Jason over at Zune thoughts has posted a list of fixes he would like to see for the next Zune revision. If you remember I have been battling Jason to keep superfluous features off the Zune (see “8 features I do NOT want to see on the Zune” & RE:“Anythingbutipod’s Anti-Wish List”), things like a clock and audio books which he mentions in this article. We’ll let those slide for now since the rest are solid points on things that need to be fixed on the Zune.

Check out the full list at Zune Thoughts. Below I would like to pull out what I feel to be two key fixes in and improvements that should be fixed in the next update.

Long Zheng over at IStartedSomething is reporting that the Zune 120 has passed the FCC’s radiation tests with flying colors. This is fantastic news since I get a sense that many users are looking for more capacity, especially in hard drive players. One of the reasons the Zune 80 is a staple in my gadget travelling ensemble is because I can sync my entire collection without having to make a decision on what I feel like listening to in the future. While I haven’t filled my 80 yet, I’m getting close.

One of my sources says the hard drive will be a Toshiba MK1231GAL- this is a 5mm drive so the Zune 120 be sized the same as the Zune 80. As far as price I would go agree with Long's estimated price of $300.

thanks Cruleworld

New York Times recently ran an article suggesting that Zune users buy the Zune because they don’t want an iPod. The Slate suggests that NYT is calling this “anti-branding” a more extreme version of “counter-branding.” Basically this method of marketing positions your product opposite your competitor’s product.

This technique is used quite a bit; for instance 7-Up openly calls itself “the uncola,” marketing it as an alternative to colas. Business Week points out the more recent example of “Mamma Mia!” as the alternate choice to the blockbuster “Batman: The Dark Knight” for people who didn’t buy into the hype or just had no interest in seeing what everyone else wanted to see.

Is Microsoft positioning the Zune as the anti-iPod, and are people buying Zunes because they’re not iPods?

Not too long ago I was chatting with a product manager from one of the MP3 player manufacturers about sound quality. He asked me, “Do you know what the biggest factor in improving a player’s sound quality is?” My ears perked up. This is the kind of stuff I love to learn straight from the source, the nitty gritty tech behind the products. Was he going to discuss the audio chip or some kind of amplification technique? No, his answer, “The headphones.” Ugh… everyone knows that, what disappointing answer.

Many users do know that the included headphones are the first thing to get upgraded, but many also stick with the stock earbuds manufactured in China for literally pennies. Perhaps manufactures are realizing that the stock buds are becoming less acceptable and are an easy way to add value to the overall out of the box user experience. Manufacturers like Microsoft, Sony, and Creative have recently ponnied up a few pennies to include “premium” earbuds.

Granted, they are no substitute for headphones north of a Benjamin, but they do perform very well and add great value to the purchase price. Hopefully this trend will continue, but for now I offer my three picks for the best sounding out of the box MP3 players.

Non-ipods have always received the short end of the stick when it comes to cool docking stations. Docks are still lacking but the Zune is getting a little bit of face time for these types of accessories. iHome has typically made docks for the iPod but has now made a slight deviation and released one for the Zune family, compatible with the Zune 4, 8, 30, & 80.

So if you are in the market for a Zune clock radio, this is more or less your only choice at the moment for a Zune dock with alarm functionality. Read on for my thoughts and a full rundown of the ZN9’s features.

SFGate recently interviewed Robbie Bach. This is the guy in charge of the Xbox, Zune, and Windows Mobile- all of those ultra competitive consumer devices. In this interview the question of whether or not we would see a Zune phone was brought up.

At first Robbie touts the fact that Windows Mobile devices will continue to outsell the iPhone and the Blackberry. But then he goes on to state that, “We don't make phones ourselves. We don't have any plans to make phones ourselves.” He goes on to explain that Windows Mobile is currently in the position to take advantage of their belief that, “…a phone is a very personal thing. Different people want different types of phones.”

While this rules out the possibility of a Zune branded phone, it may not rule out the Zune as a piece of software or service on a windows mobile device. When discussing the MP3 player market Robbie goes on to state that Microsoft has a broader goal not just including hardware but also software and services. He states that, “…software and services, at least in theory, can be used on a lot of different types of devices.” This I think is a ways off, but it does show the future of the Zune brand.

So what did he have to say about the Zune “Touch”?

I am a big fan of Diggnation hosted by the rarely sober nerd duo, Alex and Kevin. It is fantastic that they got their show sponsored by the Zune or any MP3 player for that matter; hopefully this ends the need to paste their faces on herbal tea blends.

Alex is a Windows user and a fan of the Zune, but his counterpart is pretty hardcore Apple. Stefan from IHaveAZune points out that Kevin has been rallying for Zune software support on the Mac. I admit that iTunes was once quite nice, but now it’s just a messy and bloated media player. Zune Software now stomps all over its muted grey façade, so I see why Kevin would be rallying for Zune support.

While I highly doubt that Mac support is high on the Zune team’s priority list, I was told it does run nicely under Parallels. Anyway, just wanted to plug my favorite podcast and give Alex and Kevin a friendly “Welcome to the Social”.

