Well the writing has been on the wall for a couple of years now but Microsoft has officially announced that they will no longer make Zune HD or Zune Player devices. This doesn’t really come too much as a surprise since Microsoft has stated before that the Zune software now lives within Windows Phone platform. They will still offer support for the devices and your warranty is still good with the devices.

The Zune HD was the first device to really challenge the iPod in terms of software and user experience. We gave the device a great review and I still use the Zune HD as my main MP3 and PMP player. Many other companies tried to copy the iPod but the Zune came with a unique design and user interface with Metro that now see in Windows Phone. With phones become better at multimedia it makes sense for Microsoft to move towards the mobile phone platform.

Source: WMPowerUser

From Microsoft:

Nokia applied and recently received a patent for a tablet like device.  The patent was applied for back in 2010 and is similar is design to the Nokia N8 and was probably a MeeGo device originally.  With the boom of tablets and Nokia starting to make Windows Phone 7 device it could be conceived that they could turn this into a Windows Phone 7 tablet or maybe even the next line in the Zune hardware?  Check out the photos below.

Via Engadget.

For beach goers, swimmers and water sports lovers Dry Case want to help you take your favorite portable electronics with you in the water and keep it dry with the Dry Case. Here is our review.

Hardware & Usage

The Dry Case is made up of a thick plastic pouch with a audio jack on the inside of it to plug in your iPod, Zune HD, MP3 player or even your phone.  There is slot on the outside to put the armband sleeve through and on the top is a hard plastic closing clamp that locks into place with a twist of two locks on each side and it locks tight and secure.

Before you get read to go in the water you will need to suck out all the air that is left in the case to create the vacuum seal using the included pump to get the air out and make the tight seal. After that its ready to take a dip in the water.

In our testing in the bowl of water we used an iPod Touch for testing and it was fine in the water but  we were unable to use the touch screen cause of the protection but the buttons still functioned.  When we took it out of water and out of the Dry Case the iPod worked find and was dry as a bone.

Overall

The Dry Case works as advertised  and keeps your non water proof electronics protected. Hopefully in the future they can find casing that will work with a touch screen device in the water. Good quality product and would recommend.

Buy your Dry Case From

Amazon.com

Mobi Headphones is cool little designer speaker to bring style to your audio. Lets see if the performance matches the style.

Hardware

The Mobi Headphone hardware wise come pretty simple with one speaker on the back of the headphonies head and the audio jack below it.  It’s made up of a solid hard plastic which feels like it can take a few bumps. It comes with a USB cable for charging and the audio cable to connect it to the device of your choice. There is small hoop on the top of its head that can be used for key chains or to hook it on a backpack or jeans or whatever you choose.

Usage

We tested a few different devices with the Mobi headphones and found them all to work well. We used a Zune HD, iPod Touch 4th Gen, Motorola Droid 1 and a Nintendo DSi XL and audio out of all devices sounded crisp and clear however if you listen to music with a lot of bass in you’ll start to hear distortion the louder you turn it up which I would expect in such a small device.

Overall

The Mobi Headphonies are really cool Mini speakers with a nice style. They have tones of designs that you can look through to choose the on that fits you. At the price range of about $25 its a pretty good deal for external audio when needed and a good small gift for someone.

Video Review Below

Buy your Mobi Headphonies From

Amazon.com

AccousticSheep announced today their new Product the RunPhones. The RunPhones are comfortable headphones design for exercise and come in winter and summer versions. Check inside for pics and press release.

