Zune
Manufacturer	Microsoft
Type	Portable media player
First available	November 14, 2006 Q1 2007 2007 TBC
CPU	Freescale i.MX31L processor ARM Core
System storage	30 GB Hard drive
Screen	3 Inch QVGA LCD screen, with a resolution of 320×240
Connectivity	Wi-Fi, USB
Online service	Zune Marketplace
Units sold	Undisclosed

Zune is a Microsoft brand of portable media players, associated software, and an online service for acquiring and sharing media. The first device released to the U.S. market was a 30 GB model for US$249.99 on November 14, 2006. Image File history File links Microsoft_Zune_Logo. ... Image File history File links Zune. ... A console manufacturer is a company that manufactures and distributes video game consoles. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_United_States. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links European_flag. ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Australia. ... 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Japan_(bordered). ... CPU redirects here. ... American corporation Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. ... In anatomy, an arm is one of the upper limbs of a two-legged animal. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... The Quarter Video Graphics Array (also known as Quarter VGA or QVGA) is a popular term for a computer display with 320x240 resolution. ... Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi (also WiFi, wifi, etc. ... Note: USB may also mean upper sideband in radio. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... A gigabyte (derived from the SI prefix giga-) is a unit of information or computer storage equal to one billion (that is, a thousand million) bytes. ... November 14 is the 318th day of the year (319th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 47 days remaining until the end of the year. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Overview

The first model of the Zune device comes equipped with a 30 GB hard drive, built-in FM tuner with Radio Data System, a 3 inch screen, and Wi-Fi networking. In terms of audio formats, Zune supports MP3, WMA and AAC. Zune supports Microsoft's WMV movie format, and Zune software will transcode MPEG4 and H.264 video to synchronize to the device.^[1] Preloaded music, videos, and images ship with the device. Radio Data System, or RDS, is a standard from the European Broadcasting Union for sending small amounts of digital information using conventional FM radio broadcasts. ... IEEE 802. ... MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format, designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent audio, yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners. ... Windows Media Audio (WMA) is a proprietary compressed audio file format developed by Microsoft. ... Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a standardized, lossy digital audio compression scheme. ... Windows Media Video (WMV) is a generic name for the set of video codec technologies developed by Microsoft. ... MPEG-4, introduced in 1998, is the designation for a group of audio and video coding standards agreed upon by the Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG). ... H.264 is a high compression digital video codec standard written by the ITU-T Video Coding Experts Group (VCEG) together with the ISO/IEC Moving Picture Experts Group (MPEG) as the product of a collective partnership effort known as the Joint Video Team (JVT). ...

A key differentiator between Zune and competing players is Zune-to-Zune Wi-Fi communication. This allows limited sharing of songs, recordings, playlists and pictures with other Zunes. A track received from another Zune can be played for up to three days or three plays, whichever comes first, after which it expires unless purchased or downloaded via the Zune Marketplace online. Recipients cannot re-send music or audio files that they have received via the sharing feature. Not all songs are eligible for sharing, as record companies can flag songs from the Zune Marketplace as "non-distributable". Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi (also WiFi, wifi, etc. ...

As part of an effort to build a complete end-to-end network, Globals Inc., a US incorporated company, associated with Microsoft to offer Podcasting service, with the Zune using a new digital rights management system to protect content which is incompatible with other DRM systems including Microsoft PlaysForSure. This system includes a PC client called Zune Software and an online store called the Zune Marketplace. Zune does not support audio-books downloaded from Audible.com. It does use the Media Transfer Protocol albeit in a modified and extended version that deviates from the specification published by Microsoft themselves as a reference to other device manufacturers. Digital Rights Management (generally abbreviated to DRM) is any of several technologies used by publishers (or copyright owners) to control access to and usage of digital data (such as software, music, movies) and hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work. ... Microsoft PlaysForSure is a certification given by Microsoft to media players and content services that have been tested to all work well with each other on Microsoft Windows. ... Audible. ... The Media Transfer Protocol is a set of extensions to the Picture Transfer Protocol (PTP) and FotoNations PTP/IP (extensions for wireless PTP) devised by Microsoft, to allow the protocol to be used for devices other than digital cameras, for example digital audio players and MP3 players. ...

