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With fewer consumers than hoped for signing up for all-you-can-eat music subscriptions, Microsoft and the record industry are trying to make the option more appealing.

As of Wednesday, those who pay for the $14.95 a month Zune Pass subscription will start being able to permanently keep 10 tracks a month. The subscription already allows unlimited music downloads, but users have the ability to listen to the music only so long as they are subscribers.

Under the new plan, Zune Pass members will essentially get $10 worth of music to own each month, along with whatever subscription content they download. … Read more

The idea is instead of the traditional paper boarding passes, passengers will use their mobile phones or PDAs to board an airplane.

American Airlines tried out this new method for the first time on Thursday with passengers leaving on domestic flights from Chicago's O'Hare International Airport.

Starting Monday, mobile boarding passes will also be offered as an option for passengers departing on domestic flights from Los Angeles International and John Wayne Orange County airports.

This is how it works: when buying the ticket online, passengers must provide an active e-mail address to which their boarding pass will be … Read more

The ultimate freeware encryption program, TrueCrypt is loaded with powerful features for anyone who is concerned with protecting their data from thievery.

It offers 11 algorithms for encrypting your private files in a password-protected volume, with full support for Snow Leopard. You can store your encrypted data in files (containers) or partitions (devices). TrueCrypt works hard to offer powerful data protection, recommending complex passwords, explaining the benefits of hidden volumes, and erasing telltale signs of the encryption process, including mouse movements and keystrokes. Though the interface may not be immediately intuitive, its powerful, on-the-fly, no-cost encryption still earns the freeware … Read more

Microsoft warned Zune owners on Friday to prepare for an extended service outage starting Monday.

In an e-mail sent at 5:30 p.m. Friday, Microsoft warned that the outage could last for "up to 48 hours." The e-mail said the outage, which begins at 12:01 a.m. PDT on Monday, is for "scheduled maintenance."

A Microsoft representative would not offer more specifics or say why the outage was for such a long period of time. During the outage, the Zune Social, the Zune.Net forums as well as the Zune Marketplace online store will … Read more

Even with a big update, there are still many areas where the Zune comes up short when compared to Apple's iPod.

It's easy to argue that Apple still has the lead in styling, breadth of video content, add-on accessories, and software and compatibility. (Zune works only on Windows PCs.) Not to mention the fact that Microsoft has nothing to match Apple's iPod Touch with its ability to surf the Web and run a wide range of add-on programs.

But there are a couple of areas where Microsoft deserves significant credit. The most important, from my perspective, is … Read more

Microsoft, which is officially releasing its Zune 3.0 software on Tuesday, is also announcing a deal to give Zune owners free Wi-Fi access at McDonald's outlets.

The McDonald's deal is important because although every Zune has built-in Wi-Fi, the devices can only access free Wi-Fi hot spots that don't have a browser interrupt. That severely limits the types of public locations from which people can download songs wirelessly.

Many of the Zune's key new features, such as channels and "buy from FM" are most useful when Zune owners have access to a compatible … Read more

There are a number of businesses where Microsoft is playing catch-up these days. But arguably one where the company starts furthest behind is in the music business, where it decided two years ago to scrap its partner approach and go it alone with the Zune in its effort to catch the iPod.

I had a chance on Monday, not just to play around with the latest crop of Zunes, but also to talk strategy with Joe Belfiore, a longtime Microsoftie who moved over earlier this year to head Zune development. I also followed up with him on Wednesday, following Apple'… Read more

The best thing about the upcoming third-generation Zune? I already own it.

Just like last year's free update for first-gen Zune owners, Microsoft has confirmed that all existing Zune owners will get a free third-generation firmware upgrade once the product sees its official launch on September 16. Not "Apple free"--but "free" as in zero-cost.

As earlier articles have already shown, the details for Microsoft's third-generation Zune MP3 player hardware have been revealed as a few of the devices have accidentally hit the shelves. This year's Zune hardware offers a new color option (blue) and 120GB hard drive and 16GB Flash capacities, but is otherwise unchanged from the hardware we saw with its second-gen players. This means that side-by-side, it should be nearly impossible to tell a third-gen Zune apart from an updated second-gen Zune.

So, what will the new Zune update get you? Let's recap the leaked features.

Device to Cloud Finally, the Zune's Wi-Fi feature does something worthwhile. With the ability to access public and password-protected Wi-Fi hot spots, your Zune can now update itself on the fly and download tracks directly from Zune Marketplace. Zune Pass users will get the most from this feature since they'll be able to stream as much music as they want directly from Zune Marketplace as an added value. Pair this feature up with a speaker dock and you essentially have a killer commercial-free jukebox.

FM radio tagging We've been a longtime fan of the Zune's RBDS-enhanced FM radio, but the third-generation firmware promises to make the feature even better. So long as the FM radio station you're listening to supports RBDS or RDS song data, you'll be able to earmark any song you hear and download it later when you connect your Zune to your computer or over Wi-Fi in the Device to Cloud scenario. Seems like a great feature for folks who often use the radio to discover new music, and again, Zune Pass subscription users will now have a new way to milk the most new music from their monthly fee.

Zune Channels If you've already played around with your Zune's Social and Zune Card features, you probably know that you can automatically download recently played songs from folks you've befriended using Zune Social. Think of Zune Channels as the Friends feature on steroids (or better yet, think of it as Rhapsody Channels). You get regular and automatic updates of new music from channels you select based on artists, genres, DJs, and celebrities. You'll also get a personal recommendation channel based on ratings you've made to your music library.

Channels can be updated by connecting the Zune to your computer or using a Wi-Fi hot spot, and content will refresh weekly by flushing old songs out and bringing new tracks in. Zune Pass users will have the option to hold onto any of the Channel content, while non-subscription users will be bound by the Zune's three-play rule with the option to buy. … Read more

I just finished getting my hands on the new Zune players and trying out their new software features, which let you do things like buy a song off the radio and download tunes directly from the device via the Internet.

The latest software update reinforces the notion that Microsoft is aiming the Zune at hard-core music enthusiasts. Outside of music, very little has changed, with the exception of the addition of two new games and Audible audiobook format support. The devices themselves are similar in physical size and shape, adding improved capacity options (16GB on the flash model and 120GB … Read more