14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Phone 7, the next generation mobile operating system Redmond-based software giant Microsoft is set to bring to the market as soon as next month, should offer support for some appealing services, including the popular Zune, which has just landed in more countries around the world.
Zune and Xbox LIVE are two of the most important services that Windows phone 7 is expected to feature when brought to shelves, and it seems that Microsoft is making sure that more users have access to them.
The new version of Zune, namely 4.7, is set to become available for download for free in more 20 countries, including the U.K., France, Italy, Germany and Spain, Microsoft announced.
According to the company, the Zune software has been enhanced with a series of new features and functionality, so as to serve as the Windows Phone 7 synchronization client when handsets running under the OS become available.
“The integration between Zune, Windows Phone 7 and Xbox LIVE is an exciting expansion in our entertainment offerings,” said Craig Eisler, corporate vice president, Interactive Entertainment Business Group at Microsoft.
It appears that the company plans on heavily relying on the upcoming Windows Phone 7 devices when it comes to the availability of the Zune service around the world, at least for the time being.
There will be no new Zune HD device, it seems, even if some of the latest news around the web suggested that there might be one, and the upcoming Windows Phone 7 handsets would act as Zune players.
“We’re going to be leaning on our colleagues to introduce some pretty amazing (Windows Phone) handsets and those will be our hardware refresh this year,” Michael Yaeger, a marketing manager in Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business, stated, according to techflash.
According to Microsoft, Zune will land in various markets around the world specifically tailored for each country.
“Zune.net is the perfect resource for consumers as it allows them to download the software and set up a Zune account with a new or existing Windows Live ID. Zune.net will also provide Web access to Zune Marketplace,” the company noted.