Entries tagged with zune - Channel 10

A New Themed Zune: Gears of War 2

sarahintampa — Thu, 02 Oct 2008 01:48:00 GMT

If the Joy Division Zune wasn’t quite your speed, then you might be interested in the next themed Zune instead: the Gears of War 2 edition. This Special Edition 120 GB Zune will go on sale in the U.S. at Amazon.com and Walmart.com and in Canada at Amazon.ca, BestBuy.ca, FutureShop.ca and TheSource.ca for the estimated price of $279.99 starting November 7th. However, you can pre-order it now (just click those links).

The Zune will feature a laser-etched Crimson Omen on the back of its black casing, collectible “Gears of War” themed packaging, and, perhaps most importantly, 244 pieces of “Gears of War” media. That media will include the original soundtrack, behind-the-scenes videos, and concept art and galleries.

The Zune is set to go on sale November 7th because that’s also the launch date for the new Gears of War game, a highly anticipated sequel that continues the saga of Marcus Fenix and Delta Squad as they fight to save humanity from the overwhelming onslaught of the Locust Horde.

You can keep tabs on the latest Gears of War news from the game’s homepage available here: http://www.gearsofwar.com.

Microsoft's Holiday Preview - Zune

Tina — Thu, 18 Sep 2008 11:52:00 GMT

Happy Holiday's Zune Lovers! Zune is a favorite portable device for many and Katy Asher drops by to talk all things Zune and what we have to look forward to this Holiday Season. There's a new Blue Zune, 16 G Zune, 120 G Zune and Zune Originals allows you to personalize your device. And we chat new features. You can download music directly to your Zune device. FM radio is a fan favorite and now you can buy music directly from the FM radio broadcast you're listening to.

MixViews and Genius Lists

Larry — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 17:04:00 GMT

No doubt you've heard that both Apple and Zune have come out with some new players and new client software. Both include some interesting features to help you find new music that you'll probably like using various methods of smart logic and social networking.

How do they work? What makes them different? What are the strengths and weaknesses of either? We'll let Katherine Boehret on Uncle Walt's blog give you a third party independent look at the two and what each are capable of.

Zune 3 News

sarahintampa — Sat, 13 Sep 2008 05:10:00 GMT

Beginning September 16th, Zune owners will be able to access the latest firmware update: Zune 3. This update will be available to all Zune devices...even all the way back to the original Zune! This unexpected (but seriously cool) feature is sure to please the Zune early adopter crowd. However, the real excitement for Zune owners involves what the Zune 3 update will offer: some amazing features you won’t find on any other mp3 player today.

Buy From FM

One of the new features of the Zune 3 firmware will let you wirelessly stream and download millions of songs on the go any time you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot. This feature, called “Buy From FM” is designed to take advantage of the built-in FM tuner in the Zune. You’ll be able to tag and purchase songs you hear on FM radio and download them directly to your Zune. If you’re in a Wi-Fi hotspot, the download will be immediate. If Wi-Fi isn’t available, the songs will queue up to be downloaded the next time it is or the next time you connect your Zune to your PC.

Wi-Fi Store

You’ll also be able to connect to the Zune Marketplace music store whenever your Zune is in a Wi-Fi hotspot or on your home wireless network. On the device itself, you can browse through new releases, top songs, top albums, or type on an on-screen keyboard to type in the song of your choice.

Recommendations & Channels

Another feature included in the Zune 3 update is the new recommendation feature. Using the combination of recommendations from the Zune service, the online music community, and your own play data, you’ll be recommended personal suggestions as the Zune software learns what you like. You’ll see these recommendations in a new area of the Zune Marketplace called “Picks.”

Zune Pass subscribers can also discover new music through Channels. These Channels are created by experts in the music community. Here’s you’ll find channels like the Billboard Top 100, the FADER magazine channel, the KEXP radio channel, and even channels designed for listening to while you workout. You’ll also see personalized channels that are based on your favorite artists and genres. Zune owners who don’t have a Zune pass can purchase new Channels a la carte.

Zune Cards

For Zune Pass customers, the new firmware will also offer an updated way to use the Zune Card functionality. Zune Pass subscribers can share Zune Cards with each other wirelessly when on-the-go. All Zune owners will be able to share the Cards with friends when they’re on the web.

