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Microsoft axes handful of Zune Music features

Microsoft announced today it will phase out some Zune Music features this week in advance of the launch of Xbox Music later this year.

Mixview playback and channel playlists will be eliminated Friday, as well as the ability to stream or purchase music videos through desktop software, the software giant told Zune Music users in an e-mail (see below). Users will also lose many of the social features of the service, including the ability to send and receive messages, invite friends, and share songs, albums, and playlists.

Also, users will no longer be able to redownload previously purchased music videos … Read more

Microsoft mulls plan for new music service (exclusive)

Microsoft is in talks with some of the major record companies about creating a new music service, CNET has learned.

The software maker, which has a spotty record in digital music, has discussed creating a delivery service that would supply tunes to the Xbox as well as an upcoming Windows-based phone, according to sources with knowledge of the talks.

It was unclear exactly how this will differ from Microsoft's Zune Music Pass, which is the music service currently available to Xbox subscribers.

Negotiations are still in a preliminary stage and the two sides have yet to drill down into … Read more

It's Apple iPhone Day

Sprint has signed a $20 billion dollar deal for 30.5 million new iPhones, and Adobe releases Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 with accelerated 3D graphics support, and check out CNET.com's live coverage of Apple's announcement of the next iPhone(s).

Links from Tuesday's episode of Loaded:

Apple iPhone coverage Spring buying 30.5 million iPhones Flash Player 11 and AIR 3 launch Microsoft cleans up Hotmail inboxes Microsoft axes the Zune Nintendo partners with Dreamworks Subscribe:  iTunes (MP3) |  iTunes (320x180) |  iTunes (HD) |  RSS (MP3) |  RSS (320x180) |  RSS HD

The 404 575: Where true love smells like Jasmine (podcast)

Today we celebrate the anniversary of Jasmine France's first visit to The 404 studios. This time around we've given her a few days to recover from her flight to New York, but if you don't remember what happened last year, we've got a hilarious clip at the start of the show to refresh your memory.

Jasmine is CNET's senior associate editor for MP3s and digital audio, but she joins us today to talk about her new Tech Dos and Don'ts column on the MP3 Insider blog and the social politics of finding love on Facebook.

Social networks like Facebook and Twitter encourage users to share interests and connect with friends new and old, so it makes perfect sense that some will inevitably use them for romance.

In fact, Jasmine suggests that many users actually prefer Facebook to spark a flame instead of going to dedicated online dating sites like OKCupid or Match.com that practically force you into an uncomfortable situation. On Facebook, it's easy to hit that "like" button or add a comment to show common interest.

We have our own suggestions for online loveseekers as well. For example, stop with the poking already. Seriously, 86 percent of FBers don't even know that exists, and even if they do happen to notice it much later, the gesture remains just as meaningless if not slightly creepy and confusing, so stick with the "like" button... UNLESS your object of lust just changed their relationship status to single, in which case you should definitely send the "Heyyyyy couldn't help but notice..." message. OK, I'm joking, but now you see now why Jasmine's tips are so crucial.

Another tip we didn't get to address on the show is the question on every single person's mind: what is the appropriate amount of time to wait before adding "someone of interest" on Facebook? The answer is easy: you simply update the same rules that previous applied to the first-date phone call. Three days seems to be the consensus and gives the other person enough time to digest your initial meeting--friending in less than three days makes you come off (at best) overly accessible or (at worst) a genuine Internet stalker. At the end of the day, you're really just trying to dodge that "ignore" button, because once the relationship enters Facebook request purgatory, you might as well just delete your account and try your luck with Make Out Club.

Jasmine's got plenty more tips on how to comport yourself in an online dating environment, so check out today's show and let us know YOUR thoughts--leave a comment, send us an e-mail at the404(at)cnet[dot]com, or you can leave a voice-mail for our daily Calls From the Public segment at 1-866-404-CNET (2638)!

EPISODE 575 Subscribe in iTunes audio | Suscribe to iTunes (video) | Subscribe in RSS Audio | Subscribe in RSS Video… Read more

Kin music experience will include Mac sync

This morning, I got a close look at Kin, the forthcoming phone from Microsoft and Sharp that's focused on social networking and multimedia playback. (CNET's Ina Fried has more details on what Kin is and is not.)

The Kin is the outgrowth of the much-discussed "Project Pink," which was first rumored to be a "Zune phone" back in 2007. There's some truth to that: the music interface is a lot like the Zune HD, organized around horizontal and vertical menus, and the phones will be able to stream music over the air to … Read more

Windows Phone 7 and Zune HD: Some differences

LAS VEGAS--The next generation of Windows Phone, due out toward the end of the year, is a big focus at Microsoft's Mix conference here this week, and I'm starting to learn a few things about how Windows Phone 7 Series will--and won't--be different from the Zune HD.

Windows Phone 7 Series, the next-generation mobile-phone platform from Microsoft, is set to offer a great value to music fans: every phone will basically include the complete functionality of the Zune HD. Joe Belfiore, Windows Phone program management vice president, on Monday confirmed that the Zune HD's wireless sync--one of my favorite features--will be carried forward to the phone platform.

When you bring your phone home and plug it in, it will automatically scan local wireless networks to see if it recognizes your home Wi-Fi network. If it finds it, and your PC is turned on, the Zune software will launch and automatically do a two-way sync of all your music, videos, and pictures. … Read more

Microsoft hires new firm for Zune Pass

In what is likely a reaction to recent complaints of disappearing music in the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft has hired an outside firm to help clear music for its Zune Pass subscription service.

In an announcement today, Music Reports Inc. revealed an agreement made with Microsoft to "administer the music publishing licensing and royalty accounting for the Zune Pass subscription service in the United States."

The use of an outside music licensing house isn't a new move for Microsoft and its Zune music services. Nonetheless, the change in firms points to shortcomings in the previous arrangement, evidenced perhaps … Read more

Zune services going global with Windows phone

To anyone who has looked at Microsoft's highly rated Zune HD portable media player and wished it were a phone, your prayers have been answered. Yesterday, at Microsoft's press event for MWC 2010, the long-rumored "Zune phone" was finally thrust into the spotlight and treated to approving nods by many in attendance.

To be fair, the Windows Phone 7 Series is more than just a Zune HD with a phone slapped in. We're finally looking at a portable device that melds some of Microsoft's most successful products, including Windows Mobile, Zune, Xbox, and Microsoft … Read more