ROCK AND ROLL

Paul

Yes!!!!

PingBack from http://www.zuneluv.com/2007/10/02/zune-2-we-have-podcasts/

FIRST!!! When will the firmware update be availablte to us ver. 1 users?

Oh I LOVE IT!!!

If it makes you feel any better Cesar, I had faith in you the whole time. I knew you guys would blow us out of the water.

*continues to drool at new features and software.

can't wait for the firmware update.

great job zune team.

-Woody

WOW! great news!

Cesar: Do you know if gapless playback will be available in the next firmware? Also I was wondering which lossless codec will be added?

Thanks for the news Cesar

AWESOME!!!!

im so excited right now. im so glad i stayed up to read this. i had my doubts but im hardcore excited right now. the only thing is i hope we dont have to wait until the "holiday season" for these updates. im glad it was finally released though and we the early adopters are'nt getting shanked. now i just cant wait for a date.

Cesar, can you confirm whether or not Audible audio books will be supported?

lol still no wifi music store

THANK YOU!!!

looking forward for the new firmware

Perfection.......absolute perfection.  Thanks!!! Oh by the way couldn't help but notice that cesarisok was listed as a nearby Zune in the PR and Marketing Shots.

A few questions:

- What about the screen resolution on the Zune80?

- Can you detail the new Zune Marketplace?

- What about Zune accessories? Will old accessories be backwards compatible?

- Do we have a confirmed launch date?

- What about Video Sharing over WiFi? Possible?

- Zune Portable Harddrive capabilities?

Sorry to bombard you with questions. Grats on the amazing lineup, you guys have been busy.

Will the 30GB Zunes get the whole shell makeover too? It will you keep producing the same ones. You know, like would you start making 30GB Zunes with the touchpad and all?

Looking forward to the social side of it as well as the new Zune marketplace software...

Finally!!! I can't wait to check out the Zune 8...will we be seeing the Zune 80 in colors as well later on?

Also when will the update be available for the software...you mentioned "holiday season", hope that doesn't mean we wait until December :-)

Thanks for the post, Cesar!

Great sounding... Audio Books? How about the ability to bookmark?

yes, also when will we early adopters get the new firmware?

First congatulations. Second the questions...

1)Do you have continuous playback...as in no space between tracks?

2) Will the Zune 80 be available in colors other that black initially?

3) Do you still have the double-shot effect?

Love it, Cesar. Great job, Zune team!!

This is incredible news!  Thank you so much Cesar and to the rest of the Zune Team!  

Oh yes, sorry for posting to many times.

What happened to the doubleshot? Is that gone now?

I am quite excited, to say the least. I'm pre-ordering the first chance I get :)

Great stuff! And thanks for remembering the early adopters! :)

You all win! Hands down!

Especially for giving the early-adopters ALL (not just some) of the new features, too. That's just a stellar show of commitment to your community!

That's the best I can put it, dude.

*applause*

I'm not gonna lie, I'm really disappointed that there is no 80gb brown zune.  I hope it comes out before christmas, or no Zune 2 for me :(

I was really hoping for some of the stuff we read about in the patents recently.

But sync'ing tv content with media center is DEFINITELY an aweomse feature!!

Podcasts are nice too, assuming that the selection is similar in size and scope to iTunes.

Looking forward to a side view of the device, as it looks like it's got a metal back from some of the pics, and that makes me nervous as I really liked the aesthetics of the original zune.

The screen on the Zune 80 looks huge, and anyone that compares the iPod touch to the Zune doesn't have a realy quantity of content.  The Zune crushes the iPod when it comes to watching video.

Looks like current Zune users won't get the updates until Nov....

http://www.zune.net/en-us/meetzune/holiday2007.htm

Current Zune Users

Current Zune users will be able to upgrade and enjoy the new Zune software and Zune Marketplace on their PCs, plus new firmware for their devices as well. We will notify users in November that their in need of an upgrade.

maybe since you didn't let any of the community sites know you guys can hook us up with some of these new zunes to make up for it.

Great news, Cesar! Thanks for doing this. Linking this for my buddies at RottenTomatoes.com .

Cesar, another quick question. Am I reading the press release correctly, that Zune Pass holders will have unlimited downloads of music videos at no extra charge?

NNNOOOOOOO say it aint so. say it aint so. we have to wait until MID NOVEMBER???? its soooo far away. NOOOOOOOOO. i just read it on zune.net that everything will be available when its available to the public in mid-november. im so excited but so dissapointed its so far away. either way thanks zune team for remembering the early adopters. im so glad i might not sleep at all tonight haha

This is amazing! I knew Zune 2.0 would rock.

I still wish that you could have transitioned Zune Marketplace and Zune management to WMP 11.

But otherwise than that, great job! I can't wait.

***************

Just give us a hint next time, ok? After all, this is Zune "Insider". I expect at least a hint. :)

It's great that the new Firmware and Zunes were finally announced but... when will the new firmware be available? Seemed really odd to leave that out...

I'm glad Microsoft decided to update the first initial release of the Zune (The Zune 30). I'm so excited to be able to use the new software and firmware. I can't wait.....but I have to :( You don't need testers do you?

This is actually quite nice. VERY impressive, let me correct myself.

I wish some of the social features were implemented in the device itself. This could be pretty powerful.

Also, getting a wireless zunemarketplace along with a built in internet browser would be even killer. You guys solve these two, and you're my total heroes.

e

"[1] Connect to your home wireless network and sync your Zune with your PC collection using your dock, AC adapter or speaker dock accessory.

"

taken from zune.net.

cesar does this mean we have to have it plugged in to sync? i cant have it sitting on my desk completely unplugged and sync it?

