Microsoft Hints At Zune Games Content

Does this surprise anyone? Not me.

Xbox European boss Chris Lewis has admitted for the first time that Microsoft is considering games content for the recently released portable multimedia player Zune.

Speaking to consumer website Total Video Games, Lewis stated, “You can already plug your Zune device into your Xbox 360 to stream music, pictures and video content. Looking ahead, the vision for connected entertainment provides a number of consumer scenarios and with our heritage in Xbox and Games For Windows, gaming is certainly something we’re considering for the device.”

Xbox 360 users are already able to use Microsoft Points to purchase music tracks for the Zune via Xbox Live, but Lewis’ comments hint that Microsoft is considering expanding the connection between Zune, the Xbox 360 and Xbox Live in general. The device has also recently been made compatible with the forthcoming Windows Vista operating system for the PC.

Although rumored not to be due for release in Europe until 2008, Zune launched this winter in North America to mixed technical reviews and retail demand. According to recent data from NPD Group, sales for the Zune’s second month fell significantly, from a 9 percent market share to just 1.9 percent. The Apple iPod remained unchanged at 62.2 percent, with SanDisk in second place – rising from 17.5 percent to 18.4 percent.

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Generation Zune: Short What I LOVE Review.

There are tons and tons of reviews out there, so I am not going to have a super Detailed review. But, I do have to say- i love this device. Even though It might be a bit bigger than the Ipod, I don’t even notice it. In my book this MP3 player rocks. I haven’t have any negative experiences with it as of yet.

On the Screen-

The screen is bright and big. The menu is very user friendly and easy to use and navegate thru. I used to always say MP3 players with Pictures was useless, not only was there no reason ( not even for BG) but the screen was too small to even see the picture correctly. The Zune’s screen really lets you see the picture with tons of clarity making it well worth it.
On the OS-

Something I totally love, it doesn’t completely ignore the MAC. The Zune can actually charge on the MAC. Which is great for me because at work, I am on a MAC. Sometimes I have experienced it gets stuck for about a second or two. That has happened twice, but not something that has as not happened to me on other MP3 players. One of my Most favorite features is the Add to quick list playlist. You can create a quickplay list right there on you Zune, with out the software. I LOVE IT! Some times i just feel like listen to some songs only and this is perfect. Something it needs fixing is album art displaying. When it tries to scale to the big screen, it looks terrible at times. Depends on the size of the picture.
Sharing-

To share a song it takes 6 seconds. It is super painless:). One thing is that you cant seem to share songs that you buy? But the songs form my CD i can share, which is weird. It sucks it is only for 3 days, 3 times though. But its fun to share songs, I bug my boyfriend with my nonsense all the time :)

External-

Super strong. I dropped my Zune a couple times on the Subway running here and there :(. But it’s barely even shows. It feel good to the touch.

All in all there isn’t anything I don’t like. There are some people that have has problems with installing and with he Zune itself. Thankfully I have not had any issues installing the software or the Zune itself. Everyone should most def give it a try.

-Update- With the New Firmware Update, the lag has been minimized, good news yeah? Here is more from CrunchGear:

The firmware update definitely makes your Zune run a lot smoother. The usual lag that came up while you browsed pictures and video is virtually gone, letting you browse pictures/video without waiting around for anything to load. Your music library will also load up quicker, and your album artwork/track info will display without the usual lag. Good news, yes?

Firmware update is finally here!

Finally! I firmware update is out for the Zune! To get just plug up your zune to your computer and you will get a message. I haven’t had time to check it out yet, but someone are saying its actually faster. I will post some of the Firmware comments on the site in a bit. Have something to say about the new firmware? Let me know!
Thanks Zune-Online for the heads up!

Extending ypur Battery life

Zunemara has a nice little article about extending your battery life. Check out more here!

Here’s a technique that can significantly prolong your Zune’s battery life.

Most Zuners turn off their player by pressing and holding the play/pause button for a few seconds.

When you power back on, Zune will bring you back to whatever you were doing when you powered down - whether that be listening to a song, watching a video, viewing a slideshow, listening to radio, and so on.

While that’s nice, there’s a price! The player uses a little bit of battery power to preserve that information while the player’s off. Essentially, the player is going into hibernate mode, ready to spring to life when you turn it back on.

There’s a better way to turn it off that saves battery life. You won’t find this method in the minimalist “Start” pamphlet that came in your Zune box.

Press and hold the down button on the D-pad, and at the same time press and hold the back button. In three seconds, the player will fully power down.

If you’re not going to use the player for a few hours, or if it’s just not important to you that it start at your most recent function, this method will keep your battery juiced for a much longer time.

When you do power the Zune back on, it’ll display the Zune logo momentarily (about 4 seconds) and then take you to the main screen.

This trick has been well-known in our forums for a while, but I think it warrants highlighting in the blog. For me, it’s the most commonly-used of all “undocumented features” of your Zune!

Patch for Zune this Month?

Our Buddy Zunespring reported that on “Windows Weekly” podcast, they cover Microsoft strategy on the Zune on their lastest podcast. Not only that but also according to Mr. Thurott, who cited sources inside the Zune Team itself, we can expect a patch for the Zune software sometime this month to enable it to work with the company’s next generation operating system Windows Vista.