When Microsoft officially unveiled Windows Phone 7, and unveiled that the device would sync with Zune Software, there were a lot of Mac owners out there trying to figure out how, exactly, they’d be able to utilize a Windows Phone 7 device, considering that Zune Software doesn’t work for Apple-branded computers. That’s where Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac comes in. A tool to sync your device, and bring your media from iTunes (that’s not still protected) onto your Windows Phone 7 device.
But what about the Zune HD, which has been out significantly longer than Windows Phone 7? It looks like thanks to some minor tweaks, found by some members at ZuneBoards, you can actually get the WP7 Connector for Mac to register your Zune HD. It isn’t as simple as plugging in your HD, unfortunately, but the steps aren’t too extensive. Of course, if you’re not comfortable changing some settings around, then you may not want to head on through the source link and find out how to do this.
It was the first day of October, so hopefully it went well for you. In other news, it’s also Friday, which means the weekend is upon us, and we’ve all survived another week. Welcome to The Daily Slash. Tonight, we’ve got the strangest piece of iPhone accessory we’ve ever seen, and that could either be a good or bad thing. And then, as we wrap it up, we’ll take a look at what’s been happening around the R3 Media Network.
From Around the Web
This is the Umbilical Cord iPhone Charger: There’s plenty of third party accessories out there for your iDevice, but this one takes the cake for being the most . . . Disturbing. There’s not really a name for this thing, and truth be told, it really does look like a combination of a Facehugger from the Alien series, and an umbilical cord. And, while we may think the standard charger and cable is pretty boring, we don’t think you need to go this “outside the box” to make it look interesting. Or maybe you do. Your call. [via DVICE]
While the Zune HD may still be missing the applications store that many would have liked to see, that’s not stopping Microsoft from releasing an important option. If you’re a fan of Microsoft’s Windows Live Messenger service, and you still know a few people out there that use it, then hopefully you’ve got a Zune HD to enjoy the application that Microsoft just unveiled. The app brings a lot of the same functionality as the desktop version, so it isn’t a scaled down, disappointing version.
You’ll be able to show off the music you’re currently listening to, as well as check on social networking updates. Better yet, though, is the ability to check up with your Facebook friends, thanks to the integrated Facebook Chat option. The application is free, and you can pick it up from the app portal on your Zune HD, or through the Zune Software if you’re already at your PC.
We’ve already heard that Microsoft’s working on the HD 2. And, there’s probably plenty of people who are eagerly anticipating its announcement, or at least some spy shots. And while we wish we could provide those for you today, that’s just not the case. Instead, we’re hearing murmurs from an insider that the official unveiling of the future of the Zune HD, whatever that may be, is set to go public come this October. Right along side the official debut of Windows Phone 7.
After that initial tipster claimed that the Zune HD 2 was coming soon, with a product launch next year, it seems that a job listing popped up for Microsoft’s Portable Entertainment Group, which is the group that brought the current generation Zune HD to market. The job listing says that they group is “currently building the next generation of portable entertainment and communication devices.” The “communication” part could indeed be a key word in the whole thing, and this position could mean that the person hired would be working more with Windows Phone 7 than anything else, but right now it’s anyone’s guess.
However, an insider speaking with ZDNet‘s Mary-Jo Foley, informed her that the next HD 2 certainly is coming, and that it will probably have the same memory capacities of this generation: 16/32/64GB. However, further details on the device are pretty scarce, as you might imagine. Furthermore, the insider suggests that Steve Ballmer, after announcing Windows Phone 7 and the details therein, will go ahead and explain where the Zune HD is, and what it future entails. That’s where the Zune HD 2 is rumored to make its debut. Zune Software isn’t going anywhere, as it’s a key part of Windows Phone 7 and syncing with a PC, but it will be interesting to see what the next generation of Zune HD looks like.
We’d heard rumors that a new Zune was on the way, but here’s a spot of evidence that something’s actually up: Microsoft’s adding a senior mechanical engineer to help build “the next generation of portable entertainment and communication devices.” While the job listing in question is technically for Microsoft’s Mobile Communications Business, which oversees Windows Phone, it’s clear that some things have changed since the Entertainment & Devices shakeup: “We are the team that shipped the Zune HD,” the post reads. It appears that there’s a new group within Microsoft called the Portable Entertainment Group which isn’t afraid to design its own hardware and includes the Zune team, though whether that hardware be Zune, phone or something more obscure still remains to be seen.
Considering all the press a certain Cupertino-based company received today, and besides a valiant effort from Samsung, there was one other main company that has been strangely silent about their current Personal Media Player line-up. Microsoft’s Zune HD is one of the best out there, in both aesthetically pleasing lines and power under the hood, coupled with features, it’s one device that we hope isn’t getting shoved under the rug. Thankfully, if some sources are to be believed, it looks like something could indeed be in the works.
