Much has been made about the Zune’s 802.11 b/g Wi-Fi capabilities and its ability to connect to other Zune players. Now, specific details are available thanks to Zunester’s David Caulton.
First, let’s look at what it will let you do. It will let you search for and find nearby Zune devices (range is still unknown). Once connected, you can send each other music but this beamed material will work only for 3 days or 3 plays on the new device. The Zune will track trial songs in a journal-type application so that you can later purchase them. You will also be able to send pictures which can be viewed unlimited times.
On the what-it-cannot-do side, the Zune will not be able to connect to the Internet and you will not be able to purchase songs over the air from the Zune Marketplace. You will also not be able to synchronize your Zund with your PC over Wi-Fi.
Let’s hope that future firmware updates change some of this. The ability to purchase songs over the air in particular would have given the Zune a serious leg up on the Apple iPod.