For those who have been highly rated HD Microsoft Zune portable media player, and I wanted it to be a phone, your prayers have been answered. Yesterday at the press conference of Microsoft for the MWC 2010, the full length of “Zune phone” has finally been pushed into the center of attention and treat the approval of appointment for many participants. 

To be fair, the series of mobile Windows 7 is more than a hard drive with a Zune phone in finally achieved, we are looking at a portable device that combines some of the most successful Microsoft Windows Mobile, Zune, Xbox, and Microsoft Office. But make no mistake, there are a lot of Zune in the operating system for Windows Mobile phones.  Everything from the touch screen keyboard to the “twist” style user interface looks and behaves just like Microsoft’s latest Zune HD portable media player.

As a fan of the Zune player, software, and services, I have mixed feelings about the evolution of Microsoft’s flagship operating Smartphone Zune (I felt the same sting when the iPod gave way to the iPhone). The Independent Media Player Zune is no longer the center of the Zune’s story, but rather the prologue.

Mostly though, I’m relieved. I always thought that one of the greatest challenges Microsoft’s attempts to market a portable media player oriented social sharing and the music was the fact that there were many other Zune users to share there. If nothing else, the inclusion of Zune services on Microsoft’s latest smartphone software will mean an explosion in the population of registered Zune users. The Social may finally become, well, socialized.

Indeed, lost in the shuffle of all the Windows Phone 7 Series announcements is the fact (reported by ZDNet) that the Zune’s music and video services will suddenly be available internationally once the supported phones are available around the 2010 winter holidays. Currently, aside from some limited international exposure of the Zune Video Marketplace for the Xbox 360,  Microsoft Zune and music services are strictly limited to the United States. Microsoft McGee Casey would not reveal exactly which countries will receive services for the Zune, but said the Zune music and video service is available outside the United States “…in all countries where Windows 7 Phones will ship.”

It remains to be seen whether the international availability of the Zune software and services resulting from the sale of its Zune player from Microsoft HD multimedia phones abroad. Unlike the parallel tracks Apple has created with iPhone and iPod, always popular, Microsoft could choose to begin their participation in mobile media, acknowledging (perhaps correctly) that the future of portable entertainment is entirely in phones.

If Microsoft decides to continue selling and developing the Zune HD hardware, it will be interesting to see how it answers the inevitable pleas from Zune HD users to update the product with Windows Phone 7 Series features, such as Xbox Live integration and broader mobile app support.

In what’s probably a reaction to recent reports of missing music in the Zune Marketplace, Microsoft has hired an outside firm to help clear music for your Zune Pass subscription service.

In an announcement today, Music Reports Inc. announced an agreement with Microsoft to “administer the music publishing licensing and royalty accounting for the Zune Pass subscription service in the United States.”

The use of licensed music outdoors is a new step for Microsoft and its Zune music service. However, the change in firms points to shortcomings in the previous arrangement, evidenced perhaps by the disappearing music snafu. Microsoft did not comment on the new partnership officially.

International expansion of service to music via the Zune phone for the next round of Windows 7,  may also play a role Microsoft’s new hire. The statement from Music Reports specifically says its role is limited to the United States. Microsoft can work with multiple international partners to ramp up the Zune music service for its mobile operating system.

Barriers of licensing a music subscription service in several countries is a daunting task. Similar subscription services, such as Rhapsody and Slacker, have a limited scope outside the  United States , due to the expense and complexity of arranging the required licensing and publishing agreements. Only Napster has successfully tied up music subscription deals in both the United States and Europe.

Just ahead of its Windows Phone 7 (Series) unveiling on February 15 at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, Microsoft is making public information about some of the new bosses running things there.

First up is the newly minted Corporate Vice President of Windows Phone Engineering — Terry Myerson. According to new data released February 12, Myerson is the team leader to provide “software inside Windows Zune phones and devices, including user interface, applications, Web services support and the operating system ”

Windows Compact Edition already is “at the heart” of both Windows Mobile phones and Zune HD devices. However, the wording of Myerson’s bio leads me to believe there is greater synergy between these groups. Hello “Zune Phone” (also known as Windows Phone 7 offerings running Zune music/video services….?

According to my tipsters, services such as Windows Mobile and MyPhone Marketplace, both of which we should hear a lot about this week, are now under Myerson (Myerson most recently was head of the Exchange team, a position he held for eight years), as a result of Arbogast’s (Twenty-year Microsoft veteran Arbogast, from 2009, was the Microsoft Corporate Vice President of mobile services) alleged departure. Once again, the new official would confirm that one ….

Microsoft recently shared another Windows Phone exec’s new title and responsibilities. Joe Belfiore is Corporate Vice President in charge of Windows Phone Program Management. Belfiore’s responsibilities include “the definition of product design and software for next generation mobile devices, Windows and Zune.” Belfiore is going to be one of the keynoters at Microsoft’s Mix 2010 conference in mid March, the venue where the Softies are slated to unveil the development strategy and tools for Windows Phone 7.

In 2010 who needs a dedicated personal media player, when it is difficult to find a cell phone that will not play media than one that will? You do. In addition being smaller, easier to use and cheaper than a cell phone, a good PMP offers a bigger screen for video, longer battery life, and not disrupt your workout with a call from the boss.

