From Zune Insider -

Today we’re issuing a press release about Zune’s launch date and price: November 14 in the U.S.; $249.99. Many people have asked about Zune Marketplace: A ZunePass (giving you access to millions of songs) will cost you $14.99 per month. If you want to buy a song individually it’ll cost you 79 Microsoft Points (or 99 cents). 

Click Here to read the full story 

This is a very detailed article that should answer all of your Zune related pricing questions.

While I think the 79 Microsoft Points is a really lame way to make it seem like you might be undercutting iTunes pricing, $14.99 per month for all I can listen to is appealing…

The jury is still out for me on this little device, but I’m looking forward to getting a chance to test one out…

From Slashdot -

“Inspired by the fast growth of social networks such as Facebook and MySpace, Microsoft is launching a test version of its own social network. Wallop brands itself as ‘the exclusive social experience’, and is technically a separate company, a startup that’s based on technologies developed by Microsoft Research. As far as revenues, Wallop ‘plans to sell graphics and other features people can use to decorate their personal profile pages’, says MSNBC.”

Visit Wallop here

I have sent in a request to beta test Wallop.  If I get the opportunity, expect a list of reasons why you SHOULD or SHOULDN’T switch in the very near future.