ZuneThings

Zune Accessory Sale!

2009-11-10T12:33:00.000Z

Zune Accessory Sale!

Zune Dock Pack ~~�49.99~~ �29.99

Zune Home A/V Pack V2 ~~�99.99~~ �39.99

Zune Home AV Pack V1 ~~�79.99~~ �25.99

Zune Car Kit ~~�59.99~~ �15.99

UK Forum for Zune Users and Fans!

2009-11-10T12:25:00.001Z

We have just launched ZuneForums.co.uk, a community for UK Zune users and fans. We will keep the discussion focused on information and advice UK related.

Please take a look and join in the discussion!

Follow ZuneThings on Twitter!

2009-09-19T20:50:00.002+01:00

Just a quick reminder that you can follow ZuneThings on twitter for Zune HD stock updates and some future special offers.

https://twitter.com/zunethings

Zune HD Sold Out at Major USA Retailers

2009-09-19T20:44:00.003+01:00

Gizmodo reports that the Zune HD has already sold out in most major USA retailers.

http://gizmodo.com/5363270/zune-hd-quickly-selling-out-at-amazon-newegg-best-buy-and-more

First Zune HD's in UK Shipping!

2009-09-19T20:34:00.003+01:00

The Zune HD will be shipping next week to customers who made and early pre-order from ZuneThings.

We are also now taking order for delivery in week of October 5th.

Once this batch sells out we will update the site with the next delivery date.

First Batch of Zune HD on the way to UK

2009-09-16T13:58:00.003+01:00

Good news for those who pre-ordered the Zune HD from ZuneThings, the first batch of both 16GB and 32GB are on the way and should be delivered in about 2 weeks as expected.

We will be emailing all the pre-orders to give details on how to make payment etc. over the next few days.

XNA Game Studio development Environment Released

2009-09-16T13:51:00.003+01:00

Engadget reports that XNA Game Studio development environment has already been released for Zune HD.

This means programmers are able to target the Zune to build custom apps (like the etch-a-sketch app shown above!). Good signs for flourishing app store in the future!

http://www.engadget.com/2009/09/16/microsoft-releases-xna-update-for-zune-hd-developers-multitouch/

Zune HD Full UI Tour

2009-09-16T13:37:00.003+01:00

Crunchgear has a great overview of the full Zune HD UI:

http://www.crunchgear.com/2009/09/16/zune-hds-ui-the-full-tour/

Zune HD Promo

2009-09-16T02:56:00.000+01:00

Microsoft's Zune HD Promo Video

Zune HD Gallery

2009-09-16T02:51:00.002+01:00

Gizmodo has a great gallery of pictures of the Zune HD:

http://gizmodo.com/5360326/zune-hd-review-gallery

http://gizmodo.com/5360327/zune-hd-review-gallery-2

Zune 4.0 Launch Advert

2009-09-16T02:41:00.000+01:00

Zune HD Grand Tour

2009-08-20T03:17:00.000+01:00

Zune HD All the Details!

2009-08-20T01:22:00.007+01:00

What we know so far about Zune HD:

Available in 16 GB and 32 GB. At release the 16 GB is only available in black and the 32 GB in Platinum.

Release date is September 15th (ZuneThings will have UK stock ready to ship in the first week of October)

Built in FM Radio (there is a US only HD radio. FM will work fine in UK)

Product weight: 2.6 ounces

What's in the box: Headphones, Zune Sync Cable, Three pairs of foam earpiece covers

Battery: Music, up to 33 hours (wireless off); video, up to 8.5 hours

Charge Time: Approximately 3 hours when connected to your PC, approximately 2 hours with A/C adapter

Screen Size: 3.3-inch OLED color display, 16:9 aspect ratio
Type: Scratch-resistant glass with touch input capability
Orientation: Vertical (music) and horizontal (pictures and videos)
Resolution: 480 pixels x 272 pixels

Wireless connectivity: 802.11b/g compatible

Wireless sync: Yes
Connectivity: 802.11b/g compatible
Authentication modes: Open, WEP, WPA, and WPA2

Audio Support: Windows Media Audio Standard3 (WMA) (.wma): Up to 320 Kbps; constant bit rate (CBR) and variable bit rate (VBR) up to 48-kHz sample rate. WMA Pro 2-channel up to 384 Kbps; CBR and VBR up to 48-kHz.

WMA Lossless

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) (.mp4, .m4a, .m4b, .mov) - .m4a and .m4b files without FairPlay DRM up to 320 Kbps; CBR and VBR up to 48-kHz.
MP3 (.mp3) � Up to 320 Kbps; CBR and VBR up to 48-kHz.

Picture Support: JPEG � (.jpg)

Video Support: Windows Media Video (WMV) (.wmv) � Main and Simple Profile, CBR or VBR, up to 3.0 Mbps peak video bit rate; 720 pixels x 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second (or 720 pixels x 576 pixels up to 25 frames per second). Zune software will transcode HD WMV files at device sync.

MPEG-4 (MP4/M4V) (.mp4) Part 2 video⁶� Simple Profile up to 2.5 Mbps peak video bit rate; 720 pixels x 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second (or 720 pixels x 576 pixels up to 25 frames per second). Zune software will transcode HD MPEG-4 files at device sync.

H.264 video � Baseline Profile up to 2.5 Mbps peak video bit rate; 720 pixels x 480 pixels up to 30 frames per second (or 720 pixels x 576 pixels up to 25 frames per second). Zune software will transcode HD H.264 files at device sync.

Zune HD UK Pre-Order Now!

2009-08-19T19:59:00.007+01:00

As you have probably heard, the Zune HD will be released in the USA on September 15th. Unfortunately there is still no word of an official release of the Zune in the UK.

