For months, images of Microsoft’s upcoming mp3/photo/video player with FM radio, the Zune (AKA the iPod-killer they hope it becomes), have been splashed across the web. Finally some official information has been released by Microsoft.

           The Zune, available in black, white and brown.

Of course, those secret pictures were always fuzzy – not the sharp image you’re seeing above. Turns out the pictures were quite accurate, with the Zune clearly taking a design cue from you know who – but what looks like a scroll wheel apparently isn’t – it’s a four way pad that accelerates depending on how hard or long you press.

Quick specs include:

- a 30Gb hard drive to store up to 7500 songs, or 25,000 photos or 100 hours of video – or a smaller combination of all three

- a 3-inch LCD screen

- built-in FM radio with RDS compatibility (to see the name of the station and other info if enabled by the radio station)

- pre-loaded music and video content

- a Zune music store to compete with iTunes

- the ability to buy tracks at a set price for each tune or to pay a per month subscription price (no major subscription service exists in Australia as yet, however)

- Inbuilt Wi-Fi to share music with other Zune owning friends. They can listen to songs transferred to their Zune three times before it is then wiped. You can mark the song with a button the Zune and then download it yourself when you get home. It’ll either be ‘part of the subscription’, or you’ll have to pay for it – be it a small fee if it’s brand new and you’re part of the subscription service, or the full price for each track.

There’s still no firm pricing on the Zune, but given the new 30Gb iPod is AUD $380, it would need to be price competitive with that (the same iPod is $299 in US dollars). The release also talks about a US release in time for Christmas/holiday season, but there’s no word on an Australian launch date as yet. If they plan to launch it here in that timeframe we’ll definitely hear about it – and report it! Otherwise it looks like we’ll have to wait for 2007. 

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Entry was posted on Saturday, September 16th, 2006 at 4:23 pm under Media players, Storage, Technology.

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