Zune HD specs leak out; takes on iPod touch

Zune ready to take on the iPod touch?
Zune ready to take on the iPod touch?

Microsoft's Zune might have never managed to make it across the water, but that hasn't stopped the Redmond group apparently refreshing the device with touchscreen goodness.

Those chaps over at Neowin have managed to bag what they are claiming as 'confirmed' specs for the forthcoming device, including a mighty pretty 3.6-inch OLED touch screen.

Lest we forget that Apple is rumoured to be using the same style of display in its forthcoming iPhone and iPod touch refresh, so Microsoft looks like it's trying to steal a march on its rival.

Still no phone, surely?

Other unconfirmed rumours from the Microsoft inside state that the device will also have a camera, 3D Xbox support and even elements of Windows 7, although the last one is slightly unbelievable as that would mean the Zune HD was practically a phone and that's never going to happen.

Here's the full list of 'confirmed' specs according to the site:

  • 3.6 inch-ish OLED full touch screen.
  • NVIDIA Tegra powered.
  • 4GB, 8GB, 16GB and 32GB versions.
  • HDMI Connection to stream straight to your TV.
  • HD Radio.
  • Web Browser.
  • Wi-Fi compatible, with wireless marketplace.
  • Released, early fall.
  • International release of the Zune device itself.
  • Home AV packs, Car packs, Charge packs.

We'll wait and see if this device ever makes it into the light of day, especially as there are rumours this will be the last ever Zune and it will instead become a mobile phone software platform, but for now we can all lust over a shiny new addition to the PMP world.

Via Neowin

Gareth Beavis
Formerly Global Editor in Chief

Gareth has been part of the consumer technology world in a career spanning three decades. He started life as a staff writer on the fledgling TechRadar, and has grown with the site (primarily as phones, tablets and wearables editor) until becoming Global Editor in Chief in 2018. Gareth has written over 4,000 articles for TechRadar, has contributed expert insight to a number of other publications, chaired panels on zeitgeist technologies, presented at the Gadget Show Live as well as representing the brand on TV and radio for multiple channels including Sky, BBC, ITV and Al-Jazeera. Passionate about fitness, he can bore anyone rigid about stress management, sleep tracking, heart rate variance as well as bemoaning something about the latest iPhone, Galaxy or OLED TV.