Atomic Edition is the limited edition version of Zune HD’s along with Purple, Magenta and Pink. The ebay seller provides no clues on where it came from saying that “it was a gift from a friend”.
Looks like the recent bid was made by a joy bidder since the last bidder came from a user with zero feedbacks. Imagine paying 100,000 pesos for a Zune 32GB!
via DarkZune
UPDATED: 10/6/09
Ruthie and company, our unofficial zune seller in the Philippines :) are again accepting pre-orders for the Zune HD.
Hi guys! Just posting a non-tech related post promoting OneDesignPH, it’s a design blog I recently started. It’s for designers and non-designers :)
One Design PH (1dph) chronicles the use of graphic design in advertising, branding and marketing in the Philippines.
This blog features note-worthy designs from web, television, print and new media creations made by/to a Philippine brand, product or service. Contemporary design trends on typography, logos, collaterals and other interesting facets on local and international design scenes are also in the mix.
While you’re at it, check out a friend’s blog at Curious Tinkering.
Update: Apparently, I did not sync last week when this was released.
When I plugged in my Zune 30, it displayed an available update. My version is 3.20 (34) and the updated version is 3.20 (35), a little increment right there. I think I might have missed this for a few days since I haven't sync for some time. So far, no noticeable changes.
Courier is a real device, and we've heard that it's in the "late prototype" stage of development. It's not a tablet, it's a booklet. The dual 7-inch (or so) screens are multitouch, and designed for writing, flicking and drawing with a stylus, in addition to fingers. They're connected by a hinge that holds a single iPhone-esque home button. Statuses, like wireless signal and battery life, are displayed along the rim of one of the screens. On the back cover is a camera, and it might charge through an inductive pad, like the Palm Touchstone charging dock for Pre.
Foundation42, a game and application developer for the iPhone, ZuneHD and Windows Mobile platforms is currently working on a game called “WordMonger”.
This is our game WordMonger that we are making for iPhone and Zune HD. We built it over the last few weeks using the new MonoTouch toolkit on the Mac. Yesterday we ported it to the Zune HD in 12 hours! We are really hoping that Microsoft can provide a way to publish third party games on the Zune app store soon.
I think that some people may have trouble getting used to the “text-type” interface as opposed to the “button-type” which is the most common UI for clickable items. The Zune UI is known for its sleek looking all-caps texts and thin fonts, but it may require a learning curve for those people who can’t decipher between a button and just a simple text. (same with designing web elements)
One example, instead of using the more conventional volume sliders for adjusting on-screen volume controls the UI only provides a numerical view of the increments, unlike the iPod Touch or just any other mobile phone UI which clearly displays buttons as clickable, either with the use of icons or embossed beveled shapes. For me, a slider would’ve been more easier to look at and use (albeit very boring) as it’s the typical look of standard volume controls everywhere.
The Android GUI looks more Microsoft-ish than the Zune is. But not looking like XP is a good thing for Zune right? Well for a portable media player it is, which the Zune HD clearly is. But if it evolves more than that, like a gaming device or a small pocket computer, it has to let go of it’s text interface and move to the more usable and visually efficient UI for the masses.
The Zune interface is perfect for what it is and purpose right now. Providing eye candy as you browse through your multimedia content. But is it usable as, let’s say, a portable computer? I don’t think so. Just imagine Windows 7 having no icons at all, and just pure images and text. No buttons, no user forms like dropdown menus, radio buttons etc… that’s what Zune OS will look like if it’s UI would be ported to Windows Mobile.
Having said these, I like the design direction Microsoft is taking with the Zune with it’s out-of the box design. It has established a look of it’s own that is consistent with the past Zune interfaces that we all liked. I’d also like to note that I have only looked at the UI on images and videos available on the net but haven’t actually used a Zune HD and using the actual device is a different thing altogether. Hopefully I'll get my hands on these soon and write a proper review :)
Making the user interface look cool in a more complex way. That’s the Zune style there. Love it or hate it.
Watch Crunch Gear’s Zune UI demo below:
It seems that those “free” apps come with a price.
The Zune HD does really load (or downloads) short ads and shows it to you before launching the app. It’s annoying to let people watch advertisements every time they need to access an app. The running time of the ad on the clip above lasted 30-seconds (that’s long) Hope they remove this.