The Zune can connect to a Microsoft Xbox 360, giving users the ability to stream music, videos, and pictures via USB. Windows based Zune Software can also stream music, videos, and pictures to Xbox 360 via a home network. Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged... The USB (Type A and B) Connectors A USB Series “A” plug Universal Serial Bus (USB) is a serial bus standard to interface devices. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged...

J Allard, who oversaw the creation of the Xbox 360, has also overseen the creation of the Zune. James Allard, in 2001 J Allard, in 2006 J Allard (his real name; formerly James Allard) is a Corporate Vice President and the Chief XNA Architect at Microsoft. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged...

Features

• Ability to send photos, and some music files (not all music files may be shared) from Zune-to-Zune via Wi-Fi. Sharable music files can be played only a maximum of three times on the device, and expire after three days whether they are played or not. ^[2] Recipients cannot re-send music that they have received via the sharing feature.^[3] Photo files may be shared without restriction.
• Ability to flag tracks received from Zune-to-Zune transfer, a tool used so that a shared song may be purchased from the Zune Marketplace after it has expired.
• Ability to play videos and view pictures.
• Updateable firmware.
• "ZuneTags", a field changeable username/profile visible to others who wirelessly scan the area for fellow Zune users.
• The wallpaper on the Zune can be changed to any user-specified image.
• The Zune will play standard podcast files, which are usually available in unprotected MP3 or AAC format. However, the Zune software lacks full podcast support, such as a directory and automatic downloading via RSS feeds. The Zune Team, however, has promised complete podcast support in the future. [1]^[4][5]
• The player software will automatically convert audio and video in a format not supported by the Zune into a format that is. (e.g. a video with a resolution of 720x540 will be converted to a resolution of 320x240 if necessary).^[6]
• Able to show other Zunes nearby what you are listening to or doing through advanced settings.
• Support for Zune Digital Rights Management (DRM) (incompatible with other DRM schemes).
• Able to add songs to a quick playlist without reconnecting to the Zune software.
• Built-in FM radio, capable of showing song information on supported FM stations using RDS

In computing, firmware is software that is embedded in a hardware device. ... An orange square with waves was introduced by Mozilla Firefox to indicate that an RSS feed is present on a webpage. ... Digital Rights Management (generally abbreviated to DRM) is any of several technologies used by publishers (or copyright owners) to control access to and usage of digital data (such as software, music, movies) and hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work. ... Radio Data System, or RDS, is a standard from the European Broadcasting Union for sending small amounts of digital information using conventional FM radio broadcasts. ...

Zune device

Origin

It has been noted that the Zune was created in close cooperation with Toshiba who filed an FCC registration for it under the name Toshiba 1089. The Zune is largely based on the Gigabeat S.^{[citation needed]} Toshiba Corporations headquarters in Hamamatsucho, Tokyo Toshiba Corporation sales by division for year ending March, 31 2005 Toshiba Corporation ) (TYO: 6502 ) is a Japanese high technology electrical and electronics manufacturing firm, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. ... . The initial letter is shown capitalized due to technical restrictions. ...

Colors

The device is available in three colors and features what Microsoft calls the "doubleshot" effect, with a translucent glow in a different color. The colors of mainstream availability are black, brown, and white with a doubleshot of blue, green, and clear respectively.

Limited edition colors

100 pink Zunes were made available as random inserts into normal Zune boxes. These come with a numbered certificate of authenticity.^[7][8]

A limited-edition red Zune was put up for auction in various stores in L.A.^[9]

Pink and orange Zune devices were given to the Zune team as ship gifts with "Welcome to the Social" and "November 14, 2006" written on the back. Instead of the normal packaging that showcases the Zune device, the Ship Gift packaging box is white and features a collection of Zune artwork.^[10][11]

Zunes with "Ambassador" artwork were released on December 15th, 2006 to recipients of the Zune Master inductees.^[12]

Specifications

• 4.4 × 2.4 × 0.58-inch (11.2 × 6.1 × 1.4 cm)
• 5.6 ounces (158.8 grams)
• 802.11b/g built-in Wi-Fi
• 30 GB hard drive
• 3-inch QVGA LCD screen, with a resolution of 320×240
• Radio Data System enabled FM receiver
• Supports unprotected MP3, WMA, WMA Pro (2-channel), WMV, MP4, MPEG-4,JPEG and AAC
• Charge Time: 3 hours; 2 hours to 90%^[13]
• With Wi-Fi turned on, up to 13 hours battery life when playing music (optimal conditions)
• With Wi-Fi turned off, up to 14 hours battery life when playing music, 4 hours playing video or viewing pictures.^[14]
• Operating system: Windows Mobile Portable Media Center edition.

