Zune HD also features new casual games and non-gaming functionality such as a calculator and an MSN Weather application. Later this year, Zune plans to release free applications such as Twitter for Zune and Facebook for Zune, in addition to fun 3-D games such as "Project Gotham Racing: Ferrari Edition," "Vans Sk8: Pool Service" and "Audiosurf(TM) Tilt." Games can be added to Zune HD via Zune Marketplace over the Wi-Fi connection or when connected to the Zune PC software.
From PRNewswire.com
All of our apps are free ... and it's a managed solution right now, so we're building these apps or working with third parties to build these apps and provide them to our customers for free.
- Brian Seitz (Zune's marketing manager) Read the full interview here by Brier Dudley of Seattle Times
Q: Are you concerned about competing with new iPods with cameras built in?
A: The more things like that that make their way into these devices that aren't about great music and video playback, the more it's distracting or sacrificing that original purpose of the device. Apps are jamming in, cameras -- that's work that's not being done on the music front.
With this release, you can see we're still really focused on music and video. We're still hyper-focused on that. Maybe that's the benefit of being the little guy. We can have that laser-focus.
Maybe some of those people ... did buy an iPod because it's all about music, and now it's not. Maybe we can get some of those folks.
Did he just say free?? Seriously considering on getting one now :)
The last excerpt perfectly sums up the strategy of Zune as a premier multimedia player and the direction of the zune platform as a music and entertainment device rather than an all-in-one PDA.