Press Release

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
RunPhones combine headbands, headphones for comfortable and safe exercise with music
Everyone knows listening to music while exercising outside helps to make working out more enjoyable. However, ear buds can be uncomfortable and can drown out other important sounds such as traffic and other people. RunPhones, a new washable, comfortable headphones designed specifically for exercise, provide the perfect compromise of music, comfort, convenience, and safety.
RunPhones are manufactured by AcousticSheep, LLC, the creators of SleepPhones. Like SleepPhones, they have an innovative design that features small, removable speakers inside a soft headband that rests on the user’s ears. This makes the RunPhones washable, secure, and comfortable. They are compatible with the iPhone, iPod, and most other portable music devices.
“We heard from SleepPhones users that they were using SleepPhones for outside activities like dog walking, running, etc. on cold days,” explains Wei-Shin Lai, M.D. and CEO of AcousticSheep, LLC. “They loved using the SleepPhones this way, and we also heard some requests for a more light-weight version for hot summer days. So, we decided it was time to come up with an exercise version, and RunPhones was born.”
Along with comfort, RunPhones are designed with safety in mind. “When you are wearing earbuds and say running or biking, you can’t hear vehicles coming up behind you or someone trying to get your attention,” Lai said. “With RunPhones, you can hear sounds beyond your music.”
There are two versions of RunPhones. The RunPhones Winter Version, priced at $49.95, is perfect for the upcoming winter months. Whether you are snowboarding, skiing, hunting, ice fishing, running or just walking to the corner store, the thick fleece keep your ears warm while the padded speakers provide your favorite motivational music. The unique RunPhones design prevents them from slipping during exercise and exposing your ears to the cold winds.
The RunPhones Summer Version, priced at $39.95, is perfect for outdoor warm-weather activities or exercising inside. Made with Polartec(R) PowerDry(R) mesh fabric, they keep you comfortable by wicking away moisture to keep you cool and dry. The RunPhones Summer Version, like the Winter Version, also keeps hair out of your face and eyes during a strenuous workout.
RunPhones are available for purchase now, and make the perfect holiday gift for the exercise enthusiast in your world. Visit http://runphones.com to purchase RunPhones, find out more about this exciting new product, and read the RunPhones blog for exercise information and news about RunPhones.  
About AcousticSheep, LLC
AcousticSheep, LLC designs and distributes innovative headphones for a variety of lifestyles. Formed in 2007 by a family doctor and her husband, AcousticSheep products are designed with comfort, quality, and the environment in mind. Headquartered in Pennsylvania, the company is powered by 100 percent wind energy. Visit RunPhones.com for additional information. Connect with us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter (@RunPhones).

Images and more information for media can be found at: http://runphones.com/media.

Microsoft has come with what hopes to be a bang on November 8th with Windows Phone 7 and AT&T  leading the charge.  The only question left is the bang big enough to leave a mark in the crowded mobile OS market?

So from what it looks like we have a slew of phone coming to market  to try and fight there way into the Apple  and Android dominated OS market.   All the phones look to have the idea of power behind them to keep the experience the same across all phones while the hardware gives each a unique difference between each one. 

While we got a slew of handsets we did get some more details on the OS which is very Zune HD inspired  with tiles and swiping back and forth through menus which will be interesting to see how that holds up over time in use.  The OS tightly integrates all social aspects of your life and especially with twitter and Facebook which link right up with your contacts and gives you one central view to everything for that contact which is going to make it one of the better contact managers out there.  With everything nice and neat in the OS it doesn’t leave much in terms of apps. While Microsoft has said there will be around 2000 – 3000 apps available at launch it just seems that this OS is not going to be focused on apps much. The only app show were the eBay app which isn’t show much in terms of diversity in apps for the device. Hopefully we will see some more soon. 

Office on Windows Phone 7 is definitely is top notch with everything you would expect. PowerPoint looks great and so does Outlook as well. This will be good for business users looking for the next level in mobile productivity.  The overall OS in use is pretty much up to standards in terms of usability with the exception of no copy/paste until next year and no flash support.  No copy/paste is going to hinder the phone as may keep people from buying it right away until that feature is available. No word on flash support just yet which is also disappointing. Two features that put it a step behind its competitors.

The U-verse feature is going to give you media on your phone in a much different way. U-Verse is the the join venture of Microsoft and AT&T for home TV and has been successful in the markets that its in and possibly even more markets as they announced that the Xbox 360 will get U-Verse functionality.   If your not in a market that has u-verse available and you have a windows phone you can get it for a low monthly fee on your phone. No word how its going to work with the Xbox 360.

Speaking of the Xbox 360 we didn’t get much in terms of how the gaming is going to work and integrate with the Xbox 360. What we got for now it a look at a small avatar editor, a few indie games and announcement of EA  to partner with Microsoft for games and also The Sims 3 will be coming to it as well.

Overall things look good beside the two big flaws in no flash or copy/paste at launch but Microsoft has made a lot of stride in getting a modern OS to the market. It is certainly the best looking of them all out there but the problem is that it just may be too late. Only time will tell.

Here we are going to take a look at the beta for the new NXE Dashboard update for the Xbox 360. Lots of new stuff like ESPN, Zune form music, Kinect support and a bit of a UI Change. Read on inside for pics and video.

New menu system more Kinect Friendly menu and more smooth and clean interface with new sounds.

