Tag archive: Zune

If you're tired of trying to figure out the exchange rate between U.S. dollars and Microsoft Points, a new rumor making the rounds should give you hope. According to Inside Mobile Apps, Microsoft will abandon its proprietary Microsoft Points currency by the end of the year, and begin a more direct system of exchanging real-world money for digital goods. The move will take effect on Xbox Live, the Zune marketplace, and Windows Phones,… Read More

In the list of bad ideas, the rumored “Facebook phone” (which will apparently be built by HTC and may fork the Android code base) is arguably one of the worst ideas since… well, the Zune. Let’s explore that today by looking at some of Microsoft’s own missteps with the ill-fated PMP, and where Facebook and HTC seem to be repeating them. Zune To recap the history of the Zune, Microsoft made three massively strategic mistakes over the last three… Read More

Microsoft has been something of a tease when it comes to Zune. For the better part of the last year, we’ve simultaneously seen the PMP production come to a halt while Microsoft has insisted there is life yet for the device. The mixed messages came to a head recently when the company announced it was finishing making and selling the Zune while support team members said otherwise, and Microsoft pulled the page explaining Zune software would live… Read More

Yesterday, we reported that Microsoft had officially announced that the Zune HD and hardware was dead and that Windows Phone was the new focus for the brand. That information came directly from a page on Zune.net. Well, now Microsoft claims that it was all a big mistake and that it wasn't official in the first place. Here's what the @ZuneSupport team said on Twitter: “We are still supporting the Zune HD hardware. No official… Read More

The Zune brand is now dead as a hardware line, says Microsoft. The software giant has confirmed that the Zune HD is no longer being manufactured. This is not a new revelation, as Microsoft hasn't introduced new Zune hardware or featured it in some time. Instead, it has migrated the Zune software to Windows Phone, where it lives happily and remains one of the best music players on the market. “We recently announced that, going… Read More

There have been a good number of streaming music announcements lately, and not to be outdone, today Microsoft chimed in about some changes being made to its Zune service. The software giant will be lowering the price of its Zune Music Pass and taking the Zune Music Marketplace up north to our Canadian neighbors. Microsoft Zune Music Pass will be cut from $14.99 to $9.99, a price which mirrors many of the music streaming competitors such as Rdio,… Read More

Microsoft has confirmed what we've suspected for a few months now: Xbox Live is coming to Windows 8. In a post, the Xbox Live Major Nelson blog confirmed that Windows 8 will run Xbox Live, meaning you can consume Xbox content of all sorts–games, music, movies, and TV shows–on all Windows PCs and tablets. This likely means that Windows 8 computers will come with built-in ESPN, Netflix, and Hulu support as well. We don't… Read More

The death of troubled U.K. singer Amy Winehouse rocked the entertainment world this weekend, but it was a poor choice of tie-in tweet that turned some fans' sadness into rage this morning. Early Monday morning, an online uproar erupted when a tweet went out from Microsoft U.K. PR urging followers to remember the musician by downloading one of her albums from Microsoft's online music service, Zune. “Remember Amy Winehouse by… Read More

Spotify has finally become a reality for US users after two long years of waiting. We had a chance to dabble with the European version before launch, and were able to put the American service through the wringer today. Here are our initial impressions on the music application. Spoiler alert: It's good. Setup As it should always be, setup was the most painless part of the game. We entered minimal personal information about ourselves (with… Read More

It may come as a surprise to some that Microsoft is still selling its Zune media players—the “iPod killer” Zune HD is still available from the likes of Walmart and Best Buy—but Microsoft has shut down its Zune Originals service, which offered users to order up laser-etched designs and customized text on the cases. Zune Originals orders placed before 5pm PDT on July 1 will be fulfilled. Although Microsoft has not formally announced… Read More

Microsoft may have just unintentionally announced one of the biggest features coming to Windows 8. In an interview with the Seattle Times, Microsoft VP of global marketing for interactive entertainment business Mike Delman says Xbox Live will integrate with Windows 8 in the future, making it available to users via PC. “Live has been successful on the Windows Phone. Live will be built into the PC. It will be the service where you get your… Read More

Microsoft has closed down Pioneer Studios roughly three years after its launch, CNET reports. It was the creation of company executive J Allard, who announced his retirement just about a year ago along with Robbie Bach. Pioneer was established to develop outside the box ideas, though its failure to produce anything marketable coupled with Allard's 2010 departure almost certainly fueled the decision to pull the plug. The confirmation came… Read More

Windows Phone 7 will be getting its much-needed “Mango” update this fall and it looks to add features on all fronts. In April, we detailed some new developer features Microsoft will be adding, and yesterday Redmond announced some new productivity features that will be added to the smartphone operating system. We've got the full list below. Facebook Chat: The Windows Dev Podcast announced this feature (and some others) this… Read More

Just a couple of months ago it looked like Microsoft was ready to part ways with the Zune. After being noticeably absent of Zune updates at Mobile World Congress, and the PMP’s difficulty competing with the iPod, Microsoft’s protestations of seeing a “Zune ecosystem” were code for implementing the software into the Windows Phone 7. For Zune lovers, it’s sad news. If anything could give the iPod some viable competition it was the Zune. There’s no… Read More

It’s been a long time coming. Following whispers for some time now that Microsoft has been in the process of moving Zune to the great beyond, today Bloomberg has confirmation of those rumors. According to the site, Microsoft will terminate all production of new Zune music and video players due to a lack of demand. At the same time, an insider says the company will be shifting “its focus to other devices.” Last month, Microsoft failed to make any… Read More