The 3.0 release was packed with lots of awesome new features. As a part of this new feature set, we introduced channels for our Zune Pass users. Channels are essentially subscription playlists that are updated automatically for you on a regular basis. This is an awesome way to have new music delivered to you automatically. I really enjoy my channels, and I want you to enjoy them too. So, in this post, I am going to give you a little primer on channels, how they work, and how to use them. First of...

Since I joined Zune last year, the single biggest feature request from folks in the zune.net forums (besides the clock) has been for a new sync mode. A sync mode in which when you delete content from your computer, it still remains on your Zune device. People don’t like it when content magically disappears from their device, and rightly so. So, you asked for it, and we delivered; enter Manual Sync Mode… While we believe there is great value in our Smart Sync modes, some folks want more...

Not many people know that the Zune 2.1 software release was a complete re-write of the software. We wiped the slate clean and started over. So, it wasn’t as simple as porting features over, we literally had to re-write the application from the ground up. Features like autoplaylists are no simple task to implement, and while we wanted them in the first 2.1 release, it just wasn’t possible. Now we have them, so it’s moot point, but I wanted to enlighten you as to why they weren’t included until now...

Howdy! My name is Matt and I work on the Zune client (software) team as an SDET. I have been working full-time at Microsoft for just over a year now and love working for the Zune team! Before that, I did contract work for Microsoft on products like Windows Media Player 11, and Expression Media Encoder. Needless to say I am a media fanatic and love working on media related projects. Cesar also recruited me to bring a different perspective to Zune Insider and bring more transparency to our processes...