Today you may have noticed a new terms of service pop-up on either the Windows Phone marketplace or the Zune desktop software. Johan van Mierlo certainly did, and took the photo above to prove it. One of the things that shows up is an opt-in check-box for "Personalize My Music".  I'm pretty sure this has always been part of the Zune desktop side of things, but the option hadn't appeared on Windows Phone before, probably because Windows Phone does not have the music personalization features that the Zune desktop software and previous Zune devices did. In case you're not familiar, the Zune ...

The Bing mobile website, m.bing.com, has seen a major update recently. Unfortunately, the update does not work on Windows Mobile Classic, but it will work great on the Zune HD and KIN phones. The update brings Bing's mobile website a bit closer to the functionality and design aesthetics of the desktop version. It now shows information cards where possible instead of just a list of links as before. Switching from portrait to landscape orientations even resizes and reformats the mobile site. That means you don't have to pinch/zoom/pan everywhere to make it fit, which is a great feature. ...

As you know, J. Allard has announced his retirement from Microsoft's Entertainment and Devices Division even though there was a lot of creativity and innovation that's come out of that team lately. Here's an interesting look at said team that gives some insight into the creative workflow that has spawned products such as Zune, Xbox, and Windows Phone 7. (via Facebook)

Most "smart" phones these days are really dumb when it comes to outdoor screen readability. Sure, the screen looks great when you're inside with the lights out, but when you're actually mobile and need to use some mobile-related feature of your phone, it turns out you can't see anything on the screen. Luckily the KIN phones are designed for people who do have lives that take place outdoors and the screen was designed to accommodate. While it's not as good as the screens from 10 years ago, it's still going to be quite usable at the beach or sitting by the pool. Here's the KIN Two next to ...

Since we're such big fans of the Zune music service, we were very curious and a bit excited about the KIN phones since they're the first phones to support Zune. Here's our video comparison between the Zune HD and the KIN Two. Both devices are paired with a Zune Pass subscription so that you can get the full experience. What's certainly awesome about having a phone with Zune Pass support built in is that you have streaming Zune pass and music download support from anywhere that you've got internet reception. So say you're in the car and a passenger wants to know if you have any so-and-so ...

If Windows Mobile represented Microsoft's corporate mobile strategy, KIN represents a consumer-centric user experience approach that signifies effortless hardware and software integration in a sleek, comfortable package for novice smartphone users. If Microsoft plays its cards right with hardware partner Sharp and carrier partners Verizon Wireless and Vodafone, KIN may be just the tip of the iceberg in luring users to the more advanced Windows Phone platform, marked by the release of Windows Phone 7 later this year. At first glance, the KIN can be criticized for not being full featured ...

I'm sorry, but no, this article doesn't have anything to do with running Zune on your Android (although I think that would be very, very cool). I started out as a Microsoft Fanboy. Every day I carried my Windows Mobile phone, Zune, and even sported a Microsoft S.P.O.T. watch. When Android hit version 1.6 I defected from my AT&T Tilt to an Android-powered T-Mobile G1 (and later to the Nexus One) but I was still packing my Zune around with me for months afterward. Constantly looking for ways to simplify my life with technology, I started replacing things I typically did with my Zune with my ...