Cool Software!

Also included in the update are some new visual effects: Mixview and Now Playing. In Mixview, you can select an artist, album, or Zune Card and see a visual mosaic of related music and listeners. As you click on the mosaic, you’ll be taken in new directions, allowing you to discover music in a visually appealing way.

Image credit: Wired

The “Now Playing” view has also been improved to display artist imagery, colorful effects, artist bio info, and data from the Zune community in a full-screen view.

Games & Audiobooks

The firmware update will offer two free games - “Hexic” and “Texas Hold ‘Em.” It will also feature audiobook support from both Audible.com and OverDriver.com.

New Zunes

Of course, the Zune lineup is being expanded, too. The lineup will feature 16GB and 120GB Zunes and new blue-on-silver and all-black color schemes.

Here’s the pricing info:

120 GB: $249.99

80 GB: $229.99 (3)

16 GB: $199.00

8 GB: $149.99

4 GB: $129.99 (3)

Novidades para o Zune 3.0

Galileu — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 18:26:00 GMT

Semana que vem, no dia 16, a Microsoft vai lançar a onda 3.0 do Zune. Eu gosto sempre de reiterar que o Zune não é só um tocador de músicas, fotos e vídeos digitais. Ele tem o hardware sim, mas o destaque do Zune é o software e seus serviços. Portanto, semana que vem as atualizações de hardware são mínimas. Teremos um aumento de capacidade na linha de tocadores junto com novas cores. A nova linha será composta por:

Zune 120GB @ US$ 249,99
Zune 80GB* @ US$ 229,99
Zune 16GB @ US$ 199,99
Zune 8GB @ US$ 149,99
Zune 4GB* @ US$ 129,99
* Os tocadores de 80GB e 4GB serão descontinuados.

Bom, então já que o destaque é o software e serviços, quais as novidades? Vamos lá:

Conectar a qualquer rede WiFi através do tocador para utilizar novos serviços (todos os tocadores Zune têm WiFi).
Comprar músicas da loja Zune Marketplace direto do dispositivo de qualquer WiFi hotspot no mundo.
Buy from FM (Compre da rádio FM) permite que o tocador Zune compre instantaneamente a música que você está ouvindo no rádio (todos os tocadores Zune têm rádio FM embutido), desde que você esteja conectado via WiFi. Caso não esteja, o tocador cria uma lista das músicas que você marcou para compra e na próxima vez que você se conectar você poderá ver a sua listinha de compras.
Channels (Canais): uma nova função de canais de músicas recomendadas por experts da Billboard, da revista The FADER, da rádio americana KEXP, entre outros, para o usuário que queira descobrir novas músicas. O Zune software também cria Canais automaticamente para o usuário a partir de seus artistas e gêneros favoritos (como o Pandora).
Personal Picks (Escolhas Personalizadas): o Zune software aprende o seu gosto musical e ao logar no Zune Marketplace você verá uma nova área chamada Picks sugerindo novos artistas e álbuns baseados na música que você vem ouvindo.
Atualização do Zune Social em qualquer hotspot: o Zune Social é a comunidade do Zune, um Orkut para fãs de música. Você cria um cartão (Zune Card) com sua identidade musical que você pode compartilhar com seus amigos, com sites e com outros tocadores Zune. Esse cartão mostra para os outros o que você anda ouvindo de músicas e permite que você veja o que os seus amigos estão ouvindo também. A novidade é que agora é possível atualizar os Zune Cards no tocador através de qualquer hotspot para saber as novidades dos seus amigos.
Mixview: o usuário do Zune software pode ativar um modo de visualização dinâmica que apresenta novos artistas e álbuns para ouvir.
Now Playing (Tocando Agora): essa função do software foi atualizada para ser interativa. Quando colocado nesse modo, o software do Zune exibe em tela cheia todas as capas de álbuns da sua coleção e permite que você clique nas capas para saber informações das bandas e álbuns.
Jogos: os tocadores Zunes agora permitem jogos e haverá dois jogos de graça, "Hexic" e "Texas Hold 'Em" (um jogo de poker).
Suporte para livros de áudio no formato Audiobooks.
Suporte para livros da Audible.
Suporte para conteúdo da OverDrive, que agrega livros em áudio e e-Livros de mais de 7.500 bibliotecas do mundo inteiro (com conteúdo em português também).

