With the new Videos section, auto-playlists, metadata improvements and a more social Social, there’s a lot of big changes to love about the 2.5 spring update. But what I appreciate just as much from the Zune team is the little interface and usability touches that make the experience of using the Zune software that much more enjoyable. The great thing about them is that they’re never really publicized or explained, you have to explore and find them on your own (or read blogs like this one). When the 2.0 software was released, I was amazed when I found the “Now Playing” screen when I clicked the little equalizer-looking icon by the play controls. This release doesn’t have as many surprises as last time, but there’s still a few gems to be found. Here’s just a few I’ve come across so far.

The Video Preview

If you’re playing a video (or video podcast) and you leave the full-screen view of it, you’ll get a little version of it continuing to play down at the bottom-middle of the screen.

It’s a tiny Michael Scott!

It even goes widescreen if the video is in that format. How great is that?

More Complete ‘Now Playing’ Screen

Before when I’d have the Now Playing screen up, there were many places where there wouldn’t be album covers making up the background. I had a lot of cover-less music, either live recordings, one-offs, non-album tracks, or stuff that just plain wasn’t in the Zune system. It didn’t look bad, the Zune software filled in the spaces with squiggly artsy designs, but the completist in me always wished it could be full of my album covers. Now it is! I don’t know if it’s the metadata fixes that have added art for just about every album and song I have (whether it’s the right one or not) or they just changed it to only pull actual album art, but now I’ve got nothing but wall-to-wall album covers, and I couldn’t be happier.

‘Show Episode List’ for Podcasts on the Zune

On the Zune itself, I noticed a new entry when you bring up the menu while playing a podcast. There’s now an option for “Show Episode List” where you can view all the episodes in the series and even change episodes mid-episode. Neato!

Hide the Playlist

When you’re on the Now Playing screen, there’s now a new icon that lets you hide (or un-hide) the playlist. It still auto-hides it after a few seconds like it did before, so I’m not entirely sure of the benefit of it, but hey, it’s there.

That’s what I’ve found so far. I’m sure there’s tons of other little changes that I’ll discover the more I explore through the new update. If I missed anything share it in the comments.

Oh and by the way, I’m Jonathan. I’m new ’round these parts, but I’m a bigtime Zune fan/evangelist and I couldn’t be happier to be a part of the Got Zune team. Add me as a friend on the Social if you’d like.

If you’ve been itching to check out all the new Zune 2.5 software improvements but haven’t had time to go through everything yourself, fear not. Jason Dunn over at Zune Thoughts has done all the heavy lifting for you and created a few videos detailing what’s new and exciting in the software upgrade. This first video gives an overview of most of the new features (minus The Social).

The second video goes specifically into the new features of The Social (which he wasn’t able to access in the first video)

Source

Dan over at Channel9 posted a video interview with Mike Klucher from XNA. He talks quite a bit about what we should expect to see with zune gaming, and how it will be delivered. Among many XNA-related things shown in this video, you also get a sneak peak at a game called “Alien Takeover” demonstrated using a zune 80. The good news is we should see an initial test version out within about 3 weeks, which will allow developers/users to get a taste of XNA on zune. Although they do emphasize the fact it is aimed more toward developers, anyone can download XNA studios 3.0 , and by getting your hands on .zip file of someone’s game, you can easily play it. All I can say is,  it’s about time we got some more info on XNA with zune!

Check it out over at Channel9

Edit: The video has been uploaded to youtube(Thanks to WetWorker of ZuneCards.net), so you can watch parts 1&2 after the break.

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Thanks to Kaseyart and Rock4christ for sending this in. It seems that Gizmodo has gotten their hands on a developer demo showing this. This could be a 3rd party hack in the works or maybe something being worked on for a future patch or release. BTW, aren’t we due for a patch soon?

At Microsoft’s Techfest, a researcher was showing off a smart shuffle system that uses tags and meta data like tempo and genre to direct playlist creation in a portable music device. The demo was being done on a first generation Zune.

