Spiff]

I don't have a Zune. But I have the Zune free software installed on my PC. It is perhaps the most horrid piece of software MS has ever made. Not that it is buggy. But it's just a design mess.

 

[drhladnjak]

J Allard looks kind of scary in that picture.

 

[icefan]

I am very excited about the new Zune features arriving on Sept. 16th. Just think, all the Zune owners (even the early adopters) will continue to have all the new functionality as the latest owners. I just love that I do not have to buy a new player every single year to have all the new functionality, and why I enjoy this better than the iPods and Zens that I've owned. Here are some of the new features:

Devices:

o Buy from FM (picture)
+ Needs both lines of RDS
+ Zune 3.0 Supports RT+ streaming data
o Wi-fi Marketplace is here (picture, picture)
+ Currently Music only, no videos or podcasts
+ Device now has an on screen keyboard with marketplace (picture)
# Currently only for searching the marketplace and entering router passwords
+ Streaming from cart
+ Audio books are here
+ You can play music while browsing
# Be your own DJ by streaming Zune content and searching the next track to play
o The main screen is content dependent, if you don’t have podcasts, the podcasts option will not show up, same thing with audiobooks and games
o Screen lock (in the device settings screen)
+ prevents your Zune (with Zune pass) from being used to buy tracks via the wifi marketplace if lost or stolen
o Games
Software:

o Slightly new software interface
+ New album view (picture)
o This release is focused around discovery and discovery of new content
+ Mixview (picture) – pulls similar albums from the marketplace and the Zune social
# See what friends are listening to
# Play and listen to songs through mixview
o Now Playing enhanced (pictures)
+ Mixview is accessible through now playing
+ Pulls info from marketplace backend
o New Search (Picture)
+ Close spelling results
+ Better drill down features
o Cart now separated from inbox
o Social
+ Edit profile within software
+ See your badges within the software
+ Remove friends within software
o Follow Artists with tour dates from an Artists main page
+ Channels/Picks
# Subscribe to dynamic playlists
* New Releases For Me (releases based on artists you listen to)
# Song updates can occur via wi-fi
# Currently music only (no video or podcast integfration)
# Personal Channel Recommendations - based on ratings and listening preferences (not simply the songs you download)
# Works with Zune Pass
# Recommends friends with similar listening preferences
+ Settings
# Remove a monitored folder includes the option to remove content as well
# Show duplicates (that’s why the Zune software was not showing all my tracks.)
# Show now playing while idle software
# Account summary page
* Buy points
* Buy Zune Pass
o Option to remove Zune Pass content once subscription is canceled

Device Land:

o Rate songs on an individual user basis
o Rate songs in the marketplace
o Manual Sync Option (Picture) – Anything on your Zune now stays on your Zune while linked with your PC (option available in Zune Software Settings).
o Ability to only view content from synced in guest sync process
o Zune 80 and Zune 4 are only available in the retail channel now (they've been discontinued)

Zune.net Social:

o Not Beta anymore
o You can use the word ‘Zune’ in your status (‘windows’ and ‘xbox’ are other allowed words – there are more available words you have to ind them)
o Three design themes
+ Zune.net site rediesgn
+ Response from user feedback
+ Infrastructure improvements

o Ability to opt out of preloaded friends now known as ZuneInsiders
o Social Notification preferences
+ Emails about
# Inbox messages
# Friend requests
# Badges
# Comment on ‘my profile’
# Recent friends activities
o Redesigned profile page
+ All time stats (yeah they have all your info)
+ All time badge stats
# 200
# 1000
# 5000
o Better integration with other social sites
o Redesigned ‘my social’ page
o New forum badges
o New levels for reviews badges
o New artist page (picture)
+ Shares (times a song has been shared)
+ Favs (based on individual songs)
+ Top listeners
+ More visual layout
+ Less flash(faster loads)
o Multi-line signatures return

 

[icefan]

Well Keeland, I guess I will be one of those three very happy owners in the near future

 

[okstatecowboy]

Make that the four of us. I bought one in June -loving it.

mikey

 

[ANDORYUU]

The zune isn't available in the UK or Europe until at least 2009! That's 2 years after the original was launched in the US.

 

[icefan]

The zune isn't available in the UK or Europe until at least 2009! That's 2 years after the original was launched in the US.

This is not confirmed, but I saw online that one of the executives at MS was stating that there will be 2 more updates that will be released on Sept. 16th that they are not allowed to speak of until that date. One of the updates is speculated to be a release in the UK. Again, no evidence, but it will be good to see if that is one of the updates.

 

[ratrat]

Looks like the next generation of nanos.

 

[sheep]

iTunes gets the album artwork for me for coverflow.

 

[Persian89]

GimmeSomeTunes (On OS X ) fetches artwork _AND_ Lyrics and integrates those with the .mp3 file.

I hate AppleStore.