26 May 09 Zune HD Officially Announced, Arriving this Fall
It looks like the rumors about a new Zune were true. Earlier today, Microsoft officially announced the Zune HD, a player that I believe will be the first serious competitor to the iPod touch. The ZHD has a 3.3″ OLED touchscreen display, a built-in HD radio tuner, and can output in HD (720P) with an optional docking station (hence the HD name). WiFi will finally be useful on the Zune with the new multi-touch web browser. The player will also be integrate with Xbox Live, though details on that hook-up are sparse. Here’s a snippet from the press release:
Zune HD is the next iteration of the Zune device family and brings a new level of listening and viewing experiences to the portable media player category.
- Zune HD comes with a built-in HD Radio receiver so users can listen to higher-quality sound than traditional radio on the go. Users also will have access to the additional song and artist data broadcast by HD Radio stations as well as additional channels from their favorite stations multicasting in HD. If you don’t like the song playing on your station’s HD channel, switch to its HD2 or HD3 channels for additional programming.
- The bright OLED touch screen interface allows users to flip through music, movies and other content with ease, and the 16:9 widescreen format display (480×272 resolution) offers a premium viewing experience on the go.
- The HD-compatible output lets Zune HD customers playback supported HD video files from the device through a premium high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI) audiovisual docking station (sold separately) direct to an HD TV in 720p.
- Zune HD will include a full-screen Internet browser optimized for multitouch functionality.
- Zune HD is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing for instant streaming to the device from the more than 5 million-track Zune music store.
The full specs have not been provided yet, but if we’re to believe the earlier leaks, there will be a 16 and 32GB model. We’ll provide you with more information as it becomes available.
Let us know what you think about the Zune HD in the comments section!
(via engadget)
