10-25-2006, 07:20 AM
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Executive Editor
Join Date: Aug 2006
Posts: 29,160
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Zune Wireless DJ Feature Missing? Seems So...
"When the patent filing was done by Microsoft for the Zune player, the released PDF document was explaining what would be the features of the Zune Wi-fi connectivity. The Zune to Zune sharing was certainly an attractive aspect of the feature. But there was another aspect that was quite interesting and it’s the "DJ mode". As explained in the document, a Zune owner could act as a DJ for a maximum of 4 Zune friends. What is does is broadcasting the song you are playing on your Zune to other Zunes around you. Since we did not heard anything about that feature since the release of that document we asked Microsoft (Cesar Menendez) if this was still a feature of the Zune."
ClicZune discovered something very interesting: the wireless DJ feature we wrote about from the FCC documentation seems to be missing from the shipping product. In all of the "previews" we've seen, no one has mentioned this missing feature. I thought it was still there, yet no one dug deep enough to use it since all of the people with hands on time with the Zune have tended to be a bit light in the tech-geek department. I find it strange and a bit sad that none of the Zune enthusiast sites have gotten their hands on a Zune yet - the people that are so keen on the Zune they've launched Web sites about a product they don't even own yet. Just a few more weeks though...
Getting back to this missing feature, it's a bit disappointing, because I think this would have been another way Microsoft could show that their product is innovative. We've all watched as the wireless functionality has become less and less functional, and this feature would have been a great talking point to have at launch. Cesar's response talks about the current wireless feature - of being able to WiFi transfer songs to other Zunes - as being the "first of many wireless features", so there's hope that over the coming months we'll see continued improvement. But adding major new features mid-stream plays havoc on the marketing cycle, because the box can't even list off the features properly. Then again, this is a very different approach for Microsoft - I don't know that the Zune box even lists the features. Time will tell, but I'm optimistic that Microsoft is going to innovate rapidly with updates for the Zune. In fact, I feel like I've been a little too pessimistic about the Zune lately here on Zune Thoughts, so I think it's time for me to work on a post about what I'm looking forward to with the Zune...
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