Zune Features & Technical Specifications

The following information is the key features and specifications about Microsoft Zune.

What is Zune?

Zune is Microsoft portable MP3 media player launched on November, 14th, 2006. The second-gen Zune is on the market from November, 2007. Zune is the brand and device name like iPod, and comes from the project Argo.

Zune is under Microsoft's new Entertainment & Devices Division, and is headed by, among others, Robbie Bach, J Allard (Corporate Vice President and Chief XNA Architect), and Bryan Lee (Corporate Vice President and CFO, Entertainment and Devices Division), which accounts for the division of this project from the rest of Microsoft, similar to how the Xbox project was also strictly separated.

The Zune brand encompasses not only the device, but the software that will drive it, as well as a movie, music and media service the Zune device family will use for acquiring, sharing, and discovery of said media. Music and video will be the first angle of service that is launched, "connected entertainment" being the ultimate goal.

Zune's Technical Specifications

WiFi capability: Zune users will be able to share music between via Wi-Fi, that is to say, Zune to Zune sharing.

Capacity: 30GB or 80GB hard-drive devices will be released first. The flash models are 8GB and 4GB.

Media supported: Zune can play both audio and video, supports WMV, MPEG-4, H.264 up to 320x240 and unprotected WMA, MP3, AAC formats up to 320Kbps, 48KHz.

Music: The screen appears the album's cover when music be played.

Video size: 3-inch LCD high resolution screen, bigger than video iPod's 2.5-inch. The 80GB Zune 2 has the 3.2-inch display, while the flash models are 1.8-inch.

Resolution: 320 x 240. They are considering the bigger-size devices.

Color: Zune should be available in a few colors, including white, black, red, green, brown and more.

Preloaded audio and video content: The videos coming with Zune include "30 Seconds to Mars", the best rock video at this year’s MTV VMAs, "Serena-Maneesh", etc.

Built-in: TV output, FM radio tuner. DJ mode is supported.

Online Music Store: Named Zune marketplace which will sell songs as well as movies online. You could subscribe to the marketplace for $14.99 a month with unlimited downloads for that month, or go for individual downloads (roughly 99 cents).

Zune Software - The program just like iTunes. Automatically import your pictures, music, and videos from iTunes and Windows Media Player in various file formats.

PlaysForSure: The service and device will not be PlaysForSure compliant, meaning you will not be able to use your Zune player with Napster or Vongo, for example. This will be an entirely new system. Microsoft will continue to support and develop for their PlaysForSure initiative, but all things PlaysForSure are handled by two entirely separate division that will not have any crossover.

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