It’s been leaked for a while now at Fry’s, but Microsoft has finally confirmed new Zune updates. Nothing big on hardware, the real magic of this release is on the software side. On the hardware side, we see a new blue Zune and storage increases, along with some price drops. So what do the new Zune hardware options look like?
120 GB: $249.99
80 GB: $229.99
16 GB: $199.00
8 GB: $149.99
4 GB: $129.99
Now the part you’ve been waiting for. Being crippled since launch, Microsoft is finally putting the built-in WI-Fi in Zunes to good use. How so you might ask? With the new Zune 3.0 update, Microsoft will finally bring the Zune Marketplace directly to the player. Whenever you’re within a Wi-Fi hotspot, or within you’re home network, you’ll be able to ” browse lists of featured new releases and top songs and albums sorted by genre” or you can ditch all of that and search for what you want with an on-screen keypad (I can hardly imagine what that’ll be like). Those who have a Zune subscription will be able to stream music as well. Microsoft has also added a new FM feature which gives you an option to purchase tracks you hear off the radio. These tracks will be automatically downloaded to the Zune as soon as you’re within a Wi-Fi connection. There are a handful of other features, which you can read below straight out of Microsoft’s press release. These new software updates will all be made available on Sept. 16.