One item that bears mentioning: Microsoft is sticking interstitial ads on the player when you load applications. It's a bit jarring and a bit off-putting to see an advertisement on your device when you're trying to get into an app, and we think the company may want to investigate some other options here -- it just feels sleazy.
Elxx made a drawing app that shows off the multi-touch capability of the Zune HD using the newly released XNA extensions (the SDK version of Zune)
Reading From OLED to Tegra: Five Myths of the Zune HD by Prince Mclean on AppleInsider.com made me want to research more about OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology and how much of an upgrade (or downgrade) would it actually be versus the LCD displays of today.
UPDATE: 10/6/09: OLED Association response to Apple Insider’s OLED myth article
The article bashes the use of OLED on the Zune HD display with arguments below. I collated and outlined references that counter the author’s claims.
OLED’s don’t last long – The electroluminescence layer degrades far more rapidly than regular LCDs
True enough that the blue organics currently have much shorter lifetimes than the red and green films. It doesn’t mean that your Zune HD will conk up on you after just using it for a 3 or 5 years. If OLED’s don’t last long then why are monitors, mobile phones and laptops switching to OLED? People use those often than a portable media player. DisplaySearch, a Display Market Research and Consulting firm also estimates that 2011 will be the OLED Era.
OLED panels are hard to use outdoors - That’s why Zune HD demos are said to be done indoors or on low-light conditions
Partly true, OLED having no backlight may have problems when viewed outdoors or under direct sunlight but so does LCD’s and any other technology that has a reflective surface (eg. Macbook Pro Glossy Displays and iPod Touch’s glass screen) I’m sure Apple will adopt OLEDs in the future on it’s iPods like the Zune HD. It already has wifi, radio and Genius Mixes :)
We’ll never really know until we compare a Zune HD to the iPod Touch, hope somebody tries both devices under the sun. It’s just absurd to say that Microsoft intended to cover up the “OLED outdoor lighting flaw” by displaying and showing it to the press on a dark room. They will sell these eventually and people will know so what’s the point in covering it up? A dumb observation by the author.
OLED still use more power - OLED technology consumes power based on how bright the image it is displaying is. Essentially, OLED is the backlight.
That’s exactly it! Because OLEDs produce/emit light they do not require a backlight at all as opposed to LCD which needs (thus consuming more power than OLED). OLED is black when pixels don't light up while traditional LED still requires back-lighting the whole display so black is still lighted up, requiring power all the time.
If it’s not power efficient, portable devices wouldn’t bother using it at all. Power efficiency is as important as portability for those on-the-go and companies know better than to embed a power drainer on these devices. See a list of portable devices using OLED displays, including Zune HD.
Advantages of going OLED
OLEDs are lightweight, durable, power efficient and thus ideal for portable applications. They are able to replace the current technology in many applications due to the following performance advantages over LCDs:
Source: OLED-Research.com
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.
Zune.net is now live, with some hiccups. Cleaner design! :) There’s also an update for older Zunes. Update yours now!
Download the Zune 4.0 Software update
Our service is temporarily down for scheduled maintenance.
During this downtime, you will not be able to sign in to Zune.net, Zune forums, or Zune Marketplace.
Please check back soon and get ready to experience
a whole new world of Zune.Sorry for the inconvenience and thanks for your patience.
Zune HD orders from online stores are shipping right now as well. We can expect the refreshed Zune web properties a little later. Maybe 12nn or 3pm Philippine time today.
If you are in the USA, Use this code at checkout: 6FWJ247J1P44CK and get a Zune HD 16GB for only $187! That’s $33 less of the SRP $220. This deal also includes free shipping!
Only works for USA issued credit cards though. If you have a relative in the USA you could ask them a “favor” to buy it for you and just pay them in some other form.
16 GB Zune HD Media Player - $186.99 (deal expires tomorrow!)
Update: The said site has apologized. I welcome linking or quoting this blog or whatever stuff I say here but it wouldn’t hurt to link back this site as the source.
Zunemaster.com is a collection of content (mainly news) found throughout the web related to the Zune. ZunePH happened to be a main source of zune-related content so it showed up a lot on this site. Since the owner has expressed disapproval, content from ZunePH will no longer appear on this site. Sorry ZunePH!