However, ZuneThings will be carrying the Zune HD in the UK, as we have done with all the previous Zunes.

We are now taking pre-orders and we should be able to start shipping both the 32 gb Zune HD and also the 16 GB Zune HD in the first week of October.

As always we will honour the 12 month warranty on the Zune and will repair or replace the device ourselves should anything go wrong.

To Pre-order just check checkout as usual except choose Zune HD Pre-order at the payment screen and we will not collect credit card information at this point. We will contact you for payment once our stock is here in the UK. You are able to cancel your order at any time if you change your mind.

We will also be adding the new Zune HD Accessories over the coming days which will also be available for pre-order.

Joy Division Zune at ZuneThings

2009-04-08T04:37:00.006+01:00

The limited edition 80GB Joy Division Zune is now available at ZuneThings. The Zune comes with designs by Peter Saville and is pre-loaded with the documentary film Joy Division.

There is also a version of the Microsoft Leather Case with the Joy Division designs. It comes in a very cool (and huge!) box.

Using the Zune Home AV Pack V1 with All Zunes

2008-12-23T19:53:00.005Z

ZuneThings currently have the Zune Home AV Pack V1 on sale and we have had a lot of questions about compatibility with all Zune models. Details are here:

The V1 Dock is designed for the 30GB Zune but can also be used with the all the New Zunes by making an easy adjustment.

Here is a great post with pictures that shows exactly how::

http://jeftek.com/media/zune/use-v1-zune-a-v-dock-with-v2-zunes/

We can also confirm that the remote control will function fully for the all Zune's when used with the V1 dock.

Limitations for 80/120GB Zune owners: This dock supports Composite AV out but not Component AV out. If you want to use the Component out feature of your Zune 80/120, you will need the Zune Home AV Pack V2.

DRM Free Downloads for Zune Now at Amazon UK!

2008-12-11T22:33:00.004Z

The Amazon MP3 Store is now available in the UK and it's DRM free. This means you can purchase music and play it on your Zune or whatever device you want without restriction!

From the Amazon site:

"Songs from Amazon MP3 can be played on any MP3-capable device, including iPods, Zunes, Zens, iPhones, RAZRs, BlackBerrys, and most media-enabled mobile phones. Our files are free of digital rights management (DRM) software, so you can burn your songs to CDs, play them on all your computers, and transfer them to all your devices. Songs are encoded at 256 kbps , which means you get high audio quality at a manageable file size"

ZuneThings Christmas Delivery Dates!

2008-12-05T00:30:00.003Z

Please make sure you order any items at ZuneThings by December 15th at the very latest to ensure we can deliver in time Christmas.

Zune 120GB Stock Update

2008-12-02T13:44:00.003Z

December 2nd 2008 Update: The Zune 120 is now back in stock and available for immediate shipping.

Zune 3.1 Update

2008-11-19T03:21:00.002Z

An update to the Zune Software has been released today. This is mainly small improvements and some extra games for the Zune. You can see full details at ZuneInsider.

There is also a new TV ad showing in the US:

Gears of War Zune at ZuneThings!

2008-11-03T21:13:00.005Z

There is a limited Gears of War Zune 120GB being released on November 7th. ZuneThings will be stocking this Zune for UK customers shortly after the release. It is available for pre-order now.

The Special Edition Gears of War 2 Zune video MP3 player features a Crimson Omen etching and is loaded with a special Gears of War 2 media collection

In the box:

Gears of War 2 Special Edition Zune 120
Headphones
Zune Sync Cable
Three pairs of foam earpiece covers

Preloaded Content:

Listen to the full soundtrack of the original Gears of War game, including 28 tracks from the game that started this epic saga
Nine Gears of War videos, including gameplay, trailers, and behind-the-scenes moments with Epic Games.
244 different images, including game concept art, team photos,and custom Zune backgrounds.

New Microsoft TV Advert

2008-09-12T20:16:00.002+01:00

This is the next in the series of Microsoft TV adverts featuring Bill Gates and Jerry Seinfeld. They seem to get a lot of criticism for not talking about Microsoft, but I think this is whole point - just funny ads that people talk about!

Win a Blue Zune!

2008-09-11T18:00:00.004+01:00

ZuneThings are having a contest to allow you to win a Blue 8GB Zune. To enter, all you need to do is go to the www.zunethings.co.uk and write a review of your Zune product. Simply find the product you have on the site and then click the review link - you have to create an account to place a review (this is so we have the details to contact you should you win!)

We will pick one winner at random from all the reviews on the site.

This contest is open to anyone and we will ship the Zune free of charge to your location.

The contest ends on September 23rd and the winner will be notified on the 24th by phone or email.

Good luck!

Zune 120 GB Battery Test

2008-09-10T02:20:00.002+01:00

We have done some initial tests on the Zune 120 GB battery life. Our first test was with wireless turned on and for audio only. The Zune managed to play for just under 23 hours. This compares to about 18 hours for the Zune 80 GB when we performed the same test.

So, a little improvement which is a good thing. Given these numbers we would expect about 30 hours with wireless turned off. We will confirm this with further tests and will also report video numbers shortly.

More New Zune Pictures!

2008-09-09T00:42:00.004+01:00

Here we have some pictures to show you the new Zune 120 GB, the 16 GB Black Zune and the 8GB Blue Zune alongside a Zune 80 and a Red Zune 8GB.

Key Points:

The 16GB Zune Black is just like the 120GB Zune in that is is black on the back and side and has a glossy front.

The 16GB Zune has no TV Out. Only the 80GB and 120GB are capable of TV Out.

The 8GB Blue Zune is exactly the same as the existing 8GB (apart from colour of course!)

The 16GB Zune comes with the Standard headphones (only the 80GB Zune includes Premium Headphones)