The rumor mill has coughed up a fresh one on the Zune phone. Oft spoken of, oft denied, this rumor's been brewing for years.
What's interesting is that the rumor has mutated, and has managed to pique my interest once more. No longer is it just a Zune phone, no. The rumor now goes on to say that we might actually see a web-enabled Xbox Zune.
It's an intriguing idea, considering how much the iPhone's being hailed as the next big platform in gaming.
The Xbox Zune is mere speculation of course, an idea suggested by Wired's Gadget Lab as a way to reconcile Microsoft's denial of the Zune phone, and the rumors surrounding the device. The latest of the rumors come from analyst Trip Chowdhry of Global Equities Research.
Chowdhry claims that the Zune Phone will combine the best features of the Zune and the hardware design of Danger's mobile
Sidekick. The device will also have motion enhancement features, like an accelerometer. Sounds like someone has iPenis envy. I'd say if the rumors are true, we can also expect a touch screen.
Chowdhry also claims that we will see this Zune Phone (I'd rather see the Xbox Zune!) at the Consumer Electronics Show 2009, which will be held on January 8.
Microsoft will have a bunch of stuff to show at the Consumer Electronics Show in January, but a rumored ZunePhone won't be one of them, according to sources familiar with the company's plans.
Instead, much of CEO Steve Ballmer's focus will be on talking about Windows 7 from a consumer perspective. Microsoft is pushing to have Windows 7 done in time for the holiday 2009 shopping season, so that means this CES is Ballmer's best stage to tout its benefits.
While the desktop operating system will be front and center, sources say to expect Ballmer to talk about how Windows is moving beyond the PC and into a world of PC, Web, and phone, a refrain we also heard a lot from Ray Ozzie at November's Professional Developers Conference, where the world also got its first good look at Windows 7.
On the phone front, Microsoft may not have a ZunePhone, but it is going ahead with several other strategies--pushing phone makers to develop phones based on Windows Mobile, developing Windows Live services for phones running a variety of operating systems as well as a number of new "premium mobile services" based on its Danger acquisition.
The company has also talked about extending its Zune service beyond the company's own dedicated player and mentioned the phone as a logical place to access the service. We may hear more about timing of this at CES, I'm told. In an October interview with CIO UK, Ballmer mentioned the possibility of accessing the Zune service on Windows Mobile phones.
The Xbox will certainly get its due as well during Ballmer's keynote speech and, as is typically the case, expect Microsoft to announce some new partnerships at the show. A funny video and celebrity guest are usually safe bets as well.
So that's what I've heard, but if tipsters know any more, I'm all ears.
Okay, so he doesn't have a thinner Xbox 360 than the rest of us -- at least, not one that's been captured on camera -- but Paul Thurrott still knows his way around Redmond, so when he utters the phrase "Zune Mobile," the cellphone-using world probably ought to sit up and listen. Rumors of Microsoft's so-called Project Pink have failed to quiet down, but the latest intel seems to suggest that we're looking not at a Microsoft-branded device but an entire software and service platform -- something Danger's pretty good at managing, and something Microsoft had said it liked when it closed the acquisition earlier this year. How does that tie into Zune Mobile, though? It seems that Pink might include Zune support as part of its offering, which could translate into a Zune Mobile software package for Windows Mobile (prior to the mythical version 7, says Thurrott) that would bring far more robust media support than any Microsoft-powered phone before it, and maybe -- just maybe -- a wireless download store. Ballmer's already said Zune support would filter down to Windows Mobile eventually, and for what it's worth, those alleged Windows Mobile 6.5 shots sure look Zune-ish, which would make true Zune support fit right in -- and Danger's in the PMX group alongside the Zune peeps, so that adds some credence to the potential Pink tie-in. Is it enough to resurrect WinMo from the brink of obsolescence in the consumer space? Likely not, but it's a heck of a start, and might just quiet down those endless Zunephone rumors for a wee bit.
Microsoft job posting hints at Zune-Xbox integration
Quote:
It's an annual tradition, don't you know? Winter rolls around, the fires get going, the cocoa gets to cookin', and we get to thinking that the Zune and Xbox 360 just have to have some tighter integration in the not-too-distant future. This go 'round, we've got a suspicious job posting over at Microsoft that's stirring up a little speculation, and for good reason. In fact, the listing -- which seeks a particular User Experience Designer -- specifically mentions that the perfect candidate will be comfortable working closely with "creative directors to propose innovative designs and content solutions for the Zune Device UI, Zune Xbox and Zune PC Application." In case that wasn't definitive enough for you, it also mentions "embracing and extending" the Zune brand. Oh, and on another note, are any of you applying? Sounds like a pretty sweet gig.
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Rumor: Zune Phone - or Xbox Zune? - coming to CES 2009
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