-Webmaster
- - - -
Another site has been directly copying my posts here in ZunePH word per word including the pictures that go along with the article! I don’t know whether I should be glad that my posts are rip-worthy or sad that some people are just lazy to write up their own posts.
This certain site and blogger has been copy and pasting almost all of my articles since July 2009. Not all posts have been copied though, just some of them especially posts with un-watermarked images ( I knew I should’ve stayed with that ZPH watermark)
The funny thing is that this site was only created last August 16, 2009 as indicated by a quick whois lookup, yet the publisher of this site seemingly went back in time to post his/her very first entry on July 19, 2009.
One more thing, the site also has a twitter account! tweeting my posts and linking it to his/her site! ayos ka! :) As much as I don’t want to give him traffic (that I don’t think I myself have that much) Feel free to check how this site plagiarized ZunePH.
I already contacted the webmaster asking to take down all posts that were lifted off from this blog. We'll see what happens next.
This may very well be the look of the new Zune software update coming this September 15. Watch the Zune software in action here and the racing game demo/preview here. If this is the zune software, it is soooo cool!!
[via Zunited]
My old zune is still working perfectly. I have an iPod Touch as well. Do I need a Zune HD now?
I almost pre-ordered but I think I'll wait. No color options yet. (I like the platinum). Curious on the HD radio, but as far as I know, only 93.9 iFM broadcasts in HD in the Philippines. I also would love to try out the HD output to our HDTV but would have to shell out $90 extra for the HD AV dock. As for the storage, 16GB is quite limited for me. I store audio and video podcasts on my zune which takes a lot of space. 16GB is not bad for the price, but this is clearly not for those whose Zune 120 is nearly full.
And my pet peeve which I always rant about — app support, and will it be possible to jailbreak it as well? ;)
Don't get me wrong, the Zune HD is the BEST Zune since Zune 1st Gen. If you're a hardcore music or movie enthusiast, this is for you (Don't get the iPod touch as they've gone the route of PSP's and DS') I’d buy one in a heartbeat if I had enough extra funds but It’s just in the WANT list right now.
Anyway, I just got word that the Nokia E72, my highly anticipated phone replacement, finally is set to be released this 2nd week of October (or even earlier in the Philippines). This one is on the NEED list.
Then again, this is just me. If you’d buy yours, palaro naman. :)
It will be available and sold worldwide, some way, some how anyway.
"For the time being the Zune HD device will remain US only," a Microsoft spokesperson told Ars. "Right now we are focused on deploying an exciting service in the form of Zune Video to 18 markets. We are looking at potential future hardware experiences for these markets, but do not have anything to announce right now." That's the official word, despite reports from April 2009 indicating that this year's Zune platfrom update would be an international one.
via Arstechnica - It's official: no plans to sell Zune HD outside the US
iPod Nanos were in the spotlight today at the Apple Press Event. Here are the features that will be seen on the new models available today:
The iPod Touch were left with only a price drop which was not that of a drop and some speed enhancements for the 32 and 64GB models only. Speed will be similar to the iPhone 3GS.
| iPod Touch | Zune HD |
| 8GB - $199 – old model | 16GB - $220 +Tegra/OLED |
| 32GB - $299 – 50% faster | 32GB - $290 +Tegra/OLED |
| 64GB - $399 – 50% faster |
I was expecting cameras for the iPod Touch and iPod Nano today because of the rumors and photos of iPod cases that have camera holes in them. What was that all about? Did accessory makers just invest and develop cases for a non-existent product? It’s a conspiracy I tell you..
The Zune HD comes out strong at it’s price point of $220 for 16GB of storage. Just add 20 dollars to your 8GB iPod Touch and you get a spankin’ brand new 16GB Zune HD. Good battery life from OLED screen and powerful TEGRA chips. On the plus side, you get to use the very intuitive Zune Software, which users of both will tell you, beats iTunes any day of the week.
Before I was thinking who’s got the edge between iPod Touch 3G and the Zune HD in terms of price and features (excluding apps) I think the Zune HD came out the winner today.
I might get a Zune HD after all.
Ouch. Just wait till Microsoft buys Sandisk! …and Others..
Taken from Engadget’s Apple live coverage.
