If decking out your Zune with some very cool Zune backgrounds is not enough, then DecalGirl.com is the site for you. This site is producing skins that will cover the back and front of your Zune, and we must say they have some pretty nice looking skins there. The skins do not leave any sticky residue and are easily removed and washable, so they do not smudge or run. The skins will set you back around $6.99 each, which is not really that much at all to personalize your Zune even more.
Well you know what today is kids? Zune is out! So here is a little round up over the past few months to give you a hand in your decision to get a Zune or not.
Zune Launch Parties:
Zune Accessories
- Read this post for a round up of all the Zune Accessories
Zune MarketPlace
- A run down on the Zune MarketPlace here
- Download it here
Zune and Xbox 360 Working Together
- Some info on the Zune integrating with the Xbox 360 - here
Zune Review Round Up
- A round up of some of the bigger reviews on the Microsoft Zune - here
Zune Windows XP Theme
- Not enough Zune for you? Well got the Zune Windows XP theme here
And of course the 2 official Zune sites - Zune.net and Zune-Arts.net
If you are now interested in purchasing a Zune head on over to here and as always don’t forget the Zune community, come have a chat and let us know what you think of the Zune.
Following up with out Zune review round up, we have a round up of most of the 3rd party Zune accessories to launch with the Zune come November the 14th.
Manufacture: VAF
Product: Octavio 1
Price: $499
Specs: The Octavio has to be one of the biggest speaker docs to come out for the Zune so far. This system boasts around a 6-8 inch sub and 3-4 inch midrangers, and tweeters. The speaker system has the Zune cradle located up the top of the device, plugging in your Zune will allow you to play music or video (sound) through the Speakers. But if you need a bigger screen to watch your videos or pictures, the back panel has 2 sets of stereo analog inputs, and audio output so you can plug this into a TV or DVD player to watch your videos or pictures on the TV and have the sound blasting out from the speakers. So far the only pictures of the Octavio 1 are of it with a jet black leather skin, but the system will ship with 3 different color skins allowing you to change the look if black is not your thing.
Manufacture: Belkin
Products: Acrylic Case for Zune, Folio Kickstand Case for Zune, Holster Case for Zune, Neoprene Sports Armband for Zune, Screen Overlay for Zune, Sports Jacket Case for Zune with Armband, TuneBase FM for Zune, TunePower for Zune
Price: $14.99 to $79.99
Acrylic Case for Zune
Price: $29.99
Specs: Protect your Zune with the durable acrylic case. The metal-topped clear acrylic case is form-fitted your Zune and protect it from everyday wear and tear. It also features a true-sense, control pad protector to allow complete control while in the case. The detachable belt clip also serves as a kickstand so you can easily watch videos on your Zune.
Folio Kickstand Case for Zune
Price: $29.99
Specs: Watch videos on your Zune with the folio kickstand case from Belkin. Carefully constructed from easy care microfiber and leather, this innovative case protects your Zune while allowing you to enjoy hands-free video viewing.
Holster Case for Zune
Price: $29.99
Specs: Protect and carry your Zune with the holster case from Belkin. This top-loading case is made from easy-care microfiber and leather The clear cover protects your screen from scratches and cosmetic damage. All ports remain easily accessible while in the case.
Neoprene Sports Armband for Zune
Price: $29.99
Specs: The Belkin Sports Armband for Zune provides a convenient and versatile solution for protecting and carrying your Zune player as part of your active lifestyle. The clear, protective screen cover keeps your Zune’s controls available while protecting from scratches and cosmetic damage. The included elastic armband is made to fit your arm while exercising or on the go. The elastic armband is machine washable and made of stain-resistant microfiber. The removable holster makes for a great holster case while the armband is not needed.
Screen Overlay for Zune
Price: $14.99
Specs: Belkin Protective Overlay provides a clear protective shield to your Zune’s screen. The Overlay protects against scratches and minor cosmetic damage that can result from everyday use. The Screen Overlay for Zune is custom designed to fit your Zune display. The included razor-thin polymer sheet and dry/wet cleaning cloth also make for easy application and cleaning.
Sports Jacket Case for Zune with Armband
Price: $19.99
Specs: The Belkin Sports Jacket protects your Zune and preserves its original look with a form-fit design. Featuring a snug layer of rugged silicone rubber, the Sports Jacket keeps your Zune protected. The Sports Jacket also comes with a removable arm band which allows hands-free carrying so you can easily play your Zune on the go.
TuneBase FM for Zune
Price: $79.99
Specs: TuneBase FM offers an elegant way to power, mount, and play your Zune on the road. This product secures the Zune in place and features an innovative, flexible-steel neck for easy repositioning of your Zune in your car. The built-in FM transmitter wirelessly connects your Zune to your car stereo on multiple FM channels from 88.1MHz-107.9MHz, allowing you to pick the best available frequency. Three programmable memory presets let you return to the clearest frequency quickly.
TunePower for Zune
Price: $59.99
Specs: TunePower keeps the music playing even when your Zune’s internal battery is drained. It offers a great solution for long plane fl ights, hikes-any time you want to extend your music and video playtime. A foldout kickstand positions the Zune at the perfect viewing angle. We include an AC wall charger that works for both your Zune and the TunePower simultaneously. The rechargeable battery is cheaper to maintain and is better for the environment. TunePower also features a protective-case design to prevent damage to the connector from dirt, dust, or impact
Manufacture: Speck
Products: Executive, ToughSkin, Canvas Sport, Active Sport
Price: $29.95 to $44.95
Executive
Price: $44.95
Specs: A hand-crafted Executive leather case, adorned with fine stitching, a smart sewn-in belt clip and screen protector. The case interior features a pocket, perfect for cash, credit or business cards. Offers secure protection and classic style for your Zune™. Available soon in black and brown.
