Windows Phone 7 is an open music platform: Buy music when you want, where you want
Yesterday we made an announcement around the international expansion of Zune, our digital entertainment service. Alongside the service is the Zune desktop application that will be freely available. It provides an engaging entertainment experience on Windows-based PCs allowing you to manage your music, videos, photos, podcasts and Marketplace. The Zune application will also enable you to sync your media with your phone and share your media in your living rooms via your Xbox 360.
I’ve had a few people asking me questions about this announcement, so I wanted to outline what this is going to mean for our market here in Australia.
As an open music platform, Zune is built into the Music + Video hub on your Windows Phone 7 allowing you to manage your music, enjoy custom playlists, listen to podcasts, and recommend favourite songs to friends, as well access exciting apps through the Windows Phone 7 Marketplace. There’s also a built-in FM radio and high-res screen that’s great for watching movies, or your own video clips directly on your phone.
While the Zune Pass music subscription service is yet to be made available here in Australia, on Windows Phone 7 you will be able to:
- Use the Zune PC software to manage and play your personal collection of digital media (music, video and photos);
- Transfer media between the phone and PC;
- Wirelessly (think home WiFi) sync between the phone and PC;
- Manage and play content from your personal collection on their phone;
- Watch videos sync’d from the PC;
- Rent movies for viewing on Windows-based PCs or choose to sync the rental to Windows Phone 7;
- Purchase movies to download and watch anywhere — on the big screen in the living room with Xbox LIVE or a Windows-based PC, as well as sync it to Windows Phone 7 to enjoy while on the move;
- Listen to radio with the built-in FM turner.
I’ll keep you posted on any other Windows Phone 7 updates we have.
Cheers, Dave