I am not too sure who this is, but I found the picture at Zune Vibe and I like it!

The photo is named audrey_kitching_zune.jpg, so I guess this is Audrey Kitching. Not sure who she is but she has a pink Zune, so she's cool to me. The new Flash Pink Zune would match your hair better though, Audrey.

Media Players are progressing really nice already, but I have some ideas that I would love to see in the future.

Take any Media Player... Add the ability to stream Bluetooth Stereo audio. I know that I loved that ability in the Samsung P2. I think this is an option that alot of folks will enjoy. This isn't the main idea that I am making this post about though.

The big idea, which some may discount as silly, is to add voice recognition software to a Media Player. A lot of phones have voice dialers and Microsoft's Voice Command is an awesome package for Windows Mobile Phones.

Why not add something like Voice Command to a Zune, iPod, Zen, or any other player? Driving down the road you decide you want to jam out to some Prince. Just click a button somewhere on the player and speak. "PLAY Prince Purple Rain" and then the player starts it up.

What do you think? Would you like a feature like that?

Someone got a Zune 80 for Christmas and blogged about it. Normally, I wouldn't link everytime someone says the word Zune, but this one has a very catchy title... We've been Zune'd (and happy about it

Hardware

Very nice. VERY nice. (Though I want a touch screen... I know, I know... please no iPod comments).

The wireless sync'ing is extremely cool.

The video is smooth and clean.

The UI is simple and easy. While there can be some improvements here too, but it feels more v2 than v1 (which in this case is accurate).

Battery life seems good (remember to turn off wireless if you're not using it though... )

Read the rest of Greg's random thoughts on his son's Zune 80...

Whoever the ignorant author that runs this blog. It appears that this blog is some kind of ad scraper blog with nothing really to offer as far as objectivity. The site did good enough to get me to click through to see what kind of cool tricks someone was offering for new Zune owners that want to get the most out of their device. The title of the article is How to Set-up Your New Zune MP3 Player. Seems like a nice fitting title, but when you get there, you will find the advice of someone that obviously hasn't taken the Apple crust out of his eyes and taken a look at the Zune. Furthur more, he'd be quite surprised how many people actually asked for a Zune for Christmas.

Any how, this ad scraper goes on to tell those that got a Zune for Christmas to follow his steps to getting it set up. His steps are simply return the Zune and get an iPod.

Anyway, this scraper might get what he set out to accomplish with the post if other pick up on his ignorance and I am not helping by linking his scraper blog, but I had to link to allow you guys the opportunity at a good post Christmas laugh.

Don't worry scraper blog author, we like our Zunes. Hell, I probably own 10x more iPods than this dude anyhow.

PS. What kind of person Diggs their own articles?

Ok, so I was out doing some last minute shopping ( Small HD Flat Screen LCD for the bedroom for my wife ), and in the process I visited Wal Mart, Target, and Circuit City. Here is what I learned at each store...

Wal Mart
Zero Zune 80s in stock, several Flash Zunes. No Pink Zunes. No Zune 30s. Yes, Zune 30s are selling at $199.99 retail prices fast. That's what the associate I talked to said.

Target
7 Zune 80s and almost no Flash Zunes. No Pink Flash Zunes. Plenty of Zune 30s.

Circuit City
I asked the salesman what is the best mp3 player they have. He said the iPod. I said why and he didn't have an answer. Is he trained to say that? Anyhow, he said the iPod Touch is selling like hot cakes. I looked down and there were 30 or so of them as if the stash was untouched. The Zune 80 looked the same way, there were at least 10 of them there. The flash Zunes were bare as could be too. He said that lots are asking for 4gb pink Zunes.

Anyhow, that's my town and the Zune in the marketplace 3 days before Christmas.

You read here yesterday about how Apple bought out one of its fansites and how they censor they forums, right?

Well how about this, they are also buying up Zune related keywords to pimp their wares. Doesn't that kinda fall into the using your competitor's business name in your meta tag category?

Anyhow, Jason Dunn from Zune Thoughts caught this one yesterday...

Yes, that is an Apple iPod ad coming up on the word Zune. Too Funny.

