I, like the majority of people, bought an iPod. I actually bought several of them, starting when I was 18 with a 20GB fourth-generation model of what would eventually be known as the Classic. I also had the original Nano and eventually the iPod touch, because that was cheaper than an iPhone.

The Zune never even crossed my mind, especially because it wasn't exactly readily available or well advertised product in the UK, where I live, at the time. It was all about Apple.

Only one of two Zune media players is still available today, but I recently picked up a refurbished Zune HD from Amazon for a low price. One thing became quickly apparent: I should have never bought an iPod.

Understated design and great hardware

From the start, the Zune HD feels like a quality product. This was the very first time I'd ever touched a Zune, and there's no denying the quality. It's a neat little design, with a nice sized display, and it is easily pocketable. The branding is subtle, and the design is classy. It doesn't yell about its purpose, like those shiny backed iPods of the time. The Zune HD is understated in design.

Aside from the shimmery finish covering the display, it's hard to fault the Zune HD as a piece of tech design even now. There are worse looking smartphones being sold every day, and this came to market eight years ago.

The tiny OLED display only has a measly 480 x 272 resolution, but it still looks pretty fantastic. Not by 2017 standards, but rewind to 2009 and there would be zero complaints. The dark-themed user interface is sharp, colors are bright, and for everything right down to web browsing it's a solid little display.

Oh, yes, web browsing. There's built-in Wi-Fi and a web browser on the Zune HD, though trying to load a current day website is an exercise in wasting your time.

Before Windows Phone there was Zune

The Windows Phone Metro UI that so many loved, and some still do to this day, has roots in the Zune. There are no tiles, but the similarities are plain to see. Compared to the iPod, and even iOS and Android back in 2009, this would have been a breath of fresh air.

Or it would have had it taken off as a product.

The Zune UI feels thoughtful, based on gestures rather than taps. Sure, Apple pushed multitouch from the launch of the iPhone, but you stil had to tap and tap and tap to do everything. The Zune just flows, and of course, the rest is history.

While I wouldn't entertain the idea of going back to Windows Phone for a similar experience, it still feels just as awesome on the Zune HD now as it ever did on a phone.

What about the music?

With the iPod came the (heinous) iTunes for Windows. With the Zune came the software of the same name. One of these is still updated today, but the other has disappeared into memory. Thanks to the wonders of the internet, however, nothing ever truly goes away.

Microsoft still hosts a download of the Zune software, and that means even when buying one for the very first time in 2017, it's possible to hook it up to a PC and actually use it as a music player.

Download the Zune software from Microsoft

In the present day, you lose all the cool features like Zune Music Pass, but as a functional interface for putting content onto the Zune HD, it still works just fine. And it's better than having to deal with iTunes.

With only 16GB of internal storage and no expansion, I won't be loading up my whole music collection, but it'll still hold a good chunk of it. When you consider that for most of us our smartphones have become our media players, many are still sold with only 16GB of internal storage for everything.

The music player is a lot like the one that came on Windows Phone after it. It looks fantastic to this day. It is unique, and stylish, but function is front and center. The Zune HD even has a radio. (I still like listening to my local radio stations.)

The wrong one won

The iPod and its creator, Apple, were the undoubted winner of this war. Apple is still winning to this day, and I've contributed enough of my own cash to that end in the past. It may be a lot of years too late, but by picking up a cheap, refurbished Zune HD it didn't take long for me to realize that I was wrong. A lot of other people were wrong, too.

I should have bought a Zune.

It's too late for it to matter now, but even today this little music box is a tremendous device and a much earlier example of Microsoft's strength in design. Portable music players are mostly pushed out now by smartphones, but I'm going to keep using the Zune HD. It's small enough to fit in any pocket or bag, won't sap my phone's battery when I'm on the road and is just a nice thing to have. It found its way into my heart.

Your Zune love stories

If you're a Zune fan, old or new, share your story with us in the comments below. Bygone it may be, but when you remember something it never truly goes away!

