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Meanwhile, bhphotovideo.com posted a preorder of the Zune 120GB for $250 along with an 8GB Zune in blue. So will the new models hit before or after the Apple event? [Zunerama and Zunerama]

You've probably all seen about 120GB @the FCC- and just wanted to send you a note to confirm that is indeed part of the plan. There's definitely more details coming in the way of new software and hardware, pricing etc.

OK, one more pass at that quote reveals:

1.) New Zune software
2.) New Zune pricing (though the 120GB could just replace the 80GB and be a "new price" of sorts)

Sounds good to us—get it? The Zune makes noise so that's funny. [Zune Thoughts via Electronista]

Microsoft's just slapped together a pair of special edition Zunes for both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions and they look pretty damn great. The one for the DNC is awarded for the winner of the "Green Delegate Challenge", which is contest for delegations that "demonstrate the highest level of commitment to offsetting their carbon footprint from attending the Convention.". Theirs has a nice looking tree on the back. The RNC's, on the other hand, just has the blurb about environmental stuff as well as the picture of the RNC logo. Oh, and it's red, not green. [Thanks Crecente!]

Me being an all-you-can-eat hater (not of the buffets, of course) does come from the somewhat hypocritical position of someone who, ahem, occasionally pirates music. And I don't think I'm alone here; once we all discovered you can find an instant high-speed download link to just about any album after less than five minutes of Googling with almost no exceptions, it's hard not to succumb. With a music subscription you can at least pretend like you're supporting the artists you love, but in the end, your $20 a month is far less potent than buying the records you love on vinyl or a T-shirt straight from the band, or going to a show and bringing all your friends.

Also, I use iPods. There isn't an elegant all-you-can-eat solution there yet, but an unlimited iTunes subscription would change the scenario. And if it was for life, like some of the rumors have mentioned, well, we've got a tough decision on our hands.

So today's question is an epic three-parter (this has been on my mind for a while). First:

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For those in the "hell no" category:

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And finally:

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Think of It as More of a “Zune-Killer”

Likely, he wrote this while raising a rich eyebrow to the heavens. [AllThingsD]

And low and behold, it's a black iPod classic 80gb. When I was in Best Buy I looked around at the other players, and they sold no Creatives in the store, so the only choices were iPods, Zunes, Insignas, Samsung and Sony. So when looking at which had everything available in store (I despise UPS) I went with the iPod. I more than likely will regret this decision but I will let you all know down the road. I do like the weight and feel of the device thus far.

At least he's looking at the alternative, but at this rate he's going to end up with a lot of scars. I wonder how many iPod owners would change to Zune to see. Are you an iPod owner? Would you do it? [Zune Scene]

"We’re changing the way we work with hardware vendors to ensure that we can provide complete experiences with absolutely no compromises. We’ll do the same with phones—providing choice as we work to create great end-to-end experiences."

That sounds a lot like making use of Danger, who specializes in consumer OSes. Like say, a Zune phone designed by Danger—a Zune phone, after all, would be such an end-an-end to experience, and fill in Microsoft's obvious gap in the consumer smartphone niche, which even BlackBerry is getting into. JKontheRun has unspecified info that Zune phone meetings are kicking up, to boot.

Here's the real question: Would a Zune phone persuade the Zune guy to keep his tattoos? [All Things D via Macrumors]

I am done. I have had the Zune since day 1 and have noticed little improvement. I have tried my best to support them every step of the way but the recent Xbox Live announcement at E3 made me lose it. To not include Zune Marketplace or the ability to load videos from Xbox Live to your Zune made me finally give up. I am in the works of figuring the best way to get a new tattoo to cover the logo on my arm. Thanks for all the harsh comments and you will see very little of me anymore.

That's right folks, the biggest Zune fan in the world is giving up on his beloved because Microsoft didn't offer Xbox integration.

