New Microsoft Zune revealed

It's been an eventful week for audio players--first, Apple upgrades every iPod, and now Microsoft has released more details about Zune, its new family of devices and services which will include an iPod-like player. We now know that the first Zune player will have a 3-inch screen, a 30GB drive, built-in Wi-Fi, and an FM tuner, and will come in black, white, and...er, brown. (Brown?) And it'll be here for Christmas.

Price is yet to be announced, but with Apple's possibly-Zune-related price drop on the 30GB video iPod to $249, it's clear what Microoft's maximum asking price will be. The company has already announced that accessory manufacturers such as Griffin will be making Zune add-ons--smart on Microsoft's part, since the ecology of iPod-related products is a major reason for buying an Apple player.

As with any new music player, the inevitable temptation is to begin by obsessively comparing its specs with the iPod. It's got a bigger screen (3 inches versus 2.5), the FM tuner the iPod lacks (but which can be added as an external accessory), and wireless (more on that in a moment). There will be a Zune music store with both subscription and purchase options, and the device will come preloaded with some music. It apparently won't launch with full-blown video download capability, but will add it later.

For now, the Zune's most interesting distinguishing characteristic--brown model aside--is that Wi-Fi connection. Microsoft is pitching the Zune as a more community-oriented gadget than the iPod, and the Wi-Fi will let owners beam songs to other Zune owners, who will then be able to listen to them up to three times over three days before having to purchase them. Sounds pretty cool--if Zune gets enough critical mass that Zune owners end up with friends who have them too. (With millions of iPods out there, you gotta think that a similar sharing feature would be wildly popular if Apple were to offer it.)