Any updates to the flagging process? This was literally my most-used feature, and it'd be great if you guys could flag RDS metadata the same way.

(I'm ordering a Zune 4 and an 80... yes, I'm that excited).

Is the new Zune software already available for download?

Heh . Disapointing. About 6 months of no support of zune 1 and now we are lucky we are getting basic features of the ipod .

Where is the audio bookmarking feature ?

Where is the clock ?

Aside from that  still the 3 play rule ? WHY .Why can't I share  things that are free on the internet with my friends without it having a 3 play limit.

This all feels to little  too late .

Zune Card. YES. I asked about a year for the ability to publish our "most listened to" list. Admittedly I asked for it to be published on Live Spaces but a Zune social network is a MUCH better idea.

Mind you, I want more. Will you let me publish my "most listened to" list on Facebook?

great stuff.

-Jamie

from zune.net

"Current Zune Users

Current Zune users will be able to upgrade and enjoy the new Zune software and Zune Marketplace on their PCs, plus new firmware for their devices as well. We will notify users in November that they're in need of an upgrade."

Zune.net says we have to wait until November for our new firmware. the wait is killing me already! but it is a good wait, a confirmation.

also about the new zunes, why no double shot and why no brown for the zune 4 and zune 8?

Ah, nevermind. It's on one of the Zune.net pages (which, I must say, is very broken looking):

"Current Zune Users

Current Zune users will be able to upgrade and enjoy the new Zune software and Zune Marketplace on their PCs, plus new firmware for their devices as well. We will notify users in November that they're in need of an upgrade."

November for the firmware upgrade? That sucks. I thought because we were early adopters that we would at least get to check it out early but we still have to wait yet another 1-2 months (depending on if it's released at the end of November)? That's pretty lame.

Don't get me wrong, the new features are great but we've already waited a year with absolutely no word and now we finally get some information... and have to wait a possible 2 more months. I know I sound ungreatful but it was promised to us that we would get new features through firmware updates and then we were ignored for an entire year. One would think you'd have _at least_ something for us to try.

Yay! Thank You Cesar and the rest of the zune team! Yall really out did yourselves!

But no integration with XBox. :(

Shame. You've missed a trick here!

Man, I love you guys for supporting Zune 1! This is the way it's gotta be!

Just wanted to say that Zune is awesome! I can't wait for it to come out with new firmware, and I can't wait to update mine :) One suggestion though - the blog text is a bit hard to read, I think probably a darker shade of grey would work better, easier on the eyes at least. Just one small improvement I thought could be made. Keep up the good work :)  

We have to wait til November?  Oh, come on.  The last two days have been killing me, how am I supposed to wait a whole month?

Who cares about a frigging clock? Buy a watch for god's sake!

Thanks for integrating Media Center recordings into the sync the new software.  That will be great.  No need to purchase tv shows, just record and sync.

*Pops champaign bottle*, A TOAST TO CESAR AND THE ZUNE TEAM!

Will it be available in Canada??  (please say yes!)

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thank you Cesar!

The Zune team is awesome for providing the new features for the 1st gen Zune!

Cesar, I know your still testing battery, but can you confirm that Zune 80 will have better battery life(more than 12hrs audio playback) than the Zune 30?

So is http://www.zunesocial.net legit?    What is the barcode needed for the logon?

Also this is interesting, since today the ID used for Zune is LiveID.   You might have multiple Zunes using the 1 account (2 zunes allowed) but still it signs into 1 Live account.   Can we delegate the ability to the 2nd live Account for use in the Social network?

Very excited to see how your battery tests go!  The whole project looks very exciting and congratulations on the launch.

I would guess that the firmware will be out November 6th with the new Zunes, seeing as all of the kits and such are being released the same day. Can't really have a new Zune without a car charger, etc.

I can't wait to see what is new. I've been watching the community for a year now, and it looks like Microsoft is really on to something.

As for the November release date, I don't mind (though I'll take it early if you are willing Cesar), it will be released right along side the XBOX 360 Fall Update (or right before / right after) and will give me many new things to check out on both the Zune and 360.

Congratulations on the new line of Zunes. Can't wait! My wife wants a pink 8gb really bad already. :)

Great news to hear!!!!

How about anything on gapless playback? Kind of gets annoying when hearing that pause when tracks are suppose to flow into each other.

This is very cool!  I can't wait for the firmware update!

Okay, so I'm going to ask the first question that popped into my head when I saw this.  Is the Zune still for North America only?

so u have to have a compatible router and a charger that plugs into the wall to wireless sync?????also will they continue production of 30gb Zune or make new ones like the zune 80????when will we get the FIRMWARE!!!!!is it the day of the launch????ru treating us like new members and like introduce everything at the same time in November??????im glad my b-day is in November!!!!!(November 2nt)AND THE MOST IMPORTANT QUESTION-----IS THERE A CLOCK NOW!!!!!!-------PLEASE ANSWER!!!!!

Thanks for the update..  What is the story on audible support?

i'm excited.

any chance video output is greater than 320 by 240?

-jeff

So now we wait a month..... I almost wish i didnt know.  im pumped, this rocks. i cant wait to get this.

cesar, can you let me know when its ok to put my 30 on ebay?

Great Job!!

One word, dude. SWEETDICULOUS.

Some more words; so I've been rocking a Zune 30 all this time and I didn't even know it. Nice to know us OGs are going to be refreshed when the software drops. Also nice to know we'll finally have stuff to show off on those screens. Well done.

*grin* it's funny to see what some will make or break some people, having to wait a whole month until the new firmware.  Not saying I wouldn't love it now but it's still funny to see the wringing of hands and gnashing of teeth.

