The MP3 player market heats up yet again as Microsoft releases its second phase of Zune players later this fall.
Microsoft this week launched its new range of Zune MP3 players. Along with the new players comes a revamped Zune Marketplace, Microsoft's own online MP3 store. Microsoft is now offering non-DRM tracks on their Zune store, but they haven't gone far enough to create an open and innovative system, at least not one we want to buy into. Simply offering non-DRM songs will not help Microsoft compete in the MP3 player market. Future iPods and Zunes will also need to provide access to competing stores directly from the players.
If the new Zune players would, for instance, allow us to buy songs from Amazon's new MP3 store, there would suddenly be a very good reason to buy a Zune. Without such capabilities, we would just end up supporting yet another greedy regime. And if Microsoft or Apple won't provide this kind of access (and we know they won't), we'll look for it elsewhere. Music Gremlin? Has anyone seen a Music Gremlin around?
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Samsung YP-P2
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Score: 70% When: November 2007 Worth: $250
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Samsung's newest PMP is slim, sexy and sports a 3" widescreen touch display. Do all the bells and whistles add up to a killer audio-visual experience, or were we left wanting?
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Toshiba Gigabeat T400
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Score: 70% When: September 2007 Worth: $120
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The gigabeat has a widescreen display, 4GB of flash memory and a Windows Media Center interface, the T400 looks like a promising media powerhouse. But can it overcome its DRM handcuffs?
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Sandisk Sansa View
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When: November 2007 Worth: $175
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SanDisk declares war in the flash MP3 player market by offering twice as much storage capacity for the same price as Apple's nano 3G.
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Creative Zen 16GB
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When: September 2007 Worth: $180
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The sleek Creative Zen will soon ship in 4, 8 and 16GB versions, boasting extensive audio and video support.
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Apple iPod 80GB
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Score: 86% When: January 2007 Worth: $200
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Before the imminent release of the iPhone, we take a good look at Apple's newest generation of iPod, with 80GB of storage for movies and music.
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Microsoft Zune 8
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When: October 2007 Worth: $170
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With two new flash Zunes and a larger hard disk drive in the third, will Microsoft's new PMP family finally take down Apple's capo de tutti capi?
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Read » Gallery »
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Microsoft Zune 80
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When: October 2007 Worth: $250
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With two new flash Zunes and a larger hard disk drive in the third, will Microsoft's new PMP family finally take down Apple's capo de tutti capi?
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Read » Gallery »
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Samsung YP-K3
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Score: 68% When: May 2007 Worth: $60
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With touch sensitive controls and a slim, slick look, the Samsung K3 looks a lot like Apple's popular device. Is the Samsung player the true bargain?
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Sirius Stiletto 2
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When: August 2007 Worth: $350
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Sirius Satellite Radio announces the Stiletto 2, a portable satellite radio featuring WiFi and the ability to store up to 100 hours of live Sirius programming.
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Read » Gallery »
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Sony NWZ-A810
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When: August 2007 Worth: $140 - $230
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Sony introduces 2, 4 and 8GB video-enabled Walkman players, managed by Windows Media Player 11.
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Read » Gallery »
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