Zune HD Now Available for Pre-Order
By Rachel Cericola
Microsoft may be down in the portable market, but they certainly aren't out. Apple can declare world domination for that market, all while Microsoft is showing off its latest in the Zune line, the first to support high definition media playback.
Today, the company announced that the
Zune HD is now available for preorder on popular etailers such as Amazon.com. If you prefer the excitement of sleeping out for electronics, the unit will hit brick and mortar store shelves on September 15. But honestly you may not need a sleeping bag as it's unlikely these are going to fly off the shelves in this particular economy.
Of course, the big hook is that the unit features HD video-out capabilities. You'll have to buy a separate HDMI A/V docking station to output 720p. That is not available for preorder, and pricing hasn't been announced either.
Zune HD will be available in 16GB and 32GB capacities, for $219.99 and $289.99, respectively. For the preorder, you can only get the 16GB in black and the 32GB in platinum. However, once they are released, you can get a Zune HD in five different colors, with the option to customize your player with one of 10 new engravings designed by guest artists.
The 3.3-inch touchscreen also features a built-in HD Radio receiver for higher-quality radio signals, built-in WiFi and a web browser.
If you want to get a sneak peek before you buy, Best Buy will have product demos at stores in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C. from August 22 to 23.
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