IEEE 802. ... Typical hard drives of the mid-1990s. ... The Quarter Video Graphics Array (also known as Quarter VGA or QVGA) is a popular term for a computer display with 320x240 resolution. ... LCD redirects here. ... Radio Data System, or RDS, is a standard from the European Broadcasting Union for sending small amounts of digital information using conventional FM radio broadcasts. ... MPEG-1 Audio Layer 3, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a popular digital audio encoding and lossy compression format, designed to greatly reduce the amount of data required to represent audio, yet still sound like a faithful reproduction of the original uncompressed audio to most listeners. ... WMA can refer to: Windows Media Audio World Medical Association William Morris Agency This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... WMA can refer to: Windows Media Audio World Medical Association William Morris Agency This is a disambiguation page, a list of pages that otherwise might share the same title. ... Windows Media Video (WMV) is a generic name for the set of streaming video technologies developed by Microsoft. ... In computing, JPEG (pronounced JAY-peg; IPA: ) is a commonly used standard method of compression for photographic images. ... Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) is a standardized, lossy digital audio compression scheme. ... Windows Mobile is a compact operating system combined with a suite of basic applications for mobile devices based on the Microsoft Win32 API. Devices which run Windows Mobile include Pocket PCs, Smartphones, and Portable Media Centers. ... A Portable Media Center (PMC) is a hard drive-based portable media player device that can play digital video and audio files. ...

Hardware

• CPU: Freescale i.MX31L processor; ARM Core, FPU (SCIMX31LVKM5 / 3L38W / CTAU0629) [2]
• RAM: 64 MBytes x32 Mobile SDR DRAM / 133 MHz / 90 mA (K4M51323PC-DG75) [3]
• Flash: 2 MBytes NOR flash, 3.3V, 1Mx16 Boot block (PH28F160C3TD) [4]
• FS456LF: PC to TV video scan converter (Macrovision 7)
• Audio: Stereo CODEC with speaker driver / 0.9 W power out (WM8978G) [5]
• FM Tuner: Silicon Labs Si4701 single-chip radio tuner (4701A15) [6]
• TV out: Focus (FS456) [7]
• USB: USB2.0 Philips (ISP1504) [8]
• bus switch: Low voltage octal FET bus switch (CL245 / SN74CBTLV3245A) [9]
• ATA driver (?): 8-bit bus transceiver/driver (P003 / 620A5)
• Wi-Fi: RF/BB/MAC 802.11g Wi-Fi (KeyStream) module (KS3021 / KS7010)
• Power manager: Freescale MC13783 [10]
• Battery: Li-Ion battery 3.7 V / 800 mAh (G71C0006Z110)
• Hard Disk: Toshiba 30 GB hard disk, 1.8" (MK3008GAL) [11]

American corporation Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. ... The ARM architecture (previously, the Advanced RISC Machine, and prior to that Acorn RISC Machine) is a 32-bit RISC processor architecture that is widely used in a number of embedded designs. ... A floating point unit (FPU) is a part of a CPU specially designed to carry out operations on floating point numbers. ... Macrovision is a company that creates electronic copy prevention schemes, established in 1983. ... STEREO (Solar TErrestrial RElations Observatory) is a solar observation mission which was launched on 26 October 2006 at 00:52 GMT.[1] Two identical spacecraft were launched into orbits that cause them to (respectively) pull further ahead and fall gradually behind the earth. ... A Codec is a device or program capable of performing encoding and decoding on a digital data stream or signal. ... Toshiba Corporations headquarters in Hamamatsucho, Tokyo Toshiba Corporation sales by division for year ending March, 31 2005 Toshiba Corporation ) (TYO: 6502 ) is a Japanese high technology electrical and electronics manufacturing firm, headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. ...

