Zune - can it beat iPod?

Zune is Microsoft's digital audio player, client software, and online music store released in United States on November 14, 2006. The device plays music and videos, displays images, receives FM radio, and shares files wirelessly with other Zunes and via USB with Xbox 360s. The Zune Software allows users to manage files on the player, to rip audio CDs, and to buy songs at the online Zune Marketplace.

The device was created in close cooperation with Toshiba, which took an existing design mainly the Gigabeat S and redeveloped it under the name Toshiba 1089 as registered with the FCC. Xbox 360 overseer J Allard ran the project, codenamed 'Argo', which consisted of some Xbox and MSN Music store developers, who worked on 'Alexandria' and finalized it as Zune Marketplace, then later unveiled both products united under a single brand in the U.S. market as the Zune. The Zune represents Microsoft's attempt to enter the lucrative digital audio player market, which is currently led by Apple's iPod.

Zune streams music, videos, and pictures to a Xbox 360 via USB or from the Zune Software via a home network. Its Wi-Fi (wireless sharing capabilities) is limited to transferring audio, playlists and pictures with other Zunes up to 30 feet away. Images are transferred from one Zune to another without restriction, but songs either expire after three plays or three days, whichever comes first, unless obtained from the Zune Marketplace online store. Recipients cannot re-send music or audio files, but can save the names of expired songs for later purchase. Many songs downloaded from the Zune Marketplace cannot be shared: those record companies flag as non-distributable. Both the device and marketplace protect content using a digital rights management system — Windows Media DRM (WMDRM) — incompatible with other DRM systems and not part of the PlaysForSure platform or program. Multimedia content is transferred though Media Transfer Protocol (MTP); however, its proprietary MTP extensions place an interoperability barrier between the Zune and previous MTP-based software and services.