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The official announcement is supposed to arrive in less than an hour, but I think we have all the information necessary to inform everyone right now (if not, we'll edit later). There will be two new players joining the Zune family. And by joining, we mean neither will be replacing the original. So without further ado let's get things started:

Zune 80

• 80GB Capacity
• 3.2" Display
• WMA Lossless Support
• Plays H.264, MPEG-4, and WMV natively
• FM Tuner
• Built-in WiFi
• Podcast support
• Battery Life: 30 hours for Audio, 4 hours for Video
• Dimensions: 61.1 x 108.2 x 12.9mm
• Retails for $249 (includes Premium headphones)

Zune 4 and 8

• 4 and 8GB Capacity
• 1.8" Display
• Same features as HD players
• Built-in WiFi
• Battery Life: 24 hours for Audio, 4 hours for Video
• Dimensions: 41.4 x 91.5 x 8.5mm
• Colors: Black, Green, Pink, and Red
• Retails for $149 and $199 respectively

Both models will use a 4-way Touch-sensitive D-pad (Microsoft calls it the ZunePad, I'm calling it the Squircle) and will feature a redesigned interface. Microsoft will also be adding this same interface (and features) to the original Zune (now called the Zune 30) via a firmware upgrade. What else are we missing? Oh yea, WiFi support! The 3-day limitation for keeping songs is now gone, but the 3-play limit remains. You also have the ability to transfer media files from your computer via WiFi. Finally, the Zune software has been completely revamped and will include a DRM-Free Music store. The new players will hit stores sometime in November.

Looking back on my predictions, I was nearly spot on (sorry, no gapless). These new players look a lot nicer than the original Zune, and I can't wait to see more of that new interface. I'm also glad to see Microsoft taking care of original Zune owners. That's a move you don't see too often in this industry. We'll have plenty more for you soon, so make sure to check back later.

Official Page

Pre-order at Amazon:

Zune 80
Zune 8

Click the link below for a few more pictures...

squircle   drm free music   amazon   mpeg 4   h 264

Since the ZEN was released a few months ago, I've seen quite a lot of people with cash in hand, waiting for Creative to add SD-card integration. For those that don't know, this implies having the contents on your SD-card integrated with the content on the player's on-board memory. Until now, you could only view the files on your SD card, but not incorporate it.

Creative just released a new firmware that is a step in the right direction. It allows you to import photos onto the player itself. Just photos you ask? Well there's also an "Import All" option that actually transfers your music and videos too, but for some strange reason they don't show up on the player (only photos are). They're only visible when you connect the player to your computer and open up your "Imported Files" folder.

I am pleased to see Creative working hard on the ZEN, and releasing firmware updates in a timely fashion. I just wish they could get things right. This isn't the type of SD-card integration that most of us are looking for. If they continue down this importing path, I feel it'll be one step forward and two steps back. After upgrading my player's firmware I also encountered the White Screen of Death problem again, so unfortunately I was forced to downgrade back to version 1.03.04.

Download the latest ZEN firmware HERE

Thanks, dreimanis

firmware updates   death problem   step in the right direction   board memory   files folder