PriceSCAN Blog

Yes, songs shared between Zune users will still be playable only three times by the receiving device. Even those sold without copy protection.
The redesigned, slimmer Zune will reportedly be available with 4 GB and 8 GB of flash memory (for $150 and $200, respectively) while an 80 GB hard drive version will sell for $250. But Redmond has social-networking dreams - and hey, who doesn't? Thus, Gates & Co. intend to seduce the Facebook generation with a musical taste-driven profile site, imaginatively dubbed "Zune Social", presumably to facilitate the sharing of those only three times playable files.
In the wake of the relatively lackluster response to the first generation Zunes ("zune (zōōn) v. To violently drop in price, esp. before the holidays.") one could be forgiven for hoping Redmond would come up with a more attractive value proposition. And indeed, the firm making one million or more DRM-free MP3s available via Zune's Marketplace is a welcome development, and the touch-activated Zune Pad and wireless PC-synch features are at least interesting. But the Zune's pricing offers no discount to Apple's iPod line, millions of songs are now available without copy protection from other online retailers, and Facebook and others are already facilitating music sharing. One has to question how attractive the new Zune will be to anyone save committed foes of white earbuds. And these Zunes will be more costly than many offerings from Creative, SanDisk and others, placing in doubt its ability to penetrate the market niches of these players.
Which brings up one other change. The new Zune's will not be available in the original's signature color of brown. ("The Zune: Microsoft's Little Brown Lump Of DRM-Enforcing Digital Joy"). Try to get over it.
Now, on the other hand, if there was some way to play "Halo 3" on the thing…