The system is being developed in direct response to the huge number of songs people carry around on their media players, and specifically the millions of songs a Zune library can stock using a Zune pass. The system automatically recommends new songs based on songs played, and the logic is continuously “steered” by voting tracks up and down.

Source: Gizmodo

The new 2.3 update wasn’t supposed to add any features, but apparently it did. metheweirdo over at Zune Boards noticed this and brought it to their attention. Pretty cool. I like this feature since I download podcasts to try out all the time. Often times I listen and realize that the podcast sucks. I have to rely on my brain to get home and remember to delete it. Now I am golden.

Now you can unsubscribe from a podcast you no longer want directly from the device - another cool feature iPods don’t have! Simply click the center of the middle button while listening to any podcast to see this option!

Source : Zune Boards via Zune Thoughts and Heatwave

Well, once again I am linking to a nice nugget of info from my buddy Jason over at Zune Thoughts. He has discovered that you can still search dynamically.

When you are in the device or collection tabs, all you have to do is start typing and it will filter down your search. It’s not as dynamic as it used to be with the old software, but who needs dynamic? I’d rather the conventional search method anyhow with the search box.

There is one BIG GOTCHA to Jason’s find though. It only works in the device or collection tabs. Why is that bad? Simple, the place I most want to search is the MARKETPLACE. This is too bad, maybe this was an oversight on the Zune Team’s part.

Anyhow, that’s still a cool tip from Jason for those 2 tabs. With a LARGE collection, the search is pretty helpful still.

Source: Zune Thoughts

If you are interested in learning a little about the new Zune software to come, Zunescene has a 47 page leaked support document that appears to be for training of support persons. One thing that I noticed from the Engadget post, is Podcast support. We already knew this, but it’s good to be reassured. Speaking of Podcasts, now that I am almost done revamping DAPsite.com, I need to get back on it.

More on the unraveling mystery of the Zune 2 launch that is rumored to be tonight @ Gizmodo …

The next-generation Zune has just been announced, coming at you with a price tag (which we already saw) of $249 for the 80GB hard drive model and $149/$199 for the 4GB and 8GB flash-based models respectively. The new features in all models, which were leaked early, are wireless syncing with your computer automatically when you’re in Wi-Fi range?something users have been clamoring for since even before the first Zune?as well as videos in the Zune Marketplace and new music, some of which are DRM-free. The Zune Pad is actually touch sensitive, much like the iPod’s Click Wheel.

In addition, it looks like Cnet has this as an official announement now… Read on for more from Cnet.

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More. More. More. I love it. Rumors are flying around like jabs in tonight’s Contender Boxing Match. Hope nobody gets knocked out.

Engadget has posted some nice looking leaked photos 1st of all. (click them for the big version!)

Somehow, I don’t think these were supposed to be seen quite yet.

Well, 30 minutes later, more in at Engadget…

This Engadget post, if accurate basicly takes all the guess work and some of the excitement out of it all. Read on for all the details.

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From Whizbyte on the Zune:

After some discussion with a representative of Microsoft(press), I was given the following information after asking if they could confirm any details regarding Scorpio (the new 80gb model) and draco (the flash based zune). This is the reply:

We have seen the rumors floating around, but we haven?t announced specific dates or details for the next generation of the Zune devices or service. That said, Zune follows the cycle of the consumer electronics cycle so you can expect an update later this year prior to the holiday season.

There are three predictable paths along which we?ll expand Zune:

• Device family - adding in new sizes, styles and price points
• Features - we?ll move towards parity with iPod building in support for video, podcasting, etc and at the same time build on key differentiators such as the wireless feature, the FM tuner, etc
• Geographic Markets - we?ll start to expand the international footprint of Zune over time but only when we can ensure an offering which is tailored to that market

And one thing about Zune that?s really great for consumers is that the device is future-proofed. Consumers can buy without fear of their device becoming obsolete. Zune?s software (firmware) can be updated so their device gets automatically updated with new features when the new software is launched.?

Source: Boy Genius Report and WhizByte