Zune Wi-Fi plan draws static

New tidbits about Microsoft's soon-to-be-released Zune were eagerly snapped up by bloggers this week. According to a report in This Week In Consumer Electronics, the devices will sport a 30GB hard drive and sell for $299. They'll also come in three colors.

But what many readers focused on was that the planned Wi-Fi connection may not support wireless music shopping.

According to TWICE, retailers "said only that Zune will allow users to bookmark songs that may be shared via Wi-Fi, but that users cannot purchase songs on the go from the Microsoft Zune Web site."

Blog community response:

"They're also reporting the Zune won't allow for music purchases on the go, which kind of flies in the face of that whole 'onnected entertainment'thing, as well as the idea of putting WiFi in a portable, so we're looking at it somewhat skeptically for the time being."
--Engadget

"If Microsoft wants to sell a portable media player that is competitive with Apple, they are going to have to offer something special. Right now, the only thing that seems to set Zune apart is the WiFi ability. Theoretically that could be a big selling point."
--PVRWire

"If that's what they are doing, boy do I have criticism. WiFi access, but no buying direct from the device? The whole point would be to not have the blasted thing tethered to a PC. Someone visit Redmond with a tree - I think it's going to take more than a cluestick."
--Smalltalk Tidbits, Industry Rants