So I read an article about more applications of the WiFi that a Zune could have (note the article got it wrong about the three plays restriction), and I've thought about it a bit. Its pretty obvious what could be done:
Feature Request: Broadcast. Would share a song with all Zunes in range, allowing venues like concerts to share songs with fans.
This one was an idea in the article, but I felt it was worth repeating. Another one by the article, not one I would use as much, but hey:
Feature Request: View Collection. Allows the user to look at and possibly download any song off a nearby Zune.
Feature Request: Personal Voice Recorder. iPods already have this feature, so why not Zunes? While your add it, why not make new models have a built in microphone?
This one was brought to me by dmox when I asked the ##Windows IRC channel about ideas for features. Thanks dmox! The built-in bit was all me, but the voice recording bit came from him.
Feature Request: Now Playing. Share whatever song your currently listening to to any nearby Zune by request.
Who's request? The nearby Zunes of course! The person listening would have to enable it however. Now for a pair of ideas on allowing home users to enable computer-Zune communication.
Feature Request: PC Squirt. Allow computers to share music to the Zune, especially in regard to Podcasts.
Being able to share your homemade Podcasts (be it a weekly show or your band's latest and greatest) with your local area would be great. Neighborhoods, family, a party, the campus, or a LAN party. The possibilities are not just endless, they are awesome.
Feature Request: Zune Marketplace Hotspot. Allow users to purchase and download songs wirelessly.
Security features would need to be added to this to prevent theft of user information. An added plus to this one would be if anyone could set up a hotspot with access to the Zune Marketplace and collect a small part of the revenue for each song sold (like one Microsoft point per song); of course there would have to be some sort of system in place to prevent abuse, like marking up the songs by a Microsoft point or so. Even better if you could mark music you like or are selling on the Zune marketplace to take priority over other music being sold. Speaking of which, here is a suggestion for that:
Feature Request: Sell on the Marketplace. Allow bands to sell music on the Zune Marketplace, much like Podcasts can be put on iTunes.
To prevent profiteering on piracy, songs would have to be checked by a group dedicated to the job of "quality" control, but this would help small bands turn a tidy profit, and further get people to setup Zune Marketplace Hotspots, especially at concerts.
Feature Request: Zune Hardware Access. Allow the Zune's hardware to be used by a PC as a WiFi card and as an external hard drive.
The latter of those two uses can already be achieved by hacking, and is available on the competition. The WiFi bit wouldn't be as widely used, but would be useful at the least.
Feature Request: Worldwide Sync. Allow the user to Sync from anywhere in the world with their home computer.
Perhaps this could be a Mesh application?
Feature Request: Zune Marketplace on the 360. Allow music purchase for the 360 and thus the Zune by opening up the Zune Marketplace on the 360.
APIs could be added to allow gamers to download or buy music from video games in the games themselves. More importantly a "What I'm Listening to" can be uploaded to the Zune website, like the Zune PC application does. Speaking of "What I'm Listening to":
Feature Request: Allow "What I'm Listening to" to be shown directly from your Zune when connected to a WiFi network.
Again security would be needed to prevent user data from being stolen, but this would allow the user to have more accurate information to be shown when in range of a network. Additionally, what the user has listened to in the last couple hours could be added too, helping to give an up-to-date database of user preferences.
That's all I could come up with at press time. Feel free to comment and add more suggestions, and send the ones you like to Microsoft.
1 comments:
Most of these are really good suggestions. I think syncing to your computer from anywhere in the world is definitely the biggest thing, next to wireless Zune-to-multi-Zune local broadcasting.
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