Hasta La Gadget!

Who says Microsoft ain’t lookin’ out for those who selected its Zune HD over something Designed In Cupertino? Just days after countless owners went berserk over a playcount syncing issue, Microsoft has released a new firmware update that not only solves that very quandary but also adds a gaggle of fantastic new and / or improved features. The v4.3 update is available now by selecting “Player Update” from within the device itself, and with it will come “support for upcoming 3d games and applications, as well as an auto-suggest feature for better text input, and other minor improvements.” We’re hearing that those “minor improvements” include a snappier browser, so it’s pretty safe to say you’re only harming yourself if you don’t get this download going right now. (Psst… there’s a vid of the new software running after the break.)

[Via MobileTechWorld, thanks to everyone who sent this in]

Continue reading Zune HD v4.3 firmware out now: fixes playcount bug, adds lots of great things (video)

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD v4.3 firmware out now: fixes playcount bug, adds lots of great things (video) originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 07 Nov 2009 12:22:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Ross Rubin (@rossrubin) contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology.

As CEO of Microsoft, Bill Gates would often talk about his dream of “information at your fingertips.” The company he co-founded, though, is now taking literal steps toward that goal. By the end of the month, Microsoft will have released three new devices or platforms that embrace or extend touchscreen support — but the impact touch will have on each varies significantly by their legacy, usage, and manufacturers.

Windows has long had touchscreen support. Such support, in fact, was the basis of the Tablet Edition of Windows XP, and Tablet PCs were proclaimed to be the future of notebooks. Early iterations were larger and thicker keyboard-lacking slates much like the new Archos 9pctablet. But this was before rampant Web browsing, streaming video, casual games and electronic books — all of which now provide relevance for a new generation of touchscreen PCs as content-consumption devices.

Continue reading Switched On: Microsoft’s touchy subjects

Filed under: Cellphones, Handhelds, Portable Audio, Portable Video, Tablet PCs

Switched On: Microsoft’s touchy subjects originally appeared on Engadget on Wed, 14 Oct 2009 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hey, remember that totally wild, awesome looking “Atomic” Zune HD we spied evidence of in the source files a week or so ago? Well, we later saw an image or two of it, but now one’s shown up in the flesh on ebay — and for a starting bid of a mere 265 bones you might be able to snag it! This one’s a 32GB model, and while we still don’t know if it’s going to be officially released or not, we get the feeling that it probably will. Regardless, we’d advise starting a bidding war anyway. Oh, and we’re totally winning this one so hands off.

[Via Anything but iPod]

Filed under: Handhelds, Portable Audio

Atomic Zune HD explodes all over Ebay originally appeared on Engadget on Sat, 26 Sep 2009 21:06:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Hosts: Joshua Topolsky, Nilay Patel, Paul Miller
Producer: Trent Wolbe
Song: NOISEWAVES – As Days Go By (Family Matters Theme Song)

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00:03:00 – Google says Phil Schiller himself rejected Google Voice from the App Store
00:13:35 – Zune HD review
00:37:50 – Archos 5 Internet Tablet makes an honest PMP out of Android
00:44:04 – HP’s new DreamScreens pack Pandora and Facebook into a wireless photo frame
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00:59:39 – HTC Hero for Sprint hands-on and impressions
01:04:05 – Motorola CLIQ

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Filed under: Podcasts

Engadget Podcast 163 – 09.20.2009 originally appeared on Engadget on Sun, 20 Sep 2009 16:27:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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When we broke news and images of the Zune HD back in April, we were more than a little excited. There had been talk — and rumor — of a widescreen, touchscreen Zune for some time, and seeing the fruits of Microsoft’s labor made it clear that the company had done its homework. As time wore on and we reported on the official announcement, confirmation of NVIDIA’s awesome Tegra chip inside, and news that the Zune Marketplace would extend into Xbox Live, we were downright giddy at the possibilities. Finally the much-anticipated, heavily lusted after micro-slab has been brought to market — and it’s not just the unit itself. Along with the release, we’re seeing new desktop software, the Zune brand move towards a connected experience for Windows computers, and the expansion of the Zune Marketplace and ecosystem — replete with applications designed just for the Zune HD interface.

So the time has come for the Engadget review. Does the Zune HD finally match up with Microsoft’s ambition, and can it stand up to the heat and ubiquity of the competition? Read on for all the answers.

Continue reading Zune HD review

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

Zune HD review originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 17 Sep 2009 12:04:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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