Lembrando que as atualizações serão para todos os tocadores, até o Zune original de 30GB.

Para o pessoal no Brasil que não tem acesso ao Zune, pois ele não é comercializado oficialmente aqui, mas que gostaria de testá-lo, basta fazer o download do Zune software. Ele roda em Windows XP versão inglês ou no Windows Vista. Depois de baixar, mas antes de instalar o software, basta configurar as suas opções regionais do Windows para Local - Estados Unidos e Formato - Inglês (Estados Unidos).

Para quem tiver um Live ID com país Estados Unidos, você pode vincular o Zune ao seu Live ID (mesmo login do Messenger) para criar o seu Zune Card. Veja o meu Zune Card, clique nele para interagir e ouvir trechos das músicas que eu mais gosto.

Qualquer problema ou dúvida deixe um comentário e eu tento ajudar.

Special Edition Political Zunes

sarahintampa — Fri, 29 Aug 2008 12:36:00 GMT

Gizmodo reports that the delegates at both the Republican and the Democratic National Conventions will be receiving politically-branded Zunes this year. The Democratic one is green, with the DNC 08 logo and branding on the back. The Republicans’ Zune is red and features their convention’s logo and slogan. At the DNC, 4500 delegates received one of these Zunes which came pre-loaded with some content, including one game. The hope is that the delegates can use the devices for downloading speeches and videos from the convention. The Zunes are 4 GB models and arrive with an insert that touts a message about the environment, such as the one seen here.

Back-to-School Zune Skins

sarahintampa — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 14:06:00 GMT

The GotZune? site has the scoop on some back-to-school specials on Zune skins over at skinit.com. For anyone who likes to customize (and protect!) their gadgets, the official Zune skins over on skinit.com/zune are now only $14.95/each. The skins are all made from high quality 3M vinyl and are available for Zune 30GB, Zune 4/8GB, and the Zune 80GB. There are tons of categories to choose from, so you are sure to find a design you’ll like whether you want an artistic image or whether you would rather show your support for a cause, your favorite sports team, your school, your sorority or your frat.

Reverse Sync Your Zune

sarahintampa — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 17:56:00 GMT

A little known feature to those that don’t use a Microsoft Zune is the fact that Zunes have the ability to “reverse sync” back to a computer. What this means is that you can connect any Zune to any PC running Zune software and copy over music, videos, or pictures back to the PC. Matt recently blogged about this over on ZuneInsider when he surprised a friend by showing him how to he could copy an album from his friend’s Zune back to his own PC. He notes that he already owned the album in this example, but the secret here is that un-DRM’d content – like much of the content sold in the Zune Marketplace as well as on sites like Amazon’s MP3 store – makes this possible. With less restrictions on how the content can be moved around, accessed, and played, you aren’t as locked down as when you purchase DRM’d content like the majority of the music still sold today on iTunes. Not only is this helpful for letting friends share music with each other, it’s also a great feature for anyone with a multiple-PC household and more than one Zune or for taking your tunes to your office PC. For step-by-step instructions on how this is done, check out Matt’s post.

Free Comic-Con Videos for Zune

sarahintampa — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 14:39:00 GMT

The Xbox Live Marketplace team has added free Comic-Con 2008 videos to the Zune Marketplace. The event, which ran from July 24-27 in San Diego, California, is a huge convention for fans of comic books, sci-fi, fantasy, anime, horror, and other related arts spanning all genres from books to TV to film. Once devoted just to comics, today’s convention has everything from toys to video games to panels featuring Hollywood actors and producers talking about their latest big movie and screening trailers of highly anticipated films. Since not everyone can attend this event, the next best thing is to download free videos from Comic-Con 2008. All you need is the Zune software – if you don’t have a Zune, you can always just watch them on your PC.

