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Nov 01

‘Liberate’ for the Zune HD unlocks hidden Windows CE potential

Posted in: hack, Microsoft, Today's Chili, Windows, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

Sure, we just spent the last four or five years chiding Microsoft for its anachronistic Windows CE interface, a UI which was holding Windows Mobile back in a post-stylus world, but now that Windows Phone 7 is here we get to start feeling all nostalgic, right? The ongoing Liberate project for the Zune HD, which just hit version 1.5.1, strips away that flashy Zune veneer and boots the device to Microsoft’s stock CE 6.0 copy of explorer.exe. Notably, the latest version adds an onscreen keyboard and better right click support. Folks are using the freedom of CE to run applications like Foxit Reader, Opera Mini and Pocket Word, and with support for GDI, DirectDraw, and OpenGL ES 2.0 there’s hope of gaming ports as well.

[Thanks, David R.]

‘Liberate’ for the Zune HD unlocks hidden Windows CE potential originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 01 Nov 2010 20:44:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink ZuneBoards | source ZuneBoards forums | Email this | Comments

Oct 01

Microsoft rolls out Windows Live Messenger for Zune HD

Posted in: app, Microsoft, Today's Chili, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

The Zune HD may not have seen quite the explosion of apps that many had hoped for, but it’s just gotten a pretty big one: Windows Live Messenger. That will naturally give you much of the same functionality of its desktop counterpart (also receiving an update today), including the ability to keep watch on updates from various social networking sites, and even use Facebook Chat. It’ll also display the music you have playing right in the app and, just like the desktop version, it’s free. Look for it in the Zune Marketplace right now.

Microsoft rolls out Windows Live Messenger for Zune HD originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 01 Oct 2010 16:17:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source Windows Experience Blog | Email this | Comments

Sep 11

Microsoft job posting hints at another Zune, or perhaps an internally-developed phone

Posted in: Microsoft, phone, Today's Chili, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

We’d heard rumors that a new Zune was on the way, but here’s a spot of evidence that something’s actually up: Microsoft’s adding a senior mechanical engineer to help build “the next generation of portable entertainment and communication devices.” While the job listing in question is technically for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business, which oversees Windows Phone, it’s clear that some things have changed since the Entertainment & Devices shakeup: “We are the team that shipped the Zune HD,” the post reads. It appears that there’s a new group within Microsoft called the Portable Entertainment Group which isn’t afraid to design its own hardware and includes the Zune team, though whether that hardware be Zune, phone or something more obscure still remains to be seen.

Microsoft job posting hints at another Zune, or perhaps an internally-developed phone originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 11 Sep 2010 18:11:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink WMPowerUser | source Microsoft Careers | Email this | Comments

Sep 04

Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial

Posted in: Microsoft, mp3 player, Mp3Player, PMP, Today's Chili, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

Microsoft and United hooked up back in June for a hardware-less Zune partnership, which seems to have turned out pretty sweetly for both parties. Dave McLauchlan, chief Zune HD evangelist, has dished the news that the two companies are stepping up their relationship with a set of 500 Zunes being provided for long-haul flights to Hong Kong and Australia. Before you cry foul and say you never get on a flying tin can without your own media, Microsoft’s angle here will be to preload those OLED-sporting babies with exclusive content, including flicks that haven’t yet made it to a DVD release. Dave himself has been running around movie studios and closing deals, while the Zune HDs in question have now been encased in rubber, had their screens protected, and batteries charged. See them in a group shot after the break.

Continue reading Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial

Zune HD taking to the skies with United Airlines in-flight entertainment trial originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 04 Sep 2010 15:31:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Neowin | source Zune Insider | Email this | Comments

Sep 01

Zune HD could have all-new model in the works

Posted in: Microsoft, mp3 player, Mp3Player, PMP, refresh, rumor, speculation, Today's Chili, update, upgrade, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

The Zune HD continues to rank among our all-time favorites in terms of industrial design, so it’s good to hear that Microsoft isn’t entirely abandoning the PMP sector for its new Windows Phone 7 hotness. Mary Jo Foley of ZDNet has consulted her tea leaves (and in-the-know tipsters) and emerged with the strong feeling that some new Zune hardware is brewing up in Redmond. Little specificity is available, beyond the obvious postulation that a new ZHD would probably be driven by an ARM CPU and take some software pointers from WP7, but we’re told to look toward to the early 2011 horizon and see if we can’t spot any sexy new media players emerging. A mirage is as likely as the real deal right now, but it’s always fun to look to that horizon, no?

Zune HD could have all-new model in the works originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 01 Sep 2010 16:53:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source ZDNet | Email this | Comments

Jul 18

Zune Pass for UK gets briefly teased, priced?