Zune Models

Generation	Image	Capacity	Changes Introduced	Connection	Original Release Date	Launch Price (US$)
1G		30 GB	First release. Available in White, Black, and Brown.	USB, Wi-Fi	November 2006	$249

ISO 4217 Code USD User(s) the United States, the British Virgin Islands, East Timor, Ecuador, El Salvador, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Palau, Panama, Turks and Caicos Islands, and the insular areas of the United States Inflation 3. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (1140x1436, 284 KB) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Zune ...

Zune software and marketplace

The Zune Marketplace, taking advantage of Windows Media Foundation.

The Zune Software syncs music, pictures and videos to the Zune device. It organizes the media in its library and allows users to add to the library by ripping from CDs, and organize the metadata. It can automatically pull down album art and metadata for all content in the library. The Zune Software is also the interface to access the Zune Marketplace. Image File history File links Zune-marketplace. ... Image File history File links Zune-marketplace. ...

The Zune Marketplace is an online service that integrates with the Zune player. It is similar to the MTV URGE service that is available for Windows Media Player 11. Over two million songs are available for purchase using Microsoft Points, the same currency used on Xbox Live, for per-song purchase. The Zune Marketplace can also be used as a subscription-based flat-fee service, if users purchase a monthly "Zune Pass".^[15] Urge Music Store on WMP 11 Beta for Windows Vista URGE or URGE.com is an online music service announced on December 13, 2005 and released on May 17, 2006. ... Windows Media Player (WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Xbox Live is a subscription-based online gaming service for Microsofts Xbox and Xbox 360 video game consoles. ...

Individual tracks (in protected WMA format) currently cost 79 Microsoft Points (at an exchange ratio of 79.8 points per dollar).^[16] Users must purchase blocks of points in $5 increments.

The unlimited "Zune Pass" costs US$14.99 per month or $44.97 for three months. However, some selected albums and tracks are not available to the subscription service and can only be purchased with Microsoft Points.

The Zune Software includes an inbox, which keeps track of flagged music (for later purchase) as well as songs swapped with other Zune users. The inbox shows up in the Zune software as well. All music downloaded under the subscription plan becomes unplayable if the user lets the subscription lapse. Songs downloaded under a subscription are not burnable to CD without paying an additional charge per track.

The initial release of the Zune Software supports the following types of files: Windows Media Audio (.wma), MP3 (.mp3), AAC (.mp4,.m4a,.m4b,.mov), JPEG (.jpg), Windows Media Video (.wmv), MPEG4 (.mp4,.m4v,.mov) and H.264 (.mp4,.m4v,.mov). Unlike the Windows Media Player 11 media server, the Zune Software can also stream AAC files to the Xbox 360, which supports AAC natively. Windows Media Player (WMP) is a digital media player and media library application developed by Microsoft that is used for playing audio, video and images on personal computers running the Microsoft Windows operating system, as well as on Pocket PC and Windows Mobile-based devices. ... The Xbox 360 is the successor to Microsofts Xbox video game console, developed in cooperation with IBM, ATI, Samsung and SiS. Information on the console first came through viral marketing campaigns and it was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, with detailed launch and game information divulged...

Firmware

Microsoft's goal is to update the Zune on a regular basis

• Firmware update 1.1 was released alongside the 30GB Zune digital media player, and creates a new menu item, "community", allowing the user to search for other Zunes in the vicinity, see the current status of those Zunes (should they allow it) and allows the transfer of music (with a 3-play/3-day limit) and pictures to other Zunes. It also includes performance enhancements.
• Firmware update 1.2 was released December 19th, 2006, and includes a boost in performance when browsing the Zune, along with a few other minor enhancements. [12]

December 19 is the 353rd day of the year (354th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Preloaded content

The Zune has the following songs, videos, and images preloaded into memory. ^[17] [Note: Preloaded songs may be lost upon sync between a Zune player and a host computer.]