We touched on Microsoft announcing the news that Australia will be getting the Zune Pass on November 16th, but new details have come to light about what will (and wont be) present and included in the subscription. With the announcement being made by Microsoft, WPDownUnder contacted the software giant for clarification on features tied to the Zune Pass:

• Artist biographies won't be present. Background are will be available but only for international artists, not local ones.
• Individual tracks and album purchases will be made possible by MS points or an attached credit card.
• Australia will not be getting Zune podcast support.
• Zune Pass will work with Australians who own an Australia-only Live ID.
• Australian Zune HD owners will not be able to view (or download) free apps and games on the app Marketplace.

With the Zune Pass Australian launch just around the corner, more information is likely to come to light in the coming days. WPDownUnder is set to interview a local Microsoft representative to hopefully extract more information surrounding the release of the Zune Pass.

Source: WPDownUnder

You've got to wonder if Mark Twain had the Zune HD in mind when he said, "The rumors of my death are greatly exaggerated".  Yep, that's right.  It looks as if the Zune HD is still kicking.

Remember yesterday when we shared the Zune HD support page that said the devices were no longer in production? Where Microsoft would continue to honor warranties and support the devices but were focusing on the Windows Phone as their mobile music and video devices? Well that page is now gone.

You also have a tweet from @ZuneSupport stating that support page was added in error. Just as pulling the Zune HD from sales channels was a publishing mishap?

We still believe that Microsoft will end production of the Zune players. Microsoft may just need a bigger boat to pull the Zune HD off the market. Either that or get the Zune Team all on the same page the next time they report the unfortunate death of the Zune HD to avoid a trilogy.

via: @WP_DownUnder/WP Down Under

Another week, another leak of Windows Mobile 7.5 ('Mango') features. Once again, the chaps at Windows Phone Dev Podcast have managed to get their hands on some screen shots of reportedly new features coming this fall to Windows Phone. And once again, if true, you won't be disappointed.

• Windows Live Messenger, Facebook chat and AOL Instant Messenger all integrated under Messaging--and remember, we heard this is rumored to be a dual data/SMS system, making it really reliable even when your connection is not. Your presence as well as your friends are displayed in the People Hub dynamically.
• Office 365 and Skydrive built into Office hub--'nuff said
• Group Messaging: currently there are some nice 3rd party apps that do this, but the ability to have pre-defined groups to message to will be now native, allowing to create quick groups for Family, Work, Friends, etc. This will work for Email and SMS.
• Artist art on Lockscreen: This is very cool, especially those with Zune HD players. What this does is pull down the Zune/Artist artwork of your current selection and plays it in a marquee/banner fashion on the screen. It currently does this on your Zune desktop/Xbox (play some music and wiat a few mins, you'll see). Evidently, in WP7.5, you can do this on your phone, making the Zune HD/Windows Phone distinction even less. This was always an awesome thing on the Zune HD, so we're glad it's being brought over.
• Games Hub gets a facelift, including 'sync' option (potentially for online-game play). We first reported this back at MIX11, so now it's confirmed.
• Native Checkins are coming e.g. Facebook Places. More info here.
• Visual Voicemail will use Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP)
• Battery saving features/options (under Settings)
• WiFi Hotspot support, uses Network Communication and Information Systems (NCIS) technology

Not bad, not bad at all. The messaging features should be very popular as well as the other additions coming to Mango--an update that is rapidly turning into a major overhaul of the entire Windows Phone system. We expect to see more, of course, come May 24th in New York City, so make sure you join us for all the live coverage!

