The Zune Marketplace editorial team, who sit right down the hall from me (hey buddies!) recently got featured in a Seattle P I article: Microsoft, Others, Tap Music Veterans . The team: Check out the article ; a good read, especially if you've ever been curious about the recommendations you'll find when you browse in ZMP. One of the good things about working here is being around people who love music and are passionate about what we're bringing to this space. That, and the free CDs and concert tickets...

Some folks have pointed out great reviews I didn't like to. What's my excuse for missing them? Well, I've been really busy playing Gears of War working on CES (to which some of you are going, so I'm hoping we can meet up). First off, MakeYouGoHmm 's TDavid** posted a story back in Nov: " Here’s what critics are missing about Zune ." He writes: I’ve been extremely critical of Microsoft in the past on a number of fronts and have absolutely zero problem criticizing them, but instead of being just another...

So yesterday was my birthday. I'm 28. In more important news, check this out. A regular contributor to this blog's comments, Jason Cross reviews Zune: first for extremetech , then repurposed at Foxnews . I actually agree with Jason's comment - it's one of the better Zune reviews on the web. Not that it's excessively positive ("In a boneheaded move of epic proportions, the Zune software does not install on Windows Vista."), but it is excessively thorough - kudos to Jason for spending time with Zune...

Interesting note in this article by Motley Fool (via MSNBC) about yesterday's widely reported Reuter's survey . You know, the one that surveyed 450 potential buyers of music players. The survey found that 35% of folks expressing interest in Zune see it as an upgrade to an existing player - as opposed to 18% for the iPod. And, 80% of respondents chose iPod as their first player (70% without being prompted). That's not that surprising to anybody around here - iPod is a great product with very strong...