The Zune Originals online store offers tons of colors and etching designs for the Zune HD.
You've held your tongue through all the Apple iPod propaganda. Resisted the temptation to put a stock, 32GB Zune HD on pre-order. You've scrimped and saved and patiently waited until the day when you could order your own unique blue, green, red, custom-etched, deluxe-packaged Zune Originals Zune HD.
Well, dear Zune-ster, that day has come. As of September 15, you can now log onto the Zune Originals online store and design your very own dream Zune HD. Beyond the two capacity options (16GB and 32GB), and five colors (black, platinum, green, blue, and red), you also get access to more than 50 etchings and the ability to inscribe your own personal message.
The downside to the whole Zune Originals option is that you're paying full price for your Zune HD, plus a few dollars more for some designs, and of course, there's shipping. But hey, what's a few extra bucks when it comes to letting your iPod-avoiding freak flag fly?
To get a better sense of the colors and designs available from Zune Originals, check out our hands-on photo gallery.
While Microsoft, Nokia, and others paid untold sums of money to have the biggest and brightest booth at the Web 2.0 Expo, in a quiet part of the show floor, one of my favorite DIY sites Instructables.com essentially stole the show.
Ignoring boring pamphlets or forgettable swag, the company brought a laser etching machine and offered up free custom-designed laser etching to anyone who brought a laptop, iPhone, or other portable device that they were willing to have burned with warranty-voiding goodness.
Word spread like wildfire around Blogtropol.us' blogger lounge that this was going on downstairs, the geek equivalent of hearing that there's an ice cream truck outside on the hottest day of summer. Throwing caution to the wind I had my iPhone etched with the Webware logo, no doubt solidifying my nerd cred while simultaneously destroying any sort of warranty I had from Apple in case of the need for repair.
Oh well, it was totally worth it.
I grabbed the video below off my digital camera, so I apologize for the noisiness--but I hope it captures the awe and wonder of having an electronic good customized in one of the coolest ways possible. Don't forget, if you're at the Web 2.0 Expo tomorrow, Instructables will still be there.
(Credit:
Johnson Smith)
It's the perfect gift to address a Boomer's midlife crisis: an excuse to get a big-screen TV and to relive one's childhood.
The "Deluxe TV Etch-A-Sketch" has a handheld controller that plugs into the television so you can put your work on display for all to see--until someone wants to watch something, anyway. The knobs look a little different from those on the original, so purists might not allow it in any sort of competition.
But there is one feature that remains true to the original, according to Book of Joe: If you shake the controller, the image will disappear. That'll come in particularly handy if this guy ever comes over to play.
You can't accuse me of not putting my money where my mouth is. I paid full price for my custom Zune 80. Let's hope I don't regret it. Click on the photo to view the Zune Originals unboxing image gallery.
(Credit: Donald Bell / CNET Networks)As a longtime iPod loyalist, I had a lot of mixed emotions ordering a Zune 80 for myself last Sunday. Part of me felt like a traitor, honestly. I thought about my poor 5G video iPod, which had been ignored for weeks at the bottom of my messenger bag while I played with Microsoft's loaner for my review. Now, I'd never abandon my iPod completely, especially considering that part of my job is reviewing the seemingly endless parade of iPod accessories. Still, I figure there's room in my life for another MP3 player, right? I mean, I would be negligent as a digital audio journalist if I didn't order one.
Well, my Zune 80 arrived today, and I can honestly say I have no regrets (so far). I went the custom route and ordered the Zune 80 directly from Microsoft on its ZuneOriginals site, complete with custom artwork. Say what you want about the Zune, but the designers have definitely outdone themselves on packaging details. From the foil-embossed box, to the golden envelope, the entire package from ZuneOriginals felt like it should be holding Lil' Jon's diamond-encrusted Pimp Cup. ... Read More
Microsoft is finally allowing the 80GB Zune to be directly ordered and customized from its ZuneOriginals Web site. We reported about the ZuneOriginals launch earlier this month, when Microsoft was offering orders for only the smaller Zunes 4 and 8. The laser-etched designs being offered for the Zune 80 appear to be identical to the Zune 4 and 8 designs, only bigger, and thereby, way cooler. The service costs nothing, and the shipping is free.
ZuneOriginals.net will offer free customization of the new Zune MP3 players.
(Credit: Cool Hunting)CoolHunting broke the news on Microsoft's planned ZuneOriginals Web site, which launches tomorrow (November 13). The site will act as a direct online retail outlet allowing customers to order either the 4GB, 8GB, or 80GB version of the new Zune MP3 player, customized with one of 27 original graphics produced by 18 artists. If the fact that Microsoft managed to round-up 18 legitimately amazing artists to design custom Zune graphics isn't jaw-dropping enough for you, the fact that the laser-etched graphics are offered for free is downright flabbergasting. Throw in the fact that Microsoft is providing a free v2.0 firmware update to first-gen Zune owners, and that's a whole lot of love from the Zune camp. Let's hope this sparks some Apple jealousy. I really wouldn't mind a Classic firmware update on my 5G iPod, along with some snappy graphics. Where's the love, Apple?
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