Hasta La Gadget!

Microsoft is beginning to pare back its Zune offerings to make way for Xbox Music, a brand new service that is still a mystery for the most part. Today, however, we’re getting some details on Xbox Music’s pricing and an ever-so-brief glimpse at the user interface it will sport on Xbox 360. The pricing information comes courtesy of the Windows 8 Music app, while the look at the UI is the doing of some Xbox dashboard beta testers, who spilled Microsoft‘s secrets in sharing a screenshot with The Verge.

The Windows 8 Music app shows us that a one-month subscription to the incoming music streaming service will run £8.99, while a one-year subscription will cost £89.90. Zune users living in the UK will immediately recognize those prices, as they’re the same rates Microsoft charged for access to the dying service. Pricing details for the US are still missing, but it seems safe to assume that Xbox Music will follow the same payment structure as Zune here in the States as well.

Of course, in order to use Xbox Music, you’ll need to sign up for a subscription to Xbox Live Gold, which runs $59.99 per year in the United States. This means that you’ll be paying more than the advertised price to use the music streaming service, but obviously the expectation is that you’ll use your Gold subscription for more than just access to Xbox Music. Good news for those of you who hate paying monthly fees (don’t we all?), as some keen-eyed gamers on NeoGAF are also saying that an ad-supported free version of Xbox Music will be offered, so it appears that Microsoft is taking a page out of Spotify‘s book with this one.

The screenshot that was sent to The Verge doesn’t show much, but it does indicate that users will be able to sync their playlists across multiple devices. If that’s an actual feature of Xbox Music, then that will be a big bonus for users, so let’s keep our fingers crossed. The service is still obviously in its early stages though, so right now, we’ll just have to wait until Microsoft spills some official details. Stay tuned.

Xbox Music pricing details outed in Windows 8 app is written by Eric Abent & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2012, SlashGear. All right reserved.

It’s tough to ignore that the Zune era at Microsoft is quickly winding to a close. That doesn’t mean you’ll necessarily be out of options for syncing a Windows Phone’s contents by the time the Zune desktop app fades away, however. A tip to The Verge has shown a companion app for Windows 8 users that will reportedly load the first time a Windows Phone 8 device syncs up, giving a fully Metro-friendly place to transfer any media. Windows 7 would get its own parallel, just in case some of us aren’t willing or able to upgrade our PCs in concert. The replacement desktop apps could be available at about the same time as the Windows Phone 8 launch, if the claims are at all accurate — which might leave less than two months before one more vestige of Microsoft’s MP3 player days goes away.

Filed under: Cellphones, Software

Windows Phone companion surfaces for Windows 8, could take over syncing duties originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 03 Sep 2012 19:29:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Microsoft’s oddly named music service put its official resignation in earlier this summer, but the Zune brand isn’t in its coffin just yet — although Redmond is certainly driving in the nails. Zune Pass subscribers, for instance, are now receiving word that the service’s Mixview playback and channel playlist features will be discontinued on August 31st, along with music video streaming from the Zune desktop software. User licenses to previously purchased music videos are being reworked as well, cutting off user access to old content on new machines. The service’s once heavily touted social aspect seems to be making way for Xbox Music as well: users will no longer be able to send or receive messages, invite friends or share songs, playlists, and play history. Last, but not least, the company is dealing its old hardware one final blow by discontinuing Zune HD apps — not that there were many to kill off. Microsoft has little else to say in the brief email, but promises to share more information about Xbox Music soon. Check it out for yourself after the break.

Continue reading Zune’s last days: Microsoft pulling Zune HD apps, select features on August 31st

Filed under: Misc

Zune’s last days: Microsoft pulling Zune HD apps, select features on August 31st originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 29 Aug 2012 22:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Xbox Music is coming to Windows 8 and Windows Phone 8, that much we know. We also know that the Zune brand is dead. But whether the new service will be a simple rebadge or an entirely new beast remains a mystery. Bloomberg has it on good authority, however, that that Xbox Music will more than just a new face. Microsoft is allegedly combining all the most successful elements of its competitors — streaming, online storage, and offline syncing — into a product that will put iTunes, Spotify and Google Play squarely in its crosshairs. The company is allegedly in talks with the record labels to secure the necessary rights for a monthly subscription service and a market for purchasing tracks. It will also take a page from Google Music and allow customers to upload their own collections. If Microsoft can pull off a such a comprehensive service others in the field better watch out — few companies have the reach or budget of Redmond.

Xbox Music said to rival Spotify and iTunes, Microsoft to make a mark in music originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 28 Jun 2012 16:57:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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