Microsoft Zune Phone In the Works? Posted by XanTium | February 1 17:56 EST

From crunchgear.com: [QUOTE] We've just received a sound tip that Microsoft is working on its very own phone to be branded under the Zune moniker. Our tipsters inform us that Microsoft execs are in meetings today hammering out details of the device and developing strategies and timescales for its release. Seeing as that the development has hardly started, little is known yet about the Zune Phone, but there are some details that seem solid thus far. This is what we know: It will be a smartphone that works homogeneously with the Zune marketplace. It will most likely not, however, run Windows Mobile. Rather it'll make use of an interface similar to the current Zune, an interface that I consider among the best available on audio players--I'm sure it can transition to a phone easily. Connectivity is the major concern of the device. It is said that it will be able to sync with the Xbox 360 and stream video from the system to the phone via a wireless data connection. This would be pivotal in Microsoft's proliferation of its media ambitions. Not only does it already have millions of 360s in homes capable of downloading movies, it'd be able to distribute those videos directly to its phones. Cool stuff. [/QUOTE] Full Story: crunchgear.com (via gizmodo.com)

guess what my next mobile upgrade will be

i know that this is the next step in the evolution of cell phones, but i find it hard to imagine that the market demand is there for these devices as they brand themselves for mostly "entertainment" and not "business" - many of the pda/phone combos have done well due to their ability to run software important to the business professional - like medical or law software. however, even the average consumer doesn't want or need the features like this Zune Phone or the iPhone offers. of course the techies will dig any new technology...

hopefully they make it cost less than the iPhone. It is amazing what brand loyalty will do. Sony announces the PS3 for a $499/$599 split and people are upset about the high cost, Apple announces the iPhone for a $499/$599 split and people think nothing of it's price.
As well the whole phone with a mp3/video player (and a lot of other stuff) will only work for business professionals, whereas if you have a mp3/video player with phone capabilities (the focus on the entertainment not the phone rather than the phone, not the entertainment) you will do better if you want the average consumer to get it (unless your company's name is Apple where your rather large fanbase will buy anything you make).

Can't they come up with something original. Seems like they are always one step behind. First it was I-pod then Zune. I-tunes and then the Zune music store. Now I-phone followed by Microsoft copying again. Let me guess what's next, Zune TV?? I'm not all that impressed with microsoft. At least they did get the 360 out first.

Hey i hope it's cool and they put some good features in there.

I think they should work on the Zune more before they go making a phone version of it. People arn't extactly rushing out to buy a iPhone.

I think thats a cool idea but the thing that they are doing too many products in a short span and I'm afraid that non of the products will be good at they end. I hope that they keep a good concentration on the 360 and its games cause thats where the major competion they're having apart from the OS section.

I thought the idea was stupid at first, but as I read on I changed my mind:

1. They will make this thing kick ass, probably more kick ass than the iphone just to piss on their parade
2. Any communication with the 360 will be amazing! hopefully they will incorporate more connection options too.

I agree...the zune is too new and does not have the following or recognition of iPod yet to be successful as its own mega brand.

-Dj-

Knowing that the IPhone is $300 to make, how hard can it be for MS to create something similar but with connection with Windows and shit and then sell it $400 and PWN Apple? And they shouldnt try to be special like being brown or anything. Dont be better, be exactly the same, because CHEAPER IS BETTER.

ummmmmmm...why?

I do not want a media device that I have to sign a 2 year contract with.

I like the Zune...they should be focused on newer firmware updates for it...and the Zune 2...not a damn phone.

The iphone will bomb...Apple has being riding its ipod success all the way to the bank for years...they should of stuck with that, and came out with a widescreen ipod...but they messed with sucess, and come June (iphone launch date), they will see this.

MS! DO NOT MAKE A DAMN PHONE! leave that up to the big boys like Moto.

On a side not...I do hope that Google comes out with a phone...since all of there rumors say that it would be dirt cheap because you would have ads on it....I will deal with annoying ads if my phone costs me like 10 bucks a month.

My god please dont call it an Izune and have this ad....... http://www.jibjab.com/jokebox/jokebox/jibj...7/jokeid/108946
Is that Steve Ballmer?

I will almost guarantee the iphone will do well. It is the best media phone out there and it has the ipod name to push it along. Sure it is expensive but go ahead and check out the price of some other phones that are as close to the iphone as you can get: Nokia 93, Sony Ericsson w950. What you get for the price of an iphone is a steal. Then factor in cingular discounts and the like. It will do very well.

Wow! A DRM media phone! Yay! If it has no OS, i say no thank you. This is gonna be interesting though.

I wonder how this connectivity between the zune phone and the 360 are supposed to happen. The 360 doesn't exactly come with wireless does it. Or maybe that is something else they will add into the second revision of the 360?

What is the point of being able to wirelessly stream video from your 360 to your phone? Dont know about the rest of you guys, but I'd rather watch video on the 42" plasma and surround sound kit I've got connected to my XBox instead of a tiny screen with poor quality sound that are normaly associated with devices of this type

You are wrong in the bolded part. Apple will not allow AT&T to subsidize the price of the phone. People will be forced to pay full price for it.

/fanboy Get a life. MS needs to stop trying to copy other products. Granted, the iPhone is too ridiculously expensive, MS is wasting their time. Most, if not all, of their "unique" products (Zune) just suck. Can't they work on making them worth a dollar before trying to copy other companies? -1, I think MS is sitting at well under -50 now.

I currently carry two electronic devices with me wherever I go. My Zune and my LG enV9900 cellphone. If I could merge the two into one device, and have it perform equally as well as the seperate devices did before... I'd be all over it. It would have to have a qwerty keyboard though.

It will be a shit phone to start with, like how the zune is lacking so many features currently because its the first release and all.

This thing had better support live anywhere, or at least be a future feature for it...

Nooooooooooo... If it doesn't run Windows Mobile it will be SHIT!

This is the current state of Windows Mobile phones:
Screen almost the same size as the device (check)
Device not to big and bulky (check) (see devices like the i-mate JAM - old but good)
Runs a decent OS that lets us run third party software (check)
Syncs with exchange for email, calendar, contacts, todo (check)
HAS A DECENT AMOUNT OF STORAGE CAPACITY (BIP-BOW!)

sure I can chuck a 4GB SD card in my phone and put a decent amount of music on there, i can watch tv shows, i can play games (especially using apps like PocketSCUMM)... but 4GB isn't enough. we NEED to have mini hard disks in phones... i don't care if it's a hard disk or flash or whatever it is, just do it!!!! in two years there has been no real advances in this space, meanwhile every man and his dog has started raving about "mp3 player" phones that have a massive 64mb of flash in them and no expansion slow. good one.