Industrial Design reports on something that Zune owners have known for a long time: brown is the new black. Saying, "When Microsoft revealed last fall that its new iPod challenger, the Zune, would come in brown, there was a chorus of snickers on the blogosphere. . . But what if Microsoft was right?" An interesting article. As well as anybody, I'm no stranger to the 'chorus of snickers' the article mentions. Often makes me think of the quote , "First they ignore you, then they laugh at you, then they...

We partnered with streetwear design kingpins Union, UNDFTD and Stussy to create limited edition Zune devices for an auction: Hypebeast has the details . In other news, I have perhaps seen. . . the greatest video tribute to America , EVAR. I just had to share.

I've had a few arm-chair designers (and a few professional ones) ask about Zune and design. Curious myself, I sat down with Steve Kaneko: Design Director, Entertainment and Devices Division. You can find his bio here (scroll down some). Now the interview: Ok, before I ask you anything, I have to ask the burning question: why brown? There were many who thought we were crazy when we proposed the brown (“suede” to us staffers) colorway. Why brown? Because love it or hate it, people feel something. Artists...

For all you arm-chair design experts, this post is for you. What do you think of the Zune colors? Get to the Flickr page if you want to see a larger image.Did everyone notice the trim (we call that the double-shot finish) in each shot? Brown with green? White with black? Black with blue? Which do you think will be the most popular? It's interesting to see how polarizing brown is. You either love it or hate it. Me? I love the brown w/ a green double-shot. You?