Download Soapbox Videos to Your PC & Zune

sarahintampa — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:09:00 GMT

Thanks to a new feature in Soapbox, the section of user-generated videos found here on MSN Video, you can now automatically download and sync videos to your PC and to your Zune. With this new option, you can subscribe to Soapbox videos by category, user video list, or via a search. That last option is especially helpful, as it will retrieve any videos relating to a particular search term and have them automatically sync to your PC. So, for example, if you wanted to see all the videos about Live Mesh, you could just search for the term live mesh and subscribe the results.

To see the subscribe option for the videos found via a search, click “view all results” and you’ll notice both an RSS icon for subscribing to the videos in your preferred RSS software as well as a “subscribe with Zune” button ( ) to have the videos added to your podcast subscriptions in your Zune software (which, by the way, is a free download – you don’t need to own a Zune to use it).

If you need access to the video files themselves, you’ll find them in the Zune/Podcasts folder. Michael Gannotti recently blogged about this to demonstrate how you could access his SharePoint videos from Soapbox, so we thank him for providing us with this excellent tip!

Checking Out Zune Arts

sarahintampa — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:49:00 GMT

Have you seen the site Zune Arts? This rather hip site has been designed to promote the Zune by featuring experimental videos from various visual artists as well as tracks from several indie musicians, too. You can browse through, view, and stream the content available on the website or you can download it to your Zune. On Zune Arts, you can download full clips, Zune wallpaper, Zune desktops, buddy icons, and more.

This is a pretty fascinating way to sell the Zune and seems to go hand-in-hand with those otherworldly Zune TV commercials I’ve seen. Instead of seeming like an annoying advertisement, the site is actually a showcase of art -- art that you can move to your Zune and take with you.

The latest download from Zune Arts is a first for the site – a graphic novel. This graphic novel is called “The Lost Ones” and it’s written by Steve Niles, the writer of “30 Days of Night.” The artwork in the novel comes from graffiti artists Dr. Revolt, Gary Panter, Kime Buzzelli, and Morning Breath. According to I4U News, the novel “chronicles the adventures of four friends Duncan, Roxy, Rasheed, and Cynthia whose day of extreme planet jumping turns into a race to get home alive.”

Considering that modern-day MP3 players have screens for viewing video, it’s a wonder that we haven’t seen more graphic novels miniaturized for these devices – could this be the start of a whole new medium? I don’t know, but I’m downloading my copy now.

Zunes In Schools

sarahintampa — Sun, 29 Jun 2008 23:03:00 GMT

Last winter 125 Zunes were handed out to students in two U.S. schools – 100 at a New Mexico High School and 25 at a Missouri Junior High. The Zunes were given out in exchange for research data provided by the schools on how helpful the Zunes were in the classroom. Teachers were encouraged to create podcasts for the devices for their students to listen to, and, those that identified 20 podcasts to support their lesson plans as well as create 5 of their own received a $400 bonus. The full results of the case study will be released after this summer’s National Education Computing Conference, but for now, the reaction is somewhat mixed.

Foreign language teachers reported it was really helpful to have their students using the devices to help with vocabulary and pronunciations, but another teacher cited concerns about the devices not being used for studying at all. The students responded that, of course they were enjoying listening to music and trading songs, but they also insisted that they were using the Zunes to study, too.

Personally, I don’t see why the Zunes can’t be used for both entertainment and education. Just because a Zune lets you watch TV, listen to music, and listen to podcasts, that doesn’t mean that the academic aspects have no value simply because the devices can be used for fun, too.

I don’t imagine the students were allowed to keep the earplugs in during class, anyway, so who cares if they’re using them in between classes or after school to listen to music? If there are educational benefits to the devices, why not encourage their use?

Today’s students have grown up with technology all around them, so whether teachers like it or not, a lot of their education is already coming from digital media - for example, instead of books, students often use the internet for research and instead of magazines, they surf the web for the latest news. So why not enhance a traditional class with after-hours podcasts? This could be especially helpful for students struggling in a particular area of their studies. By being provided with educational podcasts, they could then play back the course, lecture, or guides created by the teacher at home, on their own time. Maybe the Zunes don’t need to literally be in the classroom…or in the halls either…that’s up the school to decide. But please, keep the podcasts coming!

