VentureBeat

Microsoft’s new music player, Zune, has been unveiled and here are significant points. More than just a music player, it has a social networking component too, with a Marketplace to share music with friends. This could create some excitement in Silicon Valley, creating a cottage industry of suppliers like the one around the iPod.

Here are the basics, as being reported by Engaget and other places:
–Three-inch screen, which is larger than the largest iPod screen of 2.5 inches.
–30 GB Zune will have a built-in FM tuner and wireless 802.11 technology for sharing songs with your friends on their Zune devices, something lacking in the iPod. The shared songs will last three days or three plays, which ever comes first.
–The sharing will take place via Microsoft’s Zune Marketplace store (picture from Engaget) will have a library of “millions of songs” in undisclosed formats, and which you can interact with via your PC.
–The Marketplace will accept “Microsoft Points” so you can purchase without the use of a credit card.
–The Zune software will be able to import both iTunes and Windows Media Player files
–pricing will be “in coming weeks.”

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Tags: Microsoft, people:Robert-Rapier