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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 DLC to games.

Quick note: tune in next week for a chance to win a Zune HD!

Related links:
>>A modest proposal: Detente between Mac and PC laptop fans
>>Can Zune gaming compete?
>>Times Square gets free WiFi

>>Watch the Digital City live every Monday at 3pm EST on CNET Live!
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Technically, there's no reason the Zune couldn't have a huge game library.

(Credit: Microsoft)

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.

Need to charge your Zune HD in the car and transmit to your FM radio? The Zune Car Pack has you covered.

(Credit: Microsoft)

The Zune HD represents a big step forward in Microsoft's war against the iPod, but when it comes to accessories, there's just no catching up to Apple. Step inside any local electronics store and you'll find yourself wading through a swamp of speaker docks, cases, cables, chargers, in-car FM transmitters, and alarm clocks, all made for the iPod. Try looking for the Zune section, though, and you'll be sorely disappointed.

Fortunately, the handful of accessories made for the Zune are all surprisingly high in quality. The iHome ZN9 alarm clock, for instance, is one of the better bedside speaker systems we've tested, regardless of what MP3 player you plug into it. Same goes for the Kicker ZK500--the thing is a first-rate, floor-shaking speaker dock that any Zune owner should count themselves lucky to have.

Some accessories are uniquely Zune, though. The HD AV dock, for example, has no equal in the iPod world. With it, you can output 720p video from your Zune HD to your TV, as well as show off your music collection, flip through photos, and tune in to HD Radio channels.

To see our full list of Zune HD accessories, check out this CNET photo gallery.

Accessories for the Microsoft Zune HD

Jasmine and Donald are terribly tired of the Zune HD and iPod Touch, but there's nothing else to talk about (besides the wonders of fried food), so consider yourself warned. On the plus side, a cranky Jasmine is an entertaining one as she expounds upon the objectivity of spec-to-spec comparisons. Also up: Donald calls out some worthy Zune HD accessories, and several loyal listeners get to hear their musings read on the air.

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... Read more

OK, so my official CNET review of the Zune HD is up and running over at CNET Reviews. It's worth checking out, but if you don't feel like taking 10 minutes out of your day to soak it all in, then I'll make it real clear to you with just two sentences:

Buy the Zune HD if you love music.
Buy an iPod for everything else.

That's it. And I don't mean for that to sound dramatic, condescending, or pro-Apple or pro-Microsoft. If we met on the street and you asked me "iPod or Zune?", then that's the answer you'd hear from me. The Zune HD does a phenomenal job showcasing and organizing music in a way that invites exploration and interaction. And if you have the extra $14.99 per month to throw at a Zune Pass music subscription, then welcome to the music orgy.

The problem is, I'm not sure how many people really love music. ... Read more

The Zune HD: Microsoft's latest version of the iPod challenger.

Microsoft has made a few forays into hardware--notably the Zune and the Xbox--with varying degrees of success. What kind of gadget might Redmond try next?

Vote in our poll, and if you have any other predictions, be sure to share them in the TalkBack section below.

All too easy--which is a good thing.

(Credit: Rapid Repair)

You know your gadget has truly made it when the folks at Rapid Repair take the time to carefully dissect it. After all, why waste an afternoon figuring out all the ways consumers might need to repair the Zune HD, if you don't think anyone's going to buy the thing.

Fortunately, it looks like the Zune HD lends itself well to any DIY repairs (unlike a certain competitor). To see the Zune HD's guts splayed like it's in some kind of technological slaughter house, check out our full tear-down gallery, courtesy of Rapid Repair.

Zune HD tear down--photos

iFixt in short order has done a tear-down of the Microsoft Zune HD media player, which hit retail Tuesday.

The core silicon in the Zune HD is an Nvidia Tegra processor (see photo) based on the power-frugal ARM chip design. The system-on-chip uses less than 0.5 watts of power. Tegra's defining feature is the integrated Nvidia GeForce graphics chip, which gives the Zune its graphics processing oomph.

(Credit: iFixit)

The Zune HD also uses a SiPORT HD radio chip and an SDRAM chip from Hynix, according to iFixit. The accelerometer, for automatically orienting the display between portrait and landscape modes, is from Kionix.

Probably the most conspicuous feature of the Microsoft media player is a 3.3 inch OLED display capacitive touch screen. OLED screens draw significantly less power than a traditional LCD. "This isn't the first product with an OLED, but it's certainly cutting-edge technology, and something we haven't seen in any Apple ... Read more

It's time to rethink what you think you know about Zune.

(Credit: Microsoft)

Microsoft's Zune HD portable media player has been sitting in a sealed box on my desk for two weeks now. Don't worry, I haven't lost my professional fascination with portable media players. The only reason the box has stayed sealed is because the Zune HD is little more than a $219 paperweight if it doesn't have the Zune 4.0 software client to connect to.

The wait is finally over. As of this morning, Microsoft's free Zune 4.0 software is available for download. Perfect timing, too, since the Zune HD officially goes on sale today and with any luck, preorders will be dropping on the doorsteps.

So what's new in version 4.0? Well, there's a new look, a new opening Quickplay page (shown above), an updated store stocked with new HD movies, rentals, and TV shows, a Genius-like Smart DJ feature that can leverage your Zune Pass subscription for an unlimited on-demand music-streaming experience that makes Pandora look like child's play.

But perhaps the biggest part of the new Zune 4.0 experience is that Microsoft is giving Zune Pass music subscribers a way to stream music over the Web by logging into their Zune.net accounts on any Mac or PC. We're still a far cry from being able to sync a Zune with a Mac, but at least Zune Pass users can now dig into the Zune Marketplace's deep catalog and stream music wherever and whenever they want.

To see more of what the Zune 4.0 software has to offer, head over to our CNET slideshow.

Update: Some users are encountering software installation problems with the download package from Zune.net. For a more comprehensive software download (and larger file) you may want to try downloading from Microsoft's Download Center.

Zune 4.0 software--photos