Jamie THomson: I'm assuming the Zune Card will be a Flash, DHTML, or Silverlight widget, all of which you can easily embed in Facebook, so even if there is no "official" Facebook Social app you can still easily pop it in there.

gljvd: Do you do a lot of wifi sharing of your music with people that you've really found the 3 play rule a huge snag?  To be brutally honest if a friend has a track I really want after 3 plays I either just buy it or have them e-mail me the song.

Not sure how useful a clock is in a music player, at least without an alarm.  Otherwise there are these things called watches... :)

I'm most curious about audiobook support now that emusic has started selling DRM-free audiobooks.  At one time I cared about Audible but that was only because they were the only game in town.  Will there be better pause/resume/bookmarking support?

Syncing from a dock makes sense, not sure how much of a drain wifi is on these types of devices but if you do a full sync on 80GB worth of new Media Center recorded TV that has to suck down the juice rather fast.  I'd hope that in time there could first be a sync handshake that would determine just how much data will need to be sync'd and allow a sync if the data is minimal.

Curious about the new software, so far from the screenshots it looks great but I'm curious how it is when not fully maximized.

A social Social network, I have to say that was a long time coming :)  Given the whole "Social" it has to have been a little embarrassing not to actually have a social site, though having worked on one I know it's not easy to just whip one up.

Do I read right that you can browse the Marketplace library *without* having to install the software?  Could be a great hook for people curious if the Marketplace had something iTunes didn't.  I *hate* having to install software just to see if a service has a track I'm looking for.

All in all, great job! Pretty damn exciting.

Cody, stop holding down keys, and the space bar is the big one down at the bottom.

Is the resolution still the same on videos and coverart?

Hey Caesar!

I have two questions

1) I know that the ZuneSocial.net site isn't up yet, but when I tried to register it failed (obviously), but it said you had to be at least 21 to be on the site? Is this true? I'm 19 and that's sort of a bummer if true.

2) Can we have another reader meet-up soon? :)

also, will the Zune Software still convert the videos the the Zune screen size or keep the same resolution?

Awesome... very awesome. Microsoft responding to their customers as always.

Everything sounds great. One minor question though: Will the new firmware support a way to set screen rotation to a "left handed mode" so lefties can rotate the device clockwise for pictures and videos? It's not a big deal, but it would definitely be a nice thing to have.

Sweet, Way to Go Cesar and Zune Team.  Totally pumped.  This is one way to make Oct go fast over here... can't wait for November. Thumbs up from Fire base Farah!   You  Guys Rock!

YES YES AND HELLLLL YEA

I forgot one important feature question...

14) Will the new software update allow uou to cross fade your music so it sounds like a radio station - like how Windows Media Player can do?

Finally!  Something that is going to make me delete iTunes from my PC forever!  I was so psyched to here about podcast support.  And the simple fact you can sync you Zune wirelessly?  Pure awesomeness.  The only problem I have is I wish it came sooner.

One big question: Will Zune 2 firmware support gapless audio playback?  For both MP3 and WMA content.  That is one thing I really miss.  (Cross fingers.)

My current disappointment is still the 320 x 240 resolution used for video.  (Paul T. did confirm this in his preview article.)  That's OK for the Zune screen, but it makes Zune's TV output capability less than optimum.  

One more thing. How about support for those that don't live in the US. The rest of the world has waited long enough.

Any news on when Zune will be released in europe ?

Zune team, thankyou, thankyou, thankyou. This sounds awesome. As a UK user who imported one of these things last year I'm very happy with what you guys are now bringing out. And while all the good stuff is also coming to Zune v1, I've very tempted to get another Zune imported, what with having a friend over in the US for the launch date. The launch date is the 16th, right?

More comment in case you're interested:  

Zune II

http://jamiethomson.spaces.live.com/blog/cns!550F681DAD532637!1903.entry

Jaxim, you should go work for Microsoft.

Your ideas are really great.

*insert the sounds of crickets*

nice, MS did it, I'll be replacing my zune with a... zune. These new 80s look sweet. One question tho: with all these new firmware updates, can we get a clock? It's not a huge deal, but it is nice to sometimes be able to look at my pmp and see what time it is

Impressive work, Zune team. Keep it up.

Hey Cesar!! didnt c this post before :)

wonderfull post. I'll take back my comment in the previous post ;). that was out of frustration. really excited about the new Zune :).

I really appreciate MS for keeeping silent and building up all the suspence b4 releasing the details :) This will be of gr8 success :)

Great but please, can we get a time scale on a roll out to other markets....  I'm in Europe here.  UK.

Why no clock?

Good, not great..

1) Alarm clock - is it's omission a battery problem, or is this going to be a huge surprise (ahem)

2) Gapless playback

3) No 160?

4) You don't know battery life? If you have more control now, surely this was a key requirement of yours?

5) Doubleshot or not?

The new pad looks absolutely horrible. At least the old old looked lie a speaker. This one looks like a random blob. Ugly, Ugly, Ugly.

BTW, well done re the new software. Although, on Vista, SP1 makes a *huge* difference to the usability of the current version (no freezing when scrolling through large lists etc). Does the new software work seamlessly on Vista?

u rock

My head is spinning trying to take all this in - Awesome!

High Five!

Hi Cesar,

I'm sure you get this question asked very frequently and though I'm not up to date on the whole Zune scene, I've had a scan around and couldn't find any info on overseas releases.

I understand that there are no current plans to release Zune anywhere outside of the US but with the new models being announced and so many new features, I wondered if there are any forthcoming plans to bring the Zune to other areas?