Audio tracks

• Band of Horses, "Wicked Gil" (Sub Pop)
• Bitter:Sweet, "The Mating Game" (Quango Music Group)
• C.S.S., "Alala (Microsoft edit)" (Sub Pop)
• Darkel, "At the End of the Sky (edit)" (Astralwerks)
• Editors, "Munich" (Kitchenware Records)
• Every Move a Picture, "Signs of Life" (V2 Records)
• Landon Pigg, "Can't Let Go" (RCA Records)
• Small Sins, "Stay" (Astralwerks)
• The Adored, "Tell Me Tell Me" (V2 Records)
• The Rakes, "Open Book" (V2 Records)
• The Thermals, "A Pillar of Salt" (Sub Pop)

Band of Horses, known early in its life as simply Horses, is an American indie rock band formed in Seattle consisting of Ben Bridwell, Mat Brooke, Creighton Barrett and Rob Hampton. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ... A record label founded in 1995 by Bruno Guez. ... Cansei de Ser Sexy (Portuguese for Im Tired of Being Sexy), also known as CSS, is a Brazilian band from São Paulo, where they benefited from unprecedent levels of hype on local newspapers and TV channels. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ... Jean-Benoît Dunckel, born on 7 September 1969 in Versailles, France, is a musician best known for being in the electronica duo Air. ... Astralwerks is an New York based record label which releases primarily electronic music. ... Editors (note: not The Editors) are a British indie rock band from Birmingham, England, who met at Staffordshire University, comprised of Tom Smith (lyricist/vocalist/guitarist), Chris Urbanowicz (guitarist), Russ Leetch (bass guitarist) and Ed Lay (drummer). ... Kitchenware Records is an independent record label based in the UK. Kitchenware currently represents five artists in the music industry: Sirens Editors The Motorettes Kate Walsh Kid Coda Of these artists, only Editors and Kate Walsh have established themselves with chart success in the UK. Category: ... Every Move A Picture Every Move A Picture are a four-piece, dance rock music combining guitars and synthesisers from San Fransisco, USA. They have played the SXSW 2005 music festival, and have also had a live session on KCRW radio. ... V2 Records is a record label which was started in 1996 by Richard Branson, four years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI. Over the years V2 acquired Junior Boys Own, Gee Street Records and Big Cat Records. ... Landon Pigg (born August 6, 1983) is a singer and songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee. ... RCA Records is one of the flagship labels of Sony BMG Music Entertainment. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Astralwerks is an New York based record label which releases primarily electronic music. ... The Adored is a power pop band based in Los Angeles, California. ... V2 Records is a record label which was started in 1996 by Richard Branson, four years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI. Over the years V2 acquired Junior Boys Own, Gee Street Records and Big Cat Records. ... The Rakes are an English rock band from London. ... V2 Records is a record label which was started in 1996 by Richard Branson, four years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI. Over the years V2 acquired Junior Boys Own, Gee Street Records and Big Cat Records. ... The Thermals The Thermals, formed in 2002 (see also 2002 in music), are a rock band from Portland, Oregon on the label Sub Pop Records. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ...

Music videos

• 30 Seconds to Mars, "The Kill" (Virgin Records)
• BT, "1.618" (DTS Entertainment)
• Chad VanGaalen, "Red Hot Drops" (Sub Pop)
• Coldcut featuring Roots Manuva, "True Skool" (Ninja Tune)
• CSS, "Let's Make Love and Listen to Death From Above" (Sub Pop)
• Fruit Bats, "Live: The Wind That Blew My Heart Away" (Sub Pop)
• Grandaddy, "Elevate Myself" (V2 Records)
• Hot Chip, "Over and Over" (Astralwerks)
• Kraak & Smaak featuring Dez., "Keep Me Home" (Quango Music Group)
• Kinski, "Live: The Snowy Parts of Scandinavia" (Sub Pop)
• Paul Oakenfold featuring Brittany Murphy, "Faster Kill Pussycat" (Perfecto Records)
• Serena-Maneesh, "Drain Cosmetics" (Playlouderecordings)

