Microsoft just released firmware 4.3 for the Zune HD. It fixes some minor issues like speeding up the browser, does some preliminary support for upcoming applications and games and also adds predictive text input to make it a bit easier to type on the device. It also speeds up the startup a little and adds a few features in the UI like links in the artist bio and a keyboard settings menu. Definitely worth grabbing if you have a Zune HD.

[Mobile tech World via Gizmodo]

Cowon just dropped two of its new players in time for the holidays here in the US. The iAudio 9 or sometimes called the i9 is the next generation i7 but this time it looks like the buttons are much more accessible. The i7 was a great sounding player (review) with some great output but it was hindered by a horrible UI with cramped touch controls.

From the photos it looks like it could be more comfortable even though the swing touch controls are still present. At Journal de Geek there are a few other photos of the UI in action sized up against the Cowon s9. You can also check out the full pitch and specs on the official Cowon i9 landing page.

The player is available in white, silver, black, and red with capacities of 8GB and 16GB. Right now only the black 16GB is available on Jettmall for $170 and should roll out to Amazon shortly. Oh, yeah and the E2… available for $65 for the 4GB screenless player with style.

Today Creative Zii Labs released the first Android firmware for the Creative Zii EGG based on Android version 1.6. The firmware is very beta and really only for the developers to start working on the OS for the Zii EGG. The basic Android applications are there but some things like the camera are still not working. Also, some elements of a phone are present such as 2G options and signal strength icon are still present, so Android still needs to be cleaned up and targeted to the specificly to the Zii EGG. Android marketplace was not available but I was able to download and install AndAppstore and successfully install applications from that app library.

Even though it is still very rough around the edges and far from a consumer ready device it is exciting to see progress. Still no word on when this device will launch for the consumer market, but don’t hold your breath since I would guess that date to be well into 2010 considering the current state of firmwares.

Below is a video demo of the Zii EGG Android in action.

While not a competitor to any of the other music organizing applications I've reviewed lately, foobar2000 deserves somewhat of a "special mention" for it's computer side music playback capabilities. Read on for a quick review-slash-walkthrough.

Next up in my series of software reviews is an old champion that hasn't changed much over the last few years. How will it hold up to the more updated music applications?

With the S540 review out of the way, it's time to shift focus to its baby brother, the E340. How does it compare to the S540?

With previous generation Zunes being discontinued, the Zune HD will be rolling solo into the next generation of the Zune platform. This hardware along with the software and services is a walled garden approach that tightly integrates content delivery across your Zune HD, PC, Xbox, and Windows Phone. It is an approach that creates a very seamless and easy to use experience but on the flip side can be limiting on choices of software and formats.

This Zune HD review will show off the features of the HD hardware and how it meshes with the Zune ecosystem.

Continuing my reader requested quest for the best music organizing software, I've made my way to one of the big ones in the field. MediaMonkey has been around for ages, and continues to stand as perhaps the single biggest independent music organizing application out there. Read on to see how it holds up.

With Windows 7 just out , Windows Media Player 12 is slowly making its way onto PCs everywhere, replacing outdated version of a software mane – including me – haven't really had much love for. Considering the amount of people using default applications, and WMP12's ability to use Windows 7 features out of the box, I decided to take a closer look.

It's that time of year again; the time when Sony takes a look at their MP3 player line up, decide it's time for an update, and run a computer application that randomly adds and removes some features and then releases the result as a new player.

The S540 is a Sony player, which means the same menus, format support, video support, screen resolution etc etc as the previous models. New in this model is integrated stereo speakers, FM and voice recording and a couple of more tweaks. Read on to see how it hods up.