Kinect Settings

ESPN for Xbox 360

Netflix Updates now include search and add to instant and DVD queue

Zune for Music on Xbox 360

New Avatar Menu

Xbox 360 – 8 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive by SanDisk

Xbox 360 – 16 GB USB 2.0 Flash Drive by SanDisk

The DSS is a nice, small and light device with a good quality build. The LEDs are blue and shine bright and your options for inputs are your basic line in though a 3.5mm jack for Pro Logic II audio or optical audio for 7.1 surround sound support. You have output option of your standard 3.5mm headphone jack or you can plug in USB headphones as well. The devices powers up via a simple mini usb connection and include 4 led lights for digital in, Pro Logic II, Double Digital and Dolby Bypass which is also a button at the same time to activate it  below that is a bass boost dial to change how much bass is enhanced The DSS gives you the options you need in a good package that is approachable and not over complicated as some sound enhancing devices can be. The DSS is compatible with pretty much anything that has an audio source. You can use it with your Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PC, Home Theater System,  iPod, iPhone, Zune HD or mp3 player.  In my first test I used an Xbox 360.

Usability

To test how well the sound processor works I used it in two different scenarios. First I wanted to achieve 7.1 surround so I plugged it into a Xbox 360. Now when doing this setup if you are plugged in via HDMI you will need to get a separate accessory Microsoft to be able to use it with optical audio and since I didn’t have this I used the component cables instead which include and optical audio port on the cable.

The setup was simple and work flawless you can hear the full 7.1 in the headphones which were the EarForce Z2. Playing the game I could hear more background sounds and more immersive experience due to the better sound. The bass also sounded excellent and the audio was much clearer with the processor than without when using the Dolby Bypass switch to test. Overall the processor worked perfectly with the Xbox 360 but I wanted to try another test.

The next test I tried was with a Zune HD which won’t be able to achieve 7.1 surround sound but will be able to at least do Pro Logic II audio and in testing using the Klipsch S4 headphones the audio did improve as bass became deeper and sound became more full. So if you want to use this with an mp3 player you will be able to do and get better sound.

Overall

The EarForce DSS does deliver on what it claims to do and that is give you the 7.1 surround sound experience in a stereo headphone. At a $89.95 price tag it’s at a price that I would feel more audiophiles and hardcore gamers would have no problem buying. Some causal gamers might not be to keen on that price but Turtle Beach is bundling a lot of their new headphones with the sound processor so for the casual users you might want to pick up a new Turtle Beach headphone that includes the DSS built in.
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Turtle Beach EarForce DSS Page

So it looks like the link from the other day is true.  Microsoft is brining the Zune HD 64GB from $349  on April 12th and the 16GB and 32GB players will receive a $20 MSRP drop. It will be available at Zune Originals in custom colors.  For your big storage lovers this is the Zune HD for you. Lets hope we get a Zune HD 128GB maybe??. Check inside for the official press release.

We’re excited to share that Zune fans will be able to purchase a new 64GB capacity of the popular Zune HD device for $349.99 starting April 12th through ZuneOriginals.com. By increasing the Zune HD capacity to 64GB, users will be able take up to 16,000 songs, or 20 hours of high definition video from Zune Marketplace, or 25,000 pictures* on the go! Customers will be able to customize their Zune HD 64GB through ZuneOrginals.com, available in their choice of Platinum, Black, Blue, Red, Green, Purple and Magenta colors.
In addition to introducing the new 64GB capacity, we are also reducing the prices of the 16GB and 32GB devices. Starting today, price lists are being distributed to retailers, setting the Estimated Retail Price (ERP) for the Zune 16GB device at $199.99 and the Zune HD 32GB device at $269.99.
With its OLED multi-touch screen, built-in HD radio, HD video out capabilities and Internet browser, Zune HD is a full-function media player which has received accolades from press and consumers. We’ve also announced details of an upcoming firmware update which will add even more features to the device, such as Smart DJ auto-playlists directly on the Zune HD, ability to browse, stream and acquire music from Zune Marketplace on your TV (while the device is connected to a TV set through the A/V dock) and expanded codec support allowing users to play more video formats natively from the device.
We are excited to be offering a great range of storage capacities for the Zune HD at a competitive price point and will be sharing more news on the availability of the 4.5 firmware in the coming days.
*Music estimates based on 128 Kbps WMA files with length of 4 minutes each. Pictures transferred to Zune will be optimized for Zune screen size; video estimates based on 500 Kbps WMV files with 128 Kbps WMA audio tracks.

Press release via Engadget

Right here on Zune.net website it shows a link to a Zune HD 64GB model. However when you click on the link it brings you to “Page not found.” With the recent price drops of the Zune HD 16 and 32 and this obvious teaser tells us that a 64GB Zune HD is on its way.  I would estimate the announcement to come around in April with a release date in the same month.  So you heave media hunger users that need every single KB of that 64GB storage spaces start getting your wallets ready.

Link to Zune HD site