Yes Zune fans - we can finally buy television shows on the Zune Marketplace thanks to a new set of features and capabilities introduced with the latest Zune software update. Zune users can choose from over 800 episodes of popular television shows ranging from South Park to The Hills, to Heroes, to my personal favorite - Battlestar Galactica. Each television show has a price of 160 Microsoft Points which is roughly 1.99 an episode.

But wait.. there’s more! Microsoft updated the Zune online music community with several new features. Here’s a list of the new features from the press release:

• Syncing Zune Cards to a device. Consumers simply drag and drop Zune Cards from friends to a Zune device and get updates on what friends are listening to every time they sync. If the song is available with Zune Pass, subscribers automatically have the full tracks on their Zune while nonsubscribers have full album information and artwork. If consumers hear something they like, they can add it to their collection with one click. Next time the user syncs his or her Zune, he or she will be asked to confirm the purchase.
• Enhanced friends search. Consumers now have the ability to add their name, location and bio to their Zune music community profile, making it easier than ever to find their friends.
• Instant friends. The true power of the Zune online music community is unlocked when friends are added and consumers can follow the music they’re listening to. Now, when new Zune owners join the Zune online music community, they’ll find the top music editors from the Zune Marketplace team already added to their friends list, giving them a head start in finding new music.
• Artist and album reviews. Inside the Zune music community, members have the ability to write and post their own reviews for artists and albums, providing another community-driven feature to support the exploration and discovery of music. The music community helps to find and recommend the best music.
• Reputation badges. Now members of the Zune community can earn badges that are displayed on their Zune Card showing they’re passionate fans or active members.
• Windows Live connections. Windows Live Messenger contacts will now be able to see what users are listening to via the Zune software. Clicking on the tracks displayed in the “Now Playing” feature will connect the Windows Live Messenger friend directly to that artist’s page on the Zune Social.

Finally, Microsoft added several new features to the Zune software application including:

• Auto playlists. Users can create an auto playlist that updates itself automatically as new music is added.
• Browsing videos. Consumers can browse their video collection by genre and series, plus they can preview videos before they play them on full screen.
• Editing album and track information. Users are able to edit track or album information (metadata) quickly via multi-select and drag-and-drop. The advanced metadata editing features make it easy to edit multiple tracks or survey albums and artist information.
• Organizing collections. In addition to sorting by artist or album, consumers can now sort by genre. While browsing by genre they can further sort music by artist, album or release year.
• Gapless playback. Consumers will now be able to listen to an album without the brief gap between tracks, both on their Zune and in the Zune software. This is a must-have for live-concert recordings and compilation albums.
• Syncing groups. Zune software now syncs to multiple Zune players simultaneously. Users can prepare which content on their computer to sync even when their Zune isn’t connected. Consumers can create custom sync groups for music, pictures and videos.
• Zune reminders. Experience is improved when a Zune player’s memory is nearing capacity, via an easy-to-use tool.

While this release is definitely a step in the right direction, it’s still a bit disappointing that not all of the content found on the Xbox Live Marketplace is available on the Zune Marketplace - notably movie rentals. Yet despite this glaring hole, the new updates should bring the Zune somewhat closer to some of the capabilities found on the iPod and iTunes.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Zune software, Zune Marketplace, TV shows

Following up the previous posting is a more detailed NY Times piece about J Allard and his thoughts on the future of Microsoft’s media plans. This particular posting is interesting because it points to where Microsoft is going with their online offerings. It’s pretty obvious that both the Xbox Live service and the Zune Marketplace share the same infrastructure. The key will be delivering the right content to the right user using the appropriate device. As for the Zune, J Allard wants to build a “connected MP3 player” - “connecting artist and audience together”. What I also found interesting was this statement:

Yes, we’ll do video. Yes, we’ll do games. But the heart and soul of that brand is music.

BTW - has anyone noticed that you can now buy and download ESPN World Series of Poker videos on Xbox Live Marketplace? Now if I can simply buy it and use it on my Zune too - THAT would be awesome.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: J Allard, Microsoft, Zune, Xbox Live,

Here’s the latest review roundup for the new Microsoft Zune players (yes - it’s easier than creating individual postings for each posting isn’t it?) So here goes nothing..

We’ll start with Digital Trends which reviewed the Microsoft Zune 8GB edition here. Here’s what they had to say about the flash player:

Overall, the new 8GB Zune Red is a really good media player. It’ll especially appeal to those who don’t want to line the Apple coffers with their hard earned money but still want a solid music experience. For $199 USD, the 8GB Zune is a decent iPod contender.

Of course, the Zune can only have so much bath water right? How about a little slap in the face from Walt Mossberg. Yes.. you can always count on Mossberg to provide a bit of .. “yes it’s better but it’s not quite that good”. The review is here and the verdict is as follows:

Microsoft has greatly improved the Zune hardware and software this time. But it seems to be competing with Apple’s last efforts, not its newest ones.

