Microsoft Zune HD – the MP3 player with a radio
Posted on Monday, June 1st, 2009 at 10:50pm. #
The recent announcement by Microsoft about their new Zune MP3 player is quite exciting.
Computer manufacturers advertise their FM tuner as a major benefit; while consumer mobile phones now come with radio built-in; and Microsoft have incorporated an FM tuner in their products for a while now.
But this is one better. Because Microsoft have included HD Radio, the US’s digital radio standard.
In fact – Microsoft have bet their new Zune HD on HD Radio: it’s even taken a bit of the name. Yet HD Radio is a US-only technology, carried on a minority of radio services (1,900 of all 12,500 stations). So all the more interesting that Microsoft have judged that this will give them the edge over other MP3 players.
Of course, the Zune is, for the moment, a US-only product.
So, wouldn’t it be interesting if they were to put a DAB Digital Radio into a European version? It might show the opposition a thing or two…
(PS: Apple – even an FM tuner would be a start.)
Photo courtesy Microsoft. Well, I nicked it from their press centre. It’s not as if they’ve got lawyers or anything.
Stuart
No radio is one of the main reasons I haven’t bought an iPod. It does seem odd that something as basic has never been incorporated into them especially when most other mp3 players have it as standard.
Mind you, my mp3 player eats up the battery enough at the moment, I dread to think what a digital radio would do to it