I'm in the UK and the 4GB Flash Zune certainly has my interest.

Kind Regards,

Parm

This is exactly what I thought would happen:  No real updates to the first gen until new hardware is launched.  It sucks that in order to concentrate on the interface and app re-write you couldn't deliver simple fixes to the original firmware.  What people fail to realize is that many will never make the leap that this update provides. But they otherwise would have used simple improvements to the old software 5 to 8 months ago.  

The 3 plays rule is really unnecessary.  Shawn O. why should you have to have your friend email you the song?  There is no good reason for the restriction.

this is simply amazing

Firstly, very cool, keep on truckin.

Given "Developers, Developers, Developers, etc... " Steve Ballmer.

Maybe there's a financial/legal problem here.  But if you can...  Open up Zune to Devs/Hackers, light weight SDK/documentation effort is all I'm suggesting here, nothing so significant that further innovation by the core product team is hampered.

Explicitly state things change, that you're in an aggressive phase of the product's life cycle and info shared isn't likely to be compatible with future models.  That and a strong disclaimer stating hacks/mods are unsupported, hacks at their own risk, etc...

Opening up and providing information that Apple wouldn't have the balls/ovaries to do will win hearts/minds and fuel innovation.

P.S. Hope Zune connectivity/UI s/w has sufficient abstraction layers to partner with CE/WinMob based HTC/Motorolla handsets so we can see some zHTC, zMoto Social 360 xperiences.

Here is a YouTube video of the new interface coming with the updated Zune firmware.  I am kinda

Release this in Europe and you will sell millions!

Very nice :) I think this ticks a lot of the boxes. My initial comparison based on info available of Zune vs iPod (excluding - fairly i think- the Touch, because MS has no competing product, so the 80 vs the Classic and the 4/8 vs the Nano):

Styling: New Zunes look fantastic, much nicer than the iPods. Ironically not as nice as the old iPods, but if Apple want to shoot themselves in the foot... :)

Zune: 1 iPod: 0

Features: Lots of catchup on features, but to be fair still not covering some of the basics that the iPod has set the standard for. Much closer though.

Zune: 1 iPod: 1

User Interface:

The existing Zune interface was already better than the iPod UI, and again Apple have I think got worse with their latest UI updates. Assuming even small incremental improvements on the Zune UI, Zune wins hands down.

Zune: 2 iPod: 1

Desktop Software:

The old Zune software was slow and a bit sucky, but then so is iTunes on Windows. I'm going to assume that with the new software Zune might have the edge, but give them equal status to be on the safe side.

Zune: 3 iPod: 2

Battery Life:

Cesar notes that battery life should be better, but I still have to believe that with the radio, big screen and smaller size it will be very difficult to beat Apple on battery life. Assuming an Apple win (but will be very happy if they don't).

Zune: 3 iPod: 3

Service:

Zune still has the subscription service where Apple doesn't, and they're adding the biggies that they have been beaten hands down on before - podcasting and DRM free purchases. Also the removal of the three day limit on squirts and new community features. I think Zune wins there.

Zune: 4 iPod: 3

Price:

Pretty much price comparable. No clear winner.

Zune: 5 iPod: 4

Coolness:

Getting much cooler, like approaching mainstream cool rather than just geek cool, but there's just no way to beat the iPod in this srea, at least not until the brand has grown and maybe the next generation of devices. Not totally MS's fault, but they could have done better by not tarnishing the Zune name with the "year of pain".

Zune: 5 iPod: 5

So for my mopney they stack up as pretty much comparable. If the goal for first gen was to get into the market and second gen was to catch up (in side by side comparison - not sales obviously), then there's a strong chance that might happen.

But as another commenter (Matt) just said to me "If it doesn't have a global launch it will fall flat on its arse" :)

Awesome awesome awesome! Way to remember the early adopters guys...'twas classy. The new zunes look sweet and the new features as well. Looking forward to a release date so I can pick up a slim one. Speaking about that, will it have a different name? Like Zune Slim? or Micro? I'm sure time will tell...

Alright... I've been a pretty outspoken critic of my Zune of late, so I'll be the first to say that I'm genuinely suprised that MS hasn't forgotten early adopters of the Zune like they do with their other product lines.  And I'm impressed that so many features have been introduced with this 2.1 update.  I'm a little dissapointed that it took so long, but this is a big step in the right direction.  I'll withold judgement until I get it up and running for a few weeks on my Zune, but for now, I'm happier than I was a few weeks ago.  Thanks. - bix (at) bixworld (dawt) com.

I won't bombard  you with more demands(for a while...:)). You guys have done a great job. This is great that you remembered the early adopters.

I knew it!  This is how Microsoft works.  They release the first generation of hardware to show us that there is serious competition to a choked market and then with 2nd generation they blow that major competition out of the water.  I am extremely pleased with what I have seen as far a pics and videos are concerned.  And I can't wait to have a 80 gb Zune and I will be picking up no less than 4 4gb Zunes and at least 2 8 gb Zunes to give out as Christmas presents

Hi Cesar,

Myself and Chris will be over from the UK again at CES 2008 to pickup some of the new Zunes (just like this year).

Any chance of an invite to the Zune Party? Where is it going to be this year. Thanks.

If you have time to reply directly then tony at tdrmail dot co dot uk

This is great news!  I can't wait to get the firmware update and enjoy the new features.  The only thing missing from the list of updates on the Zune software is Mac compatibility.  I would love to be able to sync my Zune from my macbook.  Maybe someday...

Regardless, props to MS for keeping us Gen 1 users up to date as promised!

Will the new Zunes fit into the Zune 1 docks?

