New Zunes Officially Announced

 

Three new Zune models have been announced, two flash based models and one hard drive model.

Flash based Zunes:

  • “Zune 4” with 4GB and the “Zune 8” with 8GB.
  • Uses the “Zune Pad” which is a four way touch-sensative directional pad.
  • Zune 4 will sell for $150 and the Zune 8 for $200.
  • Both versioins available in pink, green, black, and red.
  • Both have a 1.8″ display.
  • They will be sized at 41.4 x 91.5 x 8.5mm (1.6 x 3.6 x 0.33-inches).

Hard Drive based Zunes:

  • “Zune 80” will sport a 80GB hard drive.
  • Will also use the “Zune Pad.”
  • Will be sold for $250.
  • Available in black (possibly with more colors coming down the line).
  • Will have a 3.2″ display.
  • Dimensions are 61.1 x 108.2 x 12.9mm (2.4 x 4.25 x 0.5-inches), much smaller then the original Zune.

The original Zune will still be there and from now on will be called the “Zune 30.” The new Zunes will begin shipping in November and all of the Zunes (including the Zune 30) will have a brand new redesigned user interface (which I think looks gorgeous). H.264 and mpeg-4 will now be supported by the software. The Zune will now be able to sync over WiFi, which is AWESOME (and one of the features I would love to see in the iPhone).

The Zune will finally have Podcast support and can be shared over WiFi with other Zunes. The three day restriction has been lifted from shared songs but it is still limited to three plays. The Zune music store will be going DRM-free with over 1 million MP3s (more details to follow).

Along with the new Zunes will also come new accessories for them, all of which look pretty cool. I’ll be honest with all of you, the new Zunes aren’t going to make me switch but I would definitely recommend them to friends and family.

Oh, by the way, Apple, please add WiFi syncing to the iPhone, that would be greatly appreciated.

Zune.net

3 comments

  1. i like the colors. they’re a lot better than apple’s new colors. but even though they changed the size, for some reason they still remind me of game boys.

  2. why would somone pay this much for something like this when they can get an itouch that has free wifi internet browsing????? I dont get some people…people need to start competeting with wifi-able devices!!!!

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