zune

Microsoft to fix Zune HD censoring issue

It has only been available for a day, but already the Zune HD's Twitter app is being updated after it was criticized by users for automatically abbreviating explicit words in users' tweets. It doesn't even give them the option of determining when or which words should be censored.

As you might expect, the Web is overflowing with unhappy users. Commenters on the Slashdot entry discussing the censors were up in arms over the feature. Quite a few of those folks echoed "rocket97's" comments, who said that the "[censors] should be an option, not a … Read more

Twitter for Zune HD, hands-on

After a brief heads-up from Microsoft yesterday, the official Twitter app for Zune HD has arrived.

I've spent only a few minutes with the app, but I feel declaring it as a welcome addition to the slowly growing roster of free apps for the Zune HD.

Will it blow your mind? Probably not. But as an officially sanctioned Twitter-branded app, users are given a very familiar, clean, and intuitive way to read and create tweets.

Power users will probably be a little bummed there isn't a landscape keyboard option or much at all in the way of settings. … Read more

Twitter app for Zune HD imminent

Just when we were beginning to lose faith that Microsoft would make good on its plans to release Twitter and Facebook apps for the Zune HD, a tweet from Microsoft's Zune account offers a ray of hope. If the Twitter post turns out to be true, Zune users may see the fabled Twitter app as an available download as early as tomorrow morning (December 16).

Like all apps for the Zune HD thus far (including the recent batch of 3D games), we expect that the Twitter app will be free to download and include a momentary ad banner each … Read more

MP3 Insider 172: Subdued in sickness

As Jasmine France battles yet another cold, she defaults to Donald Bell for most of the talking, though her monotone voice intervenes at a few soothing intervals. On deck for this week: an unpopular story about popular gadgets, talks about Apple acquiring music cloud site LaLa, tips on how to ditch the iPod for the Zune (without hurting anyone's feelings), and a brief look at a new video service. Also: a listener looks for a mom-worthy MP3 player.

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Digital City Podcast 61: Peace in the Mac vs PC wars?

On this week's Digital City, we tackle one of the most contentious issues of our time -- Mac vs. PC -- as Dan offers an enlightened path to peace for both camps. We also hear about some free municipal Wi-Fi for the new Times Square pedestrian mall; a sweet TV/PS3 combo deal at Best Buy; and discuss the fate of the vaporware-like CrunchPad.

Later, Scott laments the lack of Microsoft synergy in the Zune gaming business model; we check out some new game releases, including Zelda: Spirit Tracks and The Saboteur; and debate the ethics of adding adults-only … Read more

Apple confirms acquisition of music site Lala

Apple has acquired struggling streaming music service Lala, an Apple spokesman told CNET News on Sunday.

Apple spokesman Steve Dowling confirmed the acquisition but did not disclose the terms of the deal or what the company intends to do with the 4-year-old Lala. The company scans users' hard drives and creates a duplicate music library that owners can access from Web-enabled devices. The company also sells songs for a dime each.

CNET News reported Friday that Apple was close to finalizing the sale and that one of the reasons Apple was interested in acquiring Lala is to obtain some of the company's payment and fulfillment systems, … Read more

MediaNet could power the online music revolution

I had a fascinating conversation with MediaNet CEO Alan McGlade on Friday morning. Unless you're deeply involved in online music, you probably don't know MediaNet, but it's the back end powering a lot of music services you might have used, including MOG's subscription service that launched earlier this week, as well as Microsoft's excellent Zune Pass subscription service and iLike's online music marketplace. (MySpace acquired iLike in August, and in November, links to iLike's service began appearing directly in music-related search results on Google.)

They've also got more history in online music … Read more

Gaming with Zune HD: Can it take on PSP, iPhone, DS?

While there's no shortage of handheld game systems on the market--the Nintendo DS and DSi are still selling well and the PSP continues to hang in there, while the App Store expands its catalog every minute--one of the seemingly no-brainer bets in the mobile gaming realm hasn't happened yet: the Zune.

We say "no brainer" for several reasons:

Microsoft has a successful gaming platform in the Xbox 360, emphasizing online and downloadable gaming. Microsoft, compared with Sony and Nintendo, is best able to take on Apple in terms of a media-management software store and the ability to build an equivalent music/games/movies catalog, and making that product PC compatible. The Zune HD now plays games.

The first point is obvious. The second is debatable, but we say this because Sony, while having a decent media library on PSN, just isn't historically great at building cross-platform software for syncing the PSP, and Microsoft's global software reach is simply stronger. The third is technically true--Microsoft launched a small collection of completely free-to-play, ad-supported games for its OLED-screened Zune HD last month, and one of them happens to be an adaptation of Project Gotham Racing.

It's an interesting prospect (and one we've wondered about before) because the Zune HD processor, an Nvidia Tegra, has both HD processing muscle and 3D graphics capability. We downloaded and played with all the Zune HD games currently available--all 12 of them--with some curiosity to see if the Zune could compete as a game device. … Read more

MP3 Insider 171: Slow news day

Jasmine stifles yawns as Donald tries to convince her that, yes, there are worthwhile things to talk about today, such as Sony dropping the price of the 32GB X-Series Walkman to a level that it should have been at to begin with (yawn), and Microsoft announcing two new subdued colors for the Zune HD (yawwwwwn). Also this week, Donald reviews the Zoom Q3, a video recorder that's much more impressive for audio, and we answer some listener email about MP3 player life spans. Plus, some hard facts on wood enclosures.

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MOG entering the music subscription game

If free ad-supported music services aren't going to make it financially, what about paid subscription services? Rhapsody and RealNetworks continue to soldier along, but RealNetworks is apparently looking for investors to take some portion of the Rhapsody business off its hands, and we haven't heard much about Napster since Best Buy, which acquired it a little over a year ago, slashed subscription prices in May in a bid to build membership.

Soon, there will be another competitor in the market: MOG. The company has offered a kind of music blog site with a social-networking spin for a couple … Read more