Zunes Recover After New Years Hangover

It seems that a little time is all that is required to fix your broken Zune.

Microsoft's Zune tech support said in a posting on it's forum that users should:

• Disconnect the player from USB and AC power sources to drain the battery.
• Wait until after noon GMT on Thursday (7 a.m. ET or 4 a.m. PT).
• Connect the player to either a USB port on the back of a computer or to AC power and let it charge.

"Once the battery has sufficient power, the player should start normally. No other action is required," the posting said.

Users are reporting that the steps do indeed repair their Zune's... that was a close one Microsoft!

Source: CBC

Microsoft Zune 30 Suffers From Leap Year Bug

Zune 30 owners around the globe have been experiencing a bug that appears to be related to a leap year issue. One posting on the Zune.net forum read: “My Zune has managed to freeze itself with the Zune Logo and the loading bar on the screen and none of the buttons are responding, rebooting isn’t responding, plugging it into the computer isn’t responding, nothing is working.” Microsoft says it has traced the problem to a software bug “related to the way the device handles a leap year.” The Zune apparently was expecting 2008 to have 365 days, and not 366. More troubles for Microsoft hardware...

Source: NYTimes.com

Microsoft not giving up on Zune MP3 player

According to PCWorld, Microsoft is not ready to call it quits on it's line of MP3 players just yet. A new line of Zune Players, the Zune 2, is reported to be coming with 2 flash memory devices and an 80 GB hard drive model. This generation will be equipped with Wi-Fi and supported by new community features and DRM-free music sales at the Zune Marketplace music store. It's a handsome looking device with a familiar looking "click wheel" like control, and while the first generation was not a huge success it had it's fans. With these updates the Zune 2 could become a solid contender in the MP3 player market, though it will be tough even for Microsoft to truly mount a challenge of Apple's iPod line.