ToughSkin
Price: $34.95
Specs: The ToughSkin case provides rugged protection for your Microsoft Zune digital media player. Its one-of-a-kind design customizes the popular rubberized skin for extreme lifestyles. Includes ToughSkin, belt clip and screen protector.
Canvas Sport
Price: $29.95
Specs: Accessorize and protect your Zune digital media player with the Canvas Sport case. Inspired by classic sneakers- this case boasts a cool, sporty look and gives great protection to your Zune. Features a canvas body, rubber edges, sewn-in screen protector and belt clip.
Active Sports
Price: $29.95
Specs: Designed for athletes everywhere, the Active Sport Armband is made of breathable mesh material for ultimate comfort, with an adjustable Velcro strap making it easy to get a perfect fit. The perfect training partner, the Active Sport is made with a reflective material to keep you visible, and a clear sewn-in screen protector to keep your Zune digital media player’s screen looking sharp.
Manufacture: Monster
Products:
Price: $19.95 to $79.95
Details to come soon.
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Part of the Zune LA event took place not long ago and the guys from Gizmodo went to it and also took their camera along to snap some pictures of the official Zune premium head phones, from looking at them in the pic, they look allot better then the standard ones. The headphones are also magnetic like the standard edition headphones which does help to keep the cords from getting all tangled up together. (click for large image)
Following along with the coolness of magnets is the official Zune Remote, which also is magnetized, so you can stick it on the side of your car if thats your thing. The remote has the same looking tactile scroll wheel found on the Zune, and this little device pretty much allows you to control your Zune if you have it plugged into a speaker dock or a TV dock to watch a slid show of your Kodak moments. (click for large image)
Both these items are for sale at the ZuneInfo shop - Headphones: $39.99 and Remote: $29.99
Were you at the LA event? Send us some pictures in at news (at symbol) zuneinfo.com
[Gizmodo]
So as the Zune release date for the US draws every so closer, the number of various Zune reviews grows. Here is a listing of all the Zune reviews, where the reviewer had some one on one time with the Zune and have done some very interesting in depth reviews. So lets begin:
Site: 2Old2Play.com
Zune Review: Reviewed on 20th of October - Link
Details: One of the first independent full hands on reviews of the Zune. These guys go into great depth and try to explain every thing about the Zune the best they could. They do not really go into great detail on the Zune MarketPlcae and there are no videos or pictures as well. But 2Old2Play.com do cover the core aspects of the Zune: The Zune setup, music sharing, video playback, and user interface.
Site: Cnet.com
Zune Review: Reviewed on 2nd of October - Link
Details: No surprise Cnet.com has done a review of the Zune, Cnet is one of the leading consumer product reviewers on the net. These guys opinions are usually pretty spot on and holds allot of weight as far as product reviews go. The Cnet Zune review covers: Body design, interface and the Zune features.
Site: Gizmodo.com
Zune Review: Reviewed on 3rd of November - Link
Details: One of the big tech blogs out there and my personal favorite one as well, Gizmodo has carried out a great review on the Zune. They cover some of the things not covered that well in other reviews, including the Zune Marketplace, where they get to try it out and see how it works on a PC. Gizmodo also covers DRM protection, with and interesting point:
Another not-published or seldom-talked-about feature is guesting. A friend can take his Zune over to your computer, set up a “guest” relationship with your Zune Marketplace software (as opposed to a regular owner relationship), and you’re free to drag songs and pictures from your library onto her device. These songs do not have the 3 play 3 day limit on them. Depending on whether you purchased or you’re leasing these songs, you can do this with either 5 or 2 Zunes, respectively. So in essence, if your wife wants to grab a few songs off your library for listening to…
Gizmodo has some great pictures of all 3 colored Zunes (Black, Brown and White) as well as some video clips of them using the Zune MarketPlace.
Site: Engadget.com
Zune Review: Reviewed on 3rd of November - Link
Details: The Engadget review is more for the people who do not like to read and are more visual. There are various pictures on the Zune, that pretty cool looking Zune case that they are carried around in and the Zune MarketPlace. Engadget also has a really in depth video walk through, where they do a complete interface walk through, showing you every nook and cranny of the Zune and the things it can do. That video can be viewed here or download it here (109mb)
The following is a list of the reviews from 6 music industry bloggers who were flown out to Zune HQ a few months ago for a first hand look of the Zune:
SteroGum.com
Coolfer.com
MOKB
3Hive.com
There were 6, but the other 2 were not really that good, so I did not include them.
Well that about wraps it up on the Zune reviews. Get enough info there? If I have missed out any reviews, please leave a comment and let me know so it can be included in the list. If all this reading about the Zune has made you interested in buying one, you can pre-order your Zune at the ZuneInfo.com shop which is powered by Amazon.com
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If you don’t already know, they way songs will be purchased over the Zune Marketplace is via Microsoft Points. If you have an Xbox 360 then you would already know what these things are and be quite used to them. If not, then if you follow this link there is a good article describing what they are and how they all work.
Expect to see these little babies next to the iTunes cards at your local shop very soon.
IME, a company who develops accessories and docks that allow media players to be integrated with vehicles. Has been showing off their new integration dock for the Zune, which should allow you to easily dock your Zune on top of your cars dashboard. They have done such a good job doing this integration that Microsoft has made these guys the Official Vehicle Integration Solution partners.
The Integration system has the following features:
- Play high quality video and audio
- Connects to all entertainment systems in the vehicle
- Remote control for your Zune
- Seamless integration
- Charges Zune
But now here is the kicker, either someone at IME got their wires crossed or they have leaked some info on a possible 80 gig Zune in the works. Seem like its the new trend for retailers to ether leek info or mess it up. So Zune 60 gig and an 80 gig in the works? or just some clerical errors?