If you recall, not too long ago the Zune 2.5 update added support for games development. The XNA team released their first game (via Got Zune) for those willing to dive into the XNA dev software. If you are willing to spend 5 min or so, it is relatively easy to get these games going on the Zune. There are a few guides out there, but take a look at this video that Cruleworld had made for and see how easy it is to get games onto your Zune. Really you don’t need any development experience, just a little old fashion pointing and clicking.

While many of these games are more hobbyist creations, they are rather entertaining and give of a taste of what it to come on the Zune in terms of gaming. Personally, im still holding out for my top Zune game picks. In the mean time head over to the abi Zune Forum to check out the video and get some help if you need it.

I know, I know, Zune games was on my list of 8 things I don’t want to see on the Zune, however, I have slightly warmed up to the idea. A few weeks ago I played games on the Zune for the first time and while the controls can be a bit awkward there still is some potential for some decent games especially if you are talking about more simple and “low action” games.

There are two key aspects to Zune game play that these games can focus on: Zune to Zune wi-fi and its ability to tap into your music library. With the recent firmware release games can now available to anyone though the XNA developer's kit. This would be the best time to rally behind your favorite games for the Zune. Here is a list of top 5 must have games for the Zune. What other must have games are on your list?

The Zune team has been hard at work in the Zune headquarters (cleverly disguised as a library) lately and is now going live with the next milestone, version 2.5. It is a fairly substantial update adding to the social aspect, implementation of auto playlists, better meta data editing, and even a video section where TV shows can now be downloaded. The most interesting I find to be the Gapless playback, since it has always been such an elusive appearing only on a hand full of devices over the years. It may go unnoticed by some, but for the live music listener and or electronic mix fan it’s a feature we longed for.

For the details on all of the latest changes in software/firmware version 2.5 check below for a quick look list and screen shots of the software that should be live in a few hours.

Ok... before you laugh at the brand names ridiculous prefix, hear me out. I have listened to the iHome stuff for the iPod- a few of the clock radios and they sound fantastic for the price, so I’m pretty hyped to see one for the Zune. I have a few Zunes laying around that need a home (yeah what a terrible problem to have).

Cesar over at Zune Insider reports that this is the first clock radio (ZN9) for the Zune that will features a gradual wake or sleep to your favorite crunchy tunes. Additionally, you have the ability to set the alarm for weekends and weekdays. The table radio (sorry not pic available) is housed in a “retro-classic” wooded speaker cabinet with a line in for other non-Zune gadgets.

I will definitely pick one up, but I really wish they would change the brand name- it kind of creeps me out.

[iHome via ZuneThoughts]

Audible's user base is growing every day and more and more mp3 players include Audible support these days. For those unaware, Audible is a website that specializes in audio books. The selection is huge, but you need an Audible compatible player as the audio books use a special format.

After a Zune user emailed Audible about whether or not the Zune was compatible with Audible he got an answer saying that this feature was to be implemented before year's end. This should be good news for any audio books lovers out there and with the Zune's massive storage capacity it should open the possibility of a vast audio book collection in your pocket. No exact release date is mentioned for this new feature, but hopefully "before year's end" won't mean December.

[SuperSite via Zune Thoughts]

Our friends at GenMP3 have tipped ups off to some exciting European Zune news. Since the launch of the Zune I have received countless emails from people all over Europe asking if I knew when the Zune would be released in the EU. It looks like we finally got an answer from Microsoft France’s Francois Ruault- stating in a French newspaper GNT, that the third installment of the Zune would be released in late 2009. This would likely be in the fall to coincide with the holidays.

There are some more interesting pieces of news from this article stating that the Zune Marketplace will hit mobile platforms on the upcoming Windows Mobile 7 OS. Could this be the start of a Zune Phone? My guess would be that is will not be a fully fledged Zune Phone but an intermediary step with music being a tight integration with Windows Mobile 7. Without a doubt we will see this new mobile Zune service in coming Sidekicks since Microsoft’s recent acquisition of Danger.

A researcher at Microsoft’s Techfest showed off a smart shuffle system that would use additional meta data such as temp and genre to make static and dynamic playlist for the Zune. This may still be a ways off judging by the prototype interface, but I’m sure we can expect it in future Zune firmware updates.

Additionally at Techfest, another researcher showed off a way to shape the band of the Zune’s wireless spectrum dynamically in order to conserve battery life. The conservation will hurt transitions, so the likely scenario would be to use the low power for discovery then throttle the spectrum for transfer.

[Gizmodo | NetworkWorld via ZuneThoughts]

A while ago I ranted about the major headaches of Windows Media Player 11 and how it fails at being a good desktop media player. There are plenty of things to add to the list, but Jason from Digital Home Thoughts appended my list with some more problem areas.

There is a list of 8 dealing with performance issues and such, but two stand out that are particularly interesting to me: embedded album art and WMP’s obsessive need to sync every possible storage device you plug in.