May 6th, 2008
Microsoft delivers a first piece of ‘Zune VideoX’ via new Zune update
Microsoft has delivered the first pieces of its anticipated Zune VideoX video store as part of its new Zune 2.5 software update, rolled out on May 6.
The 2.5 update allows Zune owners to download TV shows, but not movies (so far) from the Zune online store.
My sources have described Zune VideoX as a video store that bridges Xbox, Windows, Zune and Pink (the consumer services, including music, that will be adjuncts to certain Windows Mobile phones).
Zune VideoX allegedly is the responsibility of Joe Belfiore, Corporate Vice President of the Entertainment and Devices eHome Division Zune. (That’s Belfiore’s new title, a corporate spokeswoman said today, even though that title isn’t on his bio page.
Microsoft keeps touting the idea of an end-to-end connected entertainment marketplace/service as one of the company’s ultimate goals. Live Mesh, which will allow users to sync content and contacts across myriad PCs and devices, is one element of this grand connected vision. But Zune VideoX (and/or Microsoft’s mysterious eLive project) — once it expands to Xbox, Windows and Windows Mobile — is another missing link.
