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More ZuneHD renderings surface

Windows Mobile Power User has posted new images and some juicy specs for what may be Microsoft's next-generation portable media player, the ZuneHD. Word is the images are real but no one's willing to vouch for the specs.

David Carnoy Executive Editor / Reviews
Executive Editor David Carnoy has been a leading member of CNET's Reviews team since 2000. He covers the gamut of gadgets and is a notable reviewer of mobile accessories and portable audio products, including headphones and speakers. He's also an e-reader and e-publishing expert as well as the author of the novels Knife Music, The Big Exit and Lucidity. All the titles are available as Kindle, iBooks, Nook e-books and audiobooks.
Expertise Mobile accessories and portable audio, including headphones, earbuds and speakers Credentials
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David Carnoy
2 min read
wmpoweruser.com

Here we go again. The gadget blogosphere is abuzz Wednesday with images of what may or may not be Microsoft's next-generation portable media player, the ZuneHD.

The renderings surfaced on the Windows Mobile Power User site without attribution or the more colorful flair of the earlier images leaked to Engadget on April 10. The big debate, of course, is whether these renderings are real or not--and more importantly, whether the accompanying specs have any validity.

Based on a source from Zunited, Engadget's saying the images really are the ZuneHD, but no one's quite buying that the alleged leaked specs are accurate.

Call them the fantasy musings of a Zune fanboy--or call them maybe real--here are the details, distilled from the Windows Mobile Power User via Engadget:

  • Multitouch capacitive OLED screen in a 16:9 aspect ratio
  • Will support Xbox "3D" games (unclear what this exactly means)
  • Playback of "HD media" available from Zune Marketplace
  • TV-out from what appears to be mini-HDMI port on the device's left side
  • HD Radio
  • Comes in 16GB or 32GB storage capacities (seems skimpy for HD, no?)
  • Wireless sync (no reference to Bluetooth, however)
  • A browser that supports multitouch
  • Launches this fall ("around September") in the U.S., Canada, U.K., France, and possibly other European countries
  • Likely to be a "showcase" for Windows Mobile 7 when released (note: WinMo7 isn't supposed to be out until 2010, but rumor has it Microsoft is going to bring out "Zune services" for Windows Mobile phones)
  • No word on price
Sounds pretty good, right? So, I ask: If these specs are real, do you think the ZuneHD can give a presumably updated iPod Touch a run for its money this fall?

(Source: wmpoweruser.com via Engadget)