Sure.. if you compare the Zune against the iPod touch then yes - it’s no real comparison. But come on Mossie… compare the Zune 80 against the real rival here - the iPod classic 80.. and you’ll quickly see things stack up fairly closely (though my Apple friends often remind me of the little things that are still better on the iPod. To that.. I answer.. it’s not about the little things when it comes to MP3 players.. it’s about whether it works or not folks).

We talked about PC Magazine’s review a few days ago but they also reviewed the new Zune Marketplace here. Here’s their verdict on the marketplace.

Zune Marketplace is definitely showing signs of progress, but we’ll have to wait and see if it can really stand up to iTunes.

The Seattle Post Intelligencer has posted their look at the new Zunes here on their website. Here’s a blurb from the article:

Despite my gripes, its form and function should make the second-generation Zune a strong contender in the portable media player market. And while I’m not throwing out my iPod just yet, I will be keeping an eye on what the Zune does next.

Finally, Wired.com has an interesting article entitled “Microsoft Retools Zune to Target Apple’s Flaws”. Here’s a blurb from that article:

With an upgraded Zune player and a new strategy for tapping the strength of social networking sites, Microsoft is making serious moves to challenge the iPod.

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Zune, Reviews, Zune 8, Zune 80, Zune 4,

I totally forgot to write about this on Monday (and I’m sure most of you already know about this now). In conjunction with launching new Zune media players and a new website, Microsoft launched a new web store called “Zune Originals” located at http://www.zuneoriginals.net. Customers can go to Zune Originals and choose to purchase a customized Zune player directly from Microsoft. You’ll be able to choose from a collection of laser-engraved artwork designed exclusively for the Zune from 18 internationally recognized artists.

In total, there will be 27 different designs called the “Artist Series”. But wait, there’s more. You can also choose graphics from the “Tattoo Series” where there are 20 different graphic designs which can be laser engraved onto the Zune. Three lines of text can also be added to the Tattoo Series. Finally, customers can choose to engrave up to five lines of text in place of a design.

The overall process is fairly straight forward. Pick your new Zune (Zune 80, Zune 8 or Zune 4), pick a color, and then pick a design and any desired text.

Artists involved with the Zune Originals include Colletivo Studios, Catalina Estrada, Laurent Fetis, Sam Flores, Klaus Haapaniemi, Pierre Marie, Kenzo Minami, Parskid, Mike Perry, Phunk Studios, Chisato Shinya, Skwak, Iosefatu Sua, Tado, Nobumasa Takahashi, Ramiro Torres, Darvin Vida and Steve Wilson.

[Check it out via Microsoft Press]

Technorati Tags: Microsoft, Zune, Zune Originals

Yes.. I’m still recovering from staying up a wee bit too late last night/this morning. Oh wait.. I guess it would be yesterday morning eh? In any event, for those of you who are wondering what my Zune Card is - you can find me on the Social here:

http://social.zune.net/member/krunkermedia

So drop on by - add me as a friend and let’s see what we’re all listening to! If any of you are in the Los Angeles area - let me know. I’d love to start up a party of Zune followers in the area!!!

One final note - I’m creating a Facebook group for folks who visit ZuneSphere. You can always find me on that group or in the "Krunker" group so drop on by!!!

Technorati Tags: Zune Social, Zune Card

Now that the new Zune website and software is up and running, I thought it would cool to quickly go over the installation of the new software as well as the firmware upgrade to the first generation Zune. You won’t find a review of the software itself - I’ll save that for later on. For now - this is simply the installation process which I’m sure a lot of you will be undertaking today or sometime this week.

First, make sure to download the new Zune software from the new Zune.net website. If you want the entire Zune "experience", make sure to get yourself a Zune tag. You can then share your album and music listening experience with friends and others in the Zune community. If you want to see what I’m listening to these days, look me up at krunkermedia (that’s my Zune and Xbox Live gamer tag).

Installing the new Zune software

The new Zune software package weighs in at around 34 MB but the overall software installation process is in itself quite fast. Once the setup begins, you’ll see the following screen shots:

Ah yes.. the good ol EULA. You might as well accept it..

You’re now pretty much ready to install.

There are basically three steps to the initial software install. The installer will check for new updates, prepare your computer, and then finally install the Zune software.

still installing..

Hey look at that. The software is installed! Now comes time to go over your Zune software settings.

You can choose to either "go right to my collection" or go "customize settings first". I’m more of a power user, so I’m inclined to choose customization first but that’s entirely up to you. If you choose to go to your music collection first, you can always change the default settings later on.

We’re in the process of customizing settings. The screen here shows you all the directories that the Zune software monitors for different kinds of media files. (excuse my blacked out directory names…)

Next up - set up your file associations..

Would you like to enroll the Customer Experience Improvement Program?? Sure…..

And we’re in!!

For those of you curious - this is version 2.1 of the new Zune software. Again - I won’t go into the software details yet - we’ll save that for later on.