I really wonder if this guy understood that tattoos were permanent when he got these. I mean, he got them on day one, during the first, unimpressive generation of the Zune's life. It was never a very exciting player out the gate, never offering anything that couldn't be found elsewhere except squirting and the pass, but he saw something there that he was convinced he would be passionate about for the rest of his life. Now, not too far in the future, he's throwing in the towel because he can't load videos on his Zune from his Xbox? Come on dude, you were so into the Zune, but you're giving up over something as silly as that? I thought you were stronger. More stubborn. More stupid. You've really let me down. [ZuneScene]

It's pretty far down the road for any serious speculation, but rumors of an OLED-equipped iPod which would use less power by eliminating the backlight and offer better color reproduction have been flying for a while. And the 2.5-inch size matches what's currently found on the iPod classic, as well as the Zune 80 (Zune 80 uses a 3.2 inch screen, thanks Marx). Autumn 2009 is a long way off, and these could just end up in one of many OLED-equipped phones or PMPs already out there, so don't hold your breath on this one. [Bloomberg via Electronista]

According to leaked specs, the nine-point pad will offer users the option of instant messaging on Windows Live or Yahoo Messenger in a phone-style typing schema. The device will also use wireless to share media between home networked computers and access an internet-based media pool, called a Public Home Server.

The player is named after Creative's X-Fi audio technology, which restores lost data in compressed music files to create concert-like audio effects. Users can turn to two X-Fi options—Crystalizer makes audio richer and clearer, and Expand repositions the music to sound like it's coming from in front of you, simulating listening to a live performance on stage. Check out the manual:

[epiZENter]

Microsoft:

In addition to Microsoft technology we are already familiar with like Surface, Home Server, Vista, the Zune , Xbox 360 and the like (the home of the future is still running the 360?), there are a number of future technologies installed in the home that were inspired by innovations from their prototyping lab:

•Magic Mirror: A mirror projects different clothes, accessories and hairstyles onto each family member’s image when they stand before it. The clothes not only morph to the contours of the body, but also sway as the person in front of the mirror moves.

•Kitchen of Your Dreams: The kitchen recognizes ingredients as a family member sets them on the counter, suggesting recipes for those items and providing instructions once a recipe is selected.

•Story Time: Visit the child’s room to be transported to Neverland. Read “Peter Pan” aloud to absorb a full multimedia experience, as cues in the story set off lights, sounds, colors and video.

HP:

In the kitchen, HP has their TouchSmart PC keeping things organized and the iPAQ 510 Voice Messenger is available to make calls. In the living room the aforementioned iPAQ is connected to the Surface table to transfer and display photos. They can also be transferred wirelessly to any number of HP digital photo frames in the house as well as to the MediaSmart TV.

As for Life|ware, they provided much of the RFID technology and media center solutions that tied all of the technology together.

To get the full scoop on the home of the semi-present, hit the following press releases. [HP and Microsoft and Life|ware and Disney via Hemagazine]

It was all business as usual, but with all due respect, I do have to beat Robbie up over a few other overly precious quotes:

On the failure of high-def disc formats:

You have to look at how fundamentally compelling the difference is between a progressive scan DVD player and the picture that it can produce and what you get on a high-definition player. The reality is there is some difference, but most people look at it and say, "I am not going to pay extra for that."

On lack of ad revenue as the main reason web-browsing sucks on most smartphones:

The business model for browsing on a phone has not gotten itself completely clear yet. In the PC space, the way people monetize the Internet is through advertising. Now in the phone space, we believe that advertising will be a part of that experience, but it's a different form factor.

On the future of handhelds:

We think the market is going to evolve to people having their favorite device that they are going to carry around with them. That device is going to do multiple things, one of which is going to be music...We call them mobile phones but in fact they are going to become much more than mobile phones.

Again, I mean no outright disrespect, hearing things like this from the head of all Microsoft's CE divisions makes me a little nervous. [SFGate via WMPowerUser]
Thanks, Surur!

