Sounds like a battery-hogging "service" that I neither want nor need. I'd rather have BT A2DP or whatever they call that stereo Bluetooth support.

As for not having to buy music again; if you were stupid enough to buy it from iTunes in the first place, you deserve to get shafted yet again by Microsoft.

If you've ever wondered into the iPod sections of Apple's discussion group you'll soon discover the shallow end of the gene pool. The questions some of these iPlodders ask! So I wonder just how Microsoft is going to make a WiFi interface simple enough to use while at the same time secure and $$$ generating. Sadly, I doubt they'll pull it off.

As for the tip that Microsoft will be giving its crossover customers replacement tunes for their iTunes. Yeah, right. Pull my other finger, buster.

How long will it take for someone to create a program that generates fake iTunes libraries that will allow you to download 'Free' MS songs? MS can't break the actual encryption legally, they will just be reading the meta data from the song files, who's to say that the file is what you say it is? Checksums won't work, since each individual's file has a different encryption key. MS knows this, they are fooling the recording industry into getting reamed (they deserve it) in order to capture market share...

I'd prefer an apology and a sactioned iTunes plugin that strips the DRM off my files, thank you very much.

An 'ad hoc' network by Microsoft? Excuse me while I have a little giggle during a beer burp. Hey, the bubbles just gave me an idea! Maybe Microsoft can sell users a way to secure the 'ad hoc' network using OneCareWi-Fi. You know, to secure the clearly compromised network that will see your iFlop die quicker than an unloved tamagotchi...

How long will it take for someone to create a program that generates fake iTunes libraries that will allow you to download 'Free' MS songs? MS can't break the actual encryption legally, they will just be reading the meta data from the song files, who's to say that the file is what you say it is? Checksums won't work, since each individual's file has a different encryption key.

This was my first thought as well. One possible way it could be done: supply your iTunes music store login to Microsoft so they can look up previous purchased.

Other than that I don't see a conceiveable way of doing this.

Give MS access to my iTunes account? Sweet! I'm sure they will helpfully close it for me when they are done...

Apple has all sorts of terms of use that would prevent MS from doing anything but the most cursory of confirmations. But again, MS has nothing to lose from this deal, any cost is worth it for them to kick-start their own lock in. If this is true then the record companies are contradicting their previous position, that if you buy music in one format you must repurchase it in another. Why is it only iTunes? I can't play my old vinyl and cassette tapes on the MiPod, why can't I get those too?

I love reading the comments on Giz speculation posts. If it is about Apple and maybe a new product that has not been announced (like a widescreen iPod), everyone will talk about how cool this feature or that feature would be. With Microsoft and non-announced stuff, everyone talks about how awful this feature or that feature would be.

Not that I disagree, mind you. Just -- funny, that's all.

I think its good people are speculating like this, you never know, Bill may be reading and pick up some ideas.

Oh wait, he reads engadget.

hahah bakafish kicks ass and takes names! on that note alone i'm gonna buy one of these fuckers! not that i couldnt already just download music from limewire, but microsoft's library will be much more complete and download alot quicker

All these extra features are fine and a bonus if Microsoft does the one thing which is really important; that is build a great looking, great sounding, easy using, long battery life player. I think that's the hard part and many have tried and failed. The easy part is doing what Microsoft does best and that's market the hell out of something trying to convince us all that we need these extra bells and whistles. But, and I mean a big but; unless the player is good, this added fluff from Microsoft won't get this player off the starting block. Time will tell!

Isn't that 3 tidbits? Anyway... none of 'em floats my boat.

I hope the new player does well, real well. Well enough to put a real dent in the iPod. Well enough so people eventually realise that both players lock you in to their own DRM system. Well enough to force a single DRM system (since it's never going to go away) that works for all devices. Yeah, I know.

Monty: I figured it out the other day. Gizmodo is where hipsters who wish they could play on Slashdot come to make fun of Microsoft. They don't know anything about how the technology works, but they do know if it came from Microsoft, it must suck bad!

Any wonder why Engadget is more popular? (Based on traffic.)

y'know, i probably shouldn't even mention this, but, i'll never have the funds to do it, so, who cares.

Why oh why has someone not built wifi into mp3 players already and cashed into the social networking aspect of it? .. IE be able to see who's listening to what nearby ... perhaps broadcast it ...

i think this is a whole lot better than a ipod

I think the competition between ipod, sansa, zune, creative and other is really tough. That's why each of them is trying to differ some how. I've read ([go.shopsansa.com]) that sansa launched new product - sansa fuze so they are trying to keep up))) too