Gadget Bloggers

Microsoft now confirms that its new iPod wannabe, the Zune, will be available to have and to hold as of November 14th, at a price of $249.99.  (Toshiba is the manufacturer.)

That’s 99 cents more than the comparable iPod sells for - and at that price, Microsoft will reportedly be losing money on every player it sells.

They probably expect to make it back in music sales; the new Zune marketplace opens for business to download tunes at 99 cents a pop, same as iTunes.

But don’t bother purchasing any of the following tunes for your Zune, because these will be preloaded on the device:

Band of Horses, “Wicked Gil”Â
Bitter:Sweet, “The Mating Game”Â
CSS, “Alala”Â
Darkel, “At The End of The Sky”
Every Move a Picture, “Signs of Life”
Small Sins, “Stay”
The Adored, “Tell Me Tell Me”
The Rakes, “Open Book”
The Thermals, “A Pillar of Salt”

Although the release date is announced, we checked Wal-Mart and it is not yet allowing advance orders.  Wal-Mart does inform us that its own music download service will NOT work with the Zune.

Will the Zune’s limited Wi-Fi capability and built-in FM tuner - the two key selling points - be enough to woo iPod fans away?

[via CNN]

Â