Updating the Zune firmware

That’s only the first step of course.. If you have a first generation Zune, you’ll need to update the firmware on the Zune with the latest firmware from Microsoft. This is definitely one of the areas where Microsoft should be commended. Features being rolled out with the second generation Zune are also be made available on the older Zunes. This means you’ll be able to do wireless sync, use the new GUI, support podcasts, etc etc.

To get things rolling, connect your Zune via the USB cable.

I got the above screen shot telling me that I need to update the Zune to version 2.2 of the device software. Let’s go ahead and perform the upgrade!

The software first downloads the update and then..

copies it to the Zune. The overall downloading and copying is quite fast - what ultimately takes time is the actual Zune software install on the player itself.

When the Zune starts the software install, the player will reboot twice before actually finishing up the install. Once the install is finished, you’ll have one more reset and then the new Zune GUI will appear.

Now that the Zune is updated and connected back to the PC, I can begin setting up the rest of the Zune software. First things first - my Zune was originally set up for another PC. Unlike the first version of the Zune software, the new software allows you to connect and sync with a new PC without losing the original content on the Zune.

If you have a Zune Tag, you can link your tag to your Zune player now.

Finally, you can tell the Zune software to automatically add all of your media content from some pre-defined folders. I like to manually add my content.

And that’s it! We’re  up and running!!

Note - I did try out the wireless sync option. You need to set up wireless sync from the Zune software application. Here are some screen shots:

Here’s the wireless sync setup page. Click on "Setup Wireless Sync" to proceed with the setup.

The Zune software in conjunction with the connected player will attempt to find wireless networks to connect to. If you don’t broadcast your wireless network’s SSID, you can manually enter the information in yourself.

Enter the SSID and passcode if you need to do it manually..

If it all works, the Zune software will notify you. You can then initiate syncs from the Zune.

Oh yes.. for people who are wondering what the new UI looks like on an older Zune…

Technorati Tags: Microsoft Zune, Zune firmware, Zune software, Zune update

Hey Zune fans - Zune.net is back up and running with a new look and feel. It’s nearing 6am in the east coat (nearly 3 am here in Los Angeles). You can download the new Zune software from this page. Note - as of this posting, the first "Download" link does not work yet (where you get the "full Zune experience). The second link for the software only does seem to work. The full Zune Experience is now also up and running so you can go both routes - go for the full experience (which asks you to sign up for an account) or you can just download the software. The full Zune experience claims to include:

• Free Zune account
• Podcasts
• Membership to the Zune Social

I assume this is the Zune Tag information I heard about earlier. Hopefully this link will work soon. You can even download a 64 bit version of the software if you’re running 64 bit Windows.

I’ll go ahead and install the software now… stay tuned!

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Zune.net, Zune Marketplace, Zune Software

The second generation Zunes are NEARLY here as we’ve now reached November 13th, 2007 here in the continental U.S. Unfortunately the new software update as well as the new Zune Marketplace is not yet available. If you go to Zune.net right now, you’ll see the following splash screen.

Microsoft is undoubtedly transitioning and preparing the site for the new Zune launch. Stay tuned - I’ll check on the site through the night to see when the new software and marketplace will be available. I’ll be getting the 80GB Zune tomorrow morning but I probably won’t have a review of the unit until much later in the week. In the meantime, I’ll also try and cover the software update to the Zune during the day.

So we wait….

Technorati Tags: Zune.net, November 13th

I ran across this interesting mod posted over at the Zune Boards the other day. It’s designed to disable the Zune Marketplace feature on your Zune software application - thereby speeding up the application significantly. I’ll definitely have to try this mod out shortly because the Zune software is definitely a big hog of machine resources on my dual processor XEON system. Seriously folks - if there’s one thing I can’t stand about the Zune, it’s the Zune software ironically enough. According to the posting here at the Zune Boards, the mod will basically rename the Zune marketplace DLL file (ZuneMarketplace.dll) thereby making it inaccessible to the Zune software. The mod places a small icon in your system tray - allowing you to enable or disable this mod. It seems simple enough - I’ll give it a whirl later on.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Zune, Software, Speedup, Zune software mod

Hey folks - I’ve been out of commission for some time now - sorry about that. I was actually on vacation in Hawaii celebrating my one year anniversary with my wife - great times! I’m now back here in LA and catching up with work and what not. In trying to catch up with some of the latest news on the Zune, I noticed this posting over at Gizmodo which caught me off guard (although I’m sure all of you already knew about this). According to this posting (and this one here too), Microsoft is working on a firmware update for the first generation Zune which will allow users to purchase and download tracks over Wi-Fi with Microsoft Points.

The other interesting rumor (or rumors) coming from these postings is the possibility of a Zune flash player and a Zune 2.0 player being announced on June 1st. Whatever the case might be, it’s good to see Microsoft’s continued push into the media player market.

[Check it out]

Technorati Tags: Zune, Microsoft, WiFi, Zune Marketplace, Zune 2.0, Zune Flash