Zune

Why Today Is a Major Watershed in the History of Microsoft

Ina Fried in Mobile on June 18, 2012 at 4:00 am PT

Microsoft is ready to break with tradition and ruffle more than a few feathers in its effort to compete with Apple in the tablet market.

Here’s How Microsoft Is Adding Voice Control and Gestures to the Xbox (Video)

Tricia Duryee in Commerce on December 4, 2011 at 9:00 pm PT

Michael Suraci, Xbox’s director of marketing, demonstrates the new features, which will roll out in a massive free software update, available Tuesday.

Free, Legal Music Downloads, Few Strings Attached

Peter Kafka in Media on November 8, 2011 at 7:00 am PT

Just a couple of Facebook clicks away, courtesy of brands like Budweiser and two-year-old start-up Free All Music.

Viral Video: Microsoft Songsmith Demo (Justin Bieber Can Relax Now)

Kara Swisher in Media on October 27, 2011 at 5:08 am PT

Some things you cannot even make up, such as this achingly awkward demo video for Microsoft’s Songsmith software.

Wal-Mart Shutters Digital Music Store You Didn’t Know Existed

Peter Kafka in Media on August 9, 2011 at 1:02 pm PT

When you’re trailing Apple, and Amazon, and Zune, and Rhapsody and Napster, it’s probably a good idea to throw in the towel.

Skype, Microsoft and the Fate of Music Start-Up Rdio

Peter Kafka in News on May 10, 2011 at 2:11 pm PT

Microsoft already owns a streaming music service (remember Zune?). Now it’s buying a company with ties to another one. That’s one music service too many.

Voices

Funeral for a Zune

Nitrozac and Snaggy in News on March 16, 2011 at 4:45 pm PT

Here is the latest comic from our Joy of Tech friends at Geek Culture, Nitrozac and Snaggy. Joy of Tech appears three times a week in the Voices section of this site. (Click on the image to see a bigger version.)

Ah, Zune We Hardly Bought Ye

John Paczkowski in News on March 14, 2011 at 2:46 pm PT

“For something we pulled together in six months, we are very pleased with the satisfaction we got. The satisfaction for the device was superhigh.” Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates said that of the Zune in October 2007. Gates may have been right about satisfaction, but boy was he ever wrong about adoption rates.

Microsoft to Add Multitasking, Internet Explorer 9 to Windows Phone Later this Year

Ina Fried in Mobile on February 14, 2011 at 7:00 am PT

In an interview, Microsoft phone unit President Andy Lees walks through the changes that Redmond plans to make to bolster Windows Phone 7. Improvements coming later this year include Twitter integration, a better browser and the ability to do more things at once.

Nvidia CEO Jen-Hsun Huang Describes Mobile's Powerful Future at D@CES

Peter Kafka in Media on January 7, 2011 at 4:21 pm PT

All of those tablets rolling out this week means lots of opportunity for chipmaker Nvidia, which used to specialize in graphics, but is now looking to power a whole new class of mobile devices. CEO Jen-Hsun Huang tells Mobilized’s Ina Fried how he sees the market shaking out, and what it means for his company and his competitors. We’ll also be looking for an update on Nvidia’s legal battle with Intel.