Posted in: Microsoft, rumor, rumors, Today's Chili, uk, united kingdom, UnitedKingdom, windows phone 7, WindowsPhone7, Wp7, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

If the above picture is to be believed, it looks like Microsoft’s Zune Pass is gearing up to make its UK debut. An across-the-pond tipster via LiveSide apparently stumbled upon (and was able to successfully score the 14-day trial) a Subscription page with pricing tiers. In addition to the tryout period, there were also options for a £8.99 (about $13.74) one-month pass and £26.97 / $41.23 for three. Further details are just barely hinted at in the sidebar, but if it’s anything like the US progenitor, we’re looking at an all-you-can download music service and ten DRM-free MP3s each month, playable on Windows, Xbox 360 (soon), Zune devices (still not available outside US), and Windows Phone 7. We know Microsoft is planning to move its “challenging” music service into every country its phones will venture, but that little tidbit doesn’t absolve this image of scrutiny. Try as we might, our UK editors are unable to find this screen anywhere. According to the original tipster, even though he has access to the trial, he still can’t use it. We’ll keep digging and will let you know what we find.

[Thanks, Ian]

Zune Pass for UK gets briefly teased, priced? originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 18 Jul 2010 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink Neowin | source LiveSide | Email this | Comments

May 11

Visual Boy Zune brings Game Boy emulation to Zune HD (video)

Posted in: homebrew, nintendo, Today's Chili, video, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

Once hacked, the Zune HD’s rabid fanbase wasted no time in ensuring the device could play Doom. Now, the ZuneBoards want to give it Zelda, too. User BackAtIt has taken the wrappings off the first working emulator for Zune, which is currently capable of playing Game Boy and Game Boy Color ROMs, but little else — though this “Visual Boy Zune” app is ported from the same VisualBoyAdvance code that’s enabled handheld emulation since 2004, it’s in early alpha with quite a bit of work left to do. A recent update enabled state save emulation and a ROM selector, but there’s no audio output, let alone Game Boy Advance support; BackAtIt says he’ll need to rewrite much of the codebase to take advantage of the Zune HD’s Tegra architecture. Still, it’s never too early for a proof of concept video, and you’ll find two blurry ones after the break — unless you’d rather try it out for yourself at the source link.

[Thanks, MK1000]

Continue reading Visual Boy Zune brings Game Boy emulation to Zune HD (video)

Visual Boy Zune brings Game Boy emulation to Zune HD (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 11 May 2010 06:44:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source Visual Boy Zune, ZuneBoards | Email this | Comments

Apr 20

Zune HD: yes, it plays Doom

Posted in: hack, Hacks, Microsoft, Today's Chili, video, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

No matter how weak or powerful the gadget, one brave soul will always broach the all-important question: can it play Doom? Just four days after hacking the Zune HD and unleashing the OpenZDK, the Zune community has received its answer. ZuneBoards forumgoer Netrix has opened the portal to the familiar alien hell, where gamers will writhe in agony as they struggle with tilt and touchscreen controls. Those who persevere regardless will find the app runs any of the original Doom WAD files. Full installer available at the source link; see OpenZDK’s power in action after the break.

[Thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Zune HD: yes, it plays Doom

Zune HD: yes, it plays Doom originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 20 Apr 2010 22:19:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source ZuneBoards | Email this | Comments

Apr 16

Zune HD hacked, OpenZDK now available to developers

Posted in: hack, hacked, Microsoft, PMP, Today's Chili, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

Well, it looks like the first 64GB Zune HDs landing in customers’ hands may not be the biggest Zune news today after all. As proudly announced the ZuneBoards website, the Zune HD — and all earlier Zunes, although the potential there is a tad more limited — “have been hacked.” While obviously not the first hack of any sort for the devices, this is described as the “first true hack,” and it has made the concurrently-released OpenZDK possible. That effectively gives developers “access to everything XNA withheld before,” which more or less opens to doors to any type of application that can run on the Zune hardware — games, emulators, app stores, you name it. Of course, there’s not a ton for average Zune users to play with at the moment, but developers can find all they need to get cracking at the source link below.

[Thanks, jhoeforth & Dilpickle1]

Zune HD hacked, OpenZDK now available to developers originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 16 Apr 2010 13:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

Permalink | source ZuneBoards | Email this | Comments

Apr 16

Microsoft’s Zune HD 64 starts sliding out, unboxing proves the bump in capacity

Posted in: Microsoft, now shipping, NowShipping, on sale, OnSale, PMP, ship, shipping, ships, Today's Chili, unboxing, zune, zune hd, ZuneHd

Microsoft’s extra capacious Zune HD just went on sale last week, and already orders are hitting the doorsteps of eager music lovers. A tipster with a commendable level of kindness dropped us a gallery’s worth of unboxing photos, and as you’d expect, nary a thing has changed on the outside. On the inside, however, things are downright zany. Zany, we say! Have a look below if you’re curious, and be sure to let us know in comments if / when your own Zune HD 64 arrives.

[Thanks, Jp3009]

Gallery: Microsoft Zune HD 64 unboxing