Nokia Gets Zuned
Nokia is working on a Zune content deal with Microsoft, according to ZuneScene (via an unnamed source). This deal would apparently be similar to the iTunes phones offered by Motorola, and the resulting handset would not be the Zune Phone Microsoft is also rumored to be working on.
If you buy a lot of content from the Zune marketplace, this may be good news. For everyone else that’s rocking out to DRM-free MP3s, it’s irrelevant. My son’s Samsung Beat and my daughter’s T-Mobile SDA play MP3 files just fine — as do most newer handsets. And with plenty of online outlets for cheap unencumbered MP3 files, the Zune desktop software becomes just another program to load music onto your device. In that role, it’s sorely lacking; the Zune software is bloated and without any compelling features. I would much rather use Windows Media Player, or anything else, to load my 30gb Zune. And I really like being able to drag and drop music onto devices, something neither the Zune nor the iPod allow.
