It seems that if the popularity of iPod could be based on how many accessories are released it each week then here comes some positive info regarding the Zune. Proporta whose been making cases and other accessories for dozens of portable electronics for years has announced a few new cases to help protect your Zune.

 
The Silicone Case is by far the most reasonable coming in at just under $20, while their handmade Alu-Leather Case and molded Aluminum Case will set you back about 35 bucks.

News comes to us from one of Zune Boards administrators “Mys Videl” that they have a partially working version of Linux installed and “sort of” running on the Zune. “Yes, I've been working on it for quite awhile and have a lot of bugs to work out and a lot of features to work out. It currently has to be booted while synced and has limited capabilities but I've at least got it partway working.” was the thread started by Mys Videl and the thread caught fire quickly to now have over 4 pages of responses to the OP.

We already knew the Zune processor could handle Linux but this is very interesting, to actually have a partially working install (even though it voided the warranty completely).

Our website has received a huge increase in traffic over the Holiday season, especially Christmas day which led my to belief that it was likely do to fact that many people may have been checking for information about their new Zune that they received as a present.

I know of several other websites which focus on video conversion software for ripping software DVDs etc. and converting them to a Zune playable format and I learned that they too had similar increases in visitorship. I wanted to write this because all I seem to keep seeing is all the naysayers whom continue to write a myriad of negative articles about Microsoft’s Zune being a disappointment thus far in its initial phase.

In my opinion and from my experience it has been far from a disappointment but rather just a product going through its developmental stages just the same way the Xbox had to and you would be hard pressed to find anyone these days that would refer to Xbox as disappointing.

Just as the title suggests I’m going to take another shot at the ipod, the reason? Before buying my first Zune I had gone through several (that’s right, 3 in total), in the five years since its release; and, I don’t mean I upgraded but rather that they simply stopped working.

 
Perhaps it was this lack of reliability that lead to my starting this website, I mean I really doubt the Zune can be any less reliable than iPod was for me, in fact, I have had my Zune for just a bit but I have dropped it twice and it still functions perfectly. I was however thinking about Microsoft’s recent announcement regarding extending the warranty of their Xbox from 90 days to 1 year and I thought what a huge boon it could possibly be for MS to due something similar for their new product.

 
If you research what people are searching for when they use the word “Zune” you will find that most are interested in a comparison of Zune to the iPod, how they perform and even perhaps how long they might last, could be the deciding factor for many which portable music device they will be carrying this coming spring.

 
Only time will tell if the Zune has a longer lasting battery life (before it burns out altogether) or whether or not it holds up better than its Apple rival, I can tell you though that it couldn’t be any worse. I trust my Zune, even though it’s made of plastic, it just appears to be a sturdier device than iPod and maybe that’s because of how much Apple stuffs into such a small package, true Zune is larger but perhaps that’s a good thing.

Ok, the title might be a little deceptive but let me try to explain. Fox news is reporting that a couple from Illinois who purchased a Zune player from Wal-Mart for their daughter, they were probably expecting it to come loaded with some cool music from hip indie bands like 30 Seconds to Mars and it did but it also featured something that it was never supposed to. An alternative lifestyle adult video which lasted for 1 hour and 44 minutes (hmm… that’s impressive), the husband and wife said that the packaging appeared to have been tampered with, however, when they attempted return the item and complain to the Wal-Mart store management where they purchased the gift, the store manager blamed the situation on Microsoft.

“Now, Wal-Mart has issued a statement informing they are investigating the incident and will give a full refund plus a $25 gift card. But the parents believe the damage has been caused already.”

There's really nothing funny about this situation but it still reminds my of a South Park Cartoon. 

Alright, I thought this was interesting albeit a little off the wall. There’s a webhosting provider AIT that is offering a pretty neat little deal where, if a customer who prepays for a year will get to decide on a fairly neat prize, either a Zune or an iPod. I took a look at their website but I couldn’t see the offer. The info comes courtesy of Hostsearch .