Tag: ZUNE

The much-anticipated and repeatedly delayed Windows Phone 7 "NoDo" update has finally been released by Microsoft. A number of ROMs for various devices had already been leaked to the Internet, so it's thought that Microsoft may have stepped in to stem the tide of unofficial updating. So what all does NoDo bring to WP7 phones? First and foremost, copy and paste functionality has been added -- ...

If you've been waiting patiently for your Windows Phone 7 device to get copy and paste support, bad news: you're still going to be waiting after you install the update Microsoft is pushing today. The first Windows Phone 7 update brings changes which will pave the way for future updates -- by improving the way the operating system handles updates. And don't forget, for now you need the Zune ...

Unveiled back in October of 2010, Microsoft's Windows Phone 7 Connector for Mac is now available for download from the Mac App Store. Amazingly, visiting that link in your Web browser won't force a divide by zero error. While we still find Windows Phone 7 and OS X to be strange bedfellows, those of you who need to sync your photos, music, videos, and podcasts from iTunes will find the ...

Spotify, at long last, and after monumentally failing to hit is initial U.S. launch deadline of 'before 2011,' has finally signed one of the big four music labels. Sony BMG, which represents 25% of the U.S. music market, is second only to the Universal Music Group. To enter the U.S. successfully, though, Spotify needs to secure at least Universal, and preferably both Warner and EMI too. There ...

There are likely a great deal more users who connect an iPod to a Windows machine, but if you're the inverse of that situation -- with a Zune HD you want to connect to a Mac -- you haven't had a first-party option until now. The Windows Phone 7 Connector, which has been available in beta since late 2010, has secretly been packing Zune HD support. If you happen to own both a Mac and a Zune HD, ...

Let's be honest: if you're reading Download Squad, you're in the 99th percentile when it comes to computer technology. You probably know how to touch type, or send a file across the world at the speed of light, and in all likelihood you own one of the big three video game consoles. Like all things that you've grown up with and come to rely on, though, you don't realize just how lucky you are to ...

Don't get me wrong -- I really enjoy using Zune to listen to music on my desktop computer. When all I want to do is quickly drop a couple of songs or video clips onto my Windows Phone 7 device, however, it's a bit overkill. While my humble little Palm Pre has a USB mass storage mode which lets me copy files onto it like it was any other external hard drive, WP7 devices aren't quite as accessible. ...

You can now browse the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace with Bing's Visual Search tool. According to the announcement, it only works in the US and UK -- but to make it work, after visiting the WP7 Visual Search, I had to change my location (in the top right corner) to "United States - English." Then I had to visit the Visual Search page again. Presumably this will also work if you live elsewhere, too. ...

I installed Zune for the first time today (wow, it's pretty!) -- but that's not the news! Here's the news: you can now grab a 12-month subscription to Zune for the price of 10 months. It's $150 for the year (a saving of $30!) or £90 if you're from the motherland. Spotify is currently £9.99 per month, with no 12-month option. This lower price point, when accompanied with the ...

News of Microsoft bringing new apps to any of Apple's platforms always seems to be met with raised eyebrows, but with Redmond's determination to make Windows Phone 7 a much more compelling experience than its mobile predecessors this particular news shouldn't come as a surprise: WP7 device sync is coming to Mac. You'll even be able to use the new-and-improved Zune desktop app to manage music, ...

The Zune HD is a nice little device, but the apps have certainly been slow to arrive. Yesterday, however, a very Metro-looking Live Messenger app made its debut. Functionality-wise, Live Messenger for the Zune is pretty similar to the iPhone app. The main screen allows you to jump to your social stream, friends list, active chats, or the app's options. Messenger can also display the current ...

Microsoft has announced a new expansion for Zune services. The news is a touch bittersweet for me, since it didn't involve the arrival of Zune Pass in Canada. Maybe next time... Those of you who live in the U.K., France, Italy, and Spain, however, can now enjoy the Zune Pass music subscription service for £8.99 or 9.99 Euros per month. That's only a tad pricier than the $14.99 U.S. ...

The Microsoft Zune HD is an intriguing device. It's a pretty good portable media player. It can handle 720p HD video in WMV and H.264 formats, and it has excellent audio quality. It even packs an HD radio tuner. And the NVIDIA Tegra chipset enable some pretty flashy (but still useful) graphics in the user interface. And the Tegra procesor means the Zune HD can also handle some pretty slick ...

Despite the Zune not being available in Europe, I confess to having owned a Zune 30, Zune 80 and a Zune 8GB... all devices i've been very happy with. One thing I particularly like about the Zune experience is how Microsoft continue to update the software and extend the featureset (where possible) for all the devices, ensuring that even those with the oldest Zunes enjoy the latest ...

Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer has all but confirmed that Microsoft is working on an iPhone competitor with a Zune phone. That's not to say that Microsoft will build and sell the hardware. But in an interview with CIO Magazine, Ballmer stated that the Zune isn't just hardware, it's also software. And that the Zune software will be ported to run on other devices including PCs and Windows Mobile ...