Source: Windows Phone Dev Podcast; Thanks, Brianna, for the heads up

Microsoft has responded to the "Zune (hardware) is dead" meme that has taken off like a hurricane ever since the Bloomberg article the other day:

That sure doesn't sound like a denial, lending more credence to the Bloomberg claim from "sources familiar". Now, Dave McLauchlan, who does business development at Microsoft for the Zune HD, has now responded in the Anything But Ipod forums, where he's been a member since 2006. While not revealing anything too specific, it sure sounds as if the story is more...complicated...than Bloomberg has made it out to be. We'll just quote the meaty parts of his post:

We're not 100% sure what to make of this outside he still has a job working on Zune hardware and evidently it's not as black and white as everyone seems to be thinking it is. Of course if Zune hardware is dead, it forces the question of why Microsoft, and now McLauchlan, are pushing backing looking to clarify the matter. Like we said, we think there may be more to this story than what we know so far.

Source: Anything But Ipod Forums; via ZuneBoards; Thanks, @hallucinogen52

We're a little more than a week away from likely finding out what all the Windows Phone Seven (or Windows Mobile 7, or Seven, or whatever) is all about. And that means it's time for more rumors to come crawling out of the woodwork.

After the break, let's tackle the latest batch that was seeded to a couple of sites (Mobile Tech World and PPCGeeks) and what we think of them.

Before we begin: We're going to answer these rumors as if they're true, but honestly we have no idea if they are or not. Obviously we still don't have any official word as to what's ahead for Mobile World Congress, and we still don't really know how these rumors might or might not fit in with the other big ones we've heard.

Rumor: Windows Phone Seven will debut at Mobile World Congress. But it will only be the user interface. No hardware, and no in-depth demos.

Rumor: The new UI, codenamed "Metro," is similar to that of the Zune HD. It will have a completely new start screen.

Rumor: No Flash support, but Silverlight's on board. And there will be no fewer than four development sessions at Microsoft's MIX10 conference in March.

Rumor: Apps can only be loaded through the Marketplace, and there's no multitasking as we now know it. Apps will pause in the background, however, and there will be push notifications.

Rumor: There won't be any backward NETCF compatibility.

Rumor: Full Zune integration. Syncing will be done through the Zune desktop software. Full Xbox integration.

Rumor: No OEM interfaces. As in, no Sense UI, no Mobile Shell, etc.

OK, everybody. That's it. Is this the future of Windows Mobile? Will there be several tracks? One week to go, and then we'll find out ... something. Stay tuned.

Unsurprisingly, there wasn't much at Microsoft's CES booth that we hadn't seen before. The HTC HD2 and yesterday's official announcement that it will be available "this spring" on T-Mobile was on the tip of everyone's tongues. But other than that, there were no new Windows phones announced.

We did take a spin with Ford Sync, which is Microsoft's system that will pair just about any device -- Bluetooth or otherwise -- with a new Ford or Mercury vehicle. Voice commands are the key to the whole thing, so you keep your hands on the wheel.

The Zune guys were more than happy to hear that we're hoping to see Zune software integrated into Windows Mobile in the next year or so. But we could get neither them nor the Windows phone folks to spill the beans as to what might or might not be coming in Windows Mobile 7.

Awkward moment of the morning: Our pal Rene Ritchie from The iPhone Blog hits up the Bing team to ask about the Bing iPhone app. And they'd never heard of it.

Photos of the exploits after the break.

Sometimes you look so hard in the back alleys for leaks on something that you miss it when it's right in front of you.

In this case, lets flash back to October 2009 at the Microsoft San Francisco Dev Camp (we covered it here).  A traveling, nerdy roadshow, the Dev Camp was meant to get developers to attend presentations on programming and working with WM6.5 as well as a chance to meet with and ask questions members of the WinMo development team.

In other words, pretty technical and dry.  Unless some questions on Windows Mobile 7 and prospects of Zune phones get brought up...and answered.

Thanks to forum member Interframe, who watched the nearly 3 hr video, he caught some major gems that we all missed.

For example, at the 2hr mark, we get this exchange:

But there's more. 

