DailyTech - Zune Begets Zune Live

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Gadgets Zune Begets Zune Live
Brandon Hill (Blog) - July 17, 2006 12:25 PM

25 comment(s) - last by SgtJonson.. on Jul 18 at 9:13 PM

Microsoft registers ZuneLive.com

More information is slowly leaking out on Microsoft's upcoming Zune portable media player (PMP). ZuneNation is reporting that the domain name ZuneLive.com was registered back on May 24, 2006. While this initial finding didn't raise many flags, the domain was registered to a man named Jack Spurr. After doing a bit more digging, they found out that Mr. Spurr has previously registered MicrosoftGadgets.com which is an official Microsoft site that provides gadgets for the Windows Vista Sidebar and Windows SideShow.

So we have an idea of what the final product may look like, we’ve received word on its wireless capabilities, we know that Microsoft is chatting with iPod accessory makers and we now know that Microsoft has some sort of "Live"-esque service waiting in the wings for Zune. The only question is how this service may tie into Microsoft’s Live Anywhere or XBOX Live service.

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Wireless

By rrsurfer1 on 7/17/2006 1:33:45 PM , Rating: 2

I'm still interested to see what the final version will have to offer in terms of wireless connectivity. I just can't see MS allowing file sharing outright, the legal battles that would ensue forbid this. Maybe a "broadcast" mode where what your playing at the moment could be heard by others who want to tune in, maybe even recorded, although their entering XM territory there...

Even that would be neat, imagine 10 people around you listening to music and a menu that would show each persons "broadcast".

RE: Wireless

By chickenselects on 7/17/2006 2:02:32 PM , Rating: 2

sounds like a great idea but poor battery life if your constantly broadcasting/receiving. Maybe?

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RE: Wireless

By Samus on 7/17/2006 3:36:54 PM , Rating: 2

quote:
sounds like a great idea but poor battery life if your constantly broadcasting/receiving. Maybe?

they just need to use good batteries... shouldn't be hard to top the iPod battery (which is generally in the 2200mah range depending on model)

i think this thing is going to be a hit with the wireless connectivity. the expansion possibilities are endless, stream from player to player, remote control, wireless sync....AirTunes eat your heart out.

unfortunately I'm sure Microsoft is going to force WMP11 down our throats for the Zune. atleast its better than iTunes, rofl.

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RE: Wireless

By rrsurfer1 on 7/17/2006 4:46:06 PM , Rating: 2

Exactly. iPod has fallen way behind in terms of batt life. And new low-power wireless chips make it very possible.

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RE: Wireless

By Ralph The Magician on 7/17/2006 2:13:14 PM , Rating: 2

The wirless connectivity is pretty obvious, at least to me. It's going to let you stream songs through Urge if you are in an WiFi area. There are several devices that you can use to do this with Rhapsody. The idea being you can add a virtually unlimited amount of music to your player, so long as you are in a WiFi area. You just add it to your Urge playlist, and the Zune will be able to stream it. It's all nice and DRM encrypted, and this idea that the wireless fucntionality is somehow going to allow you to broadcast to other players is pretty stupid. That just isn't going to happen. RIAA would have a fit.

So basically, you can have the entire Urge library (at least the streaming part) on your Zune. Who knows, maybe they'll even be a search feature that lets you add new music on the fly. Doubt it though, unless there's a stylus.

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RE: Wireless

By rrsurfer1 on 7/17/2006 2:21:18 PM , Rating: 2

There are already other legal streaming solutions that allow you to broadcast what you are playing over the net (not record, unless you illegally rip the stream). I don't think file streaming from a handheld would be illegal in the slightest. Haha, though I have little doubt the RIAA would still complain.

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RE: Wireless

By VooDooAddict on 7/17/2006 3:12:14 PM , Rating: 2

A broadcast mode so everyone could listen to the same thing would be a killer feature. One could also argue that it would be a great way for people to sample new music before buying it. RIAA isn't yet suing record stores that let people listen to select albums in store... right? I don't see a reason to allow for recording the mini-broadcast.

