Posted 11/07/09 at 09:03:12 PM by Justin Kerr

Okay, so it’s not like Zune HDs were dropping dead right left and center, but more than a few users were irked that play count issues have plagued the device since day one, and many were wondering if it would ever get fixed. Specifically, the Zune HD wouldn’t register a song as “played” unless you skipped to another track manually after about 20 seconds or so. If you were one of the many who were annoyed by this bug, the end is nigh.

The just released v4.3 firmware update addresses not only this issue, but offers up a myriad of “minor improvements”, not the least of which is a snappier browser.

In addition to speed enhancements, it offers up “support for upcoming 3d games and applications, as well as an auto-suggest feature for better text input”. Its great to see Microsoft continuing to make improvements to the device, but who are we kidding, this thing pretty much kicked ass to begin with right? Hit the jump to checkout the full patch notes and see the new browser in action.

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Posted 11/02/09 at 05:00:00 PM by Norman Chan

Need a new portable media player? We're giving away a Zune HD 16GB (Black), courtesy of Nvidia. This kick-ass video and music player is powered by Nvidia's Tegra APX 2600 system-on-a-chip, a sports a vibrant 3.3" OLED screen. This Zune also comes with a custom engraving on the back. But enough of the technical babble. We're going to make it super easy for you to enter the contest, so hit the jump to get the full scoop on getting your name in the random drawing. In fact, you may already be entered!

The contest ends in less than two weeks, so read on for the full rules!

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Posted 10/07/09 at 09:26:22 AM by Paul Lilly

Keep your friends close and your enemies closer. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em. Or choose your own cliche, bearing in mind that Microsoft is considering whether or not to port its Zune software and services to other platforms, most notably to Apple's. Is the sky falling?

"We are evaluating a lot of options in terms of platforms," Jose Pinero, Director of Communications for Microsoft's TV, Video, and Music Business told ZDNet's Mary-Jo Foley when asked point blank about the possibility of Zune running on Apple devices. "Zune is a music and video service from Microsoft. Period."

In other words, while Microsoft would like nothing more than to beat iPod in the music player market, that isn't the Zune's focus, which is software-based. And considering the number of users who would be willing to dump iTunes in a heartbeat if it didn't mean giving up their shiny iPods, it makes sense that Microsoft would at least entertain the idea of opening up Zune to the largest install-base of music players.

Thoughts on the idea? Hit the jump and sound off!

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Posted 09/24/09 at 06:06:47 AM by Andy Salisbury

There’s been loose talk of a Zune phone for some time now, and it looks like we’ve finally found out what it might be. According to some scoop from the folks over at Gizmodo, Microsoft’s reported Pink phone is the device at large, and it’ll come in two forms.

The two models, which are known as the Turtle and the Pure, look an awful lot like a Palm Pre and a Sidekick respectively. The phones will be made by Sharp, who will share branding with Microsoft. The phones are reportedly aimed at a younger audience, which explains the perpetually round aesthetics.

It’s expected that they’ll feature Zune services (hint: Zune phone) and have their own app store, making it an obvious competitor to Apple’s iPhone. No word yet on pricing or availability.

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Posted 09/18/09 at 04:30:16 PM by The Maximum PC Staff

We're finishing up an issue of the magazine this week, but still found some time to talk about tech news on the podcast. Topics of discussion include the new Windows 7 commercials featuring Maximum PC, Microsoft's anticipated Zune HD debut, and AMD's $99 Athlon II X4 CPU. Will gives the scoop on the ATI's new Eyefinity videocard technology, which he saw running on an aircraft carrier. This week also features a fruitful listener question and answer segment, which includes one of the episode's many Nixon references. Gordon goes off on Bay Area traffic, and talks about his new phone purchase (no, not an iPhone). 

Do you have a tech question? A comment? A tale of technological triumph? Just need to get something off your chest? A secret to share? Email us at maximumpcpodcast@gmail.com or call our 24-hour No BS Podcast hotline at 877.404.1337 x1337--operators are standing by.

Subscribe: http://feeds.feedburner.com/maximumpc/1337

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Posted 09/18/09 at 03:30:40 PM by Jason Cross

Try as it might, Microsoft has never been able to put a dent in Apple's marketshare for portable media players. The previous Zune players were pretty good, and the Zune desktop software finally got there after a few revisions, but neither one had the "wow factor" necessary to pull the masses away from the iPod juggernaut. With the Zune HD (and accompanying Zune 4.0 software), Microsoft has finally delivered the kind of truly exciting device that should make even the most ardent iPod fan take notice. It's sleek, small, thin, and surprisingly light with the rare quality of looking as good as Apple's products without looking just like Apple's products.

Read on for the full review!

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Posted 09/17/09 at 04:48:26 AM by Andy Salisbury

The Zune HD may only be a couple of days old, but the app store for the device is already up and running.

A “Marketplace” which offers nine free apps is already shelling out software to Zune HD users across the land. The apps, which include calculator, weather, Texas hold ‘em, Sudoku, Space Battle 3, Shell Game… Of the Future, Hexic, Goo Splat and Chess will appear in a new “Apps” menu on the main screen once they’re downloaded.  Reportedly, the apps look and act pretty solid, but feature adverts during startup that cause the boot time to exceed 30 seconds in some cases.

Either way though, they’re free – so you get what you pay for.

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Posted 09/02/09 at 05:45:29 PM by Pulkit Chandna

The year began with speculative whispers of Zune’s impending demise. Despite all the uncertainty clouding the Zune’s future, Microsoft announced the Zune HD on May 26, 2009. The company wants to turn over a new leaf with the Zune HD. If Paul Thurrrot’s Supersite for Windows is to be believed, Microsoft has made up its mind to efface the specter of the Zune’s past. All current Zune models are being phased out as Microsoft looks to start anew with the Zune HD. Plunging demand for old-hat PMPs combined with the abysmal showing of the original Zune must have led Microsoft to this decision. The Zune HD is scheduled for release on September 15, 2009.

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