NYT: Yet Another Media Player Plans to Take on the Leader

Stephen Williams from New York Times writes:

How many times have you read this on a gadget blog:

“On (insert date here), the (insert company name here) plans to launch its new (insert device name) to compete with Apple’s iPod.”

Well, on Sept. 15, Microsoft plans to launch its new Zune HD portable media player and ... you finish the sentence.

But Zune HD is one package that could actually take the fight to Apple’s iPod Touch.

Microsoft’s Zune HD has a built-in HD radio tuner, an OLED touch screen, Wi-Fi connectivity and a price that undercuts just about all of the competition: $220 for a 16GB version in black and $290 for the 32GB “platinum” edition.

The 8GB iPod Touch costs $229.

Other nifty stuff includes built-in Internet Explorer Web browser, an accelerometer and a touch-screen keyboard. The media players will be available in five colors.

The Zune will output 720p high-definition videos if you buy a dock. Expect Microsoft to bolster content available on the Zune Marketplace Web site for movie and television show downloads, and to further integrate it with attractions like the popular Xbox Live Marketplace.