Thanks,

Scott

hey! Where is my first post with my initial 1-13 questions? Do I need to repost the questions?

from an apple fan:

Wow, this is pretty cool. Wireless sync is seriously nice. Still think zune marketplace is a dog. Not having a 160 gbmodel shouldnt be that bad, come on who really needs that. Im skeptical about the squircle control, and i dont think anything will match the click wheel

Im certianly not in the market for one, i have a mac and an iphone, but if this pushes apple to add wireless sync, im down with the competition. But i still hope steve crushes you :)

Okay, kudos to the team! And while we got hit with a bit of info and some disappointments (no wifi store(yet) - over the air netcasts(yet), no 160 (yet) and bye bye brown) Overall, it's a pretty decent launch. Not earth shattering, but still kinda cool. Of course questions:

1. Increased video codec support - Mpeg-4 and h.264 - what's the resolution max now?

2. Loseless means..wma loseless or wav or what?

3. Can we share videos now?

4. Did the video tags get fixed?

5. Do video playlist work now?

Grrr...I have the 1st gen dock and wireless remote and now I have to get new ones! Grrrr......

I'm liking what I'm seeing so far.

However, one of the great things about Apple product releases is that after they announce something, they usually say, "Oh, and it's available today!"

Of course, the FCC gets involved anytime a product has over the air communication, so that's why the Zune and even the iPhone could not be released immediately after the product announcement. HOWEVER, you could have released the firmware update immediately.

Please have a change of heart and release the software update sooner -- sometime this month.

We beg, because we love.

Thanks for the update! Can't wait. Sounds like you've been listening to our suggestions.

No Canadian availability + No OSX support = no sale.

I'm in the market, too. Might not be in the market for another 2 or 3 years after I buy. At least Creative Zen and iRiver provide some options for me, even if I have to hack to use them well.

And again...when this will be released in Europe?

Hey, just wanted to say the new zunes look awesome. Also the whole social networking is a great feature. Thats something in my option that launched the Xbox ahead of the market. The only thing i miss is that double shot case! It looks like its gone! Still looks great though. Also updating the old zune is a great way of showing thanks to those that adopted early!

Great job, but I was wondering what about gapless playback. I have many, many disks that play through tracks without transition. This is a must.

Cesar, By lossless, do you mean it wont re-encode anything above 192Kbps and we can go up to 320Kbps? or do you mean FLAC or WAV or OGG?

Wha wha whaat!?! No clock?!?! Im disappointed....Sorta...Ok not really(kinda)... I want a red 80gb...I'll give my Gf my brown 30gb or trade it for a pink one :)

This is awesome! Thanks, Cesar and Zune team!

To the other commenters... has anyone seen this?

http://www.zune.net/en-us/accessories/zune/zunehomeavpack2007.htm

"Component output for Zune 80GB. For Zune 80GB owners, you can purchase component video cables to watch movies in DVD quality 480p using this kit."

BEAUTIFUL

Congrats to Cesar and the whole Zune team.  You are bombarded with questions my man.  But, when are you ever going to get on halo 3 for some coop action?  lol...

I have a lot of questions to ask about the device but it doesn't seam realistic to expect it to get answered considering the epic number of Q's already present in this thread.  I'll wait...  As for my initial reaction.... It appears that the Zune platform is being built on solid devices, ever-changing (hopefully improving) software, and incremental, well-thought out changes.  It doesn't seem like you guys want too much on your plate at once.  This ride is going to be very methodical, which is not necessarily a bad thing.  The zune pad should be brilliant.  Increasing the screen on the HDD Zune was another good move.  And fnially, wireless syncing is more important than a wireless store, so you hit the mark there.  Getting a sub $150 player out there won't hurt either.  Slowly but surely should be the motto...  I'm sure we'll see more interesting form factors next year though and even better use of the wifi for music discovery.  Keep up the good work!

Any new codecs? Or support for codec plugins?

Nice job on the software. Looks pretty sweet.

Will UK users be able to log into the Social with our Gamer Tags? Please? Don't care about Marketplace, just the Social.

Can I get a WOOT WOOT? This is great news. Too bad we have to wait that long to get the firmware and new zune software.

The REAL question for me is will there be any Xvid || Divx support? Whether it be software or hardware it doesn't really matter to me. As long as it doesn't take 2 steps with 2 different programs to encode into one format, then to another, to do it I'm cool with it being software (the registry 'hack' never worked for me although it did allow me to see those files in the zune software, it never allowed me to transcode).

While the new improvements are good, they still don't come close to the Ipod Touch which a friend of mine has. The wifi capabilities are great, even browing on the internet etc. Zune still has a long way to go. Maybe next year there will be improvements that go beyond what Apple has but don't hold your breath on it.

So, in order to sync "wirelessly" the Zune has to be plugged into a wired dock or a wired AC adapter? How, exactly, does that equate wireless syncing again? What is the point of syncing over WiFi when you first have to plug the Zune into a dock anyway? I'm completely at sea over this.

WOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!  Thank you so much MS, I heart you guys ;)  All I wanted and more!!

GAPLESS PLAYBACK....GAPLESS PLAYBACK FOR GOD SAKE!  other than that! yay awesome hahah

Cesar, I know you don't comment on rumors/speculation but can you give any inside word on features/release of Zune 3?

Thanks!

Great update. I like what I have read. Now just market it well and carry the message.

fog city dave.... When Zune is plugged in it will sync automatically. However when it is not then you can do it manually. It does not HAVE to be plugged in.

And everyone please stop compareing Zune to Ipod Touch. The Zune is in the same market as iPod classic NOT TOUCH. That is a seperate category where MS is not present right now. Hopefully they will jump in soon.