Apple “It’s only rock and roll, but we like it” iTunes and iPod Music Event is on tomorrow, September 9 (at 10am PT/1pm ET), at Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco. Thursday, September 10 at 1:00 am (Philippine time zone)
Expected announcement are the 3rd generation iPod Touch and iPod Nano with with integrated 3.2megapixel cameras.
Somebody’s taking pre-orders of Zune HD over at TipidPC.
I’ m now taking preorders for the new Zune HD PMP. Note that this will be officially released September 15.
I would require at least a P1k deposit for reservation.
16gb = P13,900
32gb = P17,500
- Meiroque (seller username at tipidpc.com)
You can chat with him via Yahoo! Messenger: dranoel4190
Although the price is higher than the conversion rates seen below, even at 50 pesos to a dollar, it’s still a fair price considering the shipping costs and of course “labor” cost of bringing the Zune HD right to your doorstep.
Zune HD 16GB = $220 x 50 = 11,000 (tongpats = 2,900)
Zune HD 32GB = $290 x 50 = 14,500 (tongpats = 3,000)
If you like to be able to choose the color of your Zune HD. I suggest that you don’t pre-order anything before September 15th. You only get Black for 16GB and Brushed Platinum for 32GB right now, but after September 15, you can choose from these 5 cool colors or even get a 16GB model in Brush Platinum!
Sharing a nice advertisement for Windows 7 showing how you can personalize your desktop and use Aero Shake. - from istartedsomething
This is from the Zune September Newsletter:
Soon you'll be able to experience the all-new Zune software packed with exciting new features. Watch for the update on September 15 so you'll be ready to enjoy the full Zune experience.
Will there be a free firmware update as usual?
Goodbye Zune 8, 16 80, and 120, and 30.
I met with the Zune folks today and one bit of information than I can discuss immediately is that the Zune HD will be the only device type going forward: The current Zune models, the Zune 8, 16 80, and 120, have all been discontinued. So if you want a classic Zune device, buy it now, as they'll only be around while supplies last. The Zune HD goes on sale September 15 in 16 GB and 32 GB variants.
So if ever I’m going to get a new Zune, it would be the Zune HD as I would have no other choice! What a sham! What about those that like a HDD based player with large storage capacity? What above those who loved the Squircle?
Microsoft is left only catering to the market of iPod Touch users leaving the iPod Classic to gobble up the market share again on the HDD based player which the zune clearly dominates in terms of price and features.
On the other hand, this move will allow Microsoft to focus more on a single platform, the Zune HD one, which moving forward, is poised to be the future of digital media players (and phones) They can sell apps, games, services link to other Microsoft products.
Go grab the remaining stocks of the soon-to-be extinct zunes while you still can!
Gear Live was able to spend some time with the Zune HD, and recorded a video walking you through a lot of the interface also comparing the Zune HD to the current Zune 120.
Well, this came as a surprise..
Walt Disney Co on Monday agreed to buy Marvel Entertainment Inc for $4 billion in the biggest media deal of the year, banking on Marvel's roster of superheroes to broaden its lineup of movie franchises that appeal to boys.
I’m just thinking…isn’t $4 billion kind of cheap? Even Yahoo! (back then) was worth 11 times the acquisition price of Marvel. Marvel has has in its roster nearly every bankable superhero character except Batman, and okay…Superman. Disney could make tons of money by licensing characters and building of franchises for years to come, not to mention movie, toy and entertainment deals.
The deal is also expensive. The price tag values Marvel at 37 times its estimated 2009 earnings
That explains the $4 billion. Maybe I just value the brand so much growing up with Marvel action figures, Archie Comics (the Punisher crossover) and Marvel-produced animated series G.I Joe and Transformers.
The deal ain’t that bad, just hoping they’ll leave it like Pixar.
Disney to acquire Marvel in $4 billion dealJust launched a new site redesign for Zune Philippines Technology Blog. This time thinking of featuring tech-worthy news and stuffs that doesn’t necessarily start with the letter Z. My last redesign was last June 2008.
Some past posts may contain some garbled words, especially posts with embedded Youtube videos. I don’t know why it does that. Some images also are expected to be cut-off on the right edges. Hopefully I’ll sort out some of the kinks.
I’ll also be updating the links above (that lead to nowhere right now) as soon as I have some free time. Hello version 3.0!
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