What’s more Zune content via Zune Marketplace with DRM won’t play on Plays for Sure certified devices. Zune does not work with Windows Media Player — MS ditched Media Player for making a new program just for Zune and the software is not that great.

Whether or not you get an iPod don’t get a Zune. If I had to choose a Plays for Sure certified player — well mp3 players like the Toshiba Gigabeat, the Creative Zen, a iRiver, a Dell Digital Juxebox etc (I think the Dell DJ has been discontinued) versus a Zune I would then get a Plays for Sure player like the ones mentioned above.

As it stands I like my iPod though and don’t need a Plays for Sure player. Apple has now introduced new iPods with WiFI capabilities — did u know the Zunes WiFI streaming capabilities are crippled. They limit wireless sharing to 3 plays or 3 days. Also Zunes only can share with other Zunes and there just aren’t enough Zunes to share with — it would make more sense for Microsoft to also offer Zune 2 Zen sharing, or Zune to iPod sharing etc in addition to Zune 2 Zune. Music shared from Zune to Zune can only be played on a friend’s Zune 3 times after which it expires — if you don’t play it at all it will expire in 3 days — whichever comes first.

WiFi is nice but the feature is crippled and Microsoft rather than provide a good player that is consumer friendly — is focusing less on innovation and more on pleasing the record companies. It is restricting the Zunes features to make record labels happier and the offer to pay record labels a dollar for every Zune sold shows how misguided Microsoft is. They’d rather make a player that screws customers and makes the RIAA happy than provide a decent player that when bought will provide a good experience.

As for DRM I don’t like it and oppose it! I oppose DRM in Sony BMG’s root-kit infected CDs — remember the fiasco a few years back over this and the settlement reached in 2005? I oppose DRM in iTunes! I oppose DRM in Sony’s Blu Ray which is why I refuse to buy a PS3. I refuse DRM from Microsoft so refuse to upgrade to Windows Vista and refuse to buy an XBox or XBox 360 and allow Microsoft to grow its monopoly further.

I think that eventually we will see something like this available for the BlackBerry. In my opinion, all smart phones will and higher end mobile phones will offer such services before it is all said and done. Media rich mobile devices, eventually, will be the next big thing, if the aren’t already.

Not to turn this into a digital rights management debate, however, if you don’t see the beuaty of subscription based media service, like cable tv, don’t subscribe. You can always go buy a CD or DVD if you want to have it forever.