30 Seconds to Mars is an alternative rock band from the USA, featuring actor Jared Leto as vocalist. ... Virgin Records is a British recording label founded by British entrepreneur Richard Branson, and Nik Powell in 1972. ... Brian Wayne Transeau (born October 4, 1971 in Rockville, Maryland) is an electronica musician, better known by his stage name, BT. He has been called the Father of Trance for his pioneering in the trance genre [1],[2] and Prince of Dance Music for his multi-instrumentalist skills [3], and... Chad VanGaalen is a musician and artist from Calgary, Alberta, Canada. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ... Ninja Tune is a London-based independent record label started in 1991 by DJs Matt Black and Jonathan More, better known as Coldcut, with a strong leaning towards Electronic, abstract hip-hop, instrumental hip hop, Nu-Jazz, drum and bass, and chillout music. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ... Grandaddy was an indie rock group from Modesto, California, United States. ... V2 Records is a record label which was started in 1996 by Richard Branson, four years after he sold Virgin Records to EMI. Over the years V2 acquired Junior Boys Own, Gee Street Records and Big Cat Records. ... Astralwerks is an New York based record label which releases primarily electronic music. ... A record label founded in 1995 by Bruno Guez. ... Sub Pop logo Sub Pop is a record label in Seattle, Washington famous for first signing Nirvana, Soundgarden, and many other bands from the local scene. ... Paul Oakenfold (born August 30, 1963 in London, England) is a record producer and one of the best-known, and most expensive (£25,000 per gig)[1] DJs worldwide. ... Murphy performs at a USO show aboard the USS Nimitz Brittany Anne Murphy (born Brittany Bertolotti on November 10, 1977) is an American actress and singer. ... The first single from Paul Oakenfolds 2006 album, A Lively Mind, it features American actress Brittany Murphys vocals. ... Perfecto Records is a label founded by famed trance DJ Paul Oakenfold in 1989. ...

Short films

• 5boro: "A New York Skateboarding Minute" (Skateboarding)
• Radical Films: "Kranked -- Progression" (Mountain Biking)
• TGRTV The North Face (Skiing/Snowboarding)

Images

Variety of images to personalize a Zune device, including 12 classic rock posters from Art of Modern Rock, 8 pictures of Records and DJs, and pictures of graffiti art.

Additional details

The device uses the twist interface on a Freescale 400MHz DSP processor, and contains a Toshiba 1.8 inch 30 GB hard drive.^[18] American corporation Freescale Semiconductor, Inc. ...

The device features a five button controller arranged in a circle, with a menu button and a play/pause button to the left and right, respectively. However, when the Zune is flipped horizontally the controls remain in the same location, unless you are viewing a picture or movie. A hold switch is featured on the top of the player, next to the headphone port. The entire system casing is made from rubberized plastic.^[18]

Accessories

Microsoft has made several first party accessories for the Zune, including the Zune Car Pack, which contains an FM-transmitter with AutoSeek and a Zune Car Charger, the Zune Home A/V pack, which contains a dock, wireless remote, sync cable, AC adapter, and A/V output cable, and the Zune Travel Pack, which includes in-ear earphones, a dual-connect remote, a travel case, a sync cable, and an AC adapter.^[19] Each of these accessory packs will sell for $100. Microsoft's accessories are also available for individual purchase. Microsoft is working with other manufacturers like Altec Lansing, Belkin, Griffin Technology, Harman Kardon, JBL, Incipio^[20] and more to make additional accessories. An old Altec Lansing PC speaker. ... The Belkin logo Belkin Corporation is a global manufacturer of computer hardware which specializes in connectivity devices. ... Griffin Technology enjoys a longstanding reputation as the creative leader in ingenious peripherals and accessories for iPod Mac and PC and now, PSP. Find out more about Griffins entire range of products for audio, video, USB, etc. ... Harman Kardon, a division of Harman International Industries (NYSE: HAR), is a manufacturer of home and car audio equipment, telematics and a real-time operating system operating system (QNX). ... JBL or JBL Professional is an American audio manufacturer founded by James Bullough Lansing in 1946 and is now part of Harman International Industries, who also owns audio manufacturer Harman Kardon and Infinity. ...

Windows XP Theme

To be able to let the look of Windows XP match up with the Zune, a special Theme can be downloaded from the Zune website. This theme is black and has an orange start button, to match up with the Zune's interface. Windows XP is a line of operating systems developed by Microsoft for use on general-purpose computer systems, including home and business desktops, notebook computers, and media centers. ...