Zune ID Cards

sarahintampa — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 07:06:00 GMT

Thanks to a Zunerama member, Trastan, there's now a simple ID card available that you can send to other Zune owners when you find yourself within wireless range of another Zune. To use the card, you download it to your device and then sent it out wirelessly using the Zune's built-in wireless send feature. This is a friendly way of saying "hello" to the other Zune users around you.

On the card says "Nice to meet you" and provides a brief intro that displays your Zune Tag and favorite genre. The cards aren't being generated by an app - there's pure manual labor involved. Trastan is creating cards for anyone who requests one on this forum post. There are also some blank backgrounds here if you want to design your own. (via/img via Zunerama)

Media Center University – Part 2

brianjo — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 11:44:00 GMT

Check out the CE Installer Blog, where Mike Seamons continues his presentation of Optimizing Media Center for Entertainment. In this installment, Mike discusses the steps he takes to optimize Windows Media Center. He discusses removing all unnecessary software, installing Windows Updates and other configuration. Additionally, he discusses how to integrate Zune with WMC.

Topics covered include:

Removing all Unnecessary Files

Network and Sharing Tips

Cleaning the Desktop

Setting the Resolution, sounds, and screen saver

Setting Up Windows Media Player

Syncing everything with Zune

Default Content Removal

Discovering Great XP and Vista Themes

sarahintampa — Wed, 25 Jun 2008 00:57:00 GMT

I was recently stumbled across a link to this XP Zune theme when searching for ways to jazz up my older laptop. I had forgotten, but I used to really love this theme! The theme was sort of a take off on the also awesome “lost” XP theme - Royale Noir, but with a few tweaks. It’s sort of funny to look at this today, nearly two years later, as I’m running Vista. I still have a very similar color scheme going on now – a dark taskbar and Start Menu and a simple background that shows off my widgets and icons (I guess I’m not much for desktop cleanliness after all). The only variation is that I have blue/greenish windows now. Of course, this led me down the path of looking for a way to customize Vista's themes even more. I know Stardock has professional software to do so, but what about a simple free theme? I ended up here where I discovered a whole slew of themes, skins, and wallpapers for Vista, including the sleek and simple Chocolate Theme (pictured). Nice!

Zune 4/8 Case Roundup

Larry — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 16:40:00 GMT

Over on Channel 8, Max has gotten hold of some of Cesar's cases out of the Zune group. He takes a look at them along with some pros and cons on each. Also making an appearance is arm-model Laura Foy.

ZuneLinks Have Launched

sarahintampa — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 12:06:00 GMT

Podcast producers will like this one, but so will anyone who’s ever wondered how to directly link to an artist, album, playlist, or podcast on Zune. Now there’s a new page of Zune Social to help with that: http://social.zune.net/links/ZuneLinks.aspx.

Here, you can do a search for anything available on Zune and get links that look like this:

There’s a link for the Zune Marketplace and another for Zune Social, which takes you right to a page where you can preview the tracks, read reviews, see the top listeners, and more.

(Thanks to the Addicted to Digital Media blog for the tip!)

ZuneTV

sarahintampa — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:23:00 GMT

Zune fansite ZuneBoards has recently launched a YouTube-like site for converting and sharing Zune clips with the community. The site is called ZuneTV. Here, users can upload videos, which are automatically converted into the Zune-compatible .wmv format. Those clips are then made available for download by any member. Like any social video sharing site, there are ways to rate, favorite, and comment on videos and the videos can be embedded anywhere on the net thanks to a handy copy-and-paste embed code. In order to participate on ZuneTV, you have to first get a ZuneBoards account, then you just head here: www.zunetv.net.