The battle between the iPod Touch and Microsoft Zune HD rages on. Ignoring the claims and focus only on the two devices as media players, we believe that HD Zune wins. In addition to a more limited factor, from mild, the Zune uses an extremely sharp HD OLED screen offers better battery life, and cheaper to store them, too. That said, stay away if you’re looking anything like the pocket computer functionality of Apple’s amazingly versatile Touch.

The Mobile World Congress in Barcelona next week will be crucial for Microsoft, Steve Ballmer & Co., trying to show an industry increasingly skeptical that the company has what it takes to be a strong competitor in mobile phones. And it looks like Microsoft will be bringing the goods, unveiling the next version of its Windows Mobile operating system, according to a report by Nick Wingfield The Wall Street Journal.

The Wall Street Journal notes that Microsoft has become more involved in the design of hardware for Windows Mobile devices, and the paper cites anonymous sources saying that Windows Mobile 7 “sports a revamped user interface that resembles the look of Microsoft’s Zune HD music player.” Could that be the source of confusion that has led to all the “Zune phone” speculation over the past couple years?

Microsoft, which was early to market with its operating system Windows Mobile, has seen its market share decline to competition from rivals such as Apple’s iPhone and, more recently, Google Android devices.

Ballmer spoke at the Mobile World Congress early yesterday morning, Pacific Time. A webcast will be available via this Microsoft page, and we will have full coverage as events unfold.

Miamisburg, Ohio, February 11, 2010 / PRNewswire / – NewPage Corporation, the largest North American producer of coated paper, announced today the launch of a new podcast from the work of Robert Bernard, chief strategist of the environment for Microsoft. The episode is the first On Paper podcast to launch on Zune, Microsoft’s entertainment platform for podcasts, videos and music. Designed to bring about positive change in the area of sustainability, this biweekly broadcast is now in its third season and continues to grow in listenership, reaching over one million downloads, making its launch on Zune an appropriate next step for the series.

In this episode of On Paper, Bernard explains how technology and software can be used to generate real change in the global environment. Bernard identified three priority areas in which Microsoft may have a positive impact on sustainable development: energy efficiency important in enabling and use of IT, accelerating scientific research based on environmental issues and to become responsible leaders of the environment on a daily basis by the way we conduct our business.

Working as a founder and board member of the Green Grid organization, Microsoft recognizes the importance of working with other industries to solve the problem and the problem of energy efficiency. According to Bernard, the organization is on track to reach its 2012 target of reducing CO (2) emissions by 30 percent.

“We went from a world where we had a lot of interested people, to a world where now all of our field staff who talk to our customers and many of our engineers who are writing software, are thinking about and acting on the new vision and paradigm that we’re moving toward,” Bernard explains. “We are undertaking this incredible creative power and we do that people start to think and act in a greater dimension, with a deliberate emphasis on energy and environmental sustainability.

There’ve been rumours circulating that software giant Microsoft entered the telephony market.

Most of the rumours that were based on Redmond coming up with a Zune phone, which will aim at killing off of Apple’s iPhone. However, it seems that Microsoft could have set sights a little lower.

Microsoft and MediaTek have said they formed a strategic alliance to provide a rich multimedia smartphone designed primarily to emerging markets.

The kit will be built on the Windows Phone 6 platform. They’ll be multimedia rich smartphones and will have full touch capabilities and offer advanced communication features.

MediaTek said its partnership with Microsoft will boost the penetration of smartphones in developing countries.

The interesting move is suggests that Microsoft is leaving the smartphone field in the West to Apple. Apple didn’t get into the Chinese market and has not had much success in India. Redmond may be thinking that if they can sell enough of the gear to the cheaper markets it’ll not have to waste time and money chasing the Jobs’ Mob marketing machine.

In recent days, Microsoft has quietly cut prices on the Zune HD through an at least temporary promo. The touch screen multimedia player, now costs $ 190 for a 16GB model at Amazon, or $ 32 less than the initial price, the 32GB model has been reduced by a similar amount to $ 250.

Microsoft’s own store has also dropped its prices by an amount less than $200 for a 16GB Zune HD and $270 for a 32GB edition. Wal-Mart and other retailers are also very similar to Amazon’s price.

Officially, Microsoft has only said that the new prices were part of “sales” and that means it may be temporary, but did not say if or when the promotion ends. The cuts, however, give it about twice as much capacity at the same price as an iPod touch or else a significant discount for similar capacity.

They price drops come as an attempt to spur sales post-holidays and suggest sales have cooled significantly since the September release. Microsoft has implemented such cuts in the past when Zune players weren’t faring particularly strongly and suggests as a result that the effective restart of the Zune line has had little direct impact on the company’s ability to increase its market share. Historically, Microsoft has been about 2 per cent of media player market, while Apple has had more than 70 percent.

There’re a lot of rumors that Microsoft is planning to create its Zune media player in order to compete with the iPhone. In addition, some rumors say it will be introduced with the release of Windows Mobile 7.

According to unconfirmed reports saying that Microsoft will integrate the functionality of the Zune in its smartphone operating system.

But some sources say that the next version will come with a user interface that resembles that found in Microsoft Zune. As it focuses on video and music, is based on the Zune desktop application, but not Windows Mobile Device Center.

Probably Windows Mobile 7 will have similar features compared to the iPhone. It will not have backup for running multiple applications simultaneously, and users cannot install applications from an online store.

Because of all the changes, the new version of the operating system will not be able to run current software.

Companies that develop devices based on this operating system will not be able to customize it as they do it these days.

As for the business usurers they will be offered a second edition of Windows Mobile 7. It comes with standard features and be compatible with other applications.