Advertising campaign

According to Brandweek, Microsoft plans a $100 million campaign to promote Zune with "Music the way it wants to be" as a major theme. [13] Brandweek is a weekly American marketing trade publication. ...

Microsoft has enlisted approximately 300 "Zune masters" to advertise the device on American college campuses. They receive free merchandise, including a Zune; in return, they are expected to promote the item and run Zune-related events. ^[21]

Speculation and rumors

It was previously thought that Zune was one of Microsoft's media players under codename "Project Argo".^[22][23] However, it now seems that the "Zune" brand will be used for all media players and other services, throughout the new project.^[24]

It was also thought that, during the time, Microsoft was working on a portable gaming handheld, dubbed, the "Xbox 180" or simply, "Xbox 2.0". However, when word of the product becoming a music player leaked onto the internet, the portable gaming system was debunked. Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ...

The European release date is tentatively set for late 2007 or early 2008.^[25] There has been no official word on Zune launch outside the US.^[26] 2007 (MMVII) is a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) will be a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Chris Stephenson, general manager of global marketing for the Zune project, has also said in an interview with Engadget that some phone functionality is in store for the Zune at a later date.^[27] Engadget is a popular technology weblog and podcast about consumer electronics. ...

Also it also rumored that Zune Player will have XM Satellite Radio built in, XM Radio says: "The WiFi antenna also will help Microsoft to support XM radio on the Zune, something they've been looking into. If Zune is to kill the iPod, they need something big that the iPod doesn't have; this may or may not be it, but they'll need all the firepower they can get. With the iPod lacking even an FM radio, this could be a big advantage." This is yet to be confirmed.

Opening sales

The Zune was the second most sold player during the launch week (first four days). Microsoft captured a 9% unit share and a 13% dollar share (total cash spent) in the portable media device space, but still lagged far behind the market-leading iPod's 63% and 72.5% respectively^[28]. These numbers don't include sales from Apple retail stores, which sell only iPod players. However, as MP3 Newswire recorded, the initial release of Zune was met with mostly consumer indifference. Sales weren't terrible, but the heavy marketing failed to launch Zune as a genuine threat to the iPod's dominance.^[29] A survey of 40 retailers conducted by Piper Jaffray analyst Gene Munster found only 8% of the sales people recommended Zune compared to 75% recommendation for Apple iPod, and that most of the sales people did not even know what Zune was or who made it.^[30] The current iPod line. ... MP3 Newswire is one of the earliest news sites focused on digital media technology. ... The current iPod line. ...

In the second week Zune was the 5th most sold player, with a 2.1% market share, according to the market research firm NPD Group. The figures do not include iPods sold directly from Apple. [14] [15] [16] [17] Sales relative to other MP3 players continue to decline, with NPD placing its market share at 1.9% by the second week of December 2006.[18]

According to Amazon.com sales charts the position in the market declined rapidly soon after the opening week. The most popular Zune model (the black one) is also behind a number of SanDisk, iRiver, Creative, and other manufacturers' devices [19]. Amazon. ... SanDisk Corporation (NASDAQ: SNDK), formerly SunDisk, is a US-based multi-national corporation which designs and markets flash memory card products. ... Current iriver logo iriver (formerly iRiver) Co. ... Look up Creative in Wiktionary, the free dictionary The term creative can refer to: Creativity is defined as the ability to be creative. ...

Criticism

• Though Zune is a Microsoft product, it is not compatible with players and online music stores using Microsoft's PlaysForSure technology. This includes music purchased from Microsoft's recently retired MSN Music store.^[31]

• Numerous industry pundits have criticized the Zune for its features and functions (see below) based on a side-by-side comparison with the iPod^[32]. Meanwhile, others^[33][34][35] have criticized its DRM and the market's potential responses, especially given that it will compete with Microsoft's own early-adopters of the PlaysForSure DRM scheme. Technology reviewer Leo Laporte (of G4techTV (Canada)) said in his November 11 2006 radio show that Zune may be the "beginning of the end" for DRM as a business tactic.^[36]

