I was wondering what happened to Zune, after I noticed this weekend that they were gone from the Seattle Costco, apparently displaced by an ever-expanding display of iPods and iPod accessories.
Anyway, today the Zune team sent out an update saying their player "remains the number two seller" among hard-drive based digital music players. That's based on an NPD report for January sales that found Zune had a 9.9 percent share in the category.
That's down a tiny bit from the 10.2 percent share Zune had in December.
But the note today from Zune spokeswoman Lane Keough was upbeat.
"We believe this toehold in the market will enable us to make a deeper footprint as time goes on, and we're committed to expanding the Zune offering,' it said.
Keough also said a firmware update will be released in mid-March to fix a glitch that has caused skipping of some songs downloaded from the Zune Marketplace. The update (to version 1.3) will "also improve overall software relia...

Remember that stunt last week where the Zunemobile blasted Timberlake at 3am in NY? Well, Cesar from Zune Insider drew the short straw and had to bring the Sorry Back.
On behalf of the Zune team at Microsoft, I'd like to issue an apology to the residents of Ludlow Street (between Stanton and Houston) for the loud noise at 3:00 AM last Sunday (24 Feb). For what it's worth, this was not a planned or Zune-sanctioned PR event, a stunt, or any intentional marketing activity. And we've taken steps to make sure this won't happen again. To those folks woken up by the sounds of the vehicle, we apologize. Apology accepted (I don't live in NY). – Jason Chen
Sorry, New York [Zune Insider]
Image that doesn't really make sense stolen from Wonkette.

Filed under: Portable Audio, Portable Video

It takes a certain amount of spirit to be a Zune user in the first place, so when the few, the proud discovered odd bugs in their precious "social" DAPs, and then learned that Microsoft was not only not fixing these problems, but not even confirming a fix was in the works, you can imagine the outcry was rather vocal. Well, the Zune Insider blog has finally spoken up on the subject, and is promising a 1.3 firmware update around March 20th to fix the most obvious of problems, such as Zune Marketplace content skipping, FM tuner battery drainage, and syncing hassles. Unfortunately, the other vocal half of the social, the ones with few bugs, but a whole lot of feature requests, is going to get shafted with this update -- still no wireless syncing, still no podcasting, still no transmogrifier. At least Microsoft has confirmed those requests, and says the Zune team is "working on making Zune better," and not just blowing all the...

Zune owners have been looking forward to the next Firmware update after the last firmware update improved performance and improved stability. This next one, which we just found out is coming Mid-March, will fix a certain skipping problem users are having when playing Zune Marketplace songs.
Besides improving "device and software reliability" again, it's also going to stop the FM Tuner from draining battery while in sleep mode. These are the only three things listed for now, but who knows, they may slip in an extra bullet point or two come March. – Jason Chen
Zune Firmware Update 1.3 - Coming Mid-March. Skipping Fixed. [Zune Insider]

If you saw our hands on with the V-Moda Vibe fashion earbuds, you'd know that they're both comfortable and pretty great sounding for the price. Their two latest version of the Vibe, the Red Roxx and the La Mocha, are the same great mid-price-range earbuds but with some slight changes.
The first, of course, is the color. The Red Roxx set is supposed to go with the (RED) version of the iPod Nano (or a RED RAZR), and the La Mocha is brown to go with the brown Zune. Both have the same silicone padding and the same great sound production as the original V-Moda Vibes. The only difference that our untrained ears could hear was a slight increase in bass response, which made it a bit more bass heavy than before.
Still, these new buds are priced at only $100 and offer an easy way to improve your appearance on your daily commute without exercise, better grooming, or a new wardrobe.





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&nda...

Filed under: Displays, Wearables

While you risk onlookers pointing, staring, and occasionally tying your shoelaces together, wearing video glasses gives squinty eyes a rest and can really make the most of those small-screened devices. 22Moo has just released a slew of virtual viewers including the VG240, VG910, VG920, VG920D, PlayMate MMC, Argo, Argo+, Argo+Cinema, VG100K, and VG-350, simulating screens from 35-inches to a whopping 80-inches with the VGA VG920s, which can connect directly to the iPod Video and Zune. The Argo+ design is optimized for Wii gameplay while the VG-100Ks double as sunglasses -- an ideal choice if you're trying to avoid the Geordi La Forge look. These newbies look nearly identical to the last round, but at least the prices, at around $275, haven't shifted much either. 
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BOLD MOVES: THE FUTURE OF FORD A new documentary series. Be part of the transformation as it happens in real-time
Office Dep...

Given that the cables on our mesk (combination of desk and mess) has more knots than a speedboat, we're not exactly the target market for this Bird-Electron cable organizer. But if you're truly anal about keeping your desk clean (ahem), then you're going to want to invest in this little beauty.
Costing $55 straight from Japan, this cable organizer takes in various iPod, RCA, Zune, USB or charger cables through one of its many pre-drilled holes. Sure, it'll brighten up your desk so that you can actually work, but is it worth it? After all, messy desk, creative mind, and all that. – Jason Chen
Product Page [Audiocubes via Slashgear]

In case you missed it, last Friday we declared the month of March Boycott the RIAA Month. We've gotten sick and tired of always seeing the RIAA pulling deplorable moves and decided it was time for us to do something about it. We're kicking the month off with this, our manifesto. We want to be absolutely clear about what this fight is about and why it's so important. This is an overview of what the RIAA does, why it's damaging, and what we need to do to stop it. Consider this our planted flag.
First off, we want to be clear that this battle won't be over on March 31st. We declared March the Boycott the RIAA month to draw a line in the sand and to make a strong statement, but this is merely the beginning. Everything we're going to lay out here will still be true in April, in May, in June, and in the months that follow. March will be not the entirety of our efforts, but rather a kick off of our organized campaign to make a difference. We'll be posting tips for how to get the word ...

You really got to wonder what was going through the marketing guys who thought this up. One of the weirdest ways to market a product thats for sure. At the wee hours of the morning, around 3 am the Zune promo car which also boast competition grade speakers decided to rock up to [...]

We all have, or most have read or heard about the mod that can make your Zune a portable harddrive, well here is a very helpful and much more visual video tutorial on how to achieve this mod and make your Zune a portable hardrive for caring around all those needed files.