• There won't be an OTA update feature in WM6.5 (which should be obvious at this point) but they are serious about it for WM7
• Definitely no Zune phone, but they are most certainly aware of trying to emulate that success with their new OS
• Better graphics support in the OS and for developers too

Read Interframe's word-for-word transcript here and check out the whole video here for yourself.  The video is chock full of little tid-bits and we encourage you folks to watch it from 1hr 58mins and forward for the Q&A.  Either way, next year, when we're all gawking at our WM7 calendar, I want you to think of "blue shirt guy".

(And note, in case that video disappears, we have the whole thing on our HDD ready to be re-posted).

The Zune HD (read our reviews here and here) is still not a Windows Mobile phone, no matter how much I wish it to be so. (And no matter how many times I try talking into it.) That said, it desperately has been in need of a Twitter application. Microsoft finally delivered. Sort of.

I'm so distraught over the $@!#^& automatic censoring that's built in (and can't be turned off), I can't even bring myself to review it. (And don't get me started on the settings menu.) The good news is Microsoft reportedly is updating the app to remove the censorship. But, c'mon, guys. That never should have made it out the door.

There is a bit of good news in that Microsoft dropped the ads from its "utility" apps. But it still takes way to long to launch the calculator. Ugh.

Anyhoo, we'll let our pal Matt Miller from ZDNet and NokiaExperts fame do his thing. Thanks for taking one for the team here, Matt. Check out his full rundown at ZDNet, and peep his video after the break.

The Zune HD [see our full review here] just got a firmware update a few days ago that prepped it for 3D gaming, and now the Zune Marketplace has delivered with a slew of new titles. On tap are:

Audiosurf Tilt: An accelerometer-based roller coaster app that moves with your music.

• Checkers.
• Lucky Lanes Bowling.
• PGR: Ferrari Edition.
• Vans Sk8 - Pool Service.
• Piano.

All the games are free and ready for download now. And in case you're wondering, yes, the pre-roll ads are still there. But the apps are still free. Get over it.

Thanks to everyone who sent this in.

We're now a few days into the Zune HD (read Part 1 here) and we're more sure of this than ever: It is not gunning for the iPod Touch. It is not a PDA. It is not a smartphone with the radio yanked out.

It is, however, a kick-arse MP3 player, with potential on the software side for much more.

Watch our brief hands-on video above, and join us after the break for a look at what Microsoft got right, and what leaves us wanting.

This is not a smartphone-lite

A reminder that we're looking at the Zune HD from the Windows Mobile perspective in hopes of getting a glimpse at what we may see in a future operating system. But first, a few major items that are missing from the Zune that keep it far from the smartphone category:

• E-mail client: Nowhere to be found.
• Contact manager: Nope.
• GPS: Can't find it.
• Bluetooth: Nada.
• Apps: OK, there are nine right now, all developed by Microsoft (and sporting pre-roll advertising). Microsoft has opened things up a little, in the XNA-framework.
• Phone radio: Yeah, kinda important.

So, yeah. This is an MP3 player with a killer user interface.

What we're not crazy about

Look, people are griping about the lack of apps currently available for the Zune HD. And we feel their pain (but are enjoying Texas Hold 'Em). We're more concerned about load time. Ten to 15 seconds to load an app is not good, especially given the Tegra processor. But we'd expect things to get better in the coming months.

The browser, based on mobile IE6, is functional, but not great. The keyboard isn't terrible and will get better with use. But pages are slow to load.

While syncing media is easy to do (more on that in a minute), podcasts can only be moved to the device via the desktop software. That's no good. We need to be able to do so via WiFi, just like other media on the device.

Oh, and speaking of podcasts, you can subscribe to the WMExperts Podcast with the Zune software by clicking this link. (We're still working on getting added to the Marketplace — feel free to suggest us!)

What's done right

First and foremost: The operating system is smooth as butter. We're that impressed with it. If this isn't what Windows Mobile 7 looks like — no taskbars, seamless transitions — we're going to be very, very disappointed in you, Microsoft.

[[ shakes finger ]]

Media playback is as it should be as well. There's no sign of the usual Windows Media Player clunkiness. It just works.