Courtesy of Mary Jo Foley over at ZDNet, it seems that some sources that she was speaking with have lead her to believe that a new, remodeled Zune HD could be on the way. As far as detailed information goes, you can imagine that there’s not a lot to go on here. Truth be told, even the current speculation isn’t worth holding a light to at the moment. Though, the talk of an ARM CPU powering the whole show is definitely interesting enough to give a second thought.
As for the software side of things, it wouldn’t be that big of a surprise to see some kind of Windows Phone 7-like homage in there. Considering there’s plenty of Zune love being tossed into the phone variation, showcasing both on the opposite device would make sense. The rumored date of arrival for these new gadgets would be some time in the early months of 2011. Is Microsoft working on something to combat the new iPod Touch? Let’s certainly hope so.
For one lucky UK-based resident, the Zune Pass snuck up on him. As many of us out there know, the Zune HD isn’t available in the UK, and on the software side of things, neither is the Zune Software or Zune Pass. And while there may be plenty of other options, there’s at least a few members of civilized society who would love to get their hands on the Zune Pass, which offers up an unlimited amount of song downloads for just $14.99 per month. At least, that’s what it costs in the States. UK pricing, if the screenshot is to be believed, is a bit different.
Greg, that UK-based resident we spoke about earlier, signed up for a trial account for the Zune Pass, and he was greeted with a page that confused him. Instead of seeing prices in American dollars, he saw the local price instead. So, how much is the Zune Pass going to cost patrons of the UK, if it does indeed launch some time in the near future? £8.99 per month, or £26.97 for a three month subscription plan.
This is, by no means, a confirmation that Microsoft’s Zune Pass is coming to the UK. Nor does it mean that the Zune HD is getting to launch overseas, either. Though, one without the other doesn’t seem to make much sense, so you probably don’t have to let your imagination run all that rampant. And considering Netflix is finally heading up to Canada, we can safely say that anything is possible in this day and age, right? Any UK-based residents out there excited about the possibility?
If the above picture is to be believed, it looks like Microsoft’s Zune Pass is gearing up to make its UK debut. An across-the-pond tipster via LiveSide apparently stumbled upon (and was able to successfully score the 14-day trial) a Subscription page with pricing tiers. In addition to the tryout period, there were also options for a £8.99 (about $13.74) one-month pass and £26.97 / $41.23 for three. Further details are just barely hinted at in the sidebar, but if it’s anything like the US progenitor, we’re looking at an all-you-can download music service and ten DRM-free MP3s each month, playable on Windows, Xbox 360 (soon), Zune devices (still not available outside US), and Windows Phone 7. We know Microsoft is planning to move its “challenging” music service into every country its phones will venture, but that little tidbit doesn’t absolve this image of scrutiny. Try as we might, our UK editors are unable to find this screen anywhere. According to the original tipster, even though he has access to the trial, he still can’t use it. We’ll keep digging and will let you know what we find.
Multitasking is a huge concept for devices today. The idea of a single use, single feature device is becoming increasingly rare. Today, the lines are really blurring in technology – between mobile and desktop devices, between phones and media players, between TVs and computers. Even alarm clocks have WiFi built in. And especially among teenagers, the idea of multipurpose, connected devices is becoming more and more important.
For teenagers, one of the most important concept of our lives is being connected to each other – we like being in touch with all our social circles, be it for friends around the corner from school to friends across the globe. Media, entertainment, and pictures are also huge features – consider the huge importance of music, movies, video games, and Facebook albums in today’s world. And in portable devices especially it’s become more and more critical to have these features to ensure that you appeal to teens.
A few years ago, the idea of having a Zune with a web browser or an iPod touch that has serious gaming on it wasn’t even something people considered. If you wanted to email or IM people, you’d use a computer. Gaming was done on a console or Gameboy. But now, the idea of building these features together hasn’t just become a convenience for teens – it’s a necessity. The fact is that the market wasn’t capable or expected to offer this service in years past, forcing users to buy separate devices – why older people, perhaps, are more insistent on separate, specific featured gear for each situation. It’s only now, as these multifunction devices have been made – at an affordable price point – that the new generation of technology users is becoming attached to them over the past system of specific devices for specific uses.
Teens are becoming more and more attracted to devices that multitask – iPod nanos with cameras built in, a Zune HD that plays games and has Facebook, and of course, the titanic success of the App Store (not just for Apple, but Android and other devices as well); in short, the extending of portable media players beyond media. These connected media players that not only do media, but internet and beyond, are becoming must-have device for teenagers: delivering in one package the huge wealth of features that teens want.