This update will be well worth the wait. Thanks Microsoft team. Can't wait to update.

Note that the 3.2 inch screen is 14% larger than Zune 30GB’s 3.0 inch screen, while Zune 80GB is 27% smaller than Zune 30GB

i dont understand this. someone clue me in

Just a couple questions on the firmware update:

1. Does it include a clock?

2. Will audio books be supported?

Add me to the gapless playback question. This is a MUST for me, as I listen to a ton of concerts on my mp3 player and having the click (and slight pause) between tracks is quite annoying.

I don't want to get an iPod just to have gapless playback.

If there IS a gap between songs, how bad is it?

Thanks for the info.

fog city dave, you and the other people who keep saying this are incorrect. Please re-read the statement.

Basically, it will either automatically sync wirelessly if it's plugged in or in a dock but you have to initiate a sync manually (i.e., pressing a button) for it to sync on battery power alone. This is done to conserve battery life.

To this complaining about the wireless syncing - from the way I've read it, it looks like you can manually wireless sync at any time, docked or not. However, when you plug in to a dock or power adapter, and leave it alone for one minute, the device will automatically sync for your convenience. There's no reason to think that you can't manually sync wirelessly with it held in your hand, completely untethered. What's to complain about?

Correct me if I'm wrong, Cesar.

Aside from that, I think the Zune team did a great job listening to what we really wanted, figuring out what we needed, and delivering the best of it all.

>GAPLESS PLAYBACK....GAPLESS PLAYBACK FOR GOD SAKE!

So many people requesting galess playback. This can be easily solved by allowing users to adjust the crossfade effect.

Has everyone forgotten about the custom eq?!?!?!

>So, in order to sync "wirelessly" the Zune has to be plugged into a wired dock or a wired AC adapter?

According to the boys and girls at Gizmodo, they just got more details about this feature directly from Microsoft.

"Wireless syncing will automatically sync one minute after activity is stopped as long as you're in Wi-Fi range and attached to a power source (dock, AC adapter). You can manually trigger the Wi-Fi sync as well even without being connected to power."

See:

http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/zune/more-zune-2-details-lossless-support-glass-screens-green-is-the-new-brown-306648.php

Rohit said "fog city dave.... When Zune is plugged in it will sync automatically. However when it is not then you can do it manually. It does not HAVE to be plugged in."

Well, that definitely makes a lot more sense. Thanks for clearing that up for me. It will be interesting to see how much the WiFi syncing taps the battery. I know that a lot of Zune users ended up turning their WiFi off for better battery performance. I wonder if the convenience of WiFi syncing will offset the potential battery hit, as opposed to docked syncing which actually charges the battery at the same time. I look forward to seeing how this works out for folks.

Sounds really cool!  Especially the social aspect.  Something I'd like to see in the future is XBox Live integration for viewing the friends list, messages, etc.....

Nice job. I'll be getting the 80 and 8 most likely.  I was thinking of getting a nano, but at the same price points with better features, it's a no-brainer to go with the Zune.

I looked a few times but didn't see anything about if they fixed the broken playback or not.

I guess that means the new devices are as broken as the current one. What gives?

WHat happned to "end of the year" for Europe? I am  waiting to buy one of these!! I honestly am! I've waited all year for a Zune, but i cant! I dont see why the big problem is with getting it out here. I  dont want to go down the eBay route and get US power stuff etc!

@Dan D:

You said "Note that the 3.2 inch screen is 14% larger than Zune 30GB’s 3.0 inch screen, while Zune 80GB is 27% smaller than Zune 30GB

i dont understand this. someone clue me in"

This means that the screen on the Zune 80GB is bigger than the one on the Zune 30GB, while the whole device (80GB) is smaller overall than the 30GB. Nice bigger screen... device fits in your pocket better.

@Rhett:

What do you mean by "broken playback?"

Even though I love my ipod classic I must say I love the new zunes. I would probably get the new 80gb if it was compatible with mac (don't think that'll happen anytime soon). I still wish the team could've really hit a home run with the new zunes. Maybe a touch screen with buttons so that the user can at least flip through songs while the device is in their pocket. However, I do think that the touch sensitive pad is nice. I was never a big fan of the click wheel.

@mr.x, "The 3 plays rule is really unnecessary.  Shawn O. why should you have to have your friend email you the song?  There is no good reason for the restriction."

Unless you actually own the music then anyway in which you get the music, whether it's a friend burning you a CD, e-mailing the track or sending it via Zune, then you now own an illegal copy and your friend just pirated the music.  Yes, technically every single mix CD you've ever made and given to someone else is illegal.  Any burned CD's your friends have given you are illegal.  I'm not saying I agree or like it but I am stating the current law.

That is the reason for the 3 play restriction.

@Rhett...

What broken playback issues are you refering to?  Playback issues were fixed with the last firmware update.

@Dan D, "Note that the 3.2 inch screen is 14% larger than Zune 30GB’s 3.0 inch screen, while Zune 80GB is 27% smaller than Zune 30GB"

The Zune 80 screen is 3.2 inches, the Zune 30 is 3 inches.  3.2 is 14% bigger than 3.

The Zune 80 is thinner and a little shorter than the Zune 30, in fact it's 27% smaller than the Zune 30.

That make any sense?  It's pretty much just basic math.

Are we gonna have to switch interfaces with the next firmware? I like the v1 interface better than v2.

@ Shawn

I (and most educated consumers) view the lack of gapless playback as defective. Thats what I mean by broken playback. Zune fails to correctly playback the audio recordings we pay for - hence the terms "Defective" and "Broken" playback.