Marketplace integration is very good. It's artsy, and the music and selections aren't bad at all. Transferring material over WiFi isn't the quickest, though that's that be expected. But that leads us to ...

The desktop software is top-notch, as it has been for the Zune for some time now. Again, none of the usual headaches we're used to with ActiveSync. It just works.

These are the biggest things we hope to see make the leap to Windows Mobile in the next year or so.

And not to be forgotten is the hardware quality. It's as good as any Windows phone we've had, and we're excited about (and here we are starting this flame war again) getting to use capacitive screens, finally. And the OLED is to be written home about.

The bottom line

The Zune HD isn't a phone. It isn't a PDA. And it's not trying to be either. But it is a killer MP3 player with a killer UI, and we're chomping at the bit to get it and the multimedia playback in Windows Mobile.

It's time, Microsoft.

So I'm a few hours into the Zune HD. It's my first foray into the Zune ecosystem, so I have a bit of a learning curve, and bear with me. But without giving away the farm, I'll say this: If this is the direction in which Windows Mobile is moving, we all have much to look forward to. There are going to be endless comparisons of the Zune HD to the iPhone and iPod Touch, and we'll certainly add our share. But, for now, it all comes down to this:

Anyhoo, that's not really why we're here. We want to look at the Zune HD from the Windows Mobile perspective and see what bits and pieces we might see in Windows Mobile 7 and beyond. Join us after the break for our initial hands-on and a very quick look at the new desktop software.

Zune desktop software

Along with the launch of the Zune HD came Version 4.0 of the Zune software. You'll need to update to this before you do anything else. (Do so here) I'd previously installed the Zune software and loaded all my music, and the upgrade was fairly quick and seamless.

More on this in a future post, but this is worth shouting from the rooftops: While I've long been a user of Windows Media Player, and I've never been a fan of the iTunes world, the Zune software is where it's at. It's compelling, graphically (by leaps and bounds more so than iTunes), pretty intuitive (responding to the back button on a mouse is a big plus), and tweaking settings is easy. It's meant to be used as your desktop media player (I've now made it my default) and to sync media to the Zune HD (which you also can do over WiFi).

Quickplay (aka Genius)

Quickplay in the desktop software is a cool auto-playlist function, like iTunes' Genius feature. It took a while to fully load, but it's the same deal: You give it five artists, and it'll build playlists based on those artists. I haven't used it enough to fully evaluate it yet, but it's still a cool feature to have. It even throws up some cool art of the artists. It's little touches like those that separate the Zune desktop software from the likes of WMP and iTunes. And they do so without clunking up the experience or causing things to slow down.

The apps

There currently are nine apps available for download, all developed for Microsoft: Calculator, Chess, Goo Splat (think Space Invaders, only inside a lung — yeah, ewwwww), Hexic (a variation on all of those bubble-pop games), Shell Game ... of the Future (a shell game, with robots), Space Battle 2 (a bland vertical scrolling shoot-em-up), Sudoku, Texas Hold 'Em, and a Weather app. All of these apps are available for free and can be downloaded either with the desktop software or wirelessly onto the Zune HD. Nothing at all to write home about here, but they'll keep you amused in a pinch. Oh, all nine of the apps total about 104MB of space on the Zune HD.

Zune Marketplace

The Zune Marketplace is easy to maneuver. There's a good selection of music and video (both TV and film), and they're easy to download, though it does take time to do so. Simple right-clicks on any downloaded or previously added software brings up a sub-menu and gives you easy access to syncing media.

The software is "optimized" for Windows 7, and it has some nice features in conjunction with the Aero interface. Hover over the Zune icon on the taskbar when music or video is playing and you have the ability to pause, fast-forward or reverse from the desktop. There's also a nice mini mode that still keeps the album art and graphical elements available.

