It’s going for $289.99 – $40 instant rebate + free shipping = $249.99!

Amazon has the Microsoft Zune HD 32GB Platinum MP3 Player With $30 Gift Card, Wired Magazine And More for $289.99 – $22 instant savings + $0 S&H = $267.99 shipped! It has a 3.3-inch OLED screen, WiFi, plays HD movies, HD radio tuner and a whole bunch of applications including gaming.  This deal also includes a $30 gift card towards future Amazon purchases, a 1-year subscription to Wired magazine and $5 worth of MP3 credits.

Amazon has the Microsoft Zune HD 16 GB Video MP3 Player With $20 Amazon Gift Card for $219.99 – $15 instant savings + free shipping = $204.99 shipped! This player has a 3.3-inch OLED screen, plays 720p HD movies, can record audio, has WiFi, an FM radioi and more.  This deal also includes an Amazon $20 gift card for future purchases.

Amazon has a great bundle deal that includes the Zune HD 32 GB Video MP3 Player (Platinum) With $30 Gift Card, Magazine Subscriptions And $5 Of MP3s.  It’s $289.99 – $22 instant savings + free shipping = $267.99 shipped! This MP3 player has 32GB of storage, 3.3-inch OLED 480 x 272 resolution, 720p HD movie support, HD radio and WiFi. 

Amazon has the Microsoft Zune HD 16 GB Video MP3 Player for $219.99 – $30 instant savings + $0 S&H = $189.99 shipped! This MP3 player does much more than play MP3s.  It has a 3.3-inch OLED 480×272 screen, can play back up to 24 hours of video on a single charge, receives HD radio, can play 720p movie and has a built-in WiFi connection for sharing and collecting new music.

S&H is about $6

I got some big chuckles from the Family Guy where Stewie tells Bill Gates that no one cares about the Zune.  I myself have never even touched one let alone know somebody that has one.  In recent news however, Microsoft has announced that they will no longer produce “non” touch screen Zunes to make way for Microsoft’s newest version, the Zune HD.  It’s probably for the best as beyond minor firmware updates, the “clickpad” Zunes have not seen any improvements since 2007 nor an improvement in sales.  The hard drive based Zune 80 and 120 will also be included in this discontinuation, but you can still buy them until they run out.

The Zune HD ships on September 15th for $220(16GB) and $290(32GB).

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Yesterday, Gizmodo received a photo from a Best Buy employee depicting the launch date of Microsoft’s Zune HD to be September 15th (that’s just 1 week after the rumored launch date).  And before that, Amazon leaked a pre-order page to the blogosphere showing the pricing for the 16GB and 32GB Zune HD to be $219.99 and $289.99 respectively.  So there you go, the Zune HD will launch in just over a month and cost less than an iPod.  I can’t say that I’m excited, but if Apple doesn’t come back with something jaw dropping I think the Redmond based company might have a winning chance in the PMP market.

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The proprietor of Neowin has some how scored in inside man at Microsoft.  More importantly the leak is willing to share info about the Zune HD, so much so in fact that he straight up admitted to Microsoft execs that he had leaked info previously, but some how went on breathing.  I think it’s all just PR spin with a dab of reverse psychology (why would Microsoft let a leak admit to telling execs if they were pulling the strings), but if the info is accurate does it really matter?  Nonetheless, on to the juicy stuff.

So the Microsoft programmer, who doesn’t work on Zune, says that we can definitely expect the Zune HD early September and that the price of the 16GB version will cost between $249 -$280.  Using my powers of deduction that probably means we can expect the 32GB to cost $299 – $349.  The leak also went on to say that Microsoft is considering a 64GB Zune HD, which I highly doubt because once you add a 3rd choice into the mix it gets more difficult for people to decide on which one and ultimately if they should actually purchase.

[via Gizmodo]

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According to a source close the Microsoft Zune project, the Zune HD will arrive September 8th and come in an 16GB and 32GB capacity.  There’s no word on price, but since this iteration of the Zune is said to sport Nvidia’s Tegra graphics processor and an OLED screen, something we should have seen in the latest iPhone, it will no doubt be a bit on the pricier side.  But it is a Microsoft product, so how many people can there be clamoring for this PMP?

Note: I own an Xbox 360, so I’m not totally anti-Microsoft, just anti-Microsoft when it comes to competing with Apple.   Flame on!

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E3 officially starts tomorrow and hopefully we’ll be on hand for one of the days.  But like all good events, the big boys have already started to roll out some juicy news.  Microsoft announced today that they’re upgrading the Xbox’s video capabilities.

First up, they’re changing the name of their video store to the ‘Zune Store’.  Clearly they’re trying to push the whole cohesive media thing to be more like Apple, and they probably see their video game arm as a big differentiator.  Additionally, 1080p movies will now be instant on, meaning as soon as you buy it you can begin to watch instead of waiting for it to download locally on your 360.

But on to more important news.  Netflix subscribers will no longer need a computer to add movies to their queue.  Nope, you’ll be able to add them directly on your Xbox.  I’d recommend picking up a keyboard or Microsoft’s messenger kit, otherwise you might be there all day punching in titles.  I’m not sure when the update will roll out, but let’s hope its soon.

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Don’t forget Newegg’s $30 coupon: EMCLSNT52 (expires: 6/1)

I was wondering when this rumor was actually going to see some artist renderings.  Not that it would be uncool, codename “xYz” would combine the MP3 awesomeness of a Zune and the gaming glory of an Xbox 360.  Here’s a mystery quote:

The project, codenamed “xYz,” is said to feature a WVGA touchscreen and a way to play music and movies on both the device as well as the Xbox 360. Basically, it’s going to be a connected handheld gaming system with rich multimedia features.

I think it sounds like a good idea and it would garner some serious attention as Microsoft is a stable name in the video game industry nowadays.  I doubt the ability to make 360 hardware that small and is it maybe too little, too late?  We’ll see if we hear anything again about this.

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Before you start tossing rotten fruit at me and calling this info unsubstantiated I’m gonna admit just that.  Now that I’ve got that out of the way, you should know that Microsoft is going to release a Zune HD, there is no doubt about that, hence the leaked artwork now and from this past weekend. Now the rumorville says the iPod Touch competitor will feature a an NVidia chipset, which will enable the PMP to play Xbox games.  Say what?  Well, we know Microsoft already has the licensing in order, so it seems like a smart move especially since Apple has started to position the Touch in this manner.  Capacity of the Zune HD will range between 16GB and 32GB, and to put the Zune HD one step ahead of the competition we might see an AMOLED touchscreen, which is also rumored to appear in the next iteration of the iPod Touch and iPhone.

Note, the above picture could be a complete render, no one really knows, but it seems likely.

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You’ve just laid your eyes on what is possibly the new Zune HD. Chicka what?!? Actually, you’re seeing artwork and not the actual device, but you get the point. Any who, the click wheel as been done away with and probably replaced with a ‘home’ button and touchscreen input. Reports say that the device, which will compete with the iPod Touch, will actually be smaller in size, whatever that means.  Hold your breath all your want – it’s still a Microsoft product.

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