Every year I go to CES I always say I'm going to spend time walking the show floor. I never do. I really miss a lot of potential partners, which is a real shame. So, I have an idea. If you guys are going to CES, I want you to bring a digital camera. On Monday and Tuesday (the 8th and the 9th) I want you guys to take as many photos of products/companies that you think will make good Zune partners/products. Then upload them to Flickr (of your favorite photo sharing site) and send me a link by 6:00PM on Tuesday. What's in it for you you say? For the person who sends me the most photos of unique products and tells me which partners they are from, they will get a ticket to our very exclusive Zune party Tuesday night (sorry folks I've only got one). Is that enough incentive for you guys?

Acording to an interview on Czech Business Weekley web site with Jan Muehlfeit, Microsoft’s vice president for corporate and government engagement throughout Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) he was asked “When will the Microsoft portable media player Zune be launched in Europe?” The answer to that is “It should be in Europe in [...]

Microsoft seems to have pulled a play out of Sony's book with some really strange advertisements for the Zune. Check out the cooler of the commercials above, and the weirder after the jump.
Edit: After further investigation, these are actual fan-made ads for the Zune. That must be why they have nothing to actually do with the Zune. The commercials are part of Zune Arts. Still pretty weird, nonetheless.

Seriously, this kind of a commercial would give me nightmares, easily.

– Travis Hudson

So, I told you all that my wife was getting my pink Zune. What I didn't tell you is that she hates all technology. I joke with her and call her a Luddite all the time. She just started using email about a year and a half ago and really only checks it about once a week. Enough said.

Well, I gave her the Zune and a nice magenta case and she really liked it. We opened it up together and got her going. No issues with recognizing the device (the software was already installed). We upgraded the firmware without a hitch. We transferred her music onto the device. I added some albums I thought she'd like from my collection. I showed her how to use marketplace and downloaded a few albums. Transferred some photos of our son and changed the background. We even shared a track. It all worked like a charm. All in all, she's thrilled. More importantly, I got husband kudos for the gift!

So, you saw me inquire about silicone cases a few posts ago. I have a custom made silicon case prototype I'm going to give away to the person with the best Zune Christmas story. It could be sharing, accessories, gifts, playlists, etc. In 100 words or less, tell me what happened over the holidays. Pictures are welcome. I reserve the right to pick the best one and award the case to the story I deem the best example of "Zuneism."

Filed under: Portable Audio
While hackers eagerly work on getting Tux onto their Zunes, M:Robe fans can rejoice as their wait is finally over. After cracking the firmware, crafty "Shirour" has managed a great feat in not only getting his media player to run Linux kernel 2.6.15, but also in creating a touchscreen driver for it and putting together a serial interface to make those "wasted job hours" more productive. If you're interested in taking advantage of the fruits of his labor, the modified Linux files are available for download, allowing you to breathe some new life into your favorite (or not so favorite) discontinued music player. Just remember, those of you who opted for the extended warranties, any damages incurred during the course of this hack will undoubtedly void it.

[Thanks, Daniel P] 
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