Out of the box

The Zune HD comes with minimal packaging. Opening the box presents the device, and the device only. Peel back the next layer and we're greeted by a couple of brochures for Zune Pass, the music subscription service. You get 14 days free along with the purchase of the Zune. Underneath that are the proprietary sync/charge USB cable (same as previous Zunes, btw), the usual mediocre earbuds and three pairs of covers — black, orange and red. Also at the bottom of the box are a quick-start guide (Welcome to Zune HD) and the Zune Product Guide, which covers all the legal mumbo jumbo.

That's it. We will repeat that you need to load the Zune software before plugging in the Zune HD. From there, things got a little interesting.

Windows 7 RC immediately connected to the Zune, and you're informed that there's an update available for the Zune HD itself. It took about 15 minutes to flash the device and have it ready to go, and it was all done through the Zune software. It's a little unnerving that the device was ready for a firmware update on Day 1. We're assuming that's not a big deal if you're a longtime reader of WMExperts. But it's not really something we'd like to see the average consumer go through upon first plugging in their new Zune HD.

Oh, and by now you'd better already be used to the fingerprints.

The hardware

Look, this thing is small. So how does it feel? It's angular, but not in a bad way. If you've ever handled an HTC Touch Diamond or Touch Diamond 2, you're in the ballpark. The Zune HD is nearly a full half-centimeter thinner than the Diamond 2. It's not quite as tall as the iPod Touch, and it fits my hand better. Your mileage may vary.

The specs

• Size: 4.0 inches tall, 2.1 inches wide, 0.4 inches thick.
• Weight: 2.6 ounces.
• Screen: 3.3-inch diagonal capacitive OLED touchscreen with a 16:9 (think movie) aspect ratio.
• Resolution: 480 pixels by 272 pixels.
• NVidia Tegra processor @650MHz.
• Internal memory: 32GB (silver - $289.99); 16GB (black - $219.99).
• 3.5mm headphone jack.
• FM radio (HD radio).
• WiFi: 802.11b/g
• Video output via dock.
• Battery: 660mAh. Reportedly up to 33 hours of continuous audio playback, or 8.5 hours of video playback.

The buttons

Buttons are sparse. There's a power button on the top bezel, a "home" button on the bottom of the front face, and a control button on the left bezel. It's not the rocker you're used to. Rather, it pops up on-screen controls, including pause/play, forward, reverse, volume up/down, track number, artist and song title.

Briefly clicking the home button takes you to the textual home screen we know from Windows Mobile 6.5, or to a quickplay menu to the left (actually left and to the rear, in a bit of visual 3D trickery.) The quickplay features what's now playing, "pins" (you can "pin" items to the menu), a history of recently accessed items, and new items. Flicking vertically scrolls through the options. You can flick horizontally between the two, but it can be a bit tricky.

My only gripe about the buttons' placement is that I sometimes hit the power button with my index finger if I'm going for the control button my thumb. But that may well be a fail on my part, and not one of design.

On the bottom bezel of the Zune HD are the 3.5mm headphone jack and the dock connector.

The innards

Build quality feels solid and top-notch. According to iFixit, which already has ripped open a Zune HD, the device apparently is OEM'd by Foxconn, which as we all know is a longtime manufacturer for Apple (and plenty of other smartphones, too).

The battery is a mere 660mAh. (The latest iPod Touch has a 789mAh battery.) That said, the Tegra processor and OLED screen are supposed to provide better battery life. We're going to get a few good charges under our belt before laying claim to any battery-usage numbers, but it's safe to say that the Zune HD will have a different usage pattern than a smartphone or iPod Touch, whereas it won't be manhandled nearly as much. At least, that'll be the case until more apps are released.

About that screen

This one will be up for debate for some time. The OLED screen is 3.3 inches diagonal — definitely a decent size — and capacitive to boot. It's plenty responsive, and right up there with the iPhone. Actually, it's not quite as responsive, and that's not necessarily a bad thing. It just feels less twitchy. On the other hand, I occasionally have to swipe twice to trigger an action. That may be my unfamiliarity with the device, or it may be the screen. Too early to tell. Multi-touch works the same as we're used to.