And this multitasking concept becomes even more important going into the summer – when most high school and college students, being off from school, go off to camp or travel. In these situations, having a device or two that can function as almost everything a young adult wants – music, video, Facebook, Twitter, gaming, pictures, emails, even eBooks is huge. One device, one charger, only one thing to worry about losing or breaking, for a teenager at camp or traveling, is a huge thing.
Finally there is another huge reason that teens are using converging devices is simple – pricing. The golden rule of teenager’s technology usage is pricing – or specifically, lack of pricing. As a general rule, teens have no money, and when spending it, hate spending their own money. (When it’s their parents’ money, think the exact opposite). So buying one device that accomplishes everything they want to do at a “good enough” level for what they want saves them the need, and therefore the money, of buying 4 or 5 dedicated gadgets that may do those same tasks, albeit slightly better then the multitasked device. Money, and teen’s unwillingness to spend it, is a huge reason for the popularity of these multifunction devices among the youth market.
So overall, it’s these devices, multipurpose, connected, and increasingly mislabeled portable media players – that do far, far more then portable media – that are what’s big in tech for teenagers right now, especially considering the time period of summer vacation: where having such a device is hugely important for a traveling or away from home teen.
Windows CE isn’t exactly the most popular of mobile platforms, but it’s still reasonably common to find it hiding underneath the custom UI of various MIDs, PMPs and other devices, not to mention Microsoft’s own Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 and Zune OSes. Now, Microsoft are apparently looking at replacing CE with a new platform, codenamed Microsoft Menlo, which combines Windows NT for mobile devices with a new “Experiment 19″ graphics platform. According to Mary Jo Foley’s digging, the project is being led by Galen Hunt, who’s also responsible for Microsoft’a Singularity work.
Microsoft Research, unsurprisingly, aren’t saying much about Menlo – though it’s given a brief namecheck on Hunt’s own MR People page – but there are tidbits to be found. Hunt’s LinkedIn profile, for instance, mentions the following:
“Co-lead two of the largest cross-group research projects in MSR’s history: the Menlo and Singularity projects. Menlo combined OS, UX, and applications research to explore the future of computing when mobiles becomes users primary PCs. Singularity combined language, tools, and OS research to determine how to build more reliable systems and built a new OS from scratch in managed code.”
Foley then talked to Directions on Microsoft analyst Michael Cherry, who suggested that Microsoft could be looking to “follow Apple’s lead” and develop a tablet-friendly platform on which regular Windows apps could be relatively easily ported. He describes that as a “frankenOS” of sorts:
“Microsoft could follow Apple’s lead and build a similar tablet on CE or Windows Phone 7, and have developers create CE and Web based applications for it….Mostly, it would be a rival to the iPad with similar battery life attributes. Microsoft could even add some USB ports just to differentiate the connectability. They could also open the carrier access.
“Second, Microsoft could build a tablet on Windows 7 Standard Embedded, and really be ruthless in removing Windows 7 components that do not make sense in the ‘new’ tablet scenarios. I have not seen any attempt to use what they have to create a truly “designed for tablet” version of OS (key here is instead of adding tablet extensions you remove non-tablet components of the base OS).”
That actually sounds a lot like our own Courier speculation, in which we suggested that Microsoft’s apparent abandonment of the dual-display digital notebook concept was in fact only a move to cut off talk of Microsoft-produced Courier hardware. Instead, they could take the Courier customisations and develop a special tablet build – as Cherry says, “really be ruthless” in stripping out any superfluous functionality – that third-party manufacturers could then put onto their own hardware. Indeed, several firms have already suggested they have notebook-style hardware on the way though they’ve been coy with their OS preferences. Such a plan would also mean that porting apps over from other Microsoft platforms could be easier, both to the newly customized tablet and to mobile devices. Of course, this is all some way in the future (if it evens pans out that way), but it’s good to think that Microsoft might be doing the sensible thing and pulling together the different strands of their various computing options.
Multitasking is a huge concept for devices today. The idea of a single use, single feature device is becoming increasingly rare. Today, the lines are really blurring in technology – between mobile and desktop devices, between phones and media players, between TVs and computers. Even alarm clocks have WiFi built in. And especially among teenagers, the idea of multipurpose, connected devices is becoming more and more important.
Windows CE isn’t exactly the most popular of mobile platforms, but it’s still reasonably common to find it hiding underneath the custom UI of various MIDs, PMPs and other devices, not to mention Microsoft’s own Windows Mobile, Windows Phone 7 and Zune OSes. Now, Microsoft are apparently looking at replacing CE with a new platform, 