A few weeks back Microsoft announced a special Valentine’s Day Zune that comes with custom engravings schemes “inspired by the themes of love and sharing.” If you purchased on of these Zunes and expected it to arrive before Valentine’s Day you likely got a letters from Microsoft stating the device will not be delivered on the 14th, but will come with a full refund when it arrives. While it may be disappointing not to get the Zune on time, it must be nice to get a full refund!
A few days ago Microsoft bought Danger the maker of the popular T-Mobile’s Sidekick smart-phones.
“From the beginning we have talked about one phone for life,” said Scott Rockfeld, group product manager for Microsoft’s mobile communications business. “No longer do we have the Wild West of mobile phones,” where consumers have to carry a holster loaded with everything from a cell phone to a music player.
Microsoft’s Rockfeld downplayed that interpretation, saying that Danger doesn’t make hardware. He also deflected a question about whether consumers might one day see a “Zunephone.”
“We obviously will react if consumers ask for it,” Rockfeld said, “but at this time, there’s no plan to make hardware.”
So, for the time being there will be no iPhone, but I would be willing to bet there will be one within a year. The Zune seems to be upgraded each November just in time for the holiday seasons. If I were a betting man I would expect to see a Zune phone start to take shape in a few months with a launch this November.
Microsoft has released firmware 2.3. From Zune Insider:
There are no new features in this update, but it does provide some performance enhancements around set-up, sync and as always general reliability.
You can download the latest Zune software here.
Microsoft continues to pile up the billions of dollars. The company reported their second quarter earnings with a profit of $4.71 billion. Microsoft groups the Zune with the Xbox, so there is no telling exactly how much the Zune contributed to their earnings:
Sales from the division responsible for the Xbox 360 game console and the Zune digital media player edged up 3 percent to $3.06 billion. But the division swung to a profit of $357 million from a loss of $302 million last year, and Microsoft said the division is still on track to be profitable in fiscal 2008.
The company turned around a $302 million loss to a $357 million profit or a $657 million increase. Obviously, the record sales of Halo 3 had something to do with that. The good news is the Zune is selling well and Microsoft is likely seeing a nice return on investment pretty quickly.
Here is another Zune-art.net commercial. The theme is once again that sharing is good. This dog discovers meats and dog toys on another planet and rushes home to share it.
I have had a lot of e-mails and posts in the forum asking about deleting items on their Zune. First, you can not delete items on your Zune fromy our Zune. You must connect your Zune to your computer and delete items from the Microsoft Zune software.
To delete items from your Zune:
1. Connect your Zune to your computer and start up the Zune software
2. Click on the Zune Icon to open up the categories on your Zune
3. Right click on the items you want to remove and select “Delete from (Zune Name)”
Microsoft has announced the Zune will be available in Canada this spring. Canada can expect to see the Zune 4,8, and 80, the Zune software and marketplace and the Zune social available within months.
“We are excited to offer Canadians an alternative music experience with Zune,” said Zune Canada group manager Craig Tullett. “With wireless capabilities and a unique social experience, Canadians can continue to discover and share music in new ways.”