Colbert, Battlestar Galactica, SNL, & More Coming to Zune Marketplace

sarahintampa — Fri, 30 May 2008 22:22:00 GMT

A post on Zunerama (and ZuneInsider) gives the details on the upcoming schedule of releases for the Zune Marketplace. From now until June 6th, a total of 400 episodes from 19 TV shows will be added and made available for download. Here's the complete list:

May 28: Comedy Central
* The Colbert Report
* The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

May 30: NBC Universal
* Friday Night Lights
* Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
* Law & Order
* Life
* Lipstick Jungle
* Saturday Night Live

June 3: Sci Fi Channel
* Battlestar Galactica Classics
* Destination Truth
* Ghost Hunters International
* Ghost Hunters
* Who Wants to Be a Superhero

June 6: USA Network
* Dr. Steve-O
* In Plain Sight
* Law & Order: Criminal Intent
* Monk
* Psych
* The Starter Wife

JD, Nic, and Brian Podcast - Episode 7

brianjo — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:44:00 GMT

This week, G. Andrew Duthie joins us to talk about Maker Faire, the Zune 2.5 update, and much, much more...

Links from today's show:

Maker Faire
Big Dog
Big Dog Parody
Ray Kurzweil on the singularity
Zune 2.5 on Channel 10
Zune.net
Zune.net Social
Games for Zune
Alien Agressors
Teched Tweener

How to Put Games On Your Zune!

Larry — Thu, 08 May 2008 14:09:00 GMT

Can't wait to play games on your Zune? Here's what you need to get started. Jump over to ZuneBoards.com and see instructions from a forum member who gives you the step by step guidelines to get started.

They point to two games to get you started, Galactic Wars 3 and Alien Aggressors (if you know of any others, leave them in the comments here.) The first reply in the comments on the ZuneBoards site says "More complicated than I hoped." Keep in mind you're in the land of early adopting here. :)

Já saiu o primeiro jogo brasileiro para o Zune!

Galileu — Thu, 08 May 2008 08:44:00 GMT

Nem deu tempo de postar as notícias do CTP de XNA 3.0 e o Jalf da Sharp Games já postou o primeiro jogo brasileiro, e possivelmente do mundo, para Zune no site da comunidade. Parabéns ao Jalf pelo belo feito! Confira o vídeo aqui: Video: My First Zune Game

Zune 2.5 Spring Update podcast with Q and A - unedited

Tina — Wed, 07 May 2008 17:12:00 GMT

Today is a new day Zuners....you get your spring update 2.5 style at Zune.net. Yesterday we spent the day chatting with the Zune team and tossing them questions about the new update and the future of zune software, hardware, the social and web experience. This is an unedited podcast and the Zune team was thrown some tough questions and you may be suprised with exactly how they responded.

What do the guts of a zune look like?
What about a walk-through ?

Lançado o CTP do XNA Game Studio 3.0 – agora com suporte para Zune

Galileu — Wed, 07 May 2008 13:44:00 GMT

Já está no ar o Community Technical Preview do XNA Game Studio 3.0. O XNA GS é o kit para desenvolvimento de vídeo games que a Microsoft disponibiliza. Ele roda em cima de Visual C# Express Edition e Visual Studio 2005 e 2008. Ou seja, ele é totalmente gratuito e permite o desenvolvimento simultâneo para Windows e Xbox 360. A novidade é a nova possibilidade de desenvolver jogos para o Zune. O foco desse preview é o desenvolvimento para Zune. Portanto, nessa versão não está habilitada o desenvolvimento para Xbox 360. Quem quiser desenvolver para o Xbox 360 tem que usar o XNA Game Studio 2.0. Outro ponto é que esse preview também não roda em Windows Vista 64-bits. Só para deixar claro, na versão final do XNA Game Studio 3.0 tudo isso estará funcionando.

Principais características desse CTP:

Criação e deploy de jogos 2D para todos os Zunes
Suporte para multiplayer local via o WiFi do Zune
Acesso às músicas no Zune para uso em jogos
API para efeitos especiais

Para quem quiser mais informações recomendo o anúncio oficial e o site de XNA. Também há uma comunidade bem legal no Brasil da galera que está desenvolvendo para XNA – a Sharp Games. E confira o vídeo do Zune rodando um joguinho.

Zune Spring Update 2.5 - The Video

Tina — Wed, 07 May 2008 00:48:00 GMT

Terry Farrell from the Zune team stopped by the Channel 10 studios today to give us a walk through of exactly the changes you can expect in the new Zune Update. We've brought you screenshots and cute commercials but Terry delivers the goods. He takes us through the new zune.net and dives into the software.