Zune Marketplace Video Store Update Schedule:

· Wednesday, May 28: COMEDY CENTRAL

o "The Colbert Report"

o "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart"

· Friday, May 30: NBC Universal

o "Friday Night Lights"

o "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit"

o "Law & Order"

o "Life"

o "Lipstick Jungle"

o "Saturday Night Live"

· Tuesday, June 3: SCI FI Channel

o "Battlestar Galactica Classics"

o "Destination Truth"

o "Ghost Hunters International"

o "Ghost Hunters"

o "Who Wants to Be a Superhero?"

· Friday, June 6: USA Network

o "Dr. Steve-O"

o "In Plain Sight"

o "Law & Order: Criminal Intent"

o "Monk"

o "Psych"

o "The Starter Wife"

The woman behind the sale claims that she needed the proceeds to help her survive in a new town after moving there with the asshole man in question. However, the sale concluded with no bids—most likely because stories like this on eBay always seem phony. However, if she does decide to put it back up you can take your chances and put in a bid. The porn is included free—if you can find a way to extract it from the damaged drive, that is. [eBay via Crunchgear]

"In the long term, the consumer wants there to be quality premium-produced content, and in order for that to continue to be a viable business, there needs to be significant protection around it." This is the same NBC that was working with AT&T to build a network-wide dragnet for pirated content, so color us totally not surprised. Just don't know why Microsoft would agree to this and give people a reason to avoid Zunes (whether it's a legitimate one or not), when they're already way behind the iPod (which told NBC to take a flying hoo-ha).

Update 2: Saul has since updated the original post with Zune Insider's retort, but he also adds what Microsoft spokesman Adam Sohn told him yesterday when he asked about the copyright stuff:

"I don't think they are wrong, but we are not going to characterize those discussions. We have agreed to work with NBC across a range of topics, and protection of copyrighted material is certainly one of them."

Tech Journalists and Reviewers Use Macs: Sure, Microsoft may not think it's profitable to develop software for a platform where users are unlikely to purchase their products, but what about drawing interest from the media? If you look around any tech media event, you're going to see more people using Macs than PCs. And sure, most, if not all, of us have both platforms running. But for those of us who use OS X as our primary OS, how many are using Zune past the initial review stage? It's more of a hassle to go back and forth between machines just to use devices, especially when it comes to the storage of media files. I think the media would be more interested in the nuances of Zune if it fit in with their daily lives.

Zune 2.0 Is a Quality Product: Pound for Pound, I'd say the Zune80 is a better product than the iPod Classic. It has a better UI, more features (hardware and software), a better platform and control mechanism for gaming, and a decent enough design. While many companies in the past have put out good MP3 players, none have hands-down outclassed the iPod. The Zune80 might be the first to challenge the supremacy of the iPod. Why not have faith that Mac users will see that?

Devices And Platforms Should Never Be Exclusive: The iPod never really took off until it began supporting Windows with it's 2G iteration. Of course, Apple had more to gain from opening up to a much, much larger Windows user base, but it never hurts to make a product more widely available to the public.

How Costly Can Mac Support Be?: Even if the number of potential Mac users who would buy Zune products is minuscule, how expensive can it be to code an app? There have been far smaller companies who have supported both platforms, and Microsoft has other Mac apps, so what gives?

All The Cool Kids Are Doing It: The iPod didn't become the de facto standard for MP3 players because of its technical prowess alone. The great white earbud craze of 2004 probably started because a handful of popular kids liked the design of the iPod a year or two earlier, which in turn made them technological tastemakers. All the kids who want to be popular generally follow along. I think it goes without saying that it's currently considered "cool" to own a Mac. Microsoft is never going to get Zunes in the hands of this group if they can't get their music on it.

It's entirely possible adding Mac support won't have a huge impact, but with open source technology and DRM-free media growing more popular by the day, giving people the freedom of platform is always good for the image.