Zune Citron with 16GB of space
Yes.. I’m a tad bit envious of the person who has this Zune Citron flash media player. Not only is the color pretty darn sweet - this particular Zune has 16GB of flash storage space. Yes.. not 4GB or 8GB but rather 16GB of space!!! And yes.. jealousy officially has sunk in now. Check out the pictures of this player over at Flickr (thanks to Gizmodo for the linky).
[Check it out via Gizmodo]
Microsoft launches Zune Originals website
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.
![11-12Red_Zune_Base_V1[1]-lg](http://www.zunesphere.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/11/11-12red-zune-base-v11-lg.jpg)
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]
Setting up the new Zune software and updating the first gen Zune firmware
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…
Second gen Zune available in some stores already?
Some media organizations are reporting that the new second generation Zune can already be found on display shelves at select Target and/or Circuit City locations around the country. Of course - they’re not SUPPOSED to sell these Zunes until November 13th but I doubt anyone would actually get in trouble if the models made it out to the public a bit early.
I wanted to see if my local Target and Circuit City had the new Zunes so I took a trip to the stores during lunch time today and sure enough… they were… NOT available. The new display stands are up and running at both locations but the models themselves were nowhere to be found. I grilled sales folks at both locations and they claimed that the stock had not arrived as of yet. Right.. I’m not sure I believe them. Oh well..
So..if you do come across a store that sells the new Zune - let me know! If you’re in LA - DEFINITELY let me know.
ZuneInfo compares 30GB and 80GB Zune
Wondering what the differences are between the current 30GB Zune and the upcoming 80GB 2nd generation Zune? Head on over to ZuneInfo.com for a little comparison between the two models.
[Check it out via ZuneNuze]
Upcoming second generation Zunes
So as most of you already know by now, the second generation Zunes are just around the corner. In fact the new Zunes are due out on November 13th which is a mere five days away. Now because we haven’t covered any news on the latest Zunes, I thought I’d spend a little time recapping the new Zunes (and most of you will skip this since it’s really old news anyhow). OK, so here goes nothing. The new Zunes come in two basic new models - a flash based Zune and a new 80GB hard drive based Zune. The flash based Zune will feature 4GB and 8GB models and come in a variety of colors. The 80GB Zune will be available in black for now. All the new Zunes will feature the following:
Here are the details to the 80GB Zune:
The 80GB Zune will sell for $249.
Meanwhile, the flash based Zune is available in the following colors - pink, green, black, and glossy red and feature the following:
The 8GB flash Zune will sell for $199. The 4GB model will sell for $149.
If you want to experience the "Zune Journey", check out the new website - www.zunejourney.net
Gizmodo has first Zune 2 and Zune flash player renderings
It’s been pretty quiet on the Zune front over the last several weeks but this week things got interesting as Gizmodo managed to get some screenshots of what appears to be the Zune 2 player as well as the Zune flash player. The pictures show an 80GB Zune player as well as 4/8GB Zune flash players. According to the super small screenshot image, the Zune flash is available in black, red, pink, and greem while the new version 2 Zune 80GB is available in black.
About the only really interesting feature thus far is the navigational controller in the lower middle of the player. It’s unclear if it’s a rocker style controller or a touch sensitive system. Based on the renderings, it appears the new players have a glossy look to them (which we would also assume would be scratch-resistant). BTW.. I’ve yet to scratch my Zune after nearly a year of ownership!
Pink Zune Ad in Nylon Magazine
Thanks to GenerationZune for noting this ad on their site. Seriously folks - I think this ads for the Pink Zune is one of the best Zune ads I’ve seen yet. There’s something utterly fluid yet majestic about this two page spread found in Nylon magazine. Not bad Microsoft (or whoever the ad team that created this was!)
Microsoft states the Zune is still on track for 1 million
Just in case you were wondering - Microsoft has stated that it is still on track to sell 1 million Zune devices by June (which of course is this month now.. so maybe they mean the end of June?). Microsoft also mentioned that the Zune still has roughly 10 percent of the hard drive based music player market. NFP claims that the Zune actually grabbed 11.3 percent of the market in May. Not too bad for a version 1 product.
Friday June 15th was the launch day for the limited edition Halo 3 Zune which went on sale exclusively at GameStop.com and GameStop retail store locations around the country. I managed to get my hands on one at my local GameStop dealer in Marina del Rey, CA. They actually only had three on hand today and I was lucky number 3. As I promised on Thursday nights’ posting, I’ll be posting up the unboxing pictures of the Halo 3 Zune here. Stay tuned for a full review later on this week.
The Halo 3 Zune was handed to me in a loosely wrapped plastic packaging. I’m not sure if all Halo 3 Zune boxes have this wrapping or not - but the one I got did.
Removing the plastic wrapping, you see the Halo 3 themed box. The box itself is dimensionally the same as the original Zune box.
The top cover slides off revealing the Halo 3 Zune and the included accessories. Here’s a picture of the inside.
There’s one subtle difference in packaging for the Halo 3 Zune. The included CD, Start guide, Product Guide, sticker, and protective case is found beneath the Zune player itself - not in a separate section as in the original Zune packaging.
Here’s a look at all that comes with the Halo 3 Zune.
Here are snapshots of the Halo 3 Zune player itself - front and back.
Luckily the device had a little bit of power so I took some snapshots of what came with it.
Oh and it came with version 1.3 of the firmware.. that’ll tell you about when it went out to distribution centers.
I’ll go over in further details later on in the week as to what actually comes with the player. In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed the snapshots! Have a wonderful weekend folks.