• While Zune has built-in Wi-Fi capabilities, it can only connect to other Zune devices; it can't wirelessly sync with its host PC, nor can it wirelessly connect to the internet and download new music via a Wi-Fi hotspot.^[37][38]

• Songs wirelessly transferred from one Zune to another can only be played three times, even if they are self-recorded, or copyright-free and unprotected by DRM. After three days, the song expires regardless of whether or not it has been played. Just playing half the song (or one minute, whichever comes first) counts as one "play." You can never resend a song to the same friend, nor can a song received from someone else be passed on to a third person. However, after the plays are up, it keeps the name of the song, artist, exc. in the inbox so you can purchase it conveniently from the Zune store, or download it yourself by other means. ^{[39][40][41][42]} Not all songs purchased from the Zune Marketplace can be shared via Wi-Fi with other Zunes (see note 1).

• Unlike many hard drive-based music players, Zune cannot be used as an external hard drive (with an unmodified copy of Windows).^[43]

• Microsoft has entered into a deal with Universal Music Group whereby UMG will receive $1 per Zune sold, paid by Microsoft. UMG's stance is that digital audio players are "just repositories for stolen music" and hardware manufacturers like Microsoft and Apple Computer should compensate record companies for lost revenue; UMG refused to allow Microsoft to stock their music unless the deal was agreed on.^[44] (A similar deal exists for blank audio CD-R manufacturers, who pay fees to the RIAA for every audio CD-R sold in the U.S. In Canada, all audio capable digital media is similarly taxed.^[45])

• In December 2006 Roughly Drafted Magazine reported that Microsoft has resorted to an astroturfing campaign to promote the Zune device, in which supposedly-independent Zune fan sites were actually created by Microsoft prior to the announcement of the product, but the evidence is unprovable and unreliable.^[46]

PlaysForSure is a marketing certification given by Microsoft to portable hardware media players that have been verified to work with Microsoft Windows, specifically Windows XP and newer releases. ... MSN Music was created by Microsoft in 2004 to compete with Apples iTunes Music Store. ... A pandit or pundit(पन्दित् in Devanagari) is a Hindu Brahmin who has memorized a substantial portion of the Vedas, along with the proper rhythms and melodies for chanting or singing them. ... The current iPod line. ... Digital Rights Management (generally abbreviated to DRM) is any of several technologies used by publishers (or copyright owners) to control access to and usage of digital data (such as software, music, movies) and hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work. ... Leo Laporte in 2005 Leo Gordon Laporte (born November 29, 1956 in New York City, New York) [1] is a technology broadcaster, and author. ... G4techTV Canada (formerly TechTV Canada) is a Canadian category 1 digital cable television channel co-owned by Rogers Media (66. ... Official Wi-Fi logo Wi-Fi (also WiFi, wifi, etc. ... Universal Music Group (UMG), formerly MCA Music Entertainment Group, is the largest business group and family of record labels in the record industry. ... Apple Computer, Inc. ... A CD-R (Compact Disc-Recordable) is a variation of the Compact Disc digital audio disc invented by Philips and Sony. ... The RIAA Logo. ... In politics and advertising, the term astroturfing describes formal public relations (PR) campaigns which seek to create the impression of being a spontaneous, grassroots behavior. ...

References

2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 13 is the 286th day of the year (287th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 28 is the 271st day of the year (272nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... August 17 is the 229th day of the year (230th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... November 11 is the 315th day of the year (316th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 50 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... October 10 is the 283rd day of the year (284th in Leap years). ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 11 is the 192nd day (193rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 173 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 13 is the 194th day (195th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 171 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... July 21 is the 202nd day (203rd in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, with 163 days remaining. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... September 29 is the 272nd day of the year (273rd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 2 is the 336th day (337th in leap years) of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 26 is the 360th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar, 361st in leap years. ... 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... December 4 is the 338th day of the year (339th on leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

See also

• Comparison of portable media players
• Online music stores
• Digital Rights Management

This is a comparison of portable media players. ... Digital Rights Management (generally abbreviated to DRM) is any of several technologies used by publishers (or copyright owners) to control access to and usage of digital data (such as software, music, movies) and hardware, handling usage restrictions associated with a specific instance of a digital work. ...

External links

• Zune.net
• ZuneScene.com Fansite