Over on the Windows Mobile Team Blog, Microsoft developers are "wondering if there are any opportunities for us to improve the experience for people who use both devices (a Zune and a Windows Mobile phone). For example, viewing your Zune Social network in IEMobile, converting a Zune playlist into .WMA ringtones, converting Zune's artwork to Windows Mobile themes, showing your Windows Mobile contacts as pictures in Zune etc." 

No one is "referring to an imaginary 'Zune phone', [or] hinting or speculating about a converged device," but still, seeing the two devices understand each other would be almost as cool. 

What do you think?

One of my main thoughts on this is whether Mobile Zune would work better than Mobile Media Player.

The Zune player interface is already the correct size and proportion and the wireless options on the Zune would be an easy step onto WinMo.

Our devices could be the Zune 'Nano' compared with the big brother 30Gb and 80Gb Zunes.

As our MicroSDs are only just reaching 12Gb, there wouldnt be any inhouse competition for the Zune to worry about, only an increase in compatible family members.

It would also get more people using the PC Zune interface. 

I read this blog post a while back and it was spread all over the web and I almost believed that it might be true. But the excitement ended almost instantly when I realized it was a rumour. But nevertheless, the idea of having the Zune Marketplace running on a Windows Mobile device is a huge advantage and would certainly make the Zune Marketplace more widely used.

That being said, I don't think there will ever be a 'Zune Phone'. Microsoft's take on the Zune is totally a portable media device. But it wont hurt to enable web browsing on it since it already has Wi-Fi.

 Hi Ahmed.

 I think Bill means in terms of a Windows Mobile Device running Zune, rather than a Zune Device with WinMo capabilites.

And I would presume that would be Zune replacing Windows Mobile Media Player. 

Personally, I'm rooting for a convergence of the two: Zune and WinMo. Or rather, I'm hoping the WinMo platform will be able to support all the features and capabilities of the Zune -- because I think that's the direction of things.  I don't want two devices when I could have one. 

I'd also like to see the two combined onto a WinMo device.

The limit at the moment the capacity of flash drives as used by mobile devices at the moment.

If the manufacturers were to incorporate a 1.8" hardrive into a WinMo device (such as the one found in the HTC Shift) We could jump from 8 - 12Gb cars upto 20Gb - 160Gb overnight.

A 1.8" is relatively small and would add maybe an extra 5mm - 8mm to the depth of our device. I would happily have a 8mm deeper device for 160Gb of internal storage.

This article may be hinting at Microsoft's intentions for a Zune Player for Windows Mobile

I just found this article that states NOKIA is working with the Zune Team at MS!!!

Bill any chance your can confirm or deny this??????

Click here for the full story

Posted by Adam Krebs in "Zune News" @ 12:30 PM

 

QUOTE:

Take it or leave it, but Zune-Scene's reporting that if and when the Zune team releases a media player client for a mobile phone (a.k.a. the "Zune Phone", "zPhone" or "Pink and Purple project"), it won't be on Microsoft's own Windows Mobile platform as widely speculated, but on rival Nokia's series of smartphones. As with past Zune-Scene reports, this one is short on detail (e.g. no release date, lots of plausible deniability) and high on outlandish claims. While keeping this in mind, I should also point out that Zune-Scene's sources have been right on a number of these scoops in the past. This should be fun to watch as it develops.

With Symbian and Nokia holding the largest market share of mobile phones, moving Zune onto these is the fastest route to building the Zune market.

There is also nothing to say that Microsoft are not working on Zune for WIndows Mobile as well. 

Microsoft has already been in talks with Nokia in terms of getting them onto Windows Mobile rather than Symbian, but that came to nothing in the end. Though this is not final.

Even though the Zune was not as successful as MS had hoped I think down the road there will be a Zune WM device also...

 It is something that I would to see, but I wouldn't expect to see until/unless Windows Media Player is replaced by Zune Player.

Sadly, I haven't heard a thing either way! I've read the same speculation you all are discussing, however, and am looking forward to seeing which, if any, of the rumors turns out to be correct...