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Release Date: August 05, 2009
Genre: Games
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iTunes New Music Releases

Release Date: September 29, 2009
Genre: Rock
Release Date: September 20, 2009
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Genre: Rock
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  • Live at the Magic Bag, Ferndale, MI

    • 6 out of 10
    • Supersuckers
    • Man, there's nothing like good, old fashioned, rock and roll... add a bit of industry resentment to that with a double-shot of cynicism, and you get one of the best "new" rock bands going. This album
  • Billy Miles

    • 10 out of 10
    • Billy Miles
    • Take the voice of a young Billie Holiday and stuff it into a svelte, petite body with the face of an angel, and you have some idea of what it's like to experience the music of Billy Miles in her self-
  • Pretty Hate Machine

    • 8 out of 10
    • Nine Inch Nails
    • For years I wanted to make music that sounded like something between Love and Rockets and Ministry. In 1989, Trent Reznor beat me to it with this genre-defining album, and it smacked me upside the hea
  • Trouble

    • 8 out of 10
    • Ray LaMontagne
    • At first, Ray LaMontagne might strike you as just another breathy-voiced knockoff of folk/rock guitarists like John Mayer and Jack Johnson. But he's actually got a better voice than either, he tell

  • Spilt Milk

    • 10 out of 10
    • Jellyfish
    • The second and final album from this power-pop group makes me wish Jellyfish had been able to make just one more record together. The album is best enjoyed as a whole piece, flowing from one track to

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News

Gartenberg: Zune Phone Unlikely

A Zune Phone is unlikely, according to Michael Gartenberg with Jupiter Research. In his blog, he explained that the business model for Windows Mobile is totally different than for Zune. Even so, Microsoft may still be mulling over the idea as a way to better compete with Apple.

Mr. Gartenberg explained that while Microsoft’s harwdare partners on the music side were taken aback by the Zune, ultimately they were still comfortable with the licensing. However, with a Microsoft phone, Mr. Gartenberg noted:

"The phone is different. WinMo is a core platform and OS. No one has ever been successful licensing technology platforms to others and then competing with a device of their own. Apple failed (twice), Palm and Nokia all tried it and it just can’t be done. Microsoft now has traction with more than 20 million licenses out there and a great stream of partners and new phones for consumer and business use. A Zune phone from MSFT would potentially hurt all that."

In addition, Microsoft would face all the same problems Apple did before Apple finally sought a major wireless partner in AT&T. It’s possible Microsoft might forge ahead, but the Jupiter Research technical director thinks it’s more likely that some Zune functions will get folded into Windows Mobile.

If rumors are true, Microsoft has been holding exploratory interdepartmental meetings to discuss a Zune phone. On Wednesday, Steve Ballmer sent an e-mail to Microsoft employees describing how to better compete against Apple.

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