Manufacturers who must sell thier broken line of products or go broke call it a feature. No matter what you call it it's inexcusable that the device fails in this regard. I really hope Cesar just forgot to mention it. Sadly I doubt it is a mistake, though.

If it is true and it is still junk then the question is "How many generations of this thing do we have to go through before it supports the basic ability to playback my recordings?"

Incredible.  And firmware-upgrading all the v1 units to the full featureset of the v2 units?

Thankyou, Zune Team. :)

(And hello (g'day?) from Australia!   A year ago the Zune fit my wants/needs better than any other device on the market. Still does. Thanks again for supporting the early-adopters!)

Oddly my question were deleted. I'm reposting them...

1) With the Podcasting feature, can you bookmark a MP3 file so you can come back where you last left off.

2) Will the new Zune software allow you to modify the meta tags of your videos so you can categorize  them? For example, Can I categorize a video as a  movie or music video all within the Zune software and NOT have to do this using 3rd party software.

3) Are there any other extras? i.e. games, contacts, notes, etc?

4) Can we finally delete files from the Zune w/o the need to use our computer to delete stuff from the Zune

5) Can the Zune be used as a external storage space: i.e. plug-n-play style?

6) Can we zoom more than once into a photo? Would be great for maps

7) Audible? Have you guys reached an agreement with them yet?

8) Video thumbnails?

Answer:

Looking at the many videos floating around showcasing the the new Zune UI, I noticed that this is indeed one of the new features!! :-)

9) Dynamic playlists on the Zune: i.e. "Most Played"

10) View photos by tags?

11) Auto Media Center recorded TV Zune conversion? Can you schedule all your recorded TV to be converted into Zune compatible videos as soon as the program is done recorded. This way you don't have to wait for the conversion to occur when you sync your recorded TV to your Zune for the first time.

12) Enable optional audio alerts when a fellow zuner wishes to send you something. Would promote the social. This way you don't have to be looking at the screen to know someone is trying to send something to you. You can enable audible alerts to let you know when someone is trying to send you something.

13) Can existing Zuners get the firmware update now so we can help build the hype of the upcoming new Zune? (Probably not , but I thought I'd ask anyway.)

14) Will the new software update allow you to cross fade your music so it sounds like a radio station - like how Windows Media Player can do?

As a skeptical Zune and Zune Pass owner who dealt with months and months of skipping songs, I only have one thing to say: AWESOME.

One suggestion, however.  My Xbox Live and Zune accounts are tied together, 360 media content is tied to my XBL account, the media is Windows-Media compliant...why can't I sync my 360 content to my Zune yet?  I imagine this is something that would require a 360 Dashboard update.

I've been really impressed with my Zune. I've had it since just after launch (wow... almost an entire year....), and it hasn't failed me yet.

In February, I was going to send the device back in because of the static/shutting down problems, but it magically worked itself out, and I don't get those at all any more. I still have the box with the instructions on how to send it back in.

You guys never cease to impress me.

Here's another inquiry into gapless playback.  Let us know!

Crossing fingers on this one... really hoping this is something that wasn't missed.

@Rhett

Hey hey hey, no reason to get snippy young whipper snapper, what with your "most educated consumers" comment, I was asking an honest question.

Now that I know what you're talking about, that is an interesting one since while I know there is a *vocal* group of people that want this are they the *majority*?

Personally I've been collecting and listening to music for about 20 years and maybe once has even the thought of gapless entered my head, and that was during my big trance/electronic phase.  If you took the average consumer I imagine gapless playback would be pretty low on their want list, unless they are into jam bands or club mixes.

Given the fact that the "Top 40" is the Top 40 for a reason, because a majority of people buy that type of music, then you can see that gapless playback, while it would be nice for some Dark Side of the Moon or classical concerts, is probably not in the top 5 things that would make the largest number of people happy.  Sad yes and makes me sadder every time I check out the charts.

Hey, it took the iPod 5 generations (as in years) to get gapless playback, give the Zune at least a quarter of that.  Or, with the 6G iPods and the Touch coming out I bet you could snag one pretty cheap on ebay.

that is so AWESOME!!!!!! I can't wait till i can get my next zune!!

@ Shawn

Sorry if you feel I was snippy but Im tired of having this debate over and over and over and having to explain and prove my points factually over and over and over. The device fails to work. The device fails to play the recordings we pay for correctly. Defective.

Apple only fixed their defective product after the customers flooded them with complaints and started a petition to repair it. Apple wasn't the firt to make a non-defective DMP, however. They are just the most talked about.

No matter how you look at it, claiming that Apple got away with selling defective products for a long time so MS should be able to as well is just a silly position to take in the argument. Defect or feature there really is no excuse at this point to be manufacuring DMPs that don't play recordings properly.

I'm still kind of foolishly hoping that Cesar just forgot to mention it and that the problem will be fixed in the HD players at least.

It is more likely that they got the harware on the cheap and it is incapable of ever working properly or they would have fixed it before it left the white baord.

Whats the straight Dope, Cesar? Is the device perminantly defective for another generation or what?

No crossfading means the device is broken? What?

"The device fails to play the recordings we pay for correctly."

Um, it's playing my music just fine. Okay, so it doesn't fade into the next track? Boo-freaking-hoo. But the device isn't broken, that's easily the stupidest thing I've read in these comment threads.

@ Shawn

Hey Shawn, Espiox's post really illustrates why when you ask the average consumer about gapless they have it low on the list. They don't have a clue what your talking about when you ask them and even when it is explained to them they dont get it. BUT If you play it for them, and demonstate it, thier eyes always get really wide and they nod finnally understanding.

