Could the Zune HD save Microsoft's music player ambitions...

The fledgling Zune is like the underdog nobody wants to win. Its parent, the big mean bully Microsoft, has had a regretable past when marketing the device to consumers, but could its next rumored iteration, the Zune HD, actually out do Apple's upcoming iPod touch? Daniel Begun, a HotHardware contributor, thinks Microsoft will have to throw everything they've got at the device, and David Chartier, contributor to MacWorld, thinks they might have a shot with their all-you-can-eat subscription model, if they couple that with a DRM-free music store that's easily accessed. Personally, I think the Zune will have to be Microsoft's first shot at revolutionizing the aging Windows Mobile platform, offering an easy way to develop mobile applications which could then be rolled out to phones in tandem. Speaking of phones, AT&T is rumored to have locked down the iPhone till 2011, according to the Wall Street Journal. AT&T's motives are obvious, being the exclusive carrier of one of the most sought after devices is sure to bring in profits, but is it the best deal for Apple? Surely, if the phone was available on more carriers, we'd have a nation of i-toting enthusiasts on all carriers, rather than on the orange and blue of AT&T. Of course, as David points out, AT&T's biggest strong point is also it's weak point: iPhones use more data than most other phones, which has been known to undersatisfy consumers in iPhone dense areas. Whether or not it's good for everyone, AT&T will do it's damndest to keep the iPhone exclusive for as long as possible, which makes me think competitors like Google's Android will have to step it up if we ever want to loosen AT&T's grasp.