Microsoft: 1m Zune sales by mid-2007

Microsoft today said it expects to sell 1 million Zune players through the first half of 2007, and claims that such a figure would be a good start for the company. "We think that's actually pretty awesome," said Bryan Lee, corporate vice president for Microsoft's entertainment group. Microsoft unveiled the Zune in mid-November amidst clouds of speculation and doubt from industry watchers, according to the Associated Press. The 30GB Zune player -- which is priced equally to Apple's 30GB video iPod -- offers several features the iPod does not, such as wireless Zune-to-Zune music transfers which expire after three days. Despite this, however, 80 percent of consumers still pointed to Apple's iPod as their first choice for an MP3 player in a recent poll. The Redmond-based company's share in the digital audio player market decreased as reported yesterday after the company's initial entry into the business.

16GB flash-based video iPods en route?

Apple may be preparing to launch a 16GB flash-based iPod that retains the video capabilities of its larger siblings, according to one analyst's notes. Electronista notes that Daniel Amir of the research firm W. R. Hambrecht believes the new iPod will ship in the first quarter of 2007, which is roughly the same period as Apple's anticipated iPhone launch. The analyst points to the combination of both products potentially increasing the demand for NAND flash memory next year. The analyst made no mention of what price a 16GB iPod would ship for, or whether the device would resemble the current iPod nano or video iPod.

Safe 'N Sound earphones ship

Yellowdays has released its Safe 'N Sound earphones, which the company claims deliver impressive sound as they protect the eardrdums. The Safe 'N Sound earphones feature a unique design with acoustic chambers that direct sound away from the inner ear to reduce potential damage to the eardrum, and are designed for comfort with non-intrusive ear hooks to keep the earphones in place. The Safe 'N Sound earphones are priced at $30, and work with Apple's iPod as well as most other portable audio players.

Brightonnet unveils Tube Speaker dock

Japanese manufacturer Brightonnet has announced the Tube Speaker for iPod, a dock that ships in black, blue, green and silver colors designed to match the aesthetics of the second-generation iPod nano. The dock works with any iPod featuring a clickwheel, weighing just 6.3 ounces and producing 4.4W of power from each satellite speaker. Power is supplied by four AAA batteries, or via a USB cable that enables synchronization functions, according to Electronista. The Tube Speaker is expected to ship on December 11th for $26.