I know how I'd use it. I run with a friend who has differnt music tastes, but we are always open to try new things.

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radiation

By Papa Lorenzo on 7/17/2006 2:04:55 PM , Rating: 2

i sure hope there is a way to turn off the wireless function. last thing i want is a constand sorce of radeation in my pocket near my... you know what i mean ;-)

RE: radiation

By Rapsven on 7/17/06, Rating: 0

RE: radiation

By Papa Lorenzo on 7/17/2006 2:18:24 PM , Rating: 2

actually i do. i keep my cell phone at a distance all the time and rarely use it.

not nice to accuse someone of hypocrisy when you don't know him or his habits.

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RE: radiation

By epsilonparadox on 7/17/2006 3:01:24 PM , Rating: 2

I don't use a microwave cuz of the radiation nor do i sit too close to the computer when i type. thats why it took me 30 min to post this reply, i had to keep walking up to my screen so i can see what i'm typing and make corrections.

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RE: radiation

By Lifted on 7/17/2006 3:48:07 PM , Rating: 3

Welcome to 2006, where 19" LCD's can be had for < $200.

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RE: radiation

By eomhS on 7/17/2006 6:11:22 PM , Rating: 1

mine was 150$ :D, sounds kind of anal to be that afraid of radiation, do you also not go outside? since thats where you get most of your radiation, completely natural...

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RE: radiation

By margon on 7/18/2006 7:35:12 PM , Rating: 2

I fear LCD backlight radiation :(

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yippie

By QueBert on 7/17/2006 3:38:03 PM , Rating: 2

I can see it now, I buy this and upon trying to copy my music over, it wants to convert the songs to WMA. And it not having a "no to all" only "yes to all" option. So I gotta press "no" 4,000 times. Sounds like my idea of a good day. Between Apple with it's AAC, Sony and their Atrac and WMA, I think the market will be saturated with all the crap it can handle. And I know there's an absolute zero chance this will support OOG (all my musics oog) No fault of MS as nobody seems to support this :(

RE: yippie

By Bull Dog on 7/17/2006 3:55:28 PM , Rating: 2

Thats .ogg

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RE: yippie

By KeithTalent on 7/17/2006 4:44:58 PM , Rating: 2

Why would you have all of your music as .OGG if nobody supports it?

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RE: yippie

By QueBert on 7/17/2006 8:05:23 PM , Rating: 2

Well, when I ripped 95% of my CD's, there were zero portable players on the market. I didn't think about things like mp3 car head units or iPods at the time. I liked that OGG was open-source so I ran with it. Unfourtinatly that means I've ripped 400 cd's that are totally unplayable on all but I believe a few iRiver portables, oh well :) If I had a time machine I'd go back in time and re-rip as 256/VBR/MP3.

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RE: yippie

By TomZ on 7/17/2006 8:58:06 PM , Rating: 2

Even MP3 is no guarantee you'll be able to always use the files. The best you can do flexibility-wise is to rip all your CDs to WAV, and then archive those files. When you want a particular format, e.g., MP3 or OGG, then just run a program that converts your entire library (or a subset of it) to the desired format. I've got a few hundred CDs that I did this with, and I'm pretty happy with the results.

In any case, all is not lost - iRiver's Clix - a pretty well-rated player, still supports OGG:

http://www.iriveramerica.com/prod/ultra/clix/clix-...

I'd bet money on them releasing an upgraded model with 4-8GB of flash before the holiday season.

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Yuck

By Josh7289 on 7/17/2006 9:16:35 PM , Rating: 2

As I said when the first pictures of this thing were revealed, it will not kill the iPod. It lacks that elegant simplicity. The announcement of the name only further backs up what I said earlier, and the price seals the deal.

RE: Yuck

By epsilonparadox on 7/18/2006 12:03:41 PM , Rating: 2

You're right. Zune is a terrible name because words like Ipod and Athlon just rolled off people's tongues when they were first introduced. end sarcasm.
How do you know what the price is if MS hasn't officially released the information?

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