Beside that sleekified Zunes, Microsoft has added two new things for the Zune ecosystem that will improve user experience. Most important is the addition of DRM-free music in the Zune Marketplace. Microsoft will make over a million DRM-free MP3 songs initially. Podcasts and videos will also be available via the Market Place. No details yet, though. Zune Social, as rumored before, will be a real community this time, where you can network. Zune Cards will allow you to track recently played songs and favorites. Zune owners can sample one another’s Zune Cards. No restrictions when sharing, like before. We have no footage yet on how the new software and Zune Social works, but from the literature, it should work well enough without being too flashy. The Zune tattoo guy should get his flesh ready for another visit to the tattoo salon.

Looks like this time Zune will be a true contender to iPod.