The Zune HD announced officially by Microsoft

[MindSpace]

Microsoft has finally put an end to the Zune HD rumours and after a long and “speculative” wait, Microsoft finally officially announced its next Zune player – the Zune HD portable media player in a press-release.The Zune HD will feature a 3.3-inch OLED touchscreen display with a resolution of 480 x 272, a built-in HD radio receiver, an HD compatible output as well as web browsing thanks to the multitouch "optimized" Internet browser. It has multi-touch display - multi-touch is coming to Microsoft powered mobile devices at last! While Zune - Microsoft's portable media player by now was a failure, the new Zune HD is not worse than iPod Touch and certainly will sell much better than the old Zune.

Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.It is the first ever Zune to feature a metallic surface and a touchscreen. Below is a detailed list of all the features and specifications for the new Zune HD:-

• 3.3 inch Capacitive Touchscreen
• Metallic body in black and bronze
• A resolution of 480x272
• Multitouch input
• HD radio and video
• Full-screen Internet browser
• WiFi and accelerometer

The Zune HD, while not exactly an iPhone, will attempt to cater to all your portable media needs, with a built-in HD radio receiver, HD video capabilities and an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) touch screen. An Internet browser and Wi-Fi functionality will of course be part of package, but that should go without saying. No mention of games thus far.Wi-Fi has always been a part of the Zune brand (however half-assedly implemented), and the Zune HD might be the first Zune that actually encourages its owners to keep that battery-sucking Wi-Fi turned on.

Yes, the Zune HD will feature multitouch browsing, using a portable browser based on Internet Explorer. We'll do our best to reserve judgment on that last part.Enrique Rodriguez, corporate vice president of the Microsoft TV, Video and Music Business Group said,"The Zune music player is an integral part of the overall Zune experience, and we’re proud to be growing and extending our offering beyond the device.Delivering on Microsoft’s connected entertainment vision, this news marks a turning point for Zune as it brings cross-platform experiences and premium video content to living rooms around the world."

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Microsoft also says that this device will seamlessly integrate into the company’s Xbox Live service, making this device a “premium partner in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, bringing an exciting catalog of TV and film to the platform”, but more on this when the company actually pulls it off on E3.Unfortunately, some items are still a mystery, such as storage. Hopefully we will see something decent. Of course, there was one good bit of info included in the press release that will be a benefit to those who are planning to use their Zune in areas where Wi-Fi is available.

That benefit comes in the form of being able to stream from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.Zune will occupy the first slot within the Xbox user interface in the Xbox LIVE Video Marketplace, exposing the Zune brand experience to millions of new consumers for the first time.It comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD.

If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.As previously mentioned, Zune will have a premier place on the Xbox Live Marketplace, bringing a fresh new library of TV and film content. Microsoft will be demonstrating the Zune's partnership with Xbox Live at E3, so by the end of next week we should see how it all works.

[Alexxx]

The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.Overall, this sounds like something to look forward to, of course that may all depend on storage and/or pricing. Hopefully Microsoft will let some more details slip soon.Although a head to head comparison with the iPod Touch tells us that Microsoft might not trying to be too innovative with the Zune HD. Also the device is supported to sync and work with only Windows PCs which is ironic in the sense that Mac users wouldn't really consider buying a Zune.

[mickey demaio]

There was one good bit of info included in the press release that will be a benefit to those who are planning to use their Zune in areas where Wi-Fi is available.If you will focus on the features one can definitely believe it to be hell of a device, and also the first ever portable media player to include HD radio which streams songs at a much better quality than traditional radio.It is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.