Source : Zune Thoughts

From Cesar Menendez at Zune Insider:

2007: Best. Year. Ever. I got married, we celebrated music and community by putting on a few BBQs, the Zune lineup got an update, we added the Zune Social, Zune Originals launched, and a bunch of other cool Zune stuff. And, of course, lots of music. Here are my favorite songs that came out in 2007:

1. "Your English is Good" - Tokyo Police Club
2. "Sunday Bloody Sunday" - Saul Williams
3. "The Underdog" - Spoon
4. "No One's Gonna Love You" - Band of Horses
5. "Drivin' Me Wild" - Common
6. "Lake Michigan" - Rogue Wave
7. "You Don't Know Her Name" - Maps
8. "D.A.N.C.E." - Justice
9. "While We Go Dancin" - While Rabbits
10. "Ahora Si" - Spanish Harlem Orchestra
11. "23" - Blonde Redhead

There you have it. Check out Zune Marketplace on Tuesday to see what the Zune Marketplace editorial picks!

What's in your top eleven?

Source:Zune Insider

Nothing to see here, just someone asking some journalist a question about the Zune. She should have told the inquiring, future Zune owner that the Zune's WiFi cooked dinner too.

The great thing is that she is honest and sounds as if she knows what she is talking about. I heard rumors that the WiFi would be used to hit the interwebs one day on the Zune. One Click WiFi downloads from the Zune Marketplace would bring me more joy this Christmas than peace on earth.

Question:  I'm looking for a new MP3 player. I'm leaning toward an 80-gigabyte Zune. I know it has built-in Wi-Fi. Does the Wi-Fi require a monthly subscription?

Answer:  There are no monthly fees, but the Microsoft Zune's Wi-Fi may not be what you expect. You can use it to share songs with other Zune users. It also synchronizes with your computer wirelessly. Unfortunately, you can't connect to the Internet with the Zune. That means you won't be browsing with it. If you want to use the Web, consider Apple's iPod Touch. It has a Web browser, but it's more expensive than the Zune, has less storage and won't synchronize with your computer wirelessly. So, it's a trade-off.

Komando's Q&A: Zune's Wi-Fi may be out of tune - USATODAY.com

Karla Escolas (from Chitika, the mini mall company) nails the digital music player scene in this article. In my own words, she is asking if you would rather buy an iPod at Designer prices or a Zune at normal prices. The Zune 80 and the iPod Classic 80 cost exactly the same, But the question still rings true.

Do you know what the price difference is when purchasing a designer bag vs. a replica? It can range anywhere from $20.00-$2,000. The difference between the bags is usually just the brand name, or is it better quality? To me it's all the same material.

Which is why I personally prefer the look over the label, and I guess that would make me a "deal" buyer, not a "designer." But there are people, I know because I do know many, that would purchase a designer handbag simply because it's made by Coach.

Does the same hold true for gadgets? Let's take for instance the the famous debate over the Zune 80 and the Apple iPod. Function-wise, the Zune 80 (80GB) has a screen that's almost double the size of the iPod 80 LCD, it is highly scratch resistant, has brighter image settings, is commonly said to have a very sleek design and is priced at $249.

Now how can I place the Zune 80 into the "deals" category even though the iPod also costs $249?

Read the rest of her article at The Chitika Blog

Over at Zunerama, Harvey Chute posted a short commentary about your listening habits and how this can be affected by the Zune Cards. Basicly, he goes on about how some people might change their listening habits knowing that others are watching what you are listening to.

Like many, no doubt, aapold admits that he sometimes gravitates to songs that will look "cool", while avoiding the "uncool" tracks that he knows will show up to other forum members.

Many of us confessed to a similar tendency. After spending months building up your indie cred, do you really want the last ten tracks on your Zune card to be from John Denver's greatest hits?

Now, this isn't a jab at Zunerama, but I thought people that wanted to look cool bought iPods? No, seriously though, I could care less what people think of what I listen to. If you are that worried that listening to Barry Manilow will get you laughed at, just don't use the social aspect. I listen to almost anything, so you might see all sorts of weird stuff if you watch my card. In fact, if I was not on the road and my Zune was plugged in, you'd see that I listed to 5 different versions of Avril Lavinge's "Girlfriend" on the way to work today. (they are in different languages, kinda cool)

Anyhow, I can see that some people might want to look cool, but why? Why would anyone REALLY CARE what others think of what jams others are listening to? Is that kind of superficial?

What do you think?