Zune Coming to Windows Mobile Devices

There’s been talk of a Zune phone since the very first day Zune shipped.  The Zune interface is done remarkably well and naturally, people have longed to see a phone integrated into it. In case you’re not familiar, there’s another popular MP3 player that had a phone added to it within the last couple years. That device has been a huge hit for the parent company. Microsoft would be crazy to ignore the publics demand for a good MP3 player / Phone all wrapped together nicely.

Steve Ballmer has made your dreams a reality - almost. In a recent interview with CIO magazine, Steve didn’t go as far as announcing a device or release date.  He did say that the Zune software is going to be ported to Windows Mobile devices and that the software will play a more important role when it comes to the PC and Windows Mobile devices.

But Does Windows Mobile really need Zune software?  Windows Media Player comes installed on every device. Sure, many find the mobile version of WMP to be limiting and a horrible experience - those people can install any one of the third party media players available for Windows Mobile. Also, most Windows Mobile devices have the ability to use external storage cards. That means you can have about 8GBs or more available to store your music, videos, and pictures on. It’s not anywhere near the 120GB you can get on the latest Zune models, but it’s more than enough music for a day or two.

So what is it? Why would you want the Zune software on your mobile device? There are a number of reasons like User Experience (ease of use), Zune Marketplace, and a Sync that actually works without creating duplicates!

You can read the full interview with Steve Ballmer at the CIO webiste. [Source = WMPowerUser]

Searching for the Best Bluetooth Headset

I’ve been using the original Jawbone headset for a while now. For the most part, it’s been a really good headset.  It can be a little awkward to put on at times and I find the in-ear volume could be a little louder. I’ve be thinking of replacing it for a couple weeks, but I really like the audio quality that the Jawbone has. There’s never a problem with the person I’m calling not being able to hear me clearly. Because of this, I’ve been holding back on buying something else. Unfortunately, I managed to bust the arm off it today. So I guess I need to start thinking of replacing it now.

I recently came across a review over at My Today Screen that compares the new Jawbone with the BlueAnt Z9i headset. Both of these headsets are top notch in my opinoun.  So it was interesting to see that the BlueAnt actually outperformed the Jawbone in some of the tests, like audio quality, battery life, and even noise cancellation. I tend to rank those 3 elements as key for a headset. Given that the BlueAnt managed to beat the Jawbone, then I have to think that BlueAnt is a pretty awesome headset. Has anyone used one and have any comments - good or bad, about the headset?  For that matter, any suggestions or comments on any Bluetooth headset?