Zune 2.5

Microsoft issued a major update to its Zune software today: We've updated the Zune software with features our community's been asking for, including gapless playback, smart playlists, new sorting options, multiple-device syncing, and advanced song info editing, including drag-and-drop functionality. If you have Windows Live Messenger running, it'll let your contacts know what you're playing. And when you go to Zune Marketplace, you'll now find over 600 episodes of popular TV shows to download, plus more than two million DRM-free MP3s. Great news for members of the Zune Social: the discovery experience is now fully integrated into this update. Send messages and listening recommendations directly from the software. Zune Pass subscribers: sync your friends' Zune Cards with your device and their music comes along—their recent plays, favorite tracks, and top songs from their most-played artists. Even if you don't have a Zune Pass, you'll still see their play data on your device, so you can choose what you want and buy the songs next time you sync. Expect some shots and a review soon. I would point out, however, that the Zune guys promised something new around TV content, and this just appears to be a copy of what Apple's doing. Not sure what's going on there yet.