Retro Review
Zune HD vs. iPod: The wrong one won
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Microsoft's Zune never really took off. And that's a crying shame. Here's why.
Microsoft Zune HD
More details on Zune Pass for Australia
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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...
Zune HD dead again?
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Okay. Remember the Zune HD? Well, it appears to be dead again. We first saw it removed from the sales channel, then we were told that was a publishing mishap. We then saw it being removed from production on the support page. This was again reported as a publishing error when @WP_DownUnder looked into things further. Now the support page is back and again, we are being told by...
Rising from the ashes, the Zune HD still lives?
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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...
Facebook/AIM chat, Group Messaging and more coming to Windows Phone 7.5
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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...
Zune hardware biz developer: "I'll be going to work tomorrow"
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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: “We have nothing to announce about another Zune device -- but most recently have introduced Zune HD to Canada via the Zune Originals store and remain committed to supporting our devices in North America,” the company said in an e-mailed...
Zune HD apps update: Landscape keyboard, Hearts and Spades
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For the handful of you who are using the Zune HD (myself and Phil are diehard fans), you'll be pleased to know of a few updates to the Zune Marketplace. For one, Twitter gets a landscape keyboard in v1.2, which makes it that much more useful (or useless, depending on your view). You must enable "keyboard tilt" under the settings in Twitter, it's off by default. Facebook gets bumped to...
Zune HD gets Doom, becomes a man
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Since there is quite the backlash from so-called "power users" against Windows Phone 7 (it is quite the a change), learning to hack and break down the new walled garden of Microsoft will be the new rage we predict. And while the Zune HD and Windows Phone 7 only share some similar code/structure, learning to port games,load hacks and implement tricks on one may help with the other....
ZuneHD cracked wide open, could be interesting for Windows Phone 7
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One of the larger concerns we've heard regarding Windows Phone 7 is its relatively closed nature, sending shivers -- or sounding a battle cry -- through the likes of XDA Developers and other hacking sites. And it looks like the call to arms has been answered, as the Zune firmware has been cracked open, paving the way for sideloading apps outside of the Zune Marketplace. As the heroes...
Zune HD 4.5 software is out; brings new codecs, playlist features
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The Zune HD is as close as you can currently (and officially) get to Windows Phone 7, and it's now even closer, thanks to a new firmware update released today. What dost thou receive with the update? Smart DJ Mix, currently only available on the desktop software, is now available on-device. You also can get personalized music recommendations directly on the Zune HD, browse the Zune...
The latest Windows Mobile 7 rumors ...
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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...
Visiting Microsoft at CES
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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...
Microsoft talked about WM7 on video and we all missed it
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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...
Twitter finally hits Zune HD
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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'...
Video review: New Zune HD 3D games
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Still on the fence about buying a Zune HD? Not sure if it's ever going to have real apps? Look no further as we take a brief look at a couple of the new 3D games available. Join us after the break.
Free 3D apps now available on Zune HD
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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...
Hands-on with the Zune HD (Part 2)
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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...
From the iPhone to Zune HD in 12 hours
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It hasn't been a big secret that Microsoft has been trying to woo iPhone developers to its own platforms. We've already seen them doing so with Windows Mobile. Now we're seeing it happen with the Zune HD. But just how easy is it to port an app? Try 12 hours, as seen with Wordmonger in the video above. Written in C# with OpenGL for the iPhone and ported with XNA Game Studio 3.1 for the...
About those Zune HD pre-roll ads ...
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So above is our own blurry video of a pre-roll ad on the Zune HD. This sometimes (though not always) appears when you launch of of the nine apps. (And it took 24 hours before I even saw one. Thanks, iPhone Live!) And the question everyone (Ars, DF, TiPB) is asking this morning is "Would you put up with video ads for free games?" Personally, I'd rather see something up front rather than...
Hands-on with the Zune HD (Part 1)
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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...