(google gapless, Espiox. Crossfading is NOT gapless)

The bottom line is the issue never entered our heads for the last 20 years (or more) because there was no issue. Our devices played our media properly. This is a new problem with some new portable devices.  

MS has been able to live with the defect because the customer base is VERY small. I mentioned a while back that Apple got away with it when thier user base was small too but as you gain more customers the issue becomes more prevelant.

The amount of music that is effected is MUCH larger than just a few Pink floyd tracks and trance music. Heck, 30 percent of my collection consists of live recordings so thats 30% of my collection effected right there. I could probabbly find another 15% effected in studio recordings that have intro's or songs that reside over multiple tracks. The practice of mastering this way was/is commonplace. Thats a lot of music effected.

yea i agree with espiox and think that no crossfading doesnt mean its broken. i think thats a ridiculous speculation. yea it plays my music just how its supposed to

I also agree that no crossfading doesn't mean it's broken. Crossfading features have never appealed to my listening, anyway. I like a gap between the songs that are supposed to have a gap.

I do, however, believe the device is currently unable to play gapless recordings properly and that the issue is a design flaw or defect that effects a lot of music in the marketplace. I also think it should have been fixed pre-ship of version 1 and find it sad and disapointing that it was overlooked and is still broken today.

looks great, but bummed about two things:

1. Media Center sync should also be with MCE 2005 and Vista. MCE2005 has a much larger user group than VistaMCE.

2.  Now I have to deal with two desktop media players. They should of rebranded WMP into the new zune software or vise-vera.

Three questions ...

Xbox Live Marketplace integration?

I own a Xbox 360. I never understood why the Zune v1 could not link up with the Xbox 360 to move purchaced videos from the Xbox to the Zune. Is this possible now? If not, why?

Xbox Live integration?

I already have a Gamertag for the Xbox 360. Can I use this for the Zune too?

Gapless playback?

Like others have said, this is an important feature for me too.

Ok, dear blog reader. We had some exciting Zune news this week. But that doesn't mean I'm not working

Really great.. but WHEN, when will it be available in The Netherlands/Europe???

Please come quickly overseas so we can join in the social!!!

Cesar - Did you ever post the photos of the updated Zune UI and the updated ZMP???

Will we ever see videos in the marketplace? Hopefully subscription based, or it will be meaningless to me.

Thanks.

hey All, would there be HD radio with the new firmware, becouse I dont like the radio thats on zune, becouse HD radio is free to listen, so I was just asking, so dont get me wrong zune radio is good but now the hd radio has came with new hd radios on the market...

thankyou for reading!

Wow, sounds good and all, but any idea when the new firmware update 2.1 will be released?

@Rizzile: I'm guessing on the same day as the new software and hardware, November 13th.

hi, i have two computers with different music on them, and for whatever reason i am referred to as a guest on each computer.

anyways, my worry is when i get the new firmware 2, will this auto-sync with my computers or only with my computer with bluetooth? is this wireless through the adapter. does the zune software have to be running on my computer before the update?

either way i would like to keep it so i dont have songs removed from my zune that are not on whatever computer. i would like to keep it so i  can manually add on songs.

i guess what im asking is, for users like me, can i make the default to only allow manual updates and still reap the benefits the other of the new firmware update?

I know the brown zunes got a bad rap and had horrible sales, but that was a main reason I bought the zune last year was because it did come in brown. And now the brown minority is being left out with the new zune. I lost mine and have been waiting for the new one, but as much as I loved my zune I am thinking about boycotting because there is no brown! :( Bring Back Brown!

Why not incorporate a web browser into the Zune? It wouldn't be hard. Use the Zune software to program in a bunch of sites the user likes, and visit them once their in or near a wifi 'hotspot'.

And for God's sake, make it compatible with Linux and Mac!

Gapless, please.  Pink Floyd pretty much requires gapless playback to be appreciated as it was meant to be.  Most 'albums' benefit from gapless playback.

Unfortunately, most people, it seems, buy tracks, which doesn't require gapless playback.

I want it tho.

ds

If you are the proud owner of a Zune these days then you should be aware that the Zune Market place will

Open yourself up too more consumers!!!

- by that i mean, Accept FREE Open Formats like Ogg, FLAC..  Possibly to get even more market, help computer audio programmers get your Zunes to sync with in their media players..

People are out there who would love the Zune if it would work with their favorite computer music players..  Also if it supported every type of file they might have, as in Ogg and FLAC..  These 2 formats wouldnt cost you anything like mp3 does to implement because they're like patent free.

Just open yourself up more..  People like a little freedom and choice.

So will the firmware update for the zune 30's be avalible before tuesday? You said you would start at 6:00 so can I get it at say 10:00??

Where is the gapless playback. It's annoying as hell to have these breaks in my live albums. My Ipod had gapless, whats the problem??

another vote for gapless here. it is especially important for electronic music.

like Rhett, i view the inability to playback an entire album without gaps as a design flaw. there is no reason that a music player should not be able to playback music the way it was intended to be heard.

I strongly dislike the new look of Zune. What was so wrong with the way it was? If it's not broke, don't fix it. It worked great and was extremely functional and simple to use. I downloaded the update yesterday and it sucks. I don't XBox but I do listen to alot of music. I download music from sites other than Zune and finding album covers use to be easy but not anymore. For me, this update is not a good move. Organizing my music is limited. Before yesterday, I would download music and it would fall in with the same bands group of albums. Now the albums and bands are everywhere. Change is not always a good thing.

Good news for Zune 30 users! Following the Nov 13 firmware upgrade , a lot of people are noting an improvement

zuneis beast

I like new design but I wish Microsoft made a touch screen version to keep up with Apple.