snapshot 11/12/07

Microsoft says Zune players available Tuesday
Microsoft Corp said Monday it will begin sales of three new versions of its Zune digital media player -- its answer to Apple Inc's iPod -- on Tuesday. Microsoft originally introduced the new models last month. They can wirelessly and automatically update their music, photos and videos when placed near a user's computer.


New Zunes get unboxed, reviewed, and Microsoft firms up plans
Well Zuneinites, the new models are primed and ready for store shelves tomorrow, but we've got first looks and reviews today. As Microsoft's new media players make their way into the hands of eager beavers across the internets, we're here for you, picking up the pieces and putting it all together. As it stands right now, we've got videos and reviews from a number of sources, including (but not limited) to: CNET, Zune Thoughts, and Zunerama. All of the sites currently have unboxing videos and / or reviews of the new units, and Zune Thoughts even has an informative video on some firmware update problems they discovered with the Zune 80. Some interesting Zune Marketplace info has also come out, including details that the DRM-free track cost will be $.99, or 79 Microsoft Points (the same as pricing on protected tracks).


Microsoft says in talks to buy Musiwave
Microsoft Corp said on Monday it has entered exclusive talks to buy mobile music service company Musiwave, a unit of Openwave Systems Inc. Microsoft said an acquisition would bring Musiwave's relationships with music labels, device makers and mobile operators together with Microsoft's Connected Entertainment technologies including Windows Mobile, Zune and MSN.


MySpace first friend Tom leads music efforts
MySpace president/co-founder Tom Anderson -- a.k.a. each member's default first friend "Tom" -- guides a number of the site's music initiatives, from enabling bands to upload MP3s to launching the MySpace Records label. This fall brought the first MySpace-branded tour, featuring headliners hellogoodbye and Say Anything. The company recently hosted the second annual Rock for Darfur event, which featured 37 concerts on four continents, with performances from the likes of Fall Out Boy, Maroon 5, Suzanne Vega, Megadeth, the Decemberists and Brandi Shearer.


NBC Direct launches, everybody still misses iTunes
The service allows for free downloads of NBC shows up to seven days after they air, but it's Windows and IE only -- which does nothing to help Mac users left stranded by Amazon Unbox. The episodes also delete automatically after 48 hours, and the player installation requires all sorts of hoop jumping and Windows Media ickyness. There's also no mobile device integration or really much of any reason at all to choose the downloaded versions over online versions unless your internet connection is shaky or you just want to screw over the writers a bit more effectively. Hopefully promised iTunes-competitive features like pay-to-download (the current version includes unskippable ads) won't be long in coming.


UPDATE 1-Trans World Entertainment gets buyout proposal from CEO
Entertainment-software retailer Trans World Entertainment Corp said it got a buyout proposal from its largest shareholder, Chief Executive Officer Robert Higgins, for $5 per share in cash. The offer price represents a premium of about 29 percent over Trans World's Thursday's closing price of $3.88.


Intra-Body Communication: Use Your Body to Download Data
Imagine being able to download a movie or album to your media player by simply touching a promotional poster or exchanging contact information with a potential client via a handshake. KDDI's new Intra-Body Communication technology could make this a reality by using the human body as a conduit to transmit high-volume data. In the image above, the video is being transmitted from the girl's hand, through her body to the glasses, and out to the monitor.