Hasta La Gadget!

Have you noticed all the Zune HD unboxing galleries around the Interwebs right now? While it hits stores today, no one’s been able to completely review it yet—Microsoft has only just posted the required Zune 4.0 software online.

We’re working on the full review as I type this, but while you wait:
• Zune HD Hands On: Photos and Video Tour
• Zune HD TV Interface Walkthrough
• Microsoft Says No Zune HD Outside the U.S (For Now)

New features in the Zune 4.0 software include quickplay, smart DJ, mini mode, mixview, and the Zune Marketplace with apps and games. Microsoft says it plans Twitter and Facebook apps later this year, and some of the first 3D games for the Nvidia Tegra-powered player will be Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition, Vans Sk8: Pool Service, and Audiosurf Tilt. (Meanwhile, older Zunes can update to software 3.2)

And as you can see below, Xbox 360 streaming is on the way… [Zune.net and PRNewsWire]

The Zune HD is soon to be officially out on the streets, and we’ve got the official Engadget hands-on / unboxing. Now, we were excited as all get-out to wrap our paws around the Tegra-powered PMP, but some of that luster has worn off since popping this baby out of its extremely attractive packaging. Why is that, you ask? Well, Microsoft decided to hold on loading up any usable software until the new Zunes were out to market. What that means is that we have yet to do any serious testing with the new device — despite having the gem sitting right here. We can tell you that the Zune HD is most definitely a thing of beauty as far as gadget standards are concerned, and while the only media we’ve been able to enjoy is the big M’s demo video, we have been marveling at the clarity and crispness of that OLED display.

Obviously we’ve got a proper review coming soon, but we take this stuff pretty seriously and don’t like to offer our opinion till we’ve spent some quality time with a device. You can expect a look at both the music and media playback capabilities of the ZHD, as well as the new Zune integration into Xbox Live, Windows Media Center, and all other kinds of connected-world goodness. Till then, feast your eyes on the galleries below, and quietly curse Microsoft for handing us a neutered Zune.

Update: As a commenter points out below, these devices are being sold to end users in the same condition our unit is in — namely, without any real functioning software. It’s a pretty unusual move for a company like Microsoft to put devices into the hands of consumers with no functionality at all, but it seems the Zune team was cranking till the last minute. Let’s hope all the hard work pays off!

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD unboxing and hands-on originally appeared on Engadget on Tue, 15 Sep 2009 01:28:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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See that there? That’s a shiny new 16GB Zune HD, which isn’t supposed to ship until September 15th. Why bother to honor the street date? Ask the cool cats at the Fort Myers, Florida Best Buy, who has no qualms selling our tipster a unit over the weekend. At the time, no 32GB versions were available, and even now, this 16GB unit won’t sync with one’s PC or do much of anything useful. Of course, Microsoft’s pretty much shutting itself down tonight as it readies a new software update, so we suspect all systems will be go within the next 24 hours. While we’re on the topic, has anyone else managed to snag a Zune HD early?

[Thanks, Everett]

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD sold early, still unusable until tomorrow originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 14 Sep 2009 08:51:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Don’t be sad. We know it hurts but that’s what happens when your emotions exceed reason. The Zune HD will be a US exclusive when it goes on sale September 15th just as it was when the original Zune brownie went on sale back in November 2006. Here’s what Microsoft told Ars:

“For the time being the Zune HD device will remain US only. Right now we are focused on deploying an exciting service in the form of Zune Video to 18 markets. We are looking at potential future hardware experiences for these markets, but do not have anything to announce right now.”

Plenty of fodder for conspiracy types here. First, that means Canada is out, even though older Zune models are already on sale there. But the words “for the time being” leave plenty of wiggle room for an international launch window. And what does Microsoft mean by the generically phrased, “future hardware experiences?” Are they referring to a Zune service destined to “transcend Zune the device” later this year? Perhaps. One thing is clear: consumers are far more excited about the Zune HD than the original — especially now that Apple’s cat is out of the bag. Microsoft could be leaving a ton of money on the table if they don’t go global, quick.

[Thanks, Safir]

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD International launch hopes crushed by Microsoft, others raised originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 11 Sep 2009 03:08:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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With the introduction of the iTunes Music Store, Apple brought the business model of buying music online to the masses at 99 cents a song. iTunes changed the dynamic of the music business: consumers re-discovered the single and no longer had to buy a whole CD to get the one song they might want. It’s a model that’s worked well: I’ve bought a lot of music from the folks in Cupertino over the years, and so has everyone else: Apple’s one of the largest music retailers in the industry.

Having said that, Apple’s model isn’t the only one out there. Microsoft, Real, Napster and others have all tried to push the subscription model that allows users to consume as much music as they wish from a catalog of millions of songs for a monthly fee. Some services, such as Microsoft’s Zune Pass, also allow users to keep a certain number of songs each month in unprotected format. Although subscription services will likely continue to need be protected by some sort of DRM I don’t really have an issue with that. Technology like DRM should be used to create new business models, not protect old ones.

Continue reading Entelligence: Stream on

Filed under: Portable Audio

Entelligence: Stream on originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 04 Sep 2009 12:32:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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