As for the OLED screen — that's Organic Light Emitting Diode — it's pretty much gorgeous. But it's not perfect. Even at the Zune HD's highest display setting (there are three), whites aren't quite as white as on the iPod Touch, and reds appear a little too red. Whether that's something inherent to the screen itself or a setting in the firmware ... I don't know. Remember that the iPhone/iPod Touch display has subtly changed its hue a couple of times.

Also of concern with OLED screens is visibility outdoors, particularly in sunlight. I conducted a couple of brief, unscientific tests. I went outside and stood in the sunlight. (And surprisingly didn't burst into flame.) At the medium setting, the Zune HD's screen was all but washed out; I could still slightly make out the iPod Touch's screen. Cranked the Zune HD's display to the "high" setting and they were about equal in the sunlight.

But here's the thing: I'm not going to be using any device in direct sunlight. Being as how I'm bipedal and have opposing thumbs, I'm going to move any screen out so that I can see it better. OLED, regular LED, resistive, capacitive, whatever. If I can't see properly, I'm going to move. For me, it's a non-issue. The iPhone and iPod Touch will win the outdoor usability contest. But, again, we're talking two usage scenarios here. You're just not going to be using the Zune HD in the same way.

What's missing/Wrapping up Part 1

You didn't think that was it, did you? We're just scratching the surface. The bottom line here is this is a solid, solid portable media player. But we wouldn't want Microsoft to merely slap a phone radio into the Zune HD and call it a smartphone. There's no GPS built in. There's no Bluetooth. There's no speaker. For me, those are three deal-breakers when it comes to a phone. Actually, I'd argue that a speaker and Bluetooth are pretty important to any PMP these days. But when you're trying to keep size/cost down, trade-offs have to be made.

Coming up in Part 2, we'll tackle the software on the Zune HD, including what Microsoft got very, very right ... and what leaves us wanting.

We'll begin what we believe will be a long and winding list of major Windows Mobile overhauls we want to see with this: The media player.

Click through for some ranting goodness.

Chances are if you've been around this site for more than, say, five minutes, you know we loathe Windows Media Player, especially on the mobile side. We put up with it on the desktop, and it's certainly gotten better with Windows 7. But woe is the person who is content with WMP on a Windows phone.

And so, we are calling for one media player to rule them all. And the Zune player currently fits that bill within the Windows ecosystem.

But right now the problem is that Windows (the desktop) ships with Windows Media Player, which in and of itself is not the world's worst media player. But, let's face it, it's old. It's tired. It's not immersive.

Things are getting a little cloudy in the Windows Mobile world, and we're welcoming the stormy skies. First, a refresher:

• We're expecting Windows Mobile 6.5 to be released in the coming weeks.
• We're pretty sure there's a Windows Mobile 6.5.1 waiting in the wings. We've seen but can't share (yeah, that's not fair, but them's the breaks) early — repeat: as in some time ago — screen shots of the purported build. The leaked ROMs we've seen recently (Exhibits A and B) appear headed in that direction but actually aren't quite there yet.
• We're expecting the as yet still unannounced Windows Mobile 7 early next year, and it (hopefully) will be more along the lines of what we're seeing on the Zune HD than what we're used to on our current (and even upcoming) devices.

Now, fast-forward to the present, specifically the latest from Digitimes. They're giving an Oct. 1 date to the 6.5 "release" - quotation marks ours because you're probably not going to be able get a carrier-sanctioned upgrade at midnight or anything. Windows Mobile is still Windows Mobile, and carriers is carriers.

Digitimes also reports Microsoft plans "an upgrade version with a touch interface in February 2010, the sources indicated citing Microsoft roadmap." That's also right in line with what we've heard (but admittedly have have not second-sourced) regarding Windows Mobile 6.5.1. What phones will get 6.5.1? We're hearing the HTC Touch Pro 2 and Touch Diamond 2 — specifically the AT&T versions, which would lend credence to recent musings by Engadget that we'll finally see the keyboardless phone on the same network at the iPhone.

Then there's Windows Mobile 7, which Digitimes says will co-exist alongside Windows Mobile 6.5 when it's launched sometime in Q4 of 2010. As in, more than a year from now. The idea, Digitimes says, is to take on Android from the 6.5 front and the iPhone from Windows Mobile 7. (Sorry, Android. You get the second string offense, apparently.)

Now, we're among the first to take news from Digitimes with a big 'ol helping of salt. So what should you take out of this?

If you're not stoked about Windows Mobile 6.5, that's cool. We're pretty sure bigger things are in the works, starting with Windows Mobile 6.5.1, and really getting going with Windows Mobile 7. Look no further than the Zune HD for evidence of what Microsoft is capable of.

It's going to require some more ... what's that word? ... Patience.

HTC's global PR and online community manager, Eric Lin, recently sat down with Pocketnow for a chat. He didn't let too much slip (hey, that's his job), but we do learn a couple of things:

On getting rid of the D-pad on the front some upcoming phones:

On HTC manufacturing the Zune HD:

On HTC developing its own OS

A couple of interesting details, indeed. Check out the whole interview after the break. (For more from Eric's sit-down with Akihabra News earlier this year, click here.)

It's app day here at WMExperts. Next up is, naturally, Microsoft, which apparently has applied for a trademark of the word ONEAPP. Why, you ask? The ONEAPP trademark application (uh oh, this is gonna get confusing) states:

Also:

Current consensus is that ONEAPP could well make its way to the Zune HD, and that's probably not a bad bet.We know the Zune HD will have an iteration of Internet Explorer on board, and the ability to run applications seems natural. Will it also appear on Windows Mobile 7? Stay tuned, folks.

Via istartedsomething

While Engadget just got an up-close and personal look at the upcoming Zune HD, and Paul Thurrott scored some more details.

• There are only three hardware buttons — a rocker for volume, a power button and a home button.
• The browser is a "flavor" of Internet Explorer 6, but it won't look or feel like IE. Definitely not a bad thing.
• The first flood of Xbox integration will surround video. Music will follow later.

More over at Thurrott's SuperSite for Windows, and we've got a brief video shot by Gizmodo after the break. Yes, you'll see a big fat link to "Marketplace" in the Zune HD's UI, but we're betting that's going to be for the Zune Marketplace, not Windows Marketplace for Mobile. Calm down, folks.

Do remember (and we have a feeling we'll be repeating this for a while) that while we expect the Zune and Windows Mobile to share some features in upcoming versions, we don't yet know for sure what they are. That's why we'll be keeping a closer eye on our phone-less cousins from now on.

Update: Cnet's Ina Fried got a less-blurry hands-on. Video of that, too, after the break.

Join Dieter and Mal as they talk up the week's Windows Mobile News. Dieter discusses the Nokia E71 from a WinMo user's perspective and he and Mal give the ZuneHD a bit more thought.

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News

• Dieter on the Nokia E71 - thoughts and questions
• Microsoft Posts Quarterly Report
• How Windows Mobile Measures Up
• Windows Mobile 6.5 out 'by the fourth quarter'
• What goes on when an app crashes
• Acer kills off ETEN brand, brings new phones to Singapore
• Toshiba TG02, TG03 pics leak out
• Two new MS rebranding monikers emerge
• Windows Mobile can help check for babies, might even help you make them

Software

• FeedMe is a nice, light RSS reader
• YouTube Client Updated

Thanks to Michael, Anthony, and John for calling and writing in!

Credits

Thanks to the WMExperts Store for sponsoring the podcast. Thanks also to these great artists for the music and to CCMixter.org for offering a great database of Creative Commons music!

• Swim